A distant evolutionary relationship between GPI-specific phospholipase D and bacterial phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C

In eukaryotes some surface proteins are attached to the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. A GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) activity has been characterized and implicated in the regulation of anchoring, thereby influencing the dispersal of anchored proteins or their maintenance on the cell surface, and possibly in cell signalling. Despite its biological and medical importance, little is known of the structure of GPI-PLD. Here, a distant relationship between the catalytic domains of GPI-PLD and some bacterial phospholipases C is demonstrated. A model of the GPI-PLD catalytic site sheds light on catalysis and highlights possibilities for design of improved and more specific GPI-PLD inhibitors. The databases contain hitherto unnoticed close homologues of GPI-PLD from yeast and Dictyostelium discoideum.     

Mouse glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (Gpld1) characterization

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) is an 110-kDa monomeric protein found in the circulation that is capable of degrading the GPI anchor utilized by dozens of cell-surface proteins in the presence of detergent. This protein is relatively abundant (5–10 μg/ml in human serum), yet its sites of synthesis, gene structure, and overall function are unclear. It is our purpose to use the mouse system to determine its putative roles in lipid transport, pathogen control, and diabetes. We have isolated murine full-length cDNA for GPI-PLD from a pancreatic alpha cell library. The deduced amino acid sequence shows 74% homology to bovine and human GPI-PLD. There is a single structural gene (Gpld1) mapping to mouse Chromosome (Chr) 13, and among nine tissues, liver showed the greatest abundance of GPI-PLD mRNA. Genetic differences in serum GPI-PLD activity were seen among four mouse strains, and no correlation was seen between GPI-PLD activity and circulating levels of high density lipoproteins in these mice. This is the first report of map position and genetic regulation for Gpld1. This information will enable us to further study the expression and function of GPI-PLD in normal and pathological conditions. Received: 24 April 1998 / Accepted: 26 May 1998     

Membrane-anchoring domain of rat liver 5'-nucleotidase: identification of the COOH-terminal serine-523 covalently attached with a glycolipid

The involvement of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) in membrane anchoring of 5'-nucleotidase was investigated by chemical analyses. 5'-Nucleotidase purified from rat liver microsomes was subjected to BrCN cleavage, hexane extraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography, resulting in the purification of a single fragment with Mr 2300. Chemical analyses revealed that the purified fragment contains the tetradecapeptide Lys-Val-Ile-Tyr-Pro-Ala-Val-Glu-Gly-Arg-Ile-Lys-Phe-Ser and characteristic components of GPI including ethanolamine, glucosamine, mannose, inositol, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. In addition, it was confirmed that digestion of 5'-nucleotidase with lysyl endopeptidase yielded a fragment containing the dipeptide Phe-Ser and the same GPI components as above. The sequences of the tetradeca- and dipeptides thus determined are identified at positions 510-523 and 522-523, respectively, in the primary structure deduced from the cDNA sequence, which predicts a further extension to position 548, containing a hydrophobic amino acid sequence [Misumi, Y., Ogata, S., Hirose, S., & Ikehara, Y. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 2178-2183]. Taken together, these results indicate that the mature 5'-nucleotidase molecule lacks the predicted COOH-terminal peptide extension and is attached at serine-523 with GPI, which functions as the membrane anchor of 5'-nucleotidase.     

Cleavage with phospholipase of the lipid anchor in the cell adhesion molecule, csA, from Dictyostelium discoideum

A cell adhesion molecule, 80-kDa csA, is involved in EDTA-resistant cell contact at the aggregation stage of Dictyostelium discoideum. A 31-kDa csA was isolated from the 80-kDa csA by treatment with Achromobacter protease I. Results from thin-layer chromatography and MALDI-TOF MS analysis indicated that the 31-kDa csA contains ceramide as a component of glycosylphosphatidyl-inositol (GPI). Comparison between the 80-kDa csA and the 31-kDa csA treated with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) or GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) was carried out. Our results indicated that the GPI-anchor of the 31-kDa csA was more sensitive to PI-PLC treatment than that of the 80-kDa csA, and that the anchor in both was easily cleaved by GPI-PLD treatment. They suggested that the resistance of 80-kDa csA to PI-PLC treatment was due to steric hindrance and myo-inositol modification. The results of the 80-kDa csA and the 31-kDa csA treated with sphingomyelinase were similar to those with PI-PLC treatment. In the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline, a GPI-PLD inhibitor, development of Dictyostelium was markedly inhibited, suggesting that GPI-PLD is functional in developmental regulation through cell adhesion.     

Cellular glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D regulates urokinase receptor shedding and cell surface expression

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) - anchored, multifunctional receptor for the serine proteinase, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPAR, CD87), regulates plasminogen activation and cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation. uPAR occurs in functionally distinct, membrane-anchored and soluble isoforms (s-uPAR) in vitro and in vivo. Recent evidence indicates that s-uPAR present in the circulation of cancer patients correlates with tumor malignancy and represents a valuable prognostic marker in certain types of cancer. We have therefore analyzed the mechanism of uPAR shedding in vitro. We present evidence that uPAR is actively released from ovarian cancer cells since the rate of receptor shedding did not correlate with uPAR expression. While s-uPAR was derived from the cell surface, it lacked the hydrophobic portion of the GPI moiety indicating anchor cleavage. We show that uPAR release is catalyzed by cellular GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD), an enzyme cleaving the GPI anchor of the receptor. Thus, recombinant GPI-PLD expression increased receptor release up to fourfold. Conversely, a 40% reduction in GPI-PLD activity by GPI-PLD antisense mRNA expression inhibited uPAR release by more than 60%. We found that GPI-PLD also regulated uPAR expression, possibly by releasing a GPI-anchored growth factor. Our data suggest that cellular GPI-PLD might be involved in the generation of circulating prognostic markers in cancer and possibly regulate the function of GPI-anchored proteins by generating functionally distinct, soluble counterparts. J. Cell. Physiol. 180:225–235, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Mosaic evolution of prepropancreatic polypeptide

Pancreatic polypeptide, a 36-amino acid peptide hormone, is synthesized in pancreatic islets of Langerhans and acts as a regulator of pancreatic and gastrointestinal functions. We isolated cDNA clones encoding rat pancreatic polypeptide precursor from an islet cDNA library and determined their nucleic acid sequences. Rat pancreatic polypeptide was found to be flanked on the amino terminus by a putative signal peptide and on the carboxyl terminus by Gly-Lys-Arg followed by a 30-amino acid peptide. Nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the signal peptide and the pancreatic polypeptide of the rat were highly homologous to those of the human (Boel, E., Schwartz, T. W., Norris, K. E., and Fill, N. P. (1984) EMBO J. 3, 909-912). On the other hand, the rat carboxyl-terminal peptide differed markedly from the corresponding domain of the human precursor and did not contain any sequence similar to the icosapeptide, which has so far been known to be a second stable product from mammalian pancreatic polypeptide precursors (Schwartz, T. W., Hansen, H. F., Hakanson, R., Sundler, F., and Tager, H. S. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 81, 708-712). The mosaicism of sequence conservation and divergence in prepropancreatic polypeptides may be a unique example in the evolution of prohormones.     

Release of GPI-anchored membrane proteins by a cell-associated GPI-specific phospholipase D.

Although many glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins have been observed as soluble forms, the mechanisms by which they are released from the cell surface have not been demonstrated. We show here that a cell-associated GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) releases the GPI-anchored, complement regulatory protein decay-accelerating factor (DAF) from HeLa cells, as well as the basic fibroblast growth factor-binding heparan sulfate proteoglycan from bone marrow stromal cells. DAF found in the HeLa cell culture supernatants contained both [3H]ethanolamine and [3H]inositol, but not [3H]palmitic acid, whereas the soluble heparan sulfate proteoglycan present in bone marrow stromal cell culture supernatants contained [3H]ethanolamine. 125I-labeled GPI-DAF incorporated into the plasma membranes of these two cell types was released in a soluble form lacking the fatty acid GPI-anchor component. GPI-PLD activity was detected in lysates of both HeLa and bone marrow stromal cells. Treatment of HeLa cells with 1,10-phenanthroline, an inhibitor of GPI-PLD, reduced the release of [3H]ethanolamine-DAF by 70%. The hydrolysis of these GPI-anchored molecules is likely to be mediated by an endogenous GPI-PLD because [3H]ethanolamine DAF is constitutively released from HeLa cells maintained in serum-free medium. Furthermore, using PCR, a GPI-PLD mRNA has been identified in cDNA libraries prepared from both cell types. These studies are the first demonstration of the physiologically relevant release of GPI-anchored proteins from cells by a GPI-PLD.     

Identification of a receptor for reg (regenerating gene) protein, a pancreatic beta-cell regeneration factor

Reg (regenerating gene) was isolated as a gene specifically expressed in regenerating islets (Terazono, K., Yamamoto, H., Takasawa, S., Shiga, K., Yonemura, Y., Tochino, Y., and Okamoto, H. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 2111-2114). Rat and human Reg gene products, Reg/REG proteins, have been demonstrated to stimulate islet beta-cell growth in vitro and in vivo and to ameliorate experimental diabetes. In the present study, we isolated a cDNA for the Reg protein receptor from a rat islet cDNA library. The cDNA encoded a cell surface 919-amino acid protein, and the cells into which the cDNA had been introduced bound Reg protein with high affinity. When the cDNA was introduced into RINm5F cells, a pancreatic beta-cell line that shows Reg-dependent growth, the transformants exhibited significant increases in the incorporation of 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine as well as in the cell numbers in response to Reg protein. A homology search revealed that the cDNA is a homologue to a human multiple exostoses-like gene, the function of which has hitherto been unknown. These results strongly suggest that the receptor is encoded by the exostoses-like gene and mediates a growth signal of Reg protein for beta-cell regeneration.     

Genetic regulation of mouse glycosylphosphatidylinositol-phospholipase D

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) has been proposed to be responsible for cleaving membrane-associated glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI) molecules to generate inositol phosphoglycan (IPGs), which have growth factor-mimetic properties. We have cloned the mouse liver GPI-PLD cDNA, which has a sequence that differs from that previously isolated from a mouse glucagonoma cell library. Using a highly specific and very sensitive RNase protection assay, we found that the GPI-PLD expressed in adult/post-natal brain, antrum and insulin-producing cells is identical to that isolated from liver. The expression of mouse GPI-PLD in liver shows a complex genetic regulation with a mouse strain-specific variation. In addition, GPI-PLD mRNA levels were higher in 4-week old animals compared to older animals, and the GPI-PLD mRNA levels increased in mice that developed insulin dependent type 1 diabetes spontaneously. This suggests that the expression of liver GPI-PLD in mice is highly regulated.     

Cleavage of carcinoembryonic antigen induces metastatic potential in colorectal carcinoma

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a widely used tumor marker, is attached by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor motif to the cell membrane. Recent study suggested that membrane-bound CEA might be cleaved by glycosylphosphatidylinositol-phospholipase D (GPI-PLD). We studied the effect of GPI-PLD on the cleavage of CEA to elucidate the implication for metastatic potential in colorectal carcinoma cells. CEA amount of conditioned medium was changed by suramin and phenanthroline (activator and inhibitor of GPI-PLD) only in SW620 and SW837 which expressed both CEA and GPI-PLD mRNA. Suramin treatment also augmented migratory activity and decreased cell surface CEA expression in SW620 and SW837. Furthermore, GPI-PLD knockdown cells using GPI-PLD-specific siRNA in SW620 and SW837 showed decreased CEA secretion from cell membrane and the migration activity, increased membrane-bound CEA amount. Splenic injection of SW620 and SW837 induced marked hepatic metastases in nude mice. These results suggest that membrane-bound CEA is cleaved by GPI-PLD and that this cleavage enhances the metastatic potential in colorectal carcinoma cells.     

GPI-PLD调节CEA的释放对白血病HL-60细胞的增殖和凋亡的影响

糖基化磷脂酰肌醇特异性磷脂酶D(glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol specific phospholipase D,GPI-PLD)是人体内唯一可水解细胞膜表面GPI结构、调节GPI锚定蛋白释放的酶.将GPI-PLD转染入急性粒细胞白血病(AGL)的HL-60细胞株,采用实时荧光定量PCR法和Western blot法确定转染后HL-60细胞内GPI-PLD的表达水平;并检测GPI-PLD活性;噻唑蓝(MTT)检测HL-60细胞的增殖;流式细胞仪检测HL-60细胞的凋亡.ELISA检测GPI锚定癌胚抗原(CEA)的表达和释放情况.转染GPI-PLD后,HL-60细胞株中GPI-PLD表达量与活性增加;MTT检测显示,GPI-PLD过表达后HL-60细胞株增殖生长受到抑制;流式检测证实HL-60细胞凋亡增加;且GPI锚定的蛋白质CEA释放增加.该结果提示GPI-PLD基因有抗肿瘤的作用,过表达GPI-PLD后能抑制HL-60细胞增殖且促进其凋亡,所涉机制可能与GPI-PLD释放GPI锚定蛋白,增强白血病细胞对补体杀伤的敏感性有关.     

Glycolipid precursors for the membrane anchor of Trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoproteins. I. Can structure of the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C sensitive and resistant glycolipids

A number of eukaryotic surface glycoproteins, including the variant surface glycoproteins of Trypanosoma brucei, are synthesized with a carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic peptide extension that is cleaved and replaced by a complex glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchor within 1-5 min of the completion of polypeptide synthesis. The rapidity of this carboxyl-terminal modification suggests the existence of a prefabricated precursor glycolipid that can be transferred en bloc to the polypeptide. We have reported the purification and partial characterization of a candidate precursor glycolipid (P2) and of a compositionally similar glycolipid (P3) from T. brucei (Menon, A. K., Mayor, S., Ferguson, M. A. J., Duszenko, M., and Cross, G. A. M. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 1970-1977). The primary structure of the glycan portions of P2 and P3 have now been analyzed by a combination of selective chemical fragmentation and enzymatic glycan sequencing at the subnanomolar level. The glycans were generated by deamination, NaB3H4 reduction, and dephosphorylation of glycolipids purified from different trypanosome variants. Glycan fragments derived from biosynthetically labeled glycolipids were also analyzed. The cumulative data strongly suggest that P2 and P3 contain ethanolamine-phosphate-Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-6Man alpha 1-GlcN linked glycosidically to an inositol residue, as do all the GPI anchors that have been structurally characterized. The structural similarities suggest that GPI membrane anchors are derived from common precursor glycolipids that become variably modified during or after addition to newly synthesized proteins.     

Molecular species analysis of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor of Torpedo marmorata acetylcholinesterase

We analyzed the molecular species composition of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor of Torpedo marmorata acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and compared it to that of the membrane phosphatidylinositol (PI) as well as the other major phospholipid classes of T. marmorata electrocytes. Purified amphiphilic AChE was treated with PI-specific phospholipase C in order to release the diradylglycerol moiety from the membrane anchoring domain. Subsequently, the diradylglycerols were derivatized into their diradylglycer-obenzoates and separated into subclasses (diacyl, alkylacyl, and alk-1-enylacyl types). The molecular species within each subclass were separated and quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography and UV detection and directly introduced through the thermospray interface into a mass spectrometer for identification. The PI moiety of the GPI anchor of AChE consisted exclusively of diacyl molecular species. Over 85% of the molecular species were composed of palmitoyl (16:0), stearoyl (18:0), and oleoyl (18:1) fatty acyl chains in the sn-1 and sn-2 positions. Less than 5% of the molecular species of the GPI anchor contained polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains, as compared to more than 70% of the diacyl molecular species of the PI from electrocyte membranes. Since the GPI anchors of AChE from both human and bovine erythrocytes contain alkylacyl molecular species of PI (Roberts, W. L., Myher, J. J., Kuksis, A., Low, M. G., and Rosenberry, T. L. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 18766-18775), our results on AChE from Torpedo demonstrate that the composition of the PI moiety of the GPI anchor of a protein is not characteristic for that protein but may vary between species.     

人骨髓基质细胞中糖基化磷脂酰肌醇特异性磷脂酶DcDNA的克隆

为探讨人糖基化磷脂酰肌醇特异性磷脂酶D(GPI PLD)cDNA的结构及功能 ,应用RT PCR从人骨髓基质细胞中克隆了长约 2 6kb的GPI PLDcDNA ,包含完整阅读框架 ,编码 2 3个氨基酸的信号肽及 817个氨基酸的成熟肽 .该cDNA与人胰腺GPI PLDcDNA几乎百分之百同源 ,与人肝脏GPI PLDcDNA同源性为 95 %,氨基酸同源性为 94 %,3者对应的结构基因只有 1个 ,位于人类第 6号染色体上 ,基因组序列长约 80kb ,包括 2 5个外显子 .构建克隆的GPI PLDcDNA的真核表达载体 ,通过脂质体转染能表达GPI锚定的胎盘型碱性磷酸酶 (PLAP)而无GPI PLD活性的G9细胞 ,同时设立对照组检测GPI PLDcDNA的功能 .结果显示 ,对照组细胞几乎检测不到GPI PLD活性 ,其表达的PLAP主要位于细胞膜上 ;而转染GPI PLDcDNA的G9细胞能检测到较高水平的GPI PLD活性 ,而且大部分酶活性存在于培养液中 ,其表达的PLAP也主要被释放入培养液 .结果证实 ,从人骨髓基质细胞中克隆的GPI PLDcDNA有生物学功能 ,它能释放细胞膜上GPI锚定蛋白质 .     

Purification of a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D from human plasma

Mammalian plasma contains a phospholipase D, which is specific for the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor found on many eukaryotic cell surface proteins (Davitz, M. A., Hereld, D., Shak, S., Krakow, J., Englund, P. T., and Nussenzweig, V. (1987) Science 238, 81-84; Low, M. G., and Prasad, A. R. S. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 85, 980-984; Cardoso de Almeida, M. L., Turner, M. J., Stambuk, B. V., and Schenkman, S. (1988) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 150, 476-482). We have purified this phospholipase D to homogeneity by a four-step procedure involving a Mono Q and phenyl-5PW columns, followed by wheat germ lectin affinity chromatography and finally another Mono Q column. A 4,500-fold purification was achieved with a 5% yield. By sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the homogeneous enzyme has a Mr of 110,000 and appears to consist of a single polypeptide chain. It exhibits identical substrate specificity as compared with the crude preparation, is active over a broad pH range (4.0-8.5), inhibited by the thiol-blocking agent p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid and by 1,10-phenanthroline, and is partially heat-labile.     

Inhibition of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor formation by mannosamine.

Many eucaryotic cell surface proteins are anchored to the plasma membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), of which the core region is highly conserved from protozoa to mammalian cells. Previous studies (Lisanti, M. P., Field, M. C., Caras, I. W., Menon, A. K., and Rodiguez-Boulan, E. (1991) EMBO J. 10, 1969-1977) showed that mannosamine blocked the expression of a recombinant GPI-anchored protein in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and converted this protein to an unpolarized secretory product. In the present study, we examined the effect of mannosamine on the formation of the glycan portion of the GPI anchor precursors. This amino sugar inhibited the incorporation of mannose into the glycan portion, and the inhibition was dose-dependent. Mannosamine was shown to be incorporated into the glycan as mannosamine, probably mostly in the second mannose position and thereby to block the further addition of mannose and other anchor components. The products formed in the presence of this drug were characterized by gel filtration and high resolution TLC both before and after deamination with nitrous acid and dephosphorylation by HF. Galactosamine and trehalosamine were inactive in this system, whereas glucosamine also inhibited mannose incorporation into GPI intermediates.     

Characterization of P4 ATPase Phospholipid Translocases (Flippases) in Human and Rat Pancreatic Beta Cells: THEIR GENE SILENCING INHIBITS INSULIN SECRETION*

The negative charge of phosphatidylserine in lipid bilayers of secretory vesicles and plasma membranes couples the domains of positively charged amino acids of secretory vesicle SNARE proteins with similar domains of plasma membrane SNARE proteins enhancing fusion of the two membranes to promote exocytosis of the vesicle contents of secretory cells. Our recent study of insulin secretory granules (ISG) (MacDonald, M. J., Ade, L., Ntambi, J. M., Ansari, I. H., and Stoker, S. W. (2015) Characterization of phospholipids in insulin secretory granules in pancreatic beta cells and their changes with glucose stimulation. J. Biol. Chem. 290, 11075–11092) suggested that phosphatidylserine and other phospholipids, such as phosphatidylethanolamine, in ISG could play important roles in docking and fusion of ISG to the plasma membrane in the pancreatic beta cell during insulin exocytosis. P4 ATPase flippases translocate primarily phosphatidylserine and, to a lesser extent, phosphatidylethanolamine across the lipid bilayers of intracellular vesicles and plasma membranes to the cytosolic leaflets of these membranes. CDC50A is a protein that forms a heterodimer with P4 ATPases to enhance their translocase catalytic activity. We found that the predominant P4 ATPases in pure pancreatic beta cells and human and rat pancreatic islets were ATP8B1, ATP8B2, and ATP9A. ATP8B1 and CDC50A were highly concentrated in ISG. ATP9A was concentrated in plasma membrane. Gene silencing of individual P4 ATPases and CDC50A inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin release in pure beta cells and in human pancreatic islets. This is the first characterization of P4 ATPases in beta cells. The results support roles for P4 ATPases in translocating phosphatidylserine to the cytosolic leaflets of ISG and the plasma membrane to facilitate the docking and fusion of ISG to the plasma membrane during insulin exocytosis.     

The Fate of PrP GPI‐Anchor Signal Peptide is Modulated by P238S Pathogenic Mutation

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored proteins are localized to the plasma membrane via a C‐terminally linked GPI anchor. The GPI anchor is added concomitantly to the cleavage of the carboxy‐terminal GPI‐anchor signal sequence, thereby causing the release of a C‐terminal hydrophobic peptide, whose fate has not yet been investigated. Here we followed the fate of the GPI‐attachment signal of the prion protein (PrP), a protein implicated in various types of transmissible neurodegenerative spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). The PrP GPI‐anchor signal sequence shows a remarkable and unusual degree of conservation across the species and contains two point mutations (M232R/T and P238S) that are responsible for genetic forms of prion disorders. We show that the PrP GPI‐anchor signal peptide (SP), but not the one from an unrelated GPI‐anchored protein (folate receptor), undergoes degradation via the proteasome. Moreover, the P238S point mutation partially protects the PrP GPI‐anchor SP from degradation. Our data provide the first attempt to address the fate of a GPI‐anchor SP and identify a role for the P238S mutation, suggesting the possibility that the PrP GPI‐anchor SP could play a role in neurodegenerative prion diseases.      

The omega-site sequence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can determine distribution between the membrane and the cell wall

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell wall proteins play an important role in the structure and function of the cell wall in yeast and other fungi. Although the majority of characterized fungal GPI-anchored proteins do in fact localize to the cell wall, some are believed to reside at the plasma membrane and not to traffic significantly to the cell wall. There is evidence suggesting that the amino acids immediately upstream of the site of GPI anchor addition (the omega site) serve as the signal determining whether a GPI protein localizes to the cell wall or to the plasma membrane, although this remains controversial. Here, we examine in detail the functional and biochemical differences between the GPI anchor addition signals of putative cell wall (CW) and plasma membrane (PM) GPI proteins. We find strong evidence for the existence of PM-class and CW-class GPI proteins. We show that the biological function of a GPI-CWP is strongly compromised by changing the GPI anchor signal from a CW-class signal to a PM-class signal. Biochemically, this abrogation of function corresponds to a change in the protein from a cell wall form to a membrane form. To understand better the basis for the difference between the two classes of proteins, we mutated the amino acids upstream of the omega site in a GPI-PM protein and selected mutant proteins that were now localized to the cell wall. We were also able to design simple amino acid mutations in a GPI-CW protein that efficiently redirected the protein to the plasma membrane. These studies make clear that different GPI anchor sequences can have dramatic effects on localization of the proteins and help to define the GPI anchor addition signal sequences that distinguish the PM-class and CW-class GPI proteins.