The role of n-linked glycosylation and sialylation in regulating human proteinase-activated receptor 1 and 4 expression and signalling

Proteinase-activated receptors (PARs) are a novel family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that mediate many of the diverse biological effects of proteinases on target cells. N-linked glycosylation is a common post-translational modification in the GPCR superfamily that enables the cell to regulate protein function without recourse to the genome. Previous pharmacological studies have found that activation of hPAR-2 by mast cell tryptase can be regulated by receptor N-terminal glycosylation. However, the role of N-linked glycosylation in regulating the expression and function of other PARs is not known.