Glycosyltransfer by pea membranes from sugar nucleotides to added prenyl phosphates

Pea membranes supplied with GDP-[14C]mannose, UDP-N-[14C]acetylglucosamine or UDP-[14C]glucose catalyze the transfer of 14C-labeled sugars or sugar phosphates to endogenous lipid acceptors as well as to exogenously added dolichyl phosphates. Fully unsaturated polyprenyl phosphates were not used as effective acceptors by this system. Mannosyl-P-dolichol was formed most rapidly in the presence of long-chained dolichyl-P while mannosyl-PP-, glucosyl-PP- and GlcNAc-PP-dolichol were preferentially formed from relatively short-chained dolichyl phosphate acceptors. Glucosyl-PP- and mannosyl-PP-dolichol accumulated in the preparation without further metabolism, but GlcNAc-PP-dolichol was lengthened by addition of a second GlcNAc plus several [14C]mannose units to form an oligosaccharide fraction susceptible to the action of endoglycosidase H. This lipid-linked oligosaccharide could then be glycosylated in the presence of UDP-[14C]glucose to form a longer oligosaccharide. It is concluded that levels of endogenous dolichyl phosphates in pea membranes are rate-limiting for several of the key glycosyltransferases required for oligosaccharide assembly.     

Amphomycin inhibits the incorporation of mannose and GlcNAc into lipid-linked saccharides by aorta extracts

Amphomycin inhibits the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose and GlcNac from UDP-[³H]GlcNAc into lipid-linked saccharides by either a particulate or a solubilized enzyme fraction from pig aorta. The solubilized enzyme was much more sensitive to the antibiotic than was the particulate fraction with 50% inhibition being observed at 8–15 μg of amphomycin. Although the antibiotic inhibited mannose transfer from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose into mannosyl-phosphoryl-dolichol, lipid-linked oligosaccharides and glycoprotein, the synthesis of mannosyl-phosphoryl-dolichol was much more sensitive to amphomycin. Amphomycin also inhibited the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose into mannosyl-phosphoryldecaprenol in particulate extracts of $\text{Mycobacterium smegmatis}$.     

Mannosylation of endogenous and exogenous phosphatidic acid by liver microsomal membranes. Formation of phosphatidylmannose

Hamster liver post-nuclear membranes catalyze the transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose to endogenous dolichyl phosphate and to a second major endogenous acidic lipid. This mannolipid was believed to be synthesized from endogenous retinyl phosphate and was tentatively identified as retinyl phosphate mannose (Ret-P-Man) (De Luca, L. M., Brugh, M. R. Silverman-Jones, C. S. and Shidoji, Y. (1982) Biochem. J. 208, 159-170). To characterize this endogenous mannolipid in more detail, we isolated and purified the mannolipid from incubations containing hamster liver membranes and GDP-[14C]mannose and compared its properties to those of authentic Ret-P-Man. We found that the endogenous mannolipid was separable from authentic Ret-P-Man on a Mono Q anion exchange column, did not exhibit the absorbance spectrum characteristic of a retinol moiety, and was stable to mild acid under conditions which cleave authentic Ret-P-Man. The endogenous mannolipid was sensitive to mild base hydrolysis and mannose was released from the mannolipid by snake venom phosphodiesterase digestion. These properties were consistent with the endogenous acceptor being phosphatidic acid. Addition of exogenous phosphatidic acid, but not phospholipids with a head group blocking the phosphate moiety, to incubations containing hamster liver membranes and GDP-[14C]mannose resulted in the synthesis of a mannolipid with chromatographic and physical properties identical to the endogenous mannolipid. A double-labeled mannolipid was synthesized in incubations containing hamster liver membranes, GDP-[14C]mannose, and [3H]phosphatidic acid. Mannosyl transfer to exogenous phosphatidic acid was saturable with increasing concentrations of phosphatidic acid and GDP-mannose and specific for glycosyl transfer from GDP-mannose. Class E Thy-1-negative mutant mouse lymphoma cell membranes, which are defective in dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis, also fail to transfer mannose from GDP-mannose to exogenous phosphatidic acid or retinyl phosphate. Amphomycin, an inhibitor of dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis, blocked mannosyl transfer to the endogenous lipid, and to exogenous retinyl phosphate and phosphatidic acid. We conclude that the same mannosyltransferase responsible for dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis can also utilize in vitro exogenous retinyl phosphate and phosphatidic acid as well as endogenous phosphatidic acid as mannosyl acceptors.     

Tridecaptin stimulates the formation of lipid-linked saccharides in aorta.

The peptide antibiotic tridecaptin caused a 2--4-fold stimulation in the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[14C]mannose and glucose from UDP-[3H]glucose into lipid-linked monosaccharides by both the particulate and the soluble enzyme fractions from pig aorta. In both cases, the major products and the ones stimulated by antibiotic were dolichyl phosphate mannose and dolichyl phosphate glucose. The stimulation in activity was unaffected by increasing concentrations of dolichyl phosphate, GDP-mannose, UdP-glucose, Mn2+ or the detergent Nonidet P40. Tridecaptin stimulation was apparently not due to protection of sugar nucleotide substrate, since addition of various concentrations of sugar nucleotides did not alter the stimulation. Nor did the addition of tridecaptin result in any increase in the amount of radioactive sugar nucleotide recovered from incubation mixtures. Tridecaptin bound to the particulate enzyme and could not be removed by centrifugation of the particles.     

Lipid-bound sugars in malignant human breast tumors

Microsomal preparations from malignant human breast tumors catalyzed the transfer of mannose and glucose from GDP-[14C]-Man and UDP-[14C]-Glc into lipid-linked sugars and glycoprotein-like substances. As judged by several criteria the obtained lipid-linked monosaccharides behaved as dolichyl phosphate mannose and dolichyl phosphate glucose whereas lipid-linked oligosaccharides behaved as polyprenyl diphosphate derivatives. The optimum conditions for mannosyl- and glucosyl-transfer reactions and the effect of dolichyl phosphate, detergent and EDTA on incubation mixture were described.     

Rat liver microsomes catalyse mannosyl transfer from GDP-d-mannose to retinyl phosphate with high efficiency in the absence of detergents

In the absence of detergent, the transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose to rat liver microsomal vesicles was highly stimulated by exogenous retinyl phosphate in incubations containing bovine serum albumin, as measured in a filter binding assay. Under these conditions 65% of mannose 6-phosphatase activity was latent. The transfer process was linear with time up to 5min and with protein concentration up to 1.5mg/0.2ml. It was also temperature-dependent. The microsomal uptake of mannose was highly dependent on retinyl phosphate and was saturable against increasing amounts of retinyl phosphate, a concentration of 15mum giving half-maximal transfer. The uptake system was also saturated by increasing concentrations of GDP-mannose, with an apparent K(m) of 18mum. Neither exogenous dolichyl phosphate nor non-phosphorylated retinoids were active in this process in the absence of detergent. Phosphatidylethanolamine and synthetic dipalmitoylglycerophosphocholine were also without activity. Several water-soluble organic phosphates (1.5mm), such as phenyl phosphate, 4-nitrophenyl phosphate, phosphoserine and phosphocholine, did not inhibit the retinyl phosphate-stimulated mannosyl transfer to microsomes. This mannosyl-transfer activity was highest in microsomes and marginal in mitochondria, plasma and nuclear membranes. It was specific for mannose residues from GDP-mannose and did not occur with UDP-[(3)H]galactose, UDP- or GDP-[(14)C]glucose, UDP-N-acetyl[(14)C]-glucosamine and UDP-N-acetyl[(14)C]galactosamine, all at 24mum. The mannosyl transfer was inhibited 85% by 3mm-EDTA and 93% by 0.8mm-amphomycin. At 2min, 90% of the radioactivity retained on the filter could be extracted with chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v) and mainly co-migrated with retinyl phosphate mannose by t.l.c. This mannolipid was shown to bind to immunoglobulin G fraction of anti-(vitamin A) serum and was displaced by a large excess of retinoic acid, thus confirming the presence of the beta-ionone ring in the mannolipid. The amount of retinyl phosphate mannose formed in the bovine serum albumin/retinyl phosphate incubation is about 100-fold greater than in incubations containing 0.5% Triton X-100. In contrast with the lack of activity as a mannosyl acceptor for exogenous dolichyl phosphate in the present assay system, endogenous dolichyl phosphate clearly functions as an acceptor. Moreover in the same incubations a mannolipid with chromatographic properties of retinyl phosphate mannose was also synthesized from endogenous lipid acceptor. The biosynthesis of this mannolipid (retinyl phosphate mannose) was optimal at MnCl(2) concentrations between 5 and 10mm and could not be detected below 0.6mm-MnCl(2), when synthesis of dolichyl phosphate mannose from endogenous dolichyl phosphate was about 80% of optimal synthesis. Under optimal conditions (5mm-MnCl(2)) endogenous retinyl phosphate mannose represented about 20% of dolichyl phosphate mannose at 15min of incubation at 37 degrees C.     

Formation of polyprenol-linked mono- and oligosaccharides in Phaseolus aureus

A crude membrane preparation from Phaseolus aureus hypocotyls catalyzes the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose into a acid labile glycolipid and a methanol insoluble fraction. Addition of dolichyl monophosphate to the incubation mixture stimulated the formation of both the mannolipid and the methanol insoluble endproduct. Thin-layer chromatography of endogenous lipid and of the stimulated lipid fraction revealed that both compounds run identical. Ficaprenyl monophosphate also stimulates the incorporation of mannose; however, the ficaprenyl monophosphate mannose formed is not identical to the endogenous mannolipid. This suggests that the endogenous acceptor has the properties of an α-saturated polyprenyl monophosphate rather than those of the ficaprenyl phosphate type. The same membrane preparation also incorporates N-acetylglucosamine into an acid labile glyolipid as well as into a polymer fraction. Evidence is presented that the N-acetylglucosamine containing lipid consists of a mixture of dolichyl pyrophosphate N-acetylglucosamine and dolichyl pyrophosphate di-N-acetylchitobiose. It seems likely that the two compounds have a precursor-product relationship. Incubation of dolichyl pyrophosphate di-N-acetylchitobiose together with GDP-mannose gives rise to lipid-bound mannosyl-di-N-acetylchitobiose. Radioactivity from either the [¹⁴C]mannolipid or the N-acetyl[¹⁴C]glucosamine containing lipid is incorporated into a methanol insoluble product to 3.4 and 6.3%, respectively; it seems, at least in part, to be a glycoprotein.     

Glycosylation in vitro of Semliki-Forest-virus and influenza-virus glycoproteins and its suppression by nucleotide-2-deoxy-hexose

Cell-free enzyme preparations from cultured fibroblasts infected with Semliki forest virus or fowl plague virus (an influenza A virus) incorporate [14C]-mannose into dolichol-phosphate-mannose, lipid-linked oligosaccharides and into endogenous virus-specific glycoproteins. When GDP-2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose serves as substrate 2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose is transferred to dolichol phosphate yielding dolichol-monophosphate-2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose. UDP-2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose gives rise also to a lipid which, however, is not a polyprenol derivative. The transfer of [14C]mannose to lipid-extractable fractions and glycoproteins in vitro is blocked by GDP-2-deoxy-D-glucose. It can be restored by exogenous dolichol monophosphate only with regard to the formation of dolichol-monophosphate-[14C]mannose-labelled oligosaccharides into glycoproteins. UDP-2-deoxy-D-glucose has no inhibitory effect on transfer reactions of [14C]mannose from GDP-[14C]mannose into various lipid fractions or into glycoprotein. It is concluded therefore, that the inhibition of glycosylation brought about by 2-deoxyglucose in vivo is caused by an interference of its GDP derivative with the formation of a correct lipid-oligosaccharide.     

Glycoprotein biosynthesis: studies on thyroid mannosyltransferases. II. Characterization of a polyisoprenyl mannosyl phosphate and evaluation of its intermediary role in the glycosylation of exogenous acceptors

The transfer of mannose from GDP-mannonse to exogenous glycopeptides and simple glycosides has been shown to be carried out by calf thyroid particles (Adamany, A. M., and Spiro, R. G. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 2830-2841). The present investigation indicates that this mannosylation process is accomplished through two sequential enzymatic reactions. The first involves the transfer of mannose from the sugar nucleotide to an endogenous acceptor to form a compound which has the properties of dolichyl mannosyl phosphate, while in the properties of dolichyl mannosyl phosphate, while in the second reaction this mannolipid serves as the glycosyl donor to exogenous acceptors. The particle-bound enzyme which catalyzed the first reaction utilized GDP-mannose (Km = 0.29 microM) as the most effective mannosyl donor, required a divalent cation, preferably manganese or calcium, and acted optimally at pH 6.3. Mannolipid synthesis was reversed by addition of GDP and a ready exchange of the mannose moiety was observed between [14C]mannolipid and unlabeled GDP-mannose. Exogenously supplied dolichyl phosphate, and to a lesser extent ficaprenyl phosphate, served as acceptors for the transfer reaction. The 14C-labeled endogenous lipid had the same chromatographic behavior as synthetic dolichyl mannosyl phosphate and enzymatically mannosylated dolichyl phosphate. The mannose component in the endogenous lipid was not susceptible to reduction with sodium borohydride and was released by mild acid hydrolysis. Alkaline treatment of the mannolipid released a phosphorylated mannose with properties consistent with that of mannose 2-phosphate. The formation of this compound which can arise from a cyclic 1,2-phosphate indicated, on the basis of steric considerations, that the mannose is present in beta linkage to the phosphate of the lipid. An intermediate role of the mannolipid in the glycosylation of exogenous acceptors was suggested by the observation that addition of dolichyl phosphate to thyroid particles resulted in a marked enhancement of mannose transfer from GDP-mannose to methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside acceptor while the presence of the glycoside caused a decrease in the mannolipid level. The glycosyl donor function of the polyisoprenyl mannosyl phosphate in the second reaction of the mannosylation sequence could be directly demonstrated by the transfer of [14C]mannose from purified endogenous mannolipid to either methyl-alpha-D-mannoside or dinitrophenyl unit A glycopeptides by thyroid enzyme in the presence of Triton X-100. The mannosylation of the glycoside was not inhibited by EDTA whereas the transfer of mannose to glycopeptide was cation-dependent. While dolichyl [14C]mannosyl phosphate, prepared from exogenous dolichyl phosphate, served as a donor of mannose to exogenous acceptor, this function could not be fulfilled by ficaprenyl [14C]mannosyl phosphate. The two-step reaction sequence carried out by thyroid enzymes which leads to the formation of an alpha-D-manno-pyranosyl-D-mannose linkage in exogenous acceptors by transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose through a beta-linked intermediate appears to involve a double inversion of anomeric configuration of this sugar.     

Dietary effects on the formation of dolichyl monophosphate mannose by microsomal preparations of rat adipose tissue

Microsomal preparations from rat adipose tissue catalyse the transfer of [¹⁴C]mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose to an endogenous acceptor forming a [¹⁴C]mannosyl lipid. The mannosyl lipid co-chromatographs with hen oviduct dolichyl monophosphate β-mannose on three solvent systems. It is stable to mild alkaline hydrolysis, but strong alkaline treatment yields a compound that co-migrates with mannose 1-phosphate. The mannosyl lipid is labile to mild acid hydrolysis, yielding [¹⁴C]mannose. Formation of the compound is reversible by GDP, but not GMP, and is stimulated by exogenous dolichyl phosphate.

The kinetics of transfer of [¹⁴C]mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose to form dolichyl monophosphate mannose were studied by using preparations derived from rats fed on one of four diets: G (high glucose), L (high lard), F (fructose) or GC (high glucose, 0.9% cholesterol). The K_m and V_max. values for transfer from GDP-mannose were virtually indistinguishable in the four preparations.

In the absence of exogenous dolichyl phosphate, the largest amount of transfer of [¹⁴C]mannose into the mannosyl lipid was observed with preparations from fructose-fed animals. Preparations from glucose-fed animals showed about 60% as much transfer, whereas membranes from rats fed the other diets showed intermediate values between the fructose- and glucose-fed animals. The inclusion of cholesterol in the glucose diet elicited an increase in transfer of mannose.

Under conditions of saturating exogenous dolichyl phosphate, preparations from lard-fed animals have 1.5 times as much enzyme activity as do preparations from animals fed the other three diets.

     

Glycoprotein biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas. A mannolipid intermediate with the properties of a short-chain alpha-saturated polyprenyl monophosphate

A crude membrane preparation of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardii was found to catalyse the incorporation of D-[14C]mannose from GDP-D-[14C]-mannose into a chloroform/methanol-soluble compound and into a trichloroacetic acid-insoluble polymer fraction. The labelled lipid revealed the chemical and chromatographic properties of a short-chain (about C55-C65) alpha-saturated polyprenyl mannosyl monophosphate. In the presence of detergent both long-chain (C85-C105) dolichol phosphate and alpha-unsaturated undecaprenyl phosphate (C55) were found to be effective as exogenous acceptors of D-mannose from GDP-D-[14C]mannose to yield their corresponding labelled polyprenyl mannosyl phosphates. Exogenous dolichyl phosphate stimulated the incorporation of mannose from GDP-D-[14C]mannose into the polymer fraction 5-7-fold, whereas the mannose moiety from undecaprenyl mannosyl phosphate was not further transferred. Authentic dolichyl phosphate [3H]mannose and partially purified mannolipid formed from GDP-[14C]mannose and exogenous dolichyl phosphate were found to function as direct mannosyl donors for the synthesis of labelled mannoproteins. These results clearly indicate the existence of dolichol-type glycolipids and their role as intermediates in transglycosylation reactions of this algal system. Both the saturation of the alpha-isoprene unit and the length of the polyprenyl chain may be regarded as evolutionary markers.     

alpha-Dihydrodecaprenyl phosphate as a sugar carrier in the membrane of AH 70Btc hepatoma cells

The effect of alpha-dihydrodecaprenyl phosphate, dolichyl phosphate and solanesyl phosphate on the lipid intermediate pathway for protein glycosylation was studied with crude membrane fraction prepared from AH 70Btc hepatoma cells. alpha-Dihydrodecaprenyl phosphate increased the incorporations of [14C]mannose from GDP-[14C]mannose into CHCl3-CH3OH (2:1, v/v) extract, oligosaccharide-lipid and proteins. The above and the other data showed that alpha-dihydrodecaprenyl phosphate may function as a mannose carrier in the lipid intermediate pathway.     

Enzymatic transfer of mannose from guanosine diphosphate mannose to yeast mannan-protein complexes

The radioactive products derived from transfer of [¹⁴C]mannose residues from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose to endogenous acceptors of a Hansenula holstii particulate enzyme preparation have been solubilized by Pronase digestion. From this soluble mixture, glycopeptides containing [¹⁴C]mannose have been purified and have been shown by β-elimination-reduction experiments to contain radioactive mannose and oligosaccharides of mannose linked to serine and threonine residues. Radioactive macromolecular complexes of mannan-protein were extracted from the particulate enzyme fraction with hot, neutral citrate buffer. These components contained variable quantities of protein, mannose, and phosphate. The more neutral components were reduced in size by Pronase digestion and yielded glycopeptides similar to those obtained by direct Pronase digestion of the particulate fraction.     

Role of mannosyl lipid intermediate in the synthesis of Neurospora crassa glycoproteins.

Particulate membrane preparations from Neurospora crassa incorporated mannose from GDP-[14C] mannose into endogenous lipid and particulate protein acceptors. Synthesis of the mannosyl lipid is reversible in the presence of GDP. Chemical and chromatographic characterization of the mannosyl lipid suggest that it is a mannosylphosphorylpolyisoprenol. The other endogenous acceptor was precipitated by trichloracetic acid. Gel filtration and electrophoresis studies before and after treatment with proteolytic enzymes indicate that the second acceptor is a glycoprotein(s). beta Elimination studies on the mannosyl protein formed from GDP-[14C] mannose with Mg2+ in the reaction mixture or formed from mannosyl lipid indicate thad with the peptide chain. Several lines of evidence indicate that in Neurospora crassa the mannosyl lipid is an obligatory intermediate in the in vitro mannosylation of the protein. (a) At 15 degrees C the initial formation of the mannosyl lipid is faster than the initial formation of the mannosyl protein. (b) Exogenous partially purified mannosyl lipid can function as a mannosyl donor for the synthesis of the mannosyl protein. This reaction was also dependent on a divalent metal. The rate of this reaction was optimal at a concentration of Triton X-100 which effectively inhibited the transfer of mannose from GDP-[14C] mannose to lipid and protein, indicating that GDP-mannose was not an intermediate in the transfer of mannose from lipid to protein. The mannosyl protein formed in this reaction was indistinguishable by several criteria from the mannosyl protein formed from GDP-[14C] mannose and Mg2+. (c) The effect of a chase with an excess of unlabeled GDP-mannose on the incorporation of mannose into endogenous acceptors was immediate cessation of the synthesis and subsequent turnover of the mannosyl lipid; in contrast, however, incorporation of mannose into protein continued and was proportional to the loss of mannose from the mannosyl lipid.     

Conversion of dolichyl pyrophosphate N,N'-diacetylchitobiose to lipid-tri- to heptasaccharides by liver microsomes from hibernating ground squirrels (Citellus citellus L.)

Incubation of liver microsomes from hibernating ground squirrel with GDP-[14C]mannose and exogenous dolichyl phosphate resulted in the synthesis of dolichyl phosphate [14C]mannose. The mannosyltransferase activity was about 3-fold higher in microsomes from hibernating ground squirrels than in those from active animals. Incubation for 30 min of liver microsomes from hibernating animals with dolichyl pyrophosphate N,N'-diacetyl-[14C]chitobiose and GDP-[14C]mannose led to the synthesis of lipid-[14C]trisaccharide. When liver microsomes were incubated with lipid-[14C]trisaccharide and unlabelled GDP-mannose, lipid-tetra- to heptasaccharides were discovered in the chloroform-methanol (2:1) extract. Since, under the experimental conditions, negligible synthesis of dolichyl phosphate mannose was observed, it was assumed that GDP-mannose was a donor of mannose in the conversion of lipid-trisaccharide into lipid-oligosaccharides containing 2-5 mannose residues.     

Evidence that the lipid carrier for N-acetylglucosamine is different from that for mannose in mung beans and cotton fibers

Cell-free enzyme particles from mung beans (Phaseolus aureus) or cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers catalyze the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose and N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-[³H]-N-acetylglucosamine into polyprenyl-type lipids. These lipids have been synthesized and purified and the lipid moieties compared to each other as well as to dolichyl phosphate and to lipids isolated from similar mannoseand N-acetylglucosamine-containing lipids from liver and aorta.

The following lines of evidence indicate that in plants, the lipid carrier for N-acetylglucosamine is different from the lipid carrier for mannose: [List: see text]

We propose that the apparent difference in the lipid carrier for these two sugars may be a point of control of glycoprotein synthesis.

     

In vivo and in vitro inhibition of lipid-linked saccharide and glycoprotein synthesis in plants by amphomycin

The effect of the polypeptide antibiotic, amphomycin, on the in vitro and in vivo synthesis of polyprenyl-linked sugars and glycoproteins in plants was examined. This antibiotic blocked the transfer of mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose into mannosyl-phos-phoryl-dolichol by a particulate enzyme preparation from mung beans and also inhibited the transfer of GlcNAc from UDP-[³H]GlcNAc to GlcNAc-pyrophosphoryl-polyisoprenol. The in vitro incorporation of these sugars into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material was also markedly inhibited by this antibiotic. Since most of the radioactivity incorporated into this insoluble material is rendered water-soluble by treatment with pronase, it seems likely that these sugars are incorporated into glycoproteins whose synthesis is sensitive to amphomycin. Amphomycin also inhibited the transfer of glucose from UDP-[¹⁴C]glucose to steryl glucosides, although this system was less sensitive to antibiotic than was synthesis of the polyprenyl-linked sugars. The antibiotic did not block the in vitro transfer of glucose from UDP-[¹⁴C]glucose to β-glucans. In carrot slice cultures, amphomycin also inhibited the incorporation of [¹⁴C]mannose into glycolipid and glycoprotein, but it did not prevent the incorporation of [¹⁴C]lysine into protein.     

On the feasibility of electron transfer to singlet oxygen from mitochondrial components

The incorporation of [¹⁴C]mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose into dolichyl mannosyl phosphate in rat liver microsomes showed a biphasic time-course; an initial rapid incorporation of mannose which ceased within 2 min and a much slower incorporation which continued for 30 min. In the presence of 0.18 mM (250 μg/ml) bacitracin, the rapid incorporation proceeded normally whereas the slow incorporation was inhibited by about 70%. Upon addition of dolichyl pyrophosphate, the microsomes catalyzed the dephosphorylation of the added compound which was also inhibited by bacitracin. The results, coupled with several other observations, suggest that the rapid reaction represents the transfer of mannose to endogenous dolichyl phosphate whereas the bacitracin-sensitive, slow reaction represents a more complex process in which the enzymatic dephosphorylation of dolichyl pyrophosphate is involved as a rate-limiting step.     

The effect of flavomycin on the synthesis and transfer of lipid-linked saccharides in pig brain

Particulate membrane fractions from pig brain catalyse the synthesis of lipid-linked sugar derivatives of the dolichyl phosphate pathway. Flavomycin, a phosphoglycolipid antibiotic produced by various species of streptomycetes, interferes with the formation of these glycolipids to a different extent. The formation of dolichyl phosphate glucose was shown to be most susceptible to the antibiotic, being blocked by about 50% in the presence of 0.2mm-flavomycin, whereas the synthesis of dolichyl diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine, dolichyl diphosphate chitobiose and dolichyl diphosphate chitobiosyl mannose required higher concentrations to achieve a comparable inhibition. Although the formation of dolichyl phosphate mannose was hardly affected, the accumulation of oligosaccharides with five to seven sugar units was observed, when dolichyl diphosphate oligosaccharides were synthesized with GDP-[(14)C]mannose in the presence of 1mm-flavomycin. This indicates that the inhibition of the synthesis of larger-sized oligosaccharides, known to be mediated by lipid-bound mannose, was not caused by an actual deficiency in dolichyl phosphate mannose. At flavomycin concentrations that inhibited the formation of dolichyl phosphate glucose by 50%, the transfer of lipid-linked saccharides to either the hexapeptide Tyr-Asn-Gly-Thr-Ser-Val or endogenous protein acceptors was hardly influenced. The mode of action of flavomycin is still obscure, but seems not to be of a competitive nature, since the inhibition was unaffected by increasing concentrations of dolichyl phosphate. Some evidence indicates that, besides a direct interaction of the antibiotic with some transferases, a non-specific incorporation into the membrane and alteration of its properties might be responsible for those inhibitory effects on all enzymes which were observed at high concentrations of flavomycin.     

Glycoprotein biosynthesis in plants. Formation of lipid-linked oligosaccharides of mannose and N-acetylglucosamine by mung bean seedlings.

Cell-free enzyme particles from mung bean seedlings catalyze the incorporation of mannose from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose and GlcNAc from UDP-[³H]GlcNAc into glycolipids and into glycoprotein. The most rapidly labeled product from GDP-mannose was characterized as a mannosyl-phosphoryl-polyisoprenol, whereas that from UDP-GlcNAc was a mixture of GlcNAc-(pyro)phosphoryl-polyisoprenol and a disaccharide composed of two N-acetylglucosamine residues attached to the polyisoprenol by a phosphoryl or pyrophosphoryl linkage. Radioactivity from GDP-mannose and UDP-GlcNAc was also incorporated into more polar lipids which have been partially characterized as a series of oligosaccharide-(pyro)phosphoryl-lipids. The mannose-labeled oligosaccharides released from these lipids by mild acid hydrolysis were found to contain GlcNAc at their reducing end indicating that these oligosaccharides contain both GlcNAc and mannose. Both the GlcNAc-labeled and the mannose-labeled oligosaccharides gave multiple radioactive peaks upon paper chromatography indicating that they are composed of a series of different sized oligosaccharides. Finally, radioactivity from GDP-[¹⁴C]mannose and UDP-[³H]GlcNAc is incorporated into an insoluble component. Ten percent of the mannose label and all of the GlcNAc label in this insoluble material could be solubilized by digestion with Pronase. The glycopeptides released by Pronase digestion appeared to be approximately the same size as the oligosaccharides from the lipid-linked oligosaccharides based on gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-50. The results are consistent with a mechanism for glycoprotein synthesis involving lipid-linked oligosaccharide intermediates.