Biosynthesis of lipid-linked oligosaccharides in yeast: the ALG3 gene encodes the Dol-P-Man:Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol mannosyltransferase

The formation of N-glycosidic linkages of glycoproteins involves the ordered assembly of the common Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 core-oligosaccharide on the lipid carrier dolichyl pyrophosphate. Whereas early mannosylation steps occur on the cytoplasmic side of the endoplasmic reticulum with GDP-Man as donor, the final reactions from Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol to Man9GlcNAc2-PP-Dol on the lumenal side use Dol-P-Man. We have investigated these later stages in vitro using a detergent-solubilized enzyme extract from yeast membranes. Mannosyltransfer from Dol-P-Man to [3H]Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol with formation of all intermediates up to Man9GlcNAc2-PP-Dol occured in a rapid, time- and protein-dependent fashion. We find that the initial reaction from Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol to Man6GlcNAc2-PP-Dol is independent of metal ions, but further elongations need Mn2+ that can be partly replaced by Mg2+ or Ca2+. Zn2+ or Cd2+ ions were found to inhibit formation of Man(7-9)GlcNAc2-PP-Dol, but do not affect synthesis of Man6GlcNAc2-PP-Dol. Extension did not occur when the acceptor was added as a free Man5GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide or when GDP-Man was used as mannosyl donor. The alg3 mutant was described to accumulate Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol. We expressed a functional active HA-epitope tagged ALG3 fusion and succeeded to selectively immunoprecipitate the Dol-P-Man:Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol mannosyltransferase activity from the other enzymes of the detergent extract involved in the subsequent mannosylation reactions. This demonstrates that Alg3p represents the mannosyltransferase itself and not an accessory protein involved in the reaction.     

Release of glucose-containing polymannose oligosaccharides during glycoprotein biosynthesis. Studies with thyroid microsomal enzymes and slices

Incubations of thyroid microsomes with radiolabeled dolichyl pyrophosphoryl oligosaccharide (Glc3Man9-GlcNAc2) under conditions optimal for the N-glycosylation of protein resulted in the release, by apparently independent enzymatic reactions, of two types of neutral glucosylated polymannose oligosaccharides which differed from each other by terminating either in an N-acetylglucosamine residue (Glc3Man9GlcNAc1) or a di-N-acetylchitobiose moiety (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2). The first mentioned oligosaccharide, which was released in a steady and slow process unaffected by the addition of EDTA, appeared to be primarily the product of endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase action on newly synthesized glycoprotein and such an enzyme with a neutral pH optimum capable of hydrolyzing exogenous glycopeptides and oligosaccharides (Km = 18 microM) was found in the thyroid microsomal fraction. The Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide, in contrast, appeared to originate from the oligosaccharide-lipid by a rapid hydrolysis reaction which closely paralleled the N-glycosylation step, progressing as long as oligosaccharide transfer to protein occurred and terminating when carbohydrate attachment ceased either due to limitation of lipid-saccharide donor or addition of EDTA. There was a striking similarity between oligosaccharide release and transfer to protein with lipid-linked Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 serving as a 10-fold better substrate for both reactions than lipid-linked Man9-8GlcNAc2. The coincidence of transferase and hydrolase activities suggest the possibility of the existence of one enzyme with both functions. The physiological relevance of oligosaccharide release was indicated by the formation of such molecules in thyroid slices radiolabeled with [2-3H]mannose. Large oligosaccharides predominated (12 nmol/g) and consisted of two families of components; one group terminating in N-acetylglucosamine, ranged from Glc1Man9GlcNAc1 to Man5GlcNAc1 while the other contained the di-N-acetylchitobiose sequence and included Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, Glc1Man9GlcNAc2, and Man9GlcNAc2.     

The role of vitamin A in the glycosylation reactions of glycoprotein synthesis in an ''in vitro'' system.

Microsomal membrane preparations from rat livers, when incubated with labelled sugar-nucleotides, were shown to synthesize labelled oligosaccharide-lipids in the presence of excess exogenous dolichyl phosphate. Under the incubation conditions defined in the present study, dolichyl pyrophosphoryl(DolPP)GlcNAc2-Man5, DolPPGlcNAc2Man9 and DolPPGlcNAc2Man9Glc3 were the principal oligosaccharide-lipids formed by both control and vitamin A-deficient membranes. However, deficient membranes synthesized 3.2 +/- 0.8 times as much oligosaccharide-lipids and 2.6 +/- 0.7 times as much dolichyl phosphate mannose (DolPMan) and dolichyl phosphate glucose (DolPGlc) as the controls. The transfer of the oligosaccharide chain from the dolichol carrier to the endogenous protein acceptors in vitamin A-deficient microsomes (microsomal fractions) was only 57.5 +/- 9.5% of that of controls. After endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase treatment, only one oligosaccharide species was isolated from both control and vitamin A-deficient microsomal glycoproteins, and was characterized as GlcNAcMan9Glc3. We conclude that the decreased incorporation of labelled mannose and glucose from sugar-nucleotides into the glycoproteins must be due to decreased transfer of GlcNAc2Man9Glc3 from the dolichol carrier to the protein acceptors. This conclusion was further substantiated by the finding that control membranes transferred 4-6 times as much labelled oligosaccharides from exogenously added dolichol-linked substrate (DolPPGlcNAc2Man9Glc3) to endogenous microsomal protein acceptors as compared with the vitamin A-deficient membranes. Attempts to reverse this defect by addition of retinol or retinyl phosphate (a source of retinyl phosphate mannose) to the incubations were unsuccessful.     

The role of C-4-substituted mannose analogues in protein glycosylation. Effect of the guanosine diphosphate esters of 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-D-mannose and 4-deoxy-D-mannose on lipid-linked oligosaccharide assembly.

The effects of the guanosine diphosphate esters of 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-D-mannose (GDP-4FMan) and 4-deoxy-D-mannose (GDP-4dMan) on reactions of the dolichol pathway in chick-embryo cell microsomal membranes were investigated by studies with chick-embryo cell microsomal membranes in vitro and in baby-hamster kidney (BHK) cells in vivo. Each nucleotide sugar analogue inhibited lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis in a concentration-dependent manner. GDP-4FMan blocked in vitro the addition of mannose to Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2Man from GDP-Man (where Dol represents dolichol), but did not interfere with the formation of Dol-P-Man, Dol-P-Glc and Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2. Although GDP-4FMan and Dol-P-4FMan were identified as metabolites of 4FMan in BHK cells labelled with [1-14C]4FMan, GDP-4FMan was a very poor substrate for GDP-Man:Dol-P mannosyltransferase and Dol-P-4FMan could only be synthesized in vitro if the chick-embryo cell membranes were primed with Dol-P. It therefore appears that the inhibition of lipid-linked oligosaccharide formation in BHK cells treated with 4FMan [Grier & Rasmussen (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 1027-1030] is due primarily to a blockage in the formation of Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2Man2 by GDP-4FMan. In contrast, GDP-4dMan was a substrate for those mannosyltransferases that catalyse the transfer of the first five mannose residues to Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2. In addition, GDP-4dMan was a substrate for GDP-Man:Dol-P mannosyltransferase, which catalysed the formation of Dol-P-4dMan. As a consequence of this, the formation of Dol-P-Man, Dol-P-Glc and Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2 may be inhibited through competition for Dol-P. In BHK cells treated with 10 mM-4dMan, Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2Man9 was the major lipid-linked oligosaccharide detected. Nearly normal extents of protein glycosylation were observed, but very little processing to complex oligosaccharides occurred, and the high-mannose structures were smaller than in untreated cells.     

Regulation of mammary gland metabolism: pathways of glucose utilization, metabolite profile and hormone response of a modified mammary gland cell preparation

Crude membrane preparations from chick embryo cells catalyse the formation of dolichyl-di-N-acetylchitobiosyl diphosphate [Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2] from uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc). The formation of this glycolipid was stimulated by exogenous dolichyl phosphate and inhibited by tunicamycin. Adding GDP-mannose to the cell-free system containing Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2 by preincubation led to the formation of a lipid-linked oligosaccharide, containing 8--9 sugar residues. The formation of lipid-linked oligosaccharides was inhibited by GDP-2-deoxy-D-glucose (GDP-dGlc): in this case Dol-PP-(Glc-NAc)2-dGlc accumulated. Subsequent additions of mannosyl residues to this trisaccharide-lipid to form lipid-linked oligosaccharides were not possible. Concomitantly the glycosylation of proteins was blocked. Partially inhibitory conditions were obtained by adding both GDP-dGlc and GDP-Man with an excess of GDP-dGlc. Glycosylation of proteins was observed but the glycopeptides did not contain 2-deoxyglucosyl residues. Also in these cases 2-deoxyglucose-containing glycolipids accumulated. The main glycolipid formed under these conditions was Dol-PP-(GlcNAc)2-Man-dGlc. Lipid-linked oligosaccharides containing 2-deoxyglucose were formed under these conditions, although in small amounts, but were not transferred to protein. So the molecular basis of the inhibitory action of 2-deoxyglucose on glycosylation of protein is the incorporation of 2-deoxyglucosyl residues during early phases of the biosynthesis of the lipid-linked oligosaccharides.     

Transfer of nonglucosylated oligosaccharide from lipid to protein in a mammalian cell

We have previously shown that the glucosidase inhibitor, N-methyl-1-deoxynojirimycin (MedJN), only partially inhibited N-linked complex oligosaccharide biosynthesis in F9 teratocarcinoma cells whereas the alpha-mannosidase I inhibitor, manno-1-deoxynojirimycin, completely prevented this synthesis (Romero, P. A. and Herscovics, A. (1986) Carbohydr. Res. 151, 21-28). In order to determine whether a pathway independent of processing glucosidases can occur, F9 cells were pulse-labeled for 2 min with D-[2-3H]mannose in the presence or absence of 2 mM MedJN. In control cells, Man7GlcNAc was identified in the protein-bound oligosaccharides released with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, in addition to the expected Glc1-3Man9GlcNAc and Man9GlcNAc arising from processing of Glc3Man9GlcNAc. MedJN completely prevented the removal of glucose residues from Glc3Man9GlcNAc, but did not greatly affect the appearance of Man7GlcNAc associated with protein. Labeled Man7GlcNAc was also found in the lipid-linked oligosaccharides of both control and treated cells. The 2-min pulse-labeled Man7GlcNAc obtained from both the lipid and protein fractions were shown to have identical structures by concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography and by acetolysis and were clearly different from the Man7GlcNAc obtained from the usual processing pathway. These results demonstrate that transfer of a nonglucosylated oligosaccharide (Man7GlcNAc2) from dolichyl pyrophosphate to protein occurs in F9 cells.     

The ins(ide) and out(side) of dolichyl phosphate biosynthesis and recycling in the endoplasmic reticulum.

The precursor oligosaccharide donor for protein N-glycosylation in eukaryotes, Glc3Man9GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol, is synthesized in two stages on both leaflets of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER). There is good evidence that the level of dolichyl monophosphate (Dol-P) is one rate-controlling factor in the first stage of the assembly process. In the current topological model it is proposed that ER proteins (flippases) then mediate the transbilayer movement of Man-P-Dol, Glc-P-Dol, and Man5GlcNAc(2)-P-P-Dol from the cytoplasmic leaflet to the lumenal leaflet. The rate of flipping of the three intermediates could plausibly influence the conversion of Man5GlcNAc(2)-P-P-Dol to Glc3Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-Dol in the second stage on the lumenal side of the rough ER. This article reviews the current understanding of the enzymes involved in the de novo biosynthesis of Dol-P and other polyisoprenoid glycosyl carrier lipids and speculates about the role of membrane proteins and enzymes that could be involved in the transbilayer movement of the lipid intermediates and the recycling of Dol-P and Dol-P-P discharged during glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis, N-glycosylation, and O- and C-mannosylation reactions on the lumenal surface of the rough ER.     

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae alg12delta mutant reveals a role for the middle-arm alpha1,2Man- and upper-arm alpha1,2Manalpha1,6Man- residues of Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-PP-Dol in regulating glycoprotein glycan processing in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus

N-glycosylation in nearly all eukaryotes proceeds in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by transfer of the precursor Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2) from dolichyl pyrophosphate (PP-Dol) to consensus Asn residues in nascent proteins. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae alg (asparagine-linked glycosylation) mutants fail to synthesize oligosaccharide lipid properly, and the alg12 mutant accumulates a Man(7)GlcNAc(2)-PP-Dol intermediate. We show that the Man(7)GlcNAc(2) released from alg12Delta-secreted invertase is Manalpha1,2Manalpha1,2Manalpha1,3(Manalpha1,2Manalpha1,3Manalpha1,6)-Manbeta1,4-GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAcalpha/beta, confirming that the Man(7)GlcNAc(2) is the product of the middle-arm terminal alpha1,2-mannoslytransferase encoded by the ALG9 gene. Although the ER glucose addition and trimming events are similar in alg12Delta and wild-type cells, the central-arm alpha1,2-linked Man residue normally removed in the ER by Mns1p persists in the alg12Delta background. This confirms in vivo earlier in vitro experiments showing that the upper-arm Manalpha1,2Manalpha1,6-disaccharide moiety, missing in alg12Delta Man(7)GlcNAc(2), is recognized and required by Mns1p for optimum mannosidase activity. The presence of this Man influences downstream glycan processing by reducing the efficiency of Ochlp, the cis-Golgi alpha1,6-mannosyltransferase responsible for initiating outer-chain mannan synthesis, leading to hypoglycosylation of external invertase and vacuolar protease A.     

Transient glucosylation of protein-bound Man9GlcNAc2, Man8GlcNAc2, and Man7GlcNAc2 in calf thyroid cells. A possible recognition signal in the processing of glycoproteins

Calf thyroid slices incubated with [U-14C]glucose synthesized protein-bound Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, Glc2-Man9GlcNAc2, Glc1Man9GlcNAc2, Glc1Man8GlcNAc2, and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2. Although label in the glucose residues of the last three compounds could be detected within 5 min of incubation, appearance of radioactivity in the mannose residues of the alpha-mannosidase-resistant cores of Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 took more than 30 and 60 min, respectively, to appear after label was detected in the same mannose residues of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2. The glucose residues were removed upon chasing the slices with unlabeled glucose. The last compound to disappear was Glc1Man9GlcNAc2. Calf thyroid microsomes incubated with UDP-[U-14C]Glc synthesized the five protein-bound oligosaccharides mentioned above. Although addition to GDP-Man to the incubation mixtures greatly diminished the formation of Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 bound either to dolichol-P-P or to protein, labeling of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2, Glc1Man8GlcNAc2, and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 was not affected. Addition of kojibiose prevented deglucosylation of protein-bound Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 without affecting the formation of Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 and only partially diminishing that of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2. These results indicate that Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 were formed by glucosylation of the unglucosylated species and not be demannosylation of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 and that probably part of the latter compound was formed in the same way.     

Deletion of the glucosidase II gene in Trypanosoma brucei reveals novel N-glycosylation mechanisms in the biosynthesis of variant surface glycoprotein

The trypanosomatids are generally aberrant in their protein N-glycosylation pathways. However, protein N-glycosylation in the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei, etiological agent of human African sleeping sickness, is not well understood. Here, we describe the creation of a bloodstream-form T. brucei mutant that is deficient in the endoplasmic reticulum enzyme glucosidase II. Characterization of the variant surface glycoprotein, the main glycoprotein synthesized by the parasite with two N-glycosylation sites, revealed unexpected changes in the N-glycosylation of this molecule. Structural characterization by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and chemical and enzymatic treatments revealed that one of the two glycosylation sites was occupied by conventional oligomannose structures, whereas the other accumulated unusual structures in the form of Glcalpha1-3Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-3(Manalpha1-6)Manbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAc, Glcalpha1-3Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-3(GlcNAcbeta1-2Manalpha1-6)Manbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAc, and Glcalpha1-3Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-3(Galbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-2Manalpha1-6)Manbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAc. The possibility that these structures might arise from Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 by unusually rapid alpha-mannosidase processing was ruled out using a mixture of alpha-mannosidase inhibitors. The results suggest that bloodstream-form T. brucei can transfer both Man9GlcNAc2 and Man5GlcNAc2 to the variant surface glycoprotein in a site-specific manner and that, unlike organisms that transfer exclusively Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, the T. brucei UDP-Glc: glycoprotein glucosyltransferase and glucosidase II enzymes can use Man5GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man5GlcNAc2, respectively, as their substrates. The ability to transfer Man5GlcNAc2 structures to N-glycosylation sites destined to become Man(4-3)GlcNAc2 or complex structures may have evolved as a mechanism to conserve dolichol-phosphate-mannose donors for glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis and points to fundamental differences in the specificities of host and parasite glycosyltransferases that initiate the synthesis of complex N-glycans.     

Protein glycosylation in Trypanosoma cruzi. The mechanism of glycosylation and structure of protein-bound oligosaccharides

As reported previously (Parodi, A.J., and Cazzulo, J.J. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 7641-7645), label was incorporated first to the glucose residues of protein-bound Glc1Man9GlcNAc2, Glc1Man8GlcNAc2, and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 when Trypanosoma cruzi cells, the causative agent of Chagas disease, were incubated with [U-14C]glucose. It is now reported that the glucose residues are removed from the oligosaccharides after a chase period. The relative proportion of Man9GlcNAc2, Man8GlcNAc2, Man7GlcNAc2, and Man6GlcNAc2 appeared to be the same after 120 and 180 min of chase, thus indicating that these compounds were the fully processed protein-bound oligosaccharides. No complex type protein-bound oligosaccharides were detected. Evidence is presented indicating that Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 was formed mainly by glucosylation of Man7GlcNAc2 and not by demannosylation of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2. Man9GlcNAc2 was the first oligosaccharide to be labeled when cells were incubated with [2-3H]mannose. Based on these and previous results, the overall mechanism of protein N-glycosylation appeared to be: (formula; see text) The structure of the oligosaccharides appeared to be similar to some of those present in human glycoproteins. T. cruzi cells isolated from distant locations in South America were found to share a common mechanism of protein glycosylation.     

Potential regulation of N-glycosylation precursor through oligosaccharide-lipid hydrolase action and glucosyltransferase-glucosidase shuttle.

The potential role of degradative mechanisms in controlling the level of the dolichyl pyrophosphate-linked Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 required for protein N-glycosylation has been explored in thyroid slices and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) vesicles, focusing on cleavage of the oligosaccharide from its lipid attachment and on the enzymatic removal of peripheral monosaccharide residues. Vesicle incubations demonstrated a substantial release of free Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 (at 30 min approximately 35% of that transferred to protein) which was inhibited in the presence of exogenous peptide acceptor and was sensitive to disruption of membrane integrity by detergent. In thyroid slices glucosylated oligosaccharides terminating in the di-N-acetylchitobiose sequence were also noted and these continued to be formed even during inhibition by puromycin of both protein synthesis and the attendant N-glycosylation. These observations indicated that the oligosaccharide originated from the lipid donor and suggested, together with previously reported similarities in substrate specificity and cofactor requirements, that the oligosaccharyltransferase can carry out in vivo both the hydrolytic and transfer functions. In addition to the release of the intact Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, we also obtained evidence that the lipid-linked oligosaccharide can be modified by the in vivo action of ER glycosidases. Since radiolabeling of the oligosaccharide-lipid in thyroid slices indicated a preferential turnover of the glucose residues, the possible existence of a glucosyltransferase-glucosidase shuttle was explored with the use of castanospermine. In the presence of this glucosidase inhibitor, the formation of under-glucosylated and nonglucosylated oligosaccharides was not observed, even under conditions of energy deprivation in which they accumulate. Glucosidase inhibition in ER vesicle incubations likewise prevented the appearance of incompletely glucosylated oligosaccharide-lipids. Studies employing the mannosidase inhibitor 1-deoxymannojirimycin in thyroid slices furthermore indicated that in vivo removal of at least one mannose residue from the dolichyl pyrophosphate-linked oligosaccharide can occur.     

Evidence that transient glucosylation of protein-linked Man9GlcNAc2, Man8GlcNAc2, and Man7GlcNAc2 occurs in rat liver and Phaseolus vulgaris cells

Formation of protein-linked Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 , Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 , and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 was detected in rat liver slices and Phaseolus vulgaris seeds incubated with [U-14C]glucose. Similar compounds were not synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells incubated under similar conditions. Rat liver microsomes were incubated with [glucose-U-14C] Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-dolichol or UDP-[U-14C]Glc as glycosyl donors. Only in the latter condition protein-linked Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 were formed. Addition of mannooligosaccharides that strongly inhibited alpha 1-2-mannosidases to incubation mixtures containing rat liver microsomes and UDP-[U-14C]Glc did not prevent formation of protein-bound Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 . Furthermore, the presence of amphomycin in reaction mixtures containing liver membranes and UDP-[U-14C]Glc completely abolished synthesis of glucosylated derivatives of dolichol without affecting formation of protein-linked Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 , Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 , and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 . The results reported above indicated that under the experimental conditions employed protein-bound Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 , Glc1Man8GlcNAc2 , and Glc1Man7GlcNAc2 were formed by glucosylation of unglucosylated oligosaccharides. Results obtained in pulse-chase experiments performed in vitro also supported this conclusion. UDP-Glc appeared to be the donor of the glucosyl residues. The rough endoplasmic reticulum was found to be the main subcellular site of protein glucosylation. It is tentatively suggested that this process could prevent extensive degradation of oligosaccharides by mannosidases during transit of glycoproteins through the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Characterization of dolichol diphosphate oligosaccharide: protein oligosaccharyltransferase and glycoprotein-processing glucosidases occurring in trypanosomatid protozoa

We have previously reported that the oligosaccharides transferred in vivo from dolichol-P-P derivatives in protein N-glycosylation in trypanosomatids are devoid of glucose residues and contain 2 N-acetylglucosamine and 6, 7, or 9 mannose units depending on the species. In this respect trypanosomatids differ from wild type mammalian, plant, insect, and fungal cells in which Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 is transferred. We are now reporting that incubation of Glc1-3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-dolichol and Man7-9GlcNAc2-P-P-dolichol with membranes of Trypanosoma cruzi, Leptomonas samueli, Crithidia fasciculata, and Blastocrithidia culicis and an acceptor hexapeptide leads to the transfer of the six above mentioned lipid-linked oligosaccharides at the same rate. Control experiments performed under similar conditions but with rat liver and Saccharomyces cerevisiae membranes showed that, as already known, Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 is preferentially transferred in the latter systems. We have also previously reported that, once transferred to protein, the oligosaccharides become transiently glucosylated in trypanosomatids. Depending on the species, protein-linked Glc1Man5-9GlcNAc2 have been transiently detected in cells incubated with [14C] glucose. We are now reporting that glucosidase activities degrading both Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 and Glc2Man9GlcNAc2 were detected in T. cruzi, L. samueli, and C. fasciculata. The enzymatic activities were associated with a membrane fraction; they had a neutral optimum pH value, and similarly to mammalian glucosidase II, the enzyme acting on the monoglucosylated substrate showed a decreased affinity when the latter contained fewer mannose residues. No glucosidase I-like enzyme acting on Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 was detected in any of the three above-mentioned protozoan species. This result is consistent with the fact that no oligosaccharides containing 3 glucose units occur in trypanosomatids.     

Distinct flippases translocate glycerophospholipids and oligosaccharide diphosphate dolichols across the endoplasmic reticulum

Transbilayer movement, or flip-flop, of lipids across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is required for membrane biogenesis, protein glycosylation, and GPI anchoring. Specific ER membrane proteins, flippases, are proposed to facilitate lipid flip-flop, but no ER flippase has been biochemically identified. The glycolipid Glc 3Man 9GlcNAc 2-PP-dolichol is the oligosaccharide donor for protein N-glycosylation reactions in the ER lumen. Synthesis of Glc 3Man 9GlcNAc 2-PP-dolichol is initiated on the cytoplasmic side of the ER and completed on the lumenal side, requiring flipping of the intermediate Man 5GlcNAc 2-PP-dolichol (M5-DLO) across the ER. Here we report the reconstitution of M5-DLO flipping in proteoliposomes generated from Triton X-100-extracted Saccharomyces cerevisiae microsomal proteins. Flipping was assayed by using the lectin Concanavalin A to capture M5-DLOs that had been translocated from the inner to the outer leaflet of the vesicles. M5-DLO flipping in the reconstituted system was ATP-independent and trypsin-sensitive and required a membrane protein(s) that sedimented at approximately 4 S. Man 7GlcNAc 2-PP-dolichol, a higher-order lipid intermediate, was flipped >10-fold more slowly than M5-DLO at 25 degrees C. Chromatography on Cibacron Blue dye resin enriched M5-DLO flippase activity approximately 5-fold and resolved it from both the ER glycerophospholipid flippase activity and the genetically identified flippase candidate Rft1 [Helenius, J., et al. (2002) Nature 415, 447-450]. The latter result indicates that Rft1 is not the M5-DLO flippase. Our data (i) demonstrate that the ER has at least two distinct flippase proteins, each specifically capable of translocating a class of phospholipid, and (ii) provide, for the first time, a biochemical means of identifying the M5-DLO flippase.     

Purification and characterization of dolichyl-P-mannose:Man5(GlcNAc)2-PP-dolichol mannosyltransferase

The dolichyl-P-mannose:dolichyl-PP-heptasaccharide alpha-mannosyltransferase (2.4.1.130), which catalyzes the transfer of mannose from dolichyl-P-mannose to the Man5(GlcNAc)2-PP-dolichol acceptor glycolipid, was solubilized from pig aorta microsomes with 0.5% NP-40 and purified 985-fold by a variety of conventional methods. The partially purified enzyme had a pH optimum of 6.5 and required Ca2+, at an optimum concentration of 8-10 mM, for activity. Mn2+ was only 20% as effective as Ca2+, and Mg2+ was inhibitory. The mannosyltransferase activity was also inhibited by the addition of EDTA to the enzyme, but this inhibition was fully reversible by the addition of Ca2+. The enzyme was quite specific for dolichyl-P-mannose as the mannosyl donor and Man5(GlcNAc)2-PP-dolichol as the mannosyl acceptor. The Km values for dolichyl-P-mannose and the acceptor lipid Man5(GlcNAc)2-PP-dolichol were 1.8 and 1.6 microM. On Bio-Gel P-4 columns and by HPLC, the radiolabeled oligosaccharide formed during incubation of dolichyl-P-[14C]mannose and unlabeled Man5(GlcNAc)2-PP-dolichol with the purified enzyme behaved like Man6(GlcNAc)2. This octasaccharide was susceptible to digestion by endoglucosaminidase H, indicating that the newly added mannose was attached to the 6-linked mannose in an alpha 1,3-linkage. This linkage was further confirmed by acetolysis of the oligosaccharide product [i.e., Man6(GlcNAc)2], which gave a labeled disaccharide as the major product (greater than 90%).     

The solution NMR structure of glucosylated N-glycans involved in the early stages of glycoprotein biosynthesis and folding.

Glucosylated oligomannose N-linked oligosaccharides (Glc(x)Man9GlcNAc2 where x = 1-3) are not normally found on mature glycoproteins but are involved in the early stages of glycoprotein biosynthesis and folding as (i) recognition elements during protein N-glycosylation and chaperone recognition and (ii) substrates in the initial steps of N-glycan processing. By inhibiting the first steps of glycan processing in CHO cells using the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin, we have produced sufficient Glc3Man7GlcNAc2 for structural analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Our results show the glucosyl cap to have a single, well-defined conformation independent of the rest of the saccharide. Comparison with the conformation of Man9GlcNAc2, previously determined by NMR and molecular dynamics, shows the mannose residues to be largely unaffected by the presence of the glucosyl cap. Sequential enzymatic cleavage of the glucose residues does not affect the conformation of the remaining saccharide. Modelling of the Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, Glc2Man9GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 conformations shows the glucose residues to be fully accessible for recognition. A more detailed analysis of the conformations allows potential recognition epitopes on the glycans to be identified and can form the basis for understanding the specificity of the glucosidases and chaperones (such as calnexin) that recognize these glycans, with implications for their mechanisms of action.     

Monoglucosylated oligomannosides are released during the degradation process of newly synthesized glycoproteins

The Chinese hamster ovary mutant MI8-5 is known to synthesize Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol rather than the fully glucosylated lipid intermediate Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol. This nonglucosylated oligosaccharide lipid precursor is used as donor for N-glycosylation. In this paper we demonstrate that a significant part of the glycans bound to the newly synthesized glycoproteins in MI8-5 cells are monoglucosylated. The presence of monoglucosylated glycans on glycoproteins determines their binding to calnexin as part of the quality control machinery. Furthermore, we point out the presence of Glc(1)Man(5)GlcNAc(1) in the cytosol of MI8-5 cells. This indicates that part of the monoglucosylated glycoproteins can be directed toward a deglycosylation process that occurs in the cytosol. Besides studies on glycoprotein degradation based on the disappearance of protein moieties, MI8-5 cells can be used as a tool to elucidate the various step leading to glycoprotein degradation by studying the fate of the glycan moieties.     

Glycoprotein biosynthesis. Rat liver microsomal glucosidases which process oligosaccharides.

Asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of glycoproteins undergo extensive modification or "processing" following their attachment to protein. A key step in post-glycosylation processing is the sequential removal of glucose residues from the protein-linked oligosaccharide. We have studied rat liver preparations which catalyze removal of glucose from Glc3Man9GlcNAc, Glc2Man9GlcNAc, and Glc1Man9GlcNAc. Detergent solubilization studies, inhibitor studies, and temperature-activity profiles indicate that at least two distinct glucosidases are present in the membranes. One of these glucosidases removes the distal glucose from Glc3Man9GlcNAc, and the other glucosidase sequentially removes glucose from Glc2Man9GlcNAc and Glc1Man9GlcNAc. The latter glucosidase has been solubilized from the microsomal memrbranes and purified 12-fold. The glucosidases, which are integral membrane proteins, are localized in the rough and smooth microsomes and appear to be located on the cisternal surface of the microsomal vesicles. These glucosidases are suggested to be of biological importance in catalyzing the initial events in the post-glycosylation processing of cellular glycoprotein.     

Studies on the regulation of the biosynthesis of glucose-containing oligosaccharide-lipids. Effect of energy deprivation

Energy deprivation, induced in thyroid slices by incubation with an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone) or inhibitors of respiration (N2 or antimycin A), led to a disturbance in oligosaccharide-lipid metabolism which was characterized by a pronounced depletion of the glucosylated (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2) dolichyl pyrophosphoryl saccharide with an attendant accumulation of the Man9GlcNAc2 and, to a lesser extent, the Man8GlcNAc2 lipid-linked species. A concomitant decrease in the N-glycosylation of proteins was furthermore observed. The distribution of lipid-derived oligosaccharides observed by thin layer chromatographic separation was similar whether radiolabeling was achieved by a metabolic ([14C]glucose or [2-3H]mannose incubation) or chemical ([3H]NaBH4) procedure. The latter method proved useful for measuring the levels of individual oligosaccharide-lipids in unincubated tissue, and in this way it was found that unless thyroid was rapidly frozen or immediately immersed in oxygenated medium a marked decrease of glucose-containing oligosaccharide-lipids occurred which could, however, be reversed by a short incubation. The addition of glucose to the slice incubations did not prevent the Man8-9GlcNAc2 accumulation brought about by the inhibitors of energy production, nor did it alter the oligosaccharide-lipid pattern of uninhibited slices. The effect of the inhibitors on metabolically labeled liver slices was similar to that observed in thyroid. The size of the total chloroform/methanol/water (10:10:3)-extractable oligosaccharide-lipid pool (Glc3-Man9GlcNAc2 to Man5GlcNAc2) of thyroid remained quite constant (about 2 nmol/g) regardless of the energy state, and no substantial change in the level of smaller oligosaccharide-lipids, primarily represented by Man2GlcNAc2 (0.5 nmol/g) was evident. Moreover, no change in the total pool sizes was observed in puromycin-treated slices. The possible mechanisms by which energy deprivation leads to an accumulation of the glucose-free oligosaccharide-lipids are evaluated. While it is likely that a selective impairment of glucosylation of newly formed molecules occurs, it is also possible that an imbalance occurs in a postulated glucosyltransferase-glucosidase shuttle with a trapping of the oligosaccharide-lipid in its unglucosylated form.