Loss of Core-Fucosylation of SPARC Impairs Collagen Binding and Contributes to COPD

Silencing of α1,6-fucosyltransferase, the enzyme for core-fucosylation and highly expressed in lung stem cells, resulted in alveolar structural changes in lung organoids, recapitulating COPD. Site-specific mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that the secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), which binds collagen, contained a core-fucosylation site in its VCSNDNcfK glycopeptide.