The Effect of Glycosylation on the Folding Kinetics of Erythropoietin

Glycosylation is a common posttranslational modification that generally increases protein solubility and thermodynamic stability. Less is known about how this modification influences protein folding, particularly folding processes involving intermediate species. In the present report, folding comparisons of a nonglycosylated erythropoietin (EPO) mutant are made with the fully glycosylated EPO, which was recently shown to fold by a three-state on-pathway mechanism. The absence of glycosylation did not alter the folding mechanism of EPO but did greatly decrease the stability of the intermediate species, change the rate-limiting step of the folding reaction, and accelerate the folding kinetics to both the intermediate state and the native state. Surprisingly, glycosylation stabilized the intermediate species to a greater extent than it increased the EPO equilibrium stability. These results suggest that glycosylation impedes the latter EPO folding steps rather than accelerating them by biasing particular folding pathways, as previously proposed for folding reactions initiated from unfolded ensembles with minimal residual structure. Due to the specific biological processes modulated by EPO glycosylation, however, there may be little evolutionary pressure to fold on a faster, more direct pathway at the expense of biological function, particularly given the protective role glycosylation has at preventing EPO aggregation. Lastly, evidence that is consistent with glycosylation destabilizing the unfolded state to some degree and contributing to the greater equilibrium stability of the glycosylated EPO is presented.