Lysosomal enzyme phosphorylation. I. Protein recognition determinants in both lobes of procathepsin D mediate its interaction with UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase.

We have investigated the nature of a protein domain that is shared among lysosomal hydrolases and is recognized by UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase, the initial enzyme in the biosynthesis of mannose 6-phosphate residues. Previously, elements of this recognition domain were identified using a chimeric protein approach. The combined substitution of two regions (amino acids 188-230, particularly lysine 203, and 265-292) from the carboxyl lobe of the lysosomal hydrolase cathepsin D into the homologous positions of the related secretory protein glycopepsinogen was sufficient to confer recognition by phosphotransferase and subsequent phosphorylation of the oligosaccharides when this chimeric protein was expressed in Xenopus oocytes. (Baranski, T. J., Faust, P. L., and Kornfeld, S. (1990) Cell 63, 281-291). The current study demonstrates that when these two regions are replaced in cathepsin D by the homologous glycopepsinogen amino acids, the resultant chimeric molecule is poorly phosphorylated. However, when either of these regions is substituted individually, the chimeric molecules are well phosphorylated. The phosphorylation of these latter chimeric proteins is dependent on the presence of procathepsin D amino lobe elements. By analyzing a series of chimeric proteins that contain all eight combinations of three consecutive segments of the entire amino lobe of procathepsin D, it was found that multiple regions of the amino lobe of cathepsin D enhance phosphorylation of the chimeric proteins. These elements may be part of an extended carboxyl lobe recognition domain or comprise a second independent recognition domain.     

Lysosomal enzyme phosphorylation. II. Protein recognition determinants in either lobe of procathepsin D are sufficient for phosphorylation of both the amino and carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides.

Cathepsin D is a bilobed lysosomal aspartyl protease that contains one Asn-linked oligosaccharide/lobe. Each lobe also contains protein determinants that serve as recognition domains for binding of UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase, the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of the mannose 6-phosphate residues on lysosomal enzymes. In this study we examined whether the location of the protein recognition domain influences the relative phosphorylation of the amino and carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides. To do this, chimeric proteins containing either amino or carboxyl lobe sequences of cathepsin D substituted into a glycosylated form of the homologous secretory protein pepsinogen were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The amino and carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides were then isolated from the various chimeric proteins and independently analyzed for their mannose 6-phosphate content. This analysis has shown that a phosphotransferase recognition domain located on either lobe of a cathepsin D/glycopepsinogen chimeric molecule is sufficient to allow phosphorylation of oligosaccharides on both lobes. However, phosphorylation of the oligosaccharide on the lobe containing the recognition domain is favored. We also found that the majority of the carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides of cathepsin D acquire two phosphates, whereas the amino lobe oligosaccharides only acquire one phosphate.     

Generation of a lysosomal enzyme targeting signal in the secretory protein pepsinogen

Lysosomal enzymes contain a common protein determinant that is recognized by UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase, the initial enzyme in the formation of mannose 6-phosphate residues. To identify this protein determinant, we constructed chimeric molecules between two aspartyl proteases: cathepsin D, a lysosomal enzyme, and pepsinogen, a secretory protein. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the oligosaccharides of cathepsin D were efficiently phosphorylated, whereas the oligosaccharides of a glycosylated form of pepsinogen were not phosphorylated. The combined substitution of two noncontinuous sequences of cathepsin D (lysine 203 and amino acids 265-292) into the analogous positions of glycopepsinogen resulted in phosphorylation of the oligosaccharides of the expressed chimeric molecule. These two sequences are in direct apposition on the surface of the molecule, indicating that amino acids from different regions come together in three-dimensional space to form this recognition domain. Other regions of cathepsin D were identified that may be components of a more extensive recognition marker.     

Phosphorylation of Asn-linked oligosaccharides located at novel sites on the lysosomal enzyme cathepsin D.

We have examined the phosphorylation of Asn-linked oligosaccharides introduced at seven novel sites on human cathepsin D to determine whether the location of an oligosaccharide on a lysosomal enzyme affects its ability to serve as a substrate for UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (phosphotransferase), the enzyme that catalyzes the initial step in the biosynthesis of mannose 6-phosphate residues. The glycosylation sites were introduced into the cathepsin D cDNA by site-directed mutagenesis and were selected to be widely distributed over the surface of the molecule. When the constructs were expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the oligosaccharides at each glycosylation site were phosphorylated at levels considerably above background (19-70% phosphorylation versus < 0.4% for the secretory protein glycopepsinogen). However, oligosaccharides located closer to the essential components of the phosphotransferase recognition domain (lysine 203 and amino acids 265-292) were phosphorylated better than oligosaccharides located further away. Similar results were obtained for oligosaccharides at homologous sites on a pepsinogen/cathepsin D chimera containing only lysine 203 and residues 265-319 of cathepsin D, although the absolute levels of phosphorylation were lower. These results demonstrate that there is considerable flexibility in the placement of glycosylation sites on cathepsin D in terms of the ability of the oligosaccharides to serve as substrates for phosphotransferase, although oligosaccharides located closer to the phosphotransferase recognition determinant are preferentially phosphorylated.     

Mapping and molecular modeling of a recognition domain for lysosomal enzyme targeting.

Lysosomal enzymes contain a common protein determinant that is recognized by UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase, the initial enzyme in the biosynthesis of mannose-6-P residues. Previously, we generated a lysosomal enzyme recognition domain by substituting two regions (lysine 203 and amino acids 265-292) of the lysosomal hydrolase cathepsin D into a related secretory protein glycopepsinogen. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the oligosaccharides of the chimeric protein were efficiently phosphorylated (Baranski, T. J., Faust, P. L., and Kornfeld, S. (1990) Cell 63, 281-291). In the current study, incremental substitutions of cathepsin D residues into glycopepsinogen and alanine-scanning mutagenesis were utilized to define the recognition domain more precisely. A computer-generated model of the cathepsin D/pepsinogen chimeric molecule served as a guide for mutagenesis and for the interpretation of results. These studies indicate that the recognition domain is a surface patch that contains multiple interacting sites. There is a strict positional requirement for the lysine residue at position 203.     

Role of N-linked oligosaccharide flexibility in mannose phosphorylation of lysosomal enzyme cathepsin L

Mannose phosphorylation of N-linked oligosaccharides by UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase is a key step in the targeting of lysosomal enzymes in mammalian cells and tissues. The selectivity of this process is determined by lysine-based phosphorylation signals shared by lysosomal enzymes of diverse structure and function. By introducing new glycosylation sites at several locations on the surface of mouse procathepsin L and modeling oligosaccharide conformations for sites that are phosphorylated, it was shown that the inherent flexibility of N-linked oligosaccharides can account for the specificity of the transferase for oligosaccharides at different locations on the protein. By using this approach, the physical relationship between the lysine-based signal and the site of phosphorylation of mannose residues was determined. The analysis also revealed the existence of additional independent lysine-based phosphorylation signals on procathepsin L, which account for the low level of phosphorylation observed when the primary Lys-54/Lys-99 signal is ablated. Mutagenesis of residues that surround Lys-54 and Lys-99 and demonstration of mannose phosphorylation of a glycosylated derivative of green fluorescent protein provide strong evidence that the cathepsin L phosphorylation signal is a simple structure composed of as few as two well placed lysine residues.     

Mannose 6-phosphate-independent targeting of lysosomal enzymes in I- cell disease B lymphoblasts

B lymphocytes from patients with I-cell disease (ICD) maintain normal cellular levels of lysosomal enzymes despite a deficiency of the enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1- phosphotransferase. We find that an ICD B lymphoblastoid cell line targets about 45% of the lysosomal protease cathepsin D to dense lysosomes. This targeting occurs in the absence of detectable mannose 6- phosphate residues on the cathepsin D and is not observed in ICD fibroblasts. The secretory protein pepsinogen, which is closely related to cathepsin D in both amino acid sequence and three-dimensional structure, is mostly excluded from dense lysosomes, indicating that the lymphoblast targeting pathway is specific. Carbohydrate residues are not required for lysosomal targeting, since a non-glycosylated mutant cathepsin D is sorted with comparable efficiency to the wild type protein. Analysis of a number of cathepsin D/pepsinogen chimeric proteins indicates that an extensive polypeptide determinant in the cathepsin D carboxyl lobe can confer efficient lysosomal sorting when introduced into the pepsinogen sequence. This determinant overlaps but is not identical to the recognition marker for phosphotransferase. These results indicate that a specific protein recognition event underlies Man-6-P-independent lysosomal sorting in ICD lymphoblasts.     

Lysosomal enzyme phosphorylation. Recognition of a protein-dependent determinant allows specific phosphorylation of oligosaccharides present on lysosomal enzymes

We have investigated the basis for the specific recognition of lysosomal enzymes by UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosaminylphosphotransferase. This enzyme is responsible for the selective phosphorylation of mannose residues on lysosomal enzymes. Two mammalian lysosomal enzymes, cathepsin D and uteroferrin, and two nonlysosomal glycoproteins were treated with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H to remove those high mannose oligosaccharide units which are accessible on the native protein. These proteins were then tested as inhibitors of three different glycosyltransferases. The endo H-treated lysosomal enzymes were shown to be specific inhibitors of the phosphorylation of intact lysosomal enzymes. Proteolytic fragments of cathepsin D, including the entire light chain and heavy chain, did not retain the ability to be recognized by the N-acetylglucosaminylphosphotransferase. These findings indicate that the intact protein portion of lysosomal enzymes contains a specific recognition determinant which leads to high-affinity binding to the N-acetylglucosaminylphosphotransferase. The expression of this determinant appears to be dependent on the conformation of the protein.     

Renin, a secretory glycoprotein, acquires phosphomannosyl residues

Renin is an aspartyl protease which is highly homologous to the lysosomal aspartyl protease cathepsin D. During its biosynthesis, cathepsin D acquires phosphomannosyl residues that enable it to bind to the mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) receptor and to be targeted to lysosomes. The phosphorylation of lysosomal enzymes by UDP- GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosaminylphosphotransferase (phosphotransferase) occurs by recognition of a protein domain that is thought to be present only on lysosomal enzymes. In order to determine whether renin, being structurally similar to cathepsin D, also acquires phosphomannosyl residues, human renin was expressed from cloned DNA in Xenopus oocytes and a mouse L cell line and its biosynthesis and posttranslational modifications were characterized. In Xenopus oocytes, the majority of the renin remained intracellular and underwent a proteolytic cleavage which removed the propiece. Most of the renin synthesized by oocytes was able to bind to a Man-6-P receptor affinity column (53%, 57%, and 90%, in different experiments), indicating the presence of phosphomannosyl residues. In the L cells, the majority of the renin was secreted but 5-6% of the renin molecules contained phosphomannosyl residues as demonstrated by binding of [35S]methionine- labeled renin to the Man-6-P receptor as well as direct analysis of [2- 3H]mannose-labeled oligosaccharides. Although the level of renin phosphorylation differed greatly between the two cell types examined, these results demonstrate that renin is recognized by the phosphotransferase and suggest that renin contains at least part of the lysosomal protein recognition domain.     

Several cooperating binding sites mediate the interaction of a lysosomal enzyme with phosphotransferase.

Lysosomal targeting of soluble lysosomal hydrolases is mediated by mannose 6-phosphate receptors, which recognize and bind mannose 6-phosphate residues in the oligosaccharide chains of proteins destined for delivery to lysosomes. This recognition marker is generated by the sequential action of two enzymes, the first of which, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine phosphotransferase, recognizes lysosomal enzymes on the basis of a structural determinant in their polypeptide chains. This recognition event is a key step in lysosomal targeting of soluble proteins, but the exact nature of the recognition determinant is not well understood. In this study we have characterized the phosphotransferase recognition signals of human lysosomal aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA) using transient expression of polypeptides carrying targeted amino acid substitutions. We found that three lysine residues and a tyrosine residing in three spatially distinct regions of the AGA polypeptide are necessary for phosphorylation of the oligosaccharides. Two of the lysines are especially important for the lysosomal targeting efficiency of AGA, which seems to be mostly dictated by the degree of phosphorylation of the alpha subunit oligosaccharide. On the basis of the results of this and previous studies we suggest a general model for recognition of lysosomal enzymes by the phosphotransferase.     

Characterization of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:glycoprotein N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase from Acanthamoeba castellanii.

The kinetic properties of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:glycoprotein N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (GlcNAc-phosphotransferase) partially purified from the soil amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii have been studied. The transferase phosphorylated the lysosomal enzymes uteroferrin and cathepsin D 3-90-fold better than nonlysosomal glycoproteins and 16-83-fold better than a Man9GlcNAc oligosaccharide. Deglycosylated uteroferrin was a potent competitive inhibitor of the phosphorylation of intact uteroferrin (Ki of 48 microM) but did not inhibit the phosphorylation of RNase B or the simple sugar alpha-methylmannoside. Deglycosylated RNase (RNase A) did not inhibit the phosphorylation of RNase B or uteroferrin. These results indicate that purified amoeba GlcNAc-phosphotransferase recognizes a protein domain present on lysosomal enzymes but absent in most nonlysosomal glycoproteins. The transferase also exhibited a marked preference for oligosaccharides containing mannose alpha 1,2-mannose sequences, but this cannot account for the high affinity binding to lysosomal enzymes. A. castellanii extracts do not contain detectable levels of N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase, the second enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway for the mannose 6-phosphate recognition marker. We conclude that A. castellanii does not utilize the phosphomannosyl sorting pathway despite expression of very high levels of GlcNAc-phosphotransferase.     

Recognition of arylsulfatase A and B by the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-phosphotransferase

The critical step for sorting of lysosomal enzymes is the recognition by a Golgi-located phosphotransferase. The topogenic structure common to all lysosomal enzymes essential for this recognition is still not well defined, except that lysine residues seem to play a critical role. Here we have substituted surface-located lysine residues of lysosomal arylsulfatases A and B. In lysosomal arylsulfatase A only substitution of lysine residue 457 caused a reduction of phosphorylation to 33% and increased secretion of the mutant enzyme. In contrast to critical lysines in various other lysosomal enzymes, lysine 457 is not located in an unstructured loop region but in a helix. It is not strictly conserved among six homologous lysosomal sulfatases. Based on three-dimensional structure comparison, lysines 497 and 507 in arylsulfatase B are in a similar position as lysine 457 of arylsulfatase A. Also, the position of oligosaccharide side chains phosphorylated in arylsulfatase A is similar in arylsulfatase B. Despite the high degree of structural homology between these two sulfatases substitution of lysines 497 and 507 in arylsulfatase B has no effect on the sorting and phosphorylation of this sulfatase. Thus, highly homologous lysosomal arylsulfatases A and B did not develop a single conserved phosphotransferase recognition signal, demonstrating the high variability of this signal even in evolutionary closely related enzymes.     

A His-Leu-Leu sequence near the carboxyl terminus of the cytoplasmic domain of the cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor is necessary for the lysosomal enzyme sorting function.

The determinants on the cytoplasmic tail of the cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CD-MPR) required for lysosomal enzyme sorting have been analyzed. Mouse L cells deficient in the mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor-II receptor were transfected with normal bovine CD-MPR cDNA or cDNAs containing mutations in the 67-amino acid cytoplasmic tail and assayed for their ability to target the lysosomal enzyme cathepsin D to lysosomes. Cells expressing the wild-type bovine CD-MPR sorted 67 +/- 2% of newly synthesized cathepsin D compared with the base-line value of 47 +/- 1%. The presence of mannose 6-phosphate in the medium did not affect the efficiency of cathepsin D sorting, indicating that the routing of the ligand-receptor complex is completely intracellular. Mutant receptors with the carboxyl-terminal His-Leu-Leu-Pro-Met67 residues deleted or replaced with alanines sorted cathepsin D below the base-line value. A mutant receptor with the outermost Pro-Met residues replaced with alanines sorted cathepsin D better than the wild-type receptor, indicating that the essential residues for sorting are the His-Leu-Leu sequence. Disruption of a putative casein kinase II phosphorylation site at Ser57 had no detectable effect on sorting. The mutant receptor with the five-amino acid deletion was able to bind to a phosphopentamannose affinity column, proving that its ligand binding site was grossly intact. Resialylation experiments showed that this mutant receptor recycled from the cell surface to the Golgi at a rate similar to the normal CD-MPR, indicating that the defect in sorting is at the level of the Golgi.     

Cloning of cDNA for mosquito lysosomal aspartic protease. Sequence analysis of an insect lysosomal enzyme similar to cathepsins D and E.

A cDNA coding for the lysosomal aspartic protease from the mosquito (mLAP) was cloned and sequenced. The mLAP cDNA is 1420 base pairs long with an open reading frame of 387 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence contains a signal pre-propeptide sequence of 18 amino acids followed by 369 amino acids with a 35-amino acid putative pro-enzyme domain in the NH2-terminal. The amino acid sequence of mLAP is 92 and 81% similar to human cathepsin D and cathepsin E, respectively. Typical cleavage sites for cathepsin D processing into light and heavy chains are lacking in mLAP. A single glycosylation site occurs in the mLAP sequence at a position corresponding to the first glycosylation site of cathepsins D. The mLAP sequence shares putative phosphorylation determinants, which in cathepsins D are linked to the formation of mannose 6-phosphate. In the mosquito fat body, lysosomal enzymes specifically degrade organelles involved in the biosynthesis and secretion of vitellogenin. The mLAP mRNA accumulates to its highest level 24 h after initiation of vitellogenin synthesis and 12 h before the peak of mLAP protein accumulation and its enzymatic activity. Translational regulation of mLAP mRNA may occur. The 5'-untranslated region of mLAP mRNA is similar to elements conferring negative translational control by steroids.     

Domain 5 of the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor preferentially binds phosphodiesters (mannose 6-phosphate N-acetylglucosamine ester)

The 300 kDa cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) and the 46 kDa cation-dependent MPR (CD-MPR) are key components of the lysosomal enzyme targeting system that bind newly synthesized mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P)-containing acid hydrolases and divert them from the secretory pathway. Previous studies have mapped two high-affinity Man-6-P binding sites of the CI-MPR to domains 1-3 and 9 and one low-affinity site to domain 5 within its 15-domain extracytoplasmic region. A structure-based sequence alignment predicts that domain 5 contains the four conserved residues (Gln, Arg, Glu, Tyr) identified as essential for Man-6-P binding by the CD-MPR and domains 1-3 and 9 of the CI-MPR. Here we show by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analyses of constructs containing single amino acid substitutions that these conserved residues (Gln-644, Arg-687, Glu-709, Tyr-714) are critical for carbohydrate recognition by domain 5. Furthermore, the N-glycosylation site at position 711 of domain 5, which is predicted to be located near the binding pocket, has no influence on the carbohydrate binding affinity. Endogenous ligands for the MPRs that contain solely phosphomonoesters (Man-6-P) or phosphodiesters (mannose 6-phosphate N-acetylglucosamine ester, Man-P-GlcNAc) were generated by treating the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) with recombinant GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and uncovering enzyme (N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase). SPR analyses using these modified GAAs demonstrate that, unlike the CD-MPR or domain 9 of the CI-MPR, domain 5 exhibits a 14-18-fold higher affinity for Man-P-GlcNAc than Man-6-P, implicating this region of the receptor in targeting phosphodiester-containing lysosomal enzymes to the lysosome.     

Human and hamster procathepsin D, although equally tagged with mannose-6-phosphate, are differentially targeted to lysosomes in transfected BHK cells

BHK cells transfected with human cathepsin D (CD) cDNA normally segregate the autologous hamster cathepsin D while secreting a large proportion of the human proenzyme. In the present work, we have utilized these transfectants to examine to what extent the mannose-6-phosphate-dependent pathway for lysosomal enzyme segregation contributes to the differential sorting of human and hamster CD. We report that, in recipient control BHK cells, the rate of mannose-6-phosphate-dependent endocytosis of human procathepsin D secreted by transfected BHK cells is lower than that of hamster procathepsin D and much lower than that of human arylsulphatase A. The missorted human enzyme bears phosphorylated oligosaccharides and most of its phosphate residues are “uncovered”, like the autologous enzyme. Thus, despite both the Golgi-associated modifications of oligosaccharides, i.e. the phosphorylation of mannose and the uncovering of mannose-6-phosphate residues, which proceed on human and hamster procathepsin D with comparable efficiency, only the latter is accurately packaged into lysosomes. Ammonium chloride partially affects the lysosomal targeting of cathepsin D in control BHK cells, whereas in transfected cells, this drug strongly inhibits the maturation of human procathepsin D and slightly enhances its secretion. These data indicate that: (1) over-expression of a lysosomal protein does not saturate the Golgi-associated reactions leading to the synthesis of mannose-6-phosphate; (2) a portion of cathepsin D is targeted independently of mannose-6-phosphate receptors in the transfected BHK cells; and (3) whichever mechanism for lysosomal delivery of autologous procathepsin D is involved, this is not saturated by the high rate of expression of human cathepsin D.     

Isolation and sequencing of a cDNA clone encoding rat liver lysosomal cathepsin D and the structure of three forms of mature enzymes

We isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone corresponding to the entire coding sequence of rat liver lysosomal cathepsin D. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed that cathepsin D consists of 407 amino acid residues (Mr 44,608) and the 20 NH2-terminal residues seem to constitute a cleavable signal peptide after which 44 amino acid residues follow as a propeptide. Two putative N-linked glycosylation sites and aspartic acid in the active site are as well conserved as those of human lysosomal cathepsin D. In the NH2-terminal sequence analysis of two isolated heavy chains of the mature enzyme, the termini were assigned as tryptophan (118th residue) and glycine (165th or 166th residue), respectively, hence demonstrates that the two heavy chains derive from a split of the single chain of cathepsin D at position between 117th and 118th or between 164th and 165th or 165th and 166th amino acids. We conclude that cathepsin D in rat liver lysosomes is a mixture of three forms composed of a single and two two-chain forms. However, the amounts of the two two-chain forms are low compared with that of the single chain form. Densidometric determination after SDS-PAGE revealed that the two two-chain forms account for less than 5% of the single chain form. There is a 82% similarity in amino acid level between rat and human liver lysosomal cathepsin D.     

Beta2-adrenergic receptor lysosomal trafficking is regulated by ubiquitination of lysyl residues in two distinct receptor domains

Agonist stimulation of the β2-adrenergic receptors (β2ARs) leads to their ubiquitination and lysosomal degradation. Inhibition of lysosomal proteases results in the stabilization and retention of internalized full-length β2ARs in the lysosomes, whereas inhibition of proteasomal proteases stabilizes newly synthesized β2ARs in nonlysosomal compartments. Additionally, a lysine-less β2AR (0K-β2AR) that is deficient in ubiquitination and degradation is not sorted to lysosomes unlike the WT β2AR, which is sorted to lysosomes. Thus, lysosomes are the primary sites for the degradation of agonist-activated, ubiquitinated β2ARs. To identify the specific site(s) of ubiquitination required for lysosomal sorting of the β2AR, four mutants, with lysines only in one intracellular domain, namely, loop 1, loop 2, loop 3, and carboxyl tail were generated. All of these receptor mutants coupled to G proteins, recruited β-arrestin2, and internalized just as the WT β2AR. However, only loop 3 and carboxyl tail β2ARs with lysines in the third intracellular loop or in the carboxyl tail were ubiquitinated and sorted for lysosomal degradation. As a complementary approach, we performed MS-based proteomic analyses to directly identify ubiquitination sites within the β2AR. We overexpressed and purified the β2AR from HEK-293 cells with or without prior agonist exposure and subjected trypsin-cleaved β2AR to LC-MS/MS analyses. We identified ubiquitinated lysines in the third intracellular loop (Lys-263 and Lys-270) and in the carboxyl tail (Lys-348, Lys-372, and Lys-375) of the β2AR. These findings introduce a new concept that two distinct domains in the β2AR are involved in ubiquitination and lysosomal degradation, contrary to the generalization that such regulatory mechanisms occur mainly at the carboxyl tails of GPCRs and other transmembrane receptors.     

Identification of residues essential for carbohydrate recognition and cation dependence of the 46-kDa mannose 6-phosphate receptor

The 46 kDa cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CD-MPR) plays an essential role in the biogenesis of lysosomes by diverting newly synthesized mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P)-containing lysosomal enzymes from the secretory pathway to acidified endosomes. Previous crystallographic studies of the CD-MPR have identified 11 amino acids within its carbohydrate binding pocket. These residues were evaluated quantitatively by assaying the binding affinity of mutant receptors containing a single amino acid substitution toward a lysosomal enzyme. The results show that substitution of Gln-66, Arg-111, Glu-133, or Tyr-143 results in a >800-fold decrease in affinity, demonstrating these four amino acids are essential for carbohydrate recognition by the CD-MPR. Solution binding and surface plasmon resonance analyses demonstrated that the presence of Mn2+ enhanced the affinity of the CD-MPR for a lysosomal enzyme by 2- to 4-fold and increased the stoichiometry of the interaction between a heterogeneous population of a lysosomal enzyme and the receptor by approximately 3-fold. In contrast, substitution of Asp-103 results in a protein that no longer exhibits enhanced binding affinities or altered stoichiometry in the presence of cations, and electron spin resonance demonstrated that the D103S mutant exhibits a 6-fold lower affinity for Mn2+ than the wild-type receptor (Kd = 3.7 6 1.4 mM versus 0.6 6 0.1 mM). Chemical cross-linking revealed that Mn2+ influences the stoichiometry of interaction between the CD-MPR and lysosomal enzymes by increasing the oligomeric state of the receptor from dimer to higher order oligomers. Taken together, these studies provide the molecular basis for high affinity carbohydrate recognition by the CD-MPR. Furthermore, Asp-103 has been identified as the key residue which mediates the effects of divalent cations on the binding properties of the CD-MPR.     

Expression of the yeast aspartyl protease, proteinase A. Phosphorylation and binding to the mannose 6-phosphate receptor are altered by addition of cathepsin D sequences

Proteinase A, a yeast aspartyl protease that is highly homologous to the mammalian lysosomal aspartyl protease, cathepsin D, was expressed in Xenopus oocytes and its biosynthesis and post-translational modifications were characterized. While 29-45% of the proteinase A was secreted from oocytes, approximately 37% of the cell-associated proteinase A underwent proteolytic cleavage, characteristic of delivery to a lysosomal organelle. Although proteinase A is not targeted to the yeast vacuole by a mannose 6-phosphate receptor-dependent pathway, 2-5% of the proteinase A molecules expressed in oocytes bound to a Man-6-P receptor column. However, analysis of its [2-3H]mannose-labeled oligosaccharides revealed that 14-23% of these units contain phosphomannosyl residues. A hybrid molecule (H6), in which the propiece and first 12 amino acids of proteinase A were changed to the cathepsin D sequence, was also expressed in oocytes. The binding of H6 to the Man-6-P receptor was approximately 12-fold greater than observed for proteinase A. This increased level of receptor binding could be accounted for by three factors: 1) a small increase in the total amount of phosphorylated oligosaccharides, 2) an increase in the number of oligosaccharides which acquire two phosphomonoesters, and 3) the presence of a greater percentage of oligosaccharides with one phosphomonoester which exhibit high affinity binding to the Man-6-P receptor. These results demonstrate that proteinase A is recognized by UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosaminylphosphotransferase. However, this interaction is altered by the addition of cathepsin D sequences, resulting in the generation of a higher affinity ligand for binding to the Man-6-P receptor.