Alison Forrester

Sep 13, 2023 | biorxiv.org | Ewan MacDonald |Alison Forrester |Cesar Augusto Valades-Cruz |Thomas D. Madsen

AbstractIt is commonly assumed that the glycan makeup of glycoproteins that reach the cell surface is final and static. Here, we challenge this notion by the discovery of a molecular switch that induces acute and reversible changes of glycans on the plasma membrane. We demonstrate that within minutes, the epidermal growth factor triggers the galectin-driven endocytosis of cell surface glycoproteins, such as integrins, that are key regulators of cell adhesion and migration.