A hypomorphic allele of the first N-glycosylation gene, ALG7, causes mitochondrial defects in yeast

The modification of proteins at asparagine residues with oligosaccharides (N-glycans) plays critical roles in diverse cell functions. N-glycans originate from a common lipid-linked oligosaccharide (LLO) precursor whose synthesis is initiated by the Dol-P-dependent GlcNAc-1-P transferase (GPT) encoded by an essential ALG7 gene. To identify cellular processes affected by ALG7 and N-glycosylation, we replaced the genomic copy of ALG7 with its hypomorphic allele in two genetically distinct haploid yeast cells. We show that ALG7 knockdown gave rise to an unexpected phenotype of mitochondrial dysfunction. The alg7 mutants did not grow on glycerol and DNA arrays revealed the absence of mitochondrial genes' expression. Accordingly, the alg7 mutants displayed no detectable mtDNA and respiratory activity. Both mutants exhibited diminished abundance of LLO and under-glycosylation of carboxypeptidase Y (CPY). Moreover, another N-glycosylation mutant with a LLO defect, alg6, was respiratory deficient. Collectively, our studies provide evidence that the dysregulation of N-glycosylation in haploid yeast cells leads to mitochondrial dysfunction.     

Mannose-6-phosphate regulates destruction of lipid-linked oligosaccharides

Mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) is an essential precursor for mannosyl glycoconjugates, including lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLO; glucose(3)mannose(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol) used for protein N-glycosylation. In permeabilized mammalian cells, M6P also causes specific LLO cleavage. However, the context and purpose of this paradoxical reaction are unknown. In this study, we used intact mouse embryonic fibroblasts to show that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress elevates M6P concentrations, leading to cleavage of the LLO pyrophosphate linkage with recovery of its lipid and lumenal glycan components. We demonstrate that this M6P originates from glycogen, with glycogenolysis activated by the kinase domain of the stress sensor IRE1-α. The apparent futility of M6P causing destruction of its LLO product was resolved by experiments with another stress sensor, PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), which attenuates translation. PERK's reduction of N-glycoprotein synthesis (which consumes LLOs) stabilized steady-state LLO levels despite continuous LLO destruction. However, infection with herpes simplex virus 1, an N-glycoprotein-bearing pathogen that impairs PERK signaling, not only caused LLO destruction but depleted LLO levels as well. In conclusion, the common metabolite M6P is also part of a novel mammalian stress-signaling pathway, responding to viral stress by depleting host LLOs required for N-glycosylation of virus-associated polypeptides. Apparently conserved throughout evolution, LLO destruction may be a response to a variety of environmental stresses.     

Identification of phosphorylated oligosaccharides in cells of patients with a congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG-I)

Protein N-glycosylation is initiated by the dolichol cycle in which the oligosaccharide precursor Glc₃Man₉GlcNAc₂-PP-dolichol is assembled in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). One critical step in the dolichol cycle concerns the availability of Dol-P at the cytosolic face of the ER membrane. In RFT1 cells, the lipid-linked oligosaccharide (LLO) intermediate Man₅GlcNAc₂-PP-Dol accumulates at the cytosolic face of the ER membrane. Since Dol-P is a rate-limiting intermediate during protein N-glycosylation, continuous accumulation of Man₅GlcNAc₂-PP-Dol would block the dolichol cycle. Hence, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which accumulating Man₅GlcNAc₂-PP-Dol could be catabolized in RFT1 cells. On the basis of metabolic labeling experiments and in comparison to human control cells, we identified phosphorylated oligosaccharides (POS), not found in human control cells and present evidence that they originate from the accumulating LLO intermediates. In addition, POS were also detected in other CDG patients’ cells accumulating specific LLO intermediates at different cellular locations. Moreover, the enzymatic activity that hydrolyses oligosaccharide-PP-Dol into POS was identified in human microsomal membranes and required Mn²⁺ for optimal activity. In CDG patients’ cells, we thus identified and characterized POS that could result from the catabolism of accumulating LLO intermediates.     

Biochemical and genetic analysis of an antigenic determinant found on N-linked oligosaccharides in Dictyostelium.

Dictyostelium discoideum synthesizes many highly immunogenic carbohydrates of unknown structure and function. We have used monoclonal antibodies prepared against one of these called CA1 to investigate its structure and the consequences of its loss. CA1 is preferentially expressed on lysosomal enzymes as a specific arrangement of mannose-6-SO4 residues on N-linked oligosaccharides. Mutant strains HL241 and HL243 do not express CA1, and synthesize a truncated lipid-linked oligosaccharide (LLO) precursor that lacks the critical mannose residues needed for expression. The lesion appears to result from the loss of mannosyl transferase activity involved in LLO biosynthesis. The truncated LLO is poorly transferred to an artificial peptide acceptor in a cell-free N-glycosylation assay, and this appears to result from improper topological localization of the LLO or to a lower affinity of the LLO for the oligosaccharyl transferase. Although both mutants share these lesions, they are biochemically and genetically distinct. Only HL243 is lower in N-glycosylation in intact cells, and this is not a result of an altered structure of the LLO. There are other differences between the strains. HL241 can form fruiting bodies at a slower rate than normal while HL243 cannot aggregate. Genetic analysis of defects shows that the CA1 lesion in HL241 is recessive, while the lesion in both CA1 and in development are dominant and co-segregate in HL243 and are, therefore, likely to be in the same gene. Lysosomal enzyme targeting is normal but enzyme processing proceeds at a 2-3 fold slower rate in HL241 and HL243 compared to wild-type. Strain HL244 does not express CA1 since it completely lacks protein sulfation, but lysosomal enzyme targeting and processing proceeds at a normal rate, showing that sulfate is not essential for these processes. Alterations in oligosaccharide structure can have individualized effects on the biosynthesis of lysosomal enzymes. The results presented here illustrate how this approach can be used to study both the structure and function of carbohydrate epitopes.     

Specificity of the mannosyltransferase which initiates outer chain formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The in vitro specificity of the alpha 1-6 mannosyltransferase that initiates outer chain formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Romero and Herscovics, J. Biol. Chem., 264, 1946-1950, 1989) was reassessed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). A particulate fraction from the mnn1 mutant was incubated with GDP-mannose and either Man9GlcNAc (M9T) isolated from thyroglobulin or Man8GlcNAc (M8Y) obtained by treatment of the M9T with the yeast specific mannosidase. The Man10GlcNAc (M10Y) and Man9GlcNAc (M9Y) oligosaccharides thus obtained, and the substrate oligosaccharides, were peracetylated or perdeuteroacetylated and submitted to FAB-MS using meta-nitrobenzylalcohol as the matrix. The latter was chosen as the matrix because it enhances the abundance of high-mass-fragment ions of peracetylated oligosaccharides and thereby facilitates the assignment of branching patterns. The results indicate that the alpha 1-6 mannosyltransferase catalyses the addition of mannose to the alpha 1-3 mannose residue, and thus provide additional new evidence to support the revised structure of yeast mannoproteins proposed by Hernandez et al. (J. Biol. Chem., 264, 11849-11856, 1989). [formula: see text] where Gn is N-acetylglucosamine, M is mannose and M is mannose added by the enzyme.     

AglS,a Novel Component of the Haloferax volcanii N-Glycosylation Pathway,Is a Dolichol Phosphate-Mannose Mannosyltransferase

In Haloferax volcanii, a series of Agl proteins mediates protein N-glycosylation. The genes encoding all but one of the Agl proteins are sequestered into a single gene island. The same region of the genome includes sequences also suspected but not yet verified as serving N-glycosylation roles, such as HVO_1526. In the following, HVO_1526, renamed AglS, is shown to be necessary for the addition of the final mannose subunit of the pentasaccharide N-linked to the surface (S)-layer glycoprotein, a convenient reporter of N-glycosylation in Hfx. volcanii. Relying on bioinformatics, topological analysis, gene deletion, mass spectrometry, and biochemical assays, AglS was shown to act as a dolichol phosphate-mannose mannosyltransferase, mediating the transfer of mannose from dolichol phosphate to the tetrasaccharide corresponding to the first four subunits of the pentasaccharide N-linked to the S-layer glycoprotein.     

Dolichol phosphate mannose synthase is required in vivo for glycosyl phosphatidylinositol membrane anchoring, O mannosylation, and N glycosylation of protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring, N glycosylation, and O mannosylation of protein occur in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and involve transfer of precursor structures that contain mannose. Direct genetic evidence is presented that dolichol phosphate mannose (Dol-P-Man) synthase, which transfers mannose from GDPMan to the polyisoprenoid dolichol phosphate, is required in vivo for all three biosynthetic pathways leading to these covalent modifications of protein in yeast cells. Temperature-sensitive yeast mutants were isolated after in vitro mutagenesis of the yeast DPM1 gene. At the nonpermissive temperature of 37 degrees C, the dpm1 mutants were blocked in [2-3H]myo-inositol incorporation into protein and accumulated a lipid that could be radiolabeled with both [2-3H]myo-inositol and [2-3H]glucosamine and met existing criteria for an intermediate in GPI anchor biosynthesis. The likeliest explanation for these results is that Dol-P-Man donates the mannose residues needed for completion of the GPI anchor precursor lipid before it can be transferred to protein. Dol-P-Man synthase is also required in vivo for N glycosylation of protein, because (i) dpm1 cells were unable to make the full-length precursor Dol-PP-GlcNAc2Man9Glc3 and instead accumulated the intermediate Dol-PP-GlcNAc2Man5 in their pool of lipid-linked precursor oligosaccharides and (ii) truncated, endoglycosidase H-resistant oligosaccharides were transferred to the N-glycosylated protein invertase after a shift to 37 degrees C. Dol-P-Man synthase is also required in vivo for O mannosylation of protein, because chitinase, normally a 150-kDa O-mannosylated protein, showed a molecular size of 60 kDa, the size predicted for the unglycosylated protein, after shift of the dpm1 mutant to the nonpermissive temperature.     

Requirement of the Lec35 gene for all known classes of monosaccharide-P-dolichol-dependent glycosyltransferase reactions in mammals

The Lec35 gene product (Lec35p) is required for utilization of the mannose donor mannose-P-dolichol (MPD) in synthesis of both lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLOs) and glycosylphosphatidylinositols, which are important for functions such as protein folding and membrane anchoring, respectively. The hamster Lec35 gene is shown to encode the previously identified cDNA SL15, which corrects the Lec35 mutant phenotype and predicts a novel endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein. The mutant hamster alleles Lec35.1 and Lec35.2 are characterized, and the human Lec35 gene (mannose-P-dolichol utilization defect 1) was mapped to 17p12-13. To determine whether Lec35p was required only for MPD-dependent mannosylation of LLO and glycosylphosphatidylinositol intermediates, two additional lipid-mediated reactions were investigated: MPD-dependent C-mannosylation of tryptophanyl residues, and glucose-P-dolichol (GPD)-dependent glucosylation of LLO. Both were found to require Lec35p. In addition, the SL15-encoded protein was selective for MPD compared with GPD, suggesting that an additional GPD-selective Lec35 gene product remains to be identified. The predicted amino acid sequence of Lec35p does not suggest an obvious function or mechanism. By testing the water-soluble MPD analog mannose-beta-1-P-citronellol in an in vitro system in which the MPD utilization defect was preserved by permeabilization with streptolysin-O, it was determined that Lec35p is not directly required for the enzymatic transfer of mannose from the donor to the acceptor substrate. These results show that Lec35p has an essential role for all known classes of monosaccharide-P-dolichol-dependent reactions in mammals. The in vitro data suggest that Lec35p controls an aspect of MPD orientation in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane that is crucial for its activity as a donor substrate.     

ALG9 mannosyltransferase is involved in two different steps of lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis

N-linked protein glycosylation follows a conserved pathway in eukaryotic cells. The assembly of the lipid-linked core oligosaccharide Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, the substrate for the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), is catalyzed by different glycosyltransferases located at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The substrate specificity of the different glycosyltransferase guarantees the ordered assembly of the branched oligosaccharide and ensures that only completely assembled oligosaccharide is transferred to protein. The glycosyltransferases involved in this pathway are highly specific, catalyzing the addition of one single hexose unit to the lipid-linked oligosaccharide (LLO). Here, we show that the dolichylphosphomannose-dependent ALG9 mannosyltransferase is the exception from this rule and is required for the addition of two different alpha-1,2-linked mannose residues to the LLO. This report completes the list of lumen-oriented glycosyltransferases required for the assembly of the LLO.     

Activation of dolichol-phosphate mannosyltransferase by dibutryl cyclic AMP in rat liver

Radiolabeled mannose incorporation into secretory glycoproteins and immunoprecipitable fibronectin in the incubation media significantly increased (105 and 32 percent respectively) with a corresponding increase in the levels of dolichol-phosphate mannose, dolichol-diphosphate oligosaccharides and dolichol-phosphate mannosyltransferase activity in the rat liver slices when incubated with dibutryl cAMP and ATP. Dibutryl cAMP activated maximally this enzyme in the presence of ATP in the incubation medium. The activation of the enzyme resulted in a two fold increase in Vmax with no apparent change in the Km for GDP mannose. Phosphorylation the rat liver microsomes with catalytic subunit of cAMP dependent protein kinase, resulted in the activation of dolichol-phosphate mannosyltransferase. These results suggest that cAMP modulates protein glycosylation by activating dolicholphosphate mannosyltransferase activity. The activation of this enzyme could be through phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism involving a cAMP dependent protein kinase.     

Characterization of an alg2 mutant of the zygomycete fungus Rhizomucor pusillus

The zygomycete fungus Rhizomucor pusillus secretes an aspartic proteinase (MPP) that contains asparagine ( N )-linked oligosaccharides at two sites. Mutant strain 1116 defective in N -glycosylation secretes MPP with truncated oligo-saccharide chains. Lipid-linked oligosaccharides in mutant 1116 were labeled with [6-(3)H]glucosamine and [2-(3)H]mannose, prepared by cycles of solvent extraction, and analyzed by gel filtration chromatography on a Bio-Gel P-4 column after mild acid-hydrolysis. Mutant 1116 accumulated an intermediate, Man(1)GlcNAc(2)-dolichol pyrophosphate (PP-Dol), whereas wild-type strain F27 synthesized the fully assembled oligosaccharide precursor Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-PP-Dol. Consistent with this, alg2 encoding a mannosyltransferase in the lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthetic pathway in mutant 1116 had a 5 bp insertion that generated a stop codon in the middle of the coding sequence. Transformation of mutant 1116 with the intact alg2 gene on a pUC19-derived plasmid generated transformants that contained multicopies of alg2 at the alg2 locus. Glycosylation of the total proteins in the transformants was recovered to the same level as in strain F27, as determined with peroxidase-concanavalin A. These transformants produced MPP mainly with the same N -linked oligosaccharides as that produced by strain F27, but still with truncated oligosaccharides in small amounts. All of these data show that Alg2 is an alpha-1,3 or alpha-1,6 mannosyltransferase that elongates Man(1)GlcNAc(2)-PP-Dol to Man(2)GlcNAc(2)-PP-Dol. The slower growth of mutant 1116 was significantly recovered on introduction of alg2. The viability of the alg2 mutants of the zygomycete R.pusillus makes a contrast with the lethal effect of ALG2 mutations in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Golgi apparatus immunolocalization of endomannosidase suggests post-endoplasmic reticulum glucose trimming: implications for quality control

Trimming of N-linked oligosaccharides by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glucosidase II is implicated in quality control of protein folding. An alternate glucosidase II-independent deglucosylation pathway exists, in which endo-alpha-mannosidase cleaves internally the glucose-substituted mannose residue of oligosaccharides. By immunogold labeling, we detected most endomannosidase in cis/medial Golgi cisternae (83.8% of immunogold labeling) and less in the intermediate compartment (15.1%), but none in the trans-Golgi apparatus and ER, including its transitional elements. This dual localization became more pronounced under 15 degrees C conditions indicative of two endomannosidase locations. Under experimental conditions when the intermediate compartment marker p58 was retained in peripheral sites, endomannosidase was redistributed to the Golgi apparatus. Double immunogold labeling established a mutually exclusive distribution of endomannosidase and glucosidase II, whereas calreticulin was observed in endomannosidase-reactive sites (17.3% in intermediate compartment, 5.7% in Golgi apparatus) in addition to the ER (77%). Our results demonstrate that glucose trimming of N-linked oligosaccharides is not limited to the ER and that protein deglucosylation by endomannosidase in the Golgi apparatus and intermediate compartment additionally ensures that processing to mature oligosaccharides can continue. Thus, endomannosidase localization suggests that a quality control of N-glycosylation exists in the Golgi apparatus.     

In vivo synthesis of mammalian-like, hybrid-type N-glycans in Pichia pastoris

The Pichia pastoris N-glycosylation pathway is only partially homologous to the pathway in human cells. In the Golgi apparatus, human cells synthesize complex oligosaccharides, whereas Pichia cells form mannose structures that can contain up to 40 mannose residues. This hypermannosylation of secreted glycoproteins hampers the downstream processing of heterologously expressed glycoproteins and leads to the production of protein-based therapeutic agents that are rapidly cleared from the blood because of the presence of terminal mannose residues. Here, we describe engineering of the P. pastoris N-glycosylation pathway to produce nonhyperglycosylated hybrid glycans. This was accomplished by inactivation of OCH1 and overexpression of an alpha-1,2-mannosidase retained in the endoplasmic reticulum and N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I and beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase retained in the Golgi apparatus. The engineered strain synthesized a nonsialylated hybrid-type N-linked oligosaccharide structure on its glycoproteins. The procedures which we developed allow glycan engineering of any P. pastoris expression strain and can yield up to 90% homogeneous protein-linked oligosaccharides.     

Identification and functional analysis of a defect in the human ALG9 gene: definition of congenital disorder of glycosylation type IL

Defects of lipid-linked oligosaccharide assembly lead to alterations of N-linked glycosylation known as "type I congenital disorders of glycosylation" (CDG). Dysfunctions along this stepwise assembly pathway are characterized by intracellular accumulation of intermediate lipid-linked oligosaccharides, the detection of which contributes to the identification of underlying enzymatic defects. Using this approach, we have found, in a patient with CDG, a deficiency of the ALG9 alpha 1,2 mannosyltransferase enzyme, which causes an accumulation of lipid-linked-GlcNAc(2)Man(6) and -GlcNAc(2)Man(8) structures, which was paralleled by the transfer of incomplete oligosaccharides precursors to protein. A homozygous point-mutation 1567G-->A (amino acid substitution E523K) was detected in the ALG9 gene. The functional homology between the human ALG9 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ALG9, as well as the deleterious effect of the E523K mutation detected in the patient with CDG, were confirmed by a yeast complementation assay lacking the ALG9 gene. The ALG9 defect found in the patient with CDG--who presented with developmental delay, hypotonia, seizures, and hepatomegaly--shows that efficient lipid-linked oligosaccharide synthesis is required for proper human development and physiology. The ALG9 defect presented here defines a novel form of CDG named "CDG-IL."     

Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis: a sensitive and accurate method for the direct analysis of dolichol pyrophosphate-linked oligosaccharides in cell cultures and tissues

Lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLOs) such as Glc₃Man₉GlcNAc₂-P-P-dolichol are the precursors of asparagine (N)-linked glycans, which are essential information carriers in many biological systems, and defects in LLO synthesis cause Type I Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation. Due to the low abundance of LLOs and the limitations of the chemical and physical methods previously used to detect them, almost all studies of LLO synthesis have relied upon metabolic labeling of the oligosaccharides with radioactive sugar precursors such as [³H]mannose or [¹⁴C]glucosamine. In this article, a procedure is presented for a facile, accurate, and sensitive non-radioactive method for LLO analysis based on fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE). First, LLOs are extracted and partially purified. Next, oligosaccharides released from LLOs are labeled with negatively charged fluorophores: 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (ANTS) or 7-amino-1,3-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (ANDS). A specialized form of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is then used to resolve and measure ANTS or ANDS labeled oligosaccharides. Finally, the resolved oligosaccharides are detected and quantified by fluorescence imagers using CCD cameras.     

N-glycan structure dictates extension of protein folding or onset of disposal

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of folding for proteins that are resident in the ER or that are destined for the Golgi, endosomes, lysosomes, the plasma membrane, or secretion. Cotranslational addition of preassembled glucose(3)-mannose(9)-N-acetylglucosamine(2) core oligosaccharides (N-glycosylation) is a common event for polypeptides synthesized in this compartment. Protein-bound oligosaccharides are exposed to several ER glycanases that sequentially remove terminal glucose or mannose residues. Their activity must be tightly regulated because the N-glycan composition determines whether the associated protein is subjected to folding attempts in the ER lumen or whether it is retrotranslocated into the cytosol and degraded.     

Formation of unusual mannosamine-containing lipid-linked oligosaccharides in Madin-Darby canine kidney cell cultures.

Glc3Man9(GlcNAc)2-pyrophosphoryl-dolichol is the major lipid-linked oligosaccharide (LLO) produced by Madin-Darby canine kidney cells in culture. However, when these cells are incubated in the presence of millimolar concentrations of mannosamine and labeled with [2-3H]mannose, they accumulate various LLO that have smaller-sized oligosaccharides with unusual structures and the Glc3Man9(GlcNAc)2-pyrophosphoryl-dolichol is not detected. Thus in the presence of 10 mM mannosamine, more than 80% of the oligosaccharides are eluted from concanavalin A-Sepharose with 10 mM alpha-methylglucoside, indicating that they no longer have the tight-binding characteristics of control oligosaccharides. In addition, 20-40% of these oligosaccharides bind to Dowex 50-H+, indicating the presence of mannosamine in these structures. Interestingly enough, these abnormal oligosaccharides are still transferred to protein. The mannosamine-induced oligosaccharides were separated into neutral and basic fractions on a cation exchange resin. The neutral oligosaccharides ranged in size from hexose3(GlcNAc)2 to hexose10(GlcNAc)2 with the major species being Man5(GlcNAc)2 to Man7(GlcNAc)2. These oligosaccharides were almost completely susceptible to digestion by alpha-mannosidase and by endoglucosaminidase H. The basic oligosaccharides showed anomolous behavior on the Bio-Gel P-4 columns and appeared to be of small size on the standard columns, ranging from hexose2 to hexose4. However, most of these oligosaccharides were susceptible to digestion by endoglucosaminidase H as well as by alpha-mannosidase, suggesting that they were of different size and structure than would be predicted from the gel filtration patterns. Significantly, when the basic oligosaccharides were subjected to chemical N-acetylation, or when the gel filtration columns were run at high pH rather than at the usual pH of 3.0, the basic oligosaccharides migrated like much larger oligosaccharides. These data provide strong evidence to indicate that some mannosamine can be incorporated into the LLO, and that these mannosamine-containing oligosaccharides exhibit unusual properties. Preliminary studies indicated that Madin-Darby canine kidney cells do incorporate label from [3H]mannosamine into the LLO.     

Analysis of glycosylation in CDG-Ia fibroblasts by fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis: implications for extracellular glucose and intracellular mannose 6-phosphate

Phosphomannomutase (PMM) deficiency causes congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG)-Ia, a broad spectrum disorder with developmental and neurological abnormalities. PMM converts mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) to mannose-1-phosphate, a precursor of GDP-mannose used to make Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol (lipid-linked oligosaccharide; LLO). LLO, in turn, is the donor substrate of oligosaccharyltransferase for protein N-linked glycosylation. Hepatically produced N-linked glycoproteins in CDG-Ia blood are hypoglycosylated. Upon labeling with [(3)H]mannose, CDG-Ia fibroblasts have been widely reported to accumulate [(3)H]LLO intermediates. Since these are thought to be poor oligosaccharyltransferase substrates, LLO intermediate accumulation has been the prevailing explanation for hypoglycosylation in patients. However, this is discordant with sporadic reports of specific glycoproteins (detected with antibodies) from CDG-Ia fibroblasts being fully glycosylated. Here, fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE, a nonradioactive technique) was used to analyze steady-state LLO compositions in CDG-Ia fibroblasts. FACE revealed that low glucose conditions accounted for previous observations of accumulated [(3)H]LLO intermediates. Additional FACE experiments demonstrated abundant Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol, without hypoglycosylation, CDG-Ia fibroblasts grown with physiological glucose. This suggested a "missing link" to explain hypoglycosylation in CDG-Ia patients. Because of the possibility of its accumulation, the effects of M6P on glycosylation were explored in vitro. Surprisingly, M6P was a specific activator for cleavage of Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2)-P-P-dolichol. This led to futile cycling the LLO pathway, exacerbated by GDP-mannose/PMM deficiency. The possibilities that M6P may accumulate in hepatocytes and that M6P-stimulated LLO cleavage may account for both hypoglycosylation and the clinical failure of dietary mannose therapy with CDG-Ia patients are discussed.     

Hydrophobic Man-1-P derivatives correct abnormal glycosylation in Type I congenital disorder of glycosylation fibroblasts

Patients with Type I congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG-I) make incomplete lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLO). These glycans are poorly transferred to proteins resulting in unoccupied glycosylation sequons. Mutations in phosphomannomutase (PMM2) cause CDG-Ia by reducing the activity of PMM, which converts mannose (Man)-6-P to Man-1-P before formation of GDP-Man. These patients have reduced Man-1-P and GDP-Man. To replenish intracellular Man-1-P pools in CDG-Ia cells, we synthesized two hydrophobic, membrane permeable acylated versions of Man-1-P and determined their ability to normalize LLO size and N-glycosylation in CDG-Ia fibroblasts. Both compounds, compound I (diacetoxymethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate) (C-I) and compound II (diacetoxymethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-ethyloxycarbonyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate) (C-II), contain two acetoxymethyl (CH2OAc) groups O-linked to phosphorous. C-I contains acetyl esters and C-II contains ethylcarbonate (CO2Et) esters on the Man residue. Both C-I and C-II normalized truncated LLO, but C-II was about 2-fold more efficient than C-I. C-II replenished the GDP-Man pool in CDG-Ia cells and was more efficiently incorporated into glycoproteins than exogenous Man at low concentrations (25-75 mM). In a glycosylation assay of DNaseI in CDG-Ia cells, C-II restored glycosylation to control cell levels. C-II also corrected impaired LLO biosynthesis in cells from a Dolichol (Dol)-P-Man deficient patient (CDG-Ie) and partially corrected LLO in cells from an ALG12 mannosyltransferase-deficient patient (CDG-Ig), whereas cells from an ALG3-deficient patient (CDG-Id) and from an MPDU1-deficient patient (CDG-If) were not corrected. These results validate the general concept of using pro-Man-1-P substrates as potential therapeutics for CDG-I patients.