A bifunctional enzyme with L-fucokinase and GDP-L-fucose pyrophosphorylase activities salvages free L-fucose in Arabidopsis

Monomeric sugars generated during the metabolism of polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycolipids are imported to the cytoplasm and converted to respective nucleotide sugars via monosaccharide 1-phosphates, to be reutilized as activated sugars. Because L-fucose (L-Fuc) is activated mainly in the form of GDP derivatives in seed plants, the salvage reactions for L-Fuc are expected to be independent from those for Glc, Gal, L-arabinose, and glucuronic acid, which are activated as UDP-sugars. For this study we have identified, in the genomic data base of Arabidopsis, the gene (designated AtFKGP) of a bifunctional enzyme with similarity to both L-fucokinase and GDP-L-Fuc pyrophosphorylase. Recombinant AtFKGP (rAt-FKGP) expressed in Escherichia coli showed both L-fucokinase and GDP-L-Fuc pyrophosphorylase activities, generating GDP-L-Fuc from L-Fuc, ATP, and GTP as the starting substrates. Point mutations in rAtFKGPs at either Gly(133) or Gly(830) caused loss of GDP-L-Fuc pyrophosphorylase and l-fucokinase activity, respectively. The apparent K(m) values of L-fucokinase activity of rAtFKGP for L-Fuc and ATP were 1.0 and 0.45 mm, respectively, and those of GDP-L-Fuc pyrophosphorylase activity for L-Fuc 1-phosphate and GTP were 0.052 and 0.17 mm, respectively. The expression of AtFKGP was detected in most cell types of Arabidopsis, indicating that salvage reactions for free L-Fuc catalyzed by AtFKGP occur ubiquitously in Arabidopsis. Loss-of-function mutants with tDNA insertion in AtFKGP exhibited higher accumulation of free L-Fuc in the soluble fraction than the wild-type plant. These results indicate that AtFKGP is a bifunctional enzyme with L-fucokinase and GDP-L-Fuc pyrophosphorylase activities, which salvages free L-Fuc in Arabidopsis.     

Enzymic transfer of α-L-arabinopyranosyl residues to exogenous 1,4-linked β-D-galacto-oligosaccharides using solubilized mung bean (Vigna radiata) hypocotyl microsomes and UDP-β-L-arabinopyranose

A single alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl (alpha-L-Arap) residue was shown, by a combination of chemical and spectroscopic methods, to be transferred to O-4 of the nonreducing terminal galactosyl (Gal) residue of 2-aminobenzamide (2AB)-labeled galacto-oligosaccharides when these oligosaccharides were reacted with UDP-ss-L-arabinopyranose (UDP-ss-L-Arap) in the presence of a Triton X-100-soluble extract of microsomal membranes isolated from mung bean (Vigna radiata, L. Wilezek) hypocotyls. Maximum-(1-->4)-arabinopyranosyltransferase activity was obtained at pH 6.0-6.5 and 20 degrees C in the presence of 25 mM Mn2+. The enzyme had an apparent K m of 45 microM for the 2AB-labeled galactoheptasaccharide and 330 microM for UDP-ss-L-Arap. A series of 2AB-labeled galacto-oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) between 6 and 10 that contained a single alpha-L-Arap residue linked to the former nonreducing terminal Gal residue were generated when the 2AB-labeled galactohexasaccharide (Gal6-2AB) was reacted with UDP- ss-L-Ara p in the presence of UDP-beta-D-Galp and the solubilized microsomal fraction. The mono-arabinosylated galacto-oligosaccharides are not acceptor substrates for the galactosyltransferase activities known to be present in mung bean microsomes. These results show that mung bean hypocotyl microsomes contain an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of Arap to the nonreducing Gal residue of galacto-oligosaccharides and suggest that the presence of a alpha-L-Arap residue on the former terminal Gal residue prevents galactosylation of galacto-oligosaccharides.     

COMPOSITION OF CELLULAR MEMBRANES IN THE PANCREAS OF THE GUINEA PIG : III. Enzymatic Activities

A comparative study of the enzymic activities of membrane fractions derived from guinea pig pancreatic homogenates has yielded the following results: Rough microsomal membranes (derived from the rough ER) have the reductase activities of the two microsomal electron transport systems but lack enzyme activities of Golgi-type (TPPase) and plasmalemmal-type (5'-nucleotidase, β-leucyl naphthylamidase, Mg-ATPase). Smooth microsomal membranes (derived primarily from the Golgi complex), zymogen granule membranes, and plasmalemmal fractions possess overlapping enzyme activities of plasmalemmal type, in different relative concentrations for each fraction. In addition, the smooth microsomal membranes exhibit TPPase and ADPase activity and share with rough microsomes the reductase activities of the two electron transport chains. Taken together with recent data on the lipid composition of the same fractions (2), these results indicate that the membranes of the pancreatic exocrine cell are chemically and functionally distinct, and hence do not mix with one another during the transport of secretory products.     

Solubilization and properties of GDP-fucose: xyloglucan 1,2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase from pea epicotyl membranes

GDP-fucose:xyloglucan 1,2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase from pea (Pisum sativum) epicotyl microsomal membranes was readily solubilized by extraction with the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (Chaps). When using GDP-[14C]fucose as fucosyl donor and tamarind xyloglucan (XG) as acceptor, maximum activation was observed at 0.3% (w/v) Chaps and the highest yield of solubilized activity at 0.4%. The reaction product was hydrolyzed by Trichoderma cellulase to yield labeled oligosaccharides that peaked on gel permeation chromatography at the same elution volume as pea XG nona- and decasaccharide subunits. The apparent Km for fucosyl transfer to tamarind XG by the membrane-bound or solubilized enzyme was about 80 microM GDP-fucose. This was 10 times the apparent Km for fucosyl transfer to endogenous pea nascent XG. Optimum activity was between pH 6 and 7, and the isoelectric point was close to pH 4.8. The solubilized enzyme showed no requirement for, or stimulation by, added cations or phospholipids, and was stable for several months at -70 degrees C. Solubilization and gel permeation chromatography on columns of Sepharose CL-6B enriched the specific activity of the enzyme by about 20-fold relative to microsomes. Activity fractionated on columns of CL-6B with an apparent molecular weight of 150 kDa. The solubilized fucosyltransferase was electrophoresed on nondenaturing polyacrylamide slab gels containing 0.02% (w/v) tamarind XG, and its activity located by incubation in GDP-[14C]fucose, washing, and autoradiographing the gel. A single band of labeled reaction product appeared with an apparent molecular weight of 150 kDa.     

Isolation of Golgi fractions from colchicine-treated rat liver. II. Electrophoretic characterization.

1. Intact Golgi fractions, three from colchicine- or ethanol-treated rat livers and two from a control, were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All the fractions showed very similar electrophoretic profiles with 33 protein bands, some of which, especially albumin, had rather higher density in the secretory vesicle fraction than those in the cisternal fraction. 2. Using albumin as the content marker, the Golgi fractions were subfractionated into membranes and contents by freezing-thawing and sonication followed by centrifugation. Distribution of galactosyltransferase among these membrane preparations showed that this enzyme was more enriched in the Golgi cisternal membranes than in the secretory vesicle membranes. 3. All the membrane preparations from the Golgi complex showed very similar patterns on electrophoresis, which were distinctly different from those of microsomal membranes and of plasma membrane. Furthermore, all the Golgi content subfractions had similar protein components, most of which were also found in serum. The microsomal contents, however, showed a considerably different pattern from those of the Golgi contents. 4. From these results it could be concluded that the secretory vesicles are indeed a member of the Golgi complex despite their different appearance and morphology.     

Distribution subcellulaire des protéine-kinases stimulables par l'AMP cyclique et des protéines réceptrices de l'AMP cyclique dans la thyroïde de porc

The distribution of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity in porcine thyroid glands has been studied. Enzyme activity catalyzing phosphorylation of exogenous substrate (protamine) from ATP, and cyclic AMP binding were determined in parallel in subcellular fractions purified by differential centrifugation and flotation on sucrose density layers. Both activities were found in all the studied fractions; they were quantitatively the highest in the cytosol but particles showed the highest specific activities.Latent protein-kinase activity was unmasked by action of detergents on microsomes (× 5–10 fold) and solubilized (85 to 99 p. cent of the initial total activity). Cyclic AMP binding capacity was also recovered in detergent-treated microsomal extracts in spite of reduced cyclic AMP binding in the presence of detergent.Protein kinase activity and cyclic AMP-binding proteins were less represented in purified nuclei than in microsomes. Again both activities were unmasked by detergent.Preparations highly enriched in Golgi membranes were compared to rough microsomal preparations. Higher protein kinase activity was detected in rough microsomes as compared to Golgi membranes, whereas the reverse was true for cyclic AMP binding. Both activities were equalized after detergent treatment. Since unmasking of protein kinase activity was the highest in Golgi membranes, this fraction contains more enzyme activity and cyclic AMP binding capacity than rough microsomes.The localization of endogeneous protein substrates of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases was investigated using purified soluble protein kinase subcellular fractions. The better endogeneous substrates seemed to be localized in the rough microsomal and in the nuclear fractions.     

Identification of a mung bean arabinofuranosyltransferase that transfers arabinofuranosyl residues onto (1, 5)-linked alpha-L-arabino-oligosaccharides

Arabinofuranosyltransferase activity was identified in Golgi membranes obtained from mung bean (Vigna radiata) hypocotyls. The enzyme transfers the arabinofuranosyl (Araf) residue from UDP-beta-L-arabinofuranose to exogenous (1, 5)-linked alpha-L-arabino-oligosaccharides labeled at their reducing ends with 2-aminobenzamide. The transferred residue was shown, using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase treatment, to be alpha-L-Araf and to be linked to O-5 of the nonreducing terminal Araf residue of the acceptor oligosaccharide. The enzyme was nonprocessive because only a single Araf residue was added to the acceptor molecule. Arabino-oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization between 3 and 8 were acceptor substrates. The 2-aminobenzamide-labeled arabino-tetra- and pentasaccharides were the most effective acceptor substrates analyzed. The enzyme has a pH optimum between 6.5 and 7.0 and its activity is stimulated by Mn2+ and Co2+ ions. The apparent Km and Vmax values of the arabinofuranosyltransferase for UDP-arabinofuranose are 243 microm and 243 pmol min(-1) mg protein(-1), respectively. The highest enzyme activity was detected in the elongating regions of mung bean hypocotyls. The data show that UDP-arabinofuranose is the donor molecule for the generation of arabino-oligosaccharides composed of Araf residues.     

Presence of adenylate cyclase activity in Golgi and other fractions from rat liver. I. Biochemical determination

The distribution of adenylate cyclase (AC) in Golgi and other cell fractions from rat liver was studied using the Golgi isolation procedure of Ehrenreich et al. In liver homogenate the AC activity was found to decay with time, but addition of 1 mM EGTA reduced the rate of enzyme loss. The incorporation of 1 mM EGTA into the sucrose medium used in the initial two centrifugal steps of the Golgi isolation method stabilized the enzyme activity throughout the entire procedure and resulted in good enzyme recovery. In such preparations, AC activity was demonstrated to be associated not only with plasma membranes but also with Golgi membranes and smooth microsomal membranes as well. Furthermore, under the conditions used, enzyme activity was also associated with the 105,000 g x 90 min supernatant fraction. The specific activity of the liver homogenate was found to be 2.9 pmol-mg protein-1-min-1, the nonsedimentabel and microsomal activity was of the same order of magnitude, but the Golgi and plasma membrane activities were much higher. The specific activity of plasma membrane AC was 29 pmol-mg proten-1-min-1. The Golgi activity varied in the three fractions, with the highest activity (14 pmol) in GF1 lowest activity (1.8) in GF2, and intermediate activity (5.5) in GF3, when the Golgi activity was corrected for the presence of content protein, the activity in GF1 became much higher (9 x) than that of the plasma membrane while the activities in GF2 and GF3 were comparable to that of plasma membrane. In all locations studied, the AC was sensitive to NaF stimulation, especially the enzyme associated with Golgi membranes. The activities in plasma and microsomal membranes were stimulated by glucagon, whereas the Golgi and nonsedimentable AC were not.     

GOLGI FRACTIONS PREPARED FROM RAT LIVER HOMOGENATES : I. Isolation Procedure and Morphological Characterization

In devising a new procedure for the isolation of Golgi fractions from rat liver homogenates, we have taken advantage of the overloading with very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles that occurs in the Golgi elements of hepatocytes ~90 min after ethanol is administered (0.6 g/100 g body weight) by stomach tube to the animals. The VLDLs act as morphological markers as well as density modifiers of these elements. The starting preparation is a total microsomal fraction prepared from liver homogenized (1:5) in 0.25 M sucrose. This fraction is resuspended in 1.15 M sucrose and loaded at the bottom of a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. Centrifugation at ~13 x 10⁶ g·min yields by flotation three Golgi fractions of density >1.041 and <1.173. The light and intermediate fractions consist essentially of VLDL-loaded Golgi vacuoles and cisternae. Nearly empty, often collapsed, Golgi cisternae are the main component of the heavy fraction. A procedure which subjects the Golgi fractions to hypotonic shock and shearing in a French press at pH 8.5 allows the extraction of the content of the Golgi elements and the subsequent isolation of their membranes by differential centrifugation.     

Functional expression of L-fucokinase/guanosine 5'-diphosphate-L-fucose pyrophosphorylase from Bacteroides fragilis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production of nucleotide sugars from exogenous monosaccharides

The biosynthesis of glycoconjugates requires the relevant glycosyltransferases and nucleotide sugars that can act as donors. Given the biological importance of posttranslational glycosylation, a facile, robust and cost-effective strategy for the synthesis of nucleotide sugars is highly desirable. In this study, we demonstrate the synthesis of nucleotide sugars from corresponding monosaccharides in a highly efficient manner via metabolic engineering, using an enzymatic approach. This method exploits l-fucokinase/guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP)-l-fucose (L-Fuc) pyrophosphorylase (FKP), a bifunctional enzyme isolated from Bacteroides fragilis 9343, which converts l-Fuc into GDP-L-Fuc via an L-Fuc-1-phosphate intermediate. Because L-Fuc and d-arabinose (D-Ara) are structurally similar, it is assumed that the biosynthesis of GDP-D-Ara in a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain harboring the FKP gene can occur through a mechanism akin to that of GDP-L-Fuc via the salvage pathway. Thus, we reasoned that by exogenously supplying different monosaccharides structurally related to L-Fuc, it should be possible to produce the corresponding nucleotide sugars with this recombinant yeast strain, regardless of internal acquisition of nucleotide sugars through expression of additive enzymes in the de novo pathway.     

Studies on lysophospholipases. VI. The action of two purified lysophospholipases from beef liver on membrane-bound lysophosphatidylcholine.

The action of two lysophospholipases purified from beef liver on lysophosphatidylcholine in microsomal membranes has been studied. Enzyme I, which has been shown to be localized in the soluble fraction of the beef liver cell, has a higher specific activity on microsomal lysophosphatidylcholine than Enzyme II, which originates from the microsomal cell fraction. This trend is also observed with phosphatidylcholine liposomes and single bilayer vesicles in which lysophosphatidylcholine has been incorporated. At low mol fractions of lysophosphatidylcholine in liposomes, the maximum enzymatic rate is proportional to this mol fraction. Similar results are obtained with mixed micelles of lysophosphatidylcholine and Triton X-100. The results are explained in terms of a model in which the two-dimensional substrate density in the membrane surface controls the rate of enzyme action.     

Presence of adenylate cyclase activity in Golgi and other fractions from rat liver. II. Cytochemical localization within Golgi and ER membranes

The presence of adenylate cyclase (AC) in liver Golgi and microsomal fractions from ethanol-treated rats was tested cytochemically using 5'- adenylyl imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP) lead phosphate method. Parallel biochemical assays showed that rat liver Golgi AC was only partially inhibited by lead: in the presence of 1 mM Pb++ 80% of the enzyme was preserved, while when 2 mM Pb++ was used 25% remained. No cAMP was formed when the AMP-PNP medium was incubated in the presence of 1 or 2 mM Pb++ but in the absence of cell fractions, indicating that at these concentrations Pb++ does not cause the nonenzymatic hydrolysis of AMP- PNP. Therefore, the reaction product observed by cytochemical localization is not due to the nonenzymatic hydrolysis of AMP-PNP by Pb++. In Golgi subfractions, lead phosphate reaction product was widely distributed among Golgi elements: it was seen in association with the majority of the very low density lipoprotein-filled secretory droplets which predominated in the two lightest Golgi fractions (GF1 and GF2) as well as within the majority of the cisternae found in the heaviest Golgi fraction (GF3). In the latter, reaction product was heaviest along the dilated peripheral rims of the cisternae. In all cases, the reaction product was localized to the outside or cytoplasmic face of the Golgi membranes. When microsomes were incubated cytochemically for AC, deposits were found on the cytoplasmic surface of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, but none were observed on rough ER membranes. The results confirm the biochemical data reported previously indicating the presence of AC in Golgi and smooth microsomal fractions from rat liver and further demonstrate that the activity is indeed indigenous to Golgi elements and not due to plasma membrane contaminants. They also indicate that AC is widely distributed among Golgi and smooth ER elements. Thus, AC is not restricted in its distribution to plasma membranes as usually assumed.     

Xyloglucan galactosyl- and fucosyltransferase activities from pea epicotyl microsomes.

Microsomal membranes from growing tissue of pea (Pisum sativum L.) epicotyls were incubated with the substrate UDP-[14C]galactose (Gal) with or without tamarind seed xyloglucan (XG) as a potential galactosyl acceptor. Added tamarind seed XG enhanced incorporation of [14C]Gal into high-molecular-weight products (eluted from columns of Sepharose CL-6B in the void volume) that were trichloroacetic acid-soluble but insoluble in 67% ethanol. These products were hydrolyzed by cellulase to fragments comparable in size to XG subunit oligosaccharides. XG-dependent galactosyltransferase activity could be solubilized, along with XG fucosyltransferase, by the detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. When this enzyme was incubated with tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) seed XG or nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.) seed XG that had been partially degalactosylated with an XG-specific beta-galactosidase, the rates of Gal transfer increased and fucose transfer decreased compared with controls with native XG. The reaction products were hydrolyzed by cellulase to 14C fragments that were analyzed by gel-filtration and high-performance liquid chromatography fractionation with pulsed amperometric detection. The major components were XG subunits, namely one of the two possible monogalactosyl octasaccharides (-XXLG-) and digalactosyl nonasaccharide (-XLLG-), whether the predominant octasaccharide in the acceptor was XXLG (as in tamarind seed XG) or XLXG (as in nasturtium seed XG). It is concluded that the first xylosylglucose from the reducing end of the subunits was the Gal acceptor locus preferred by the solubilized pea transferase. These observations are incorporated into a model for the biosynthesis of cell wall XGs.     

Cell-Free Transfer of Phosphatidylinositol between Membrane Fractions Isolated from Soybean

Transfer of phosphatidylinositol (PI) between membranes was reconstituted in a cell-free system using membrane fractions isolated from dark-grown soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.). Donor membrane vesicles contained [3H]myo-inositol-labeled PI. A fraction enriched in endoplasmic reticulum was a more efficient donor than its parent microsomal membrane fraction. As acceptor, cytoplasmic side-out plasma membrane vesicles were more efficient than cytoplasmic side-in plasma membrane vesicles. Endoplasmic reticulum was also an efficient acceptor, suggesting that transfer occurred to cytoplasmic membrane leaflets. PI transfer was time and temperature dependent but did not require cytosolic proteins, ATP, GTP, cytosol, and acyl-coenzyme A. These results suggest that neither lipid transfer proteins nor transition vesicles, similar to those involved in vesicle trafficking from endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus, were involved. In the presence of Mg2+ and ATP, endoplasmic reticulum PI was not metabolized, whereas PI transferred to the plasma membrane was metabolized into phosphatidylinositol monophosphate and phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate. To summarize, the cell-free transfer of endoplasmic reticulum-derived PI was distinct from, for example, vesicle transport from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus, not only in its regulation but also in its acceptor unspecificity.     

Galactosyl- and fucosyltransferases in etiolated pea epicotyls: product identification and sub-cellular localisation

Particulate membrane preparations from etiolated pea epicotyls were found to contain fucosyltransferases, which transferred fucose from GDP-fucose onto xyloglucan and N-linked glycoprotein, and galactosyltransferases, which transferred galactose from UDP-galactose onto galactan, xyloglucan, and N-linked glycoprotein. The products were characterised by specific enzyme degradation and by acid and alkaline hydrolysis. All the enzymes were found to be concentrated in the Golgi apparatus. The Golgi apparatus was further fractionated into membranes of low, medium and high-density. The glycoprotein fucosyltransferase activity was present in highest amounts in the medium-density Golgi membranes, while the majority of the xyloglucan fucosyltransferase was present in the low-density Golgi membranes. The majority of the galactan galactosyltransferase (galactan synthase) was found in the low-density membranes, while the glycoprotein galactosyltransferase was equally distributed in all three subfractions.     

Mitochondrial biogenesis: do liver mitochondria contain glycoproteins and glycosyltransferases?

1. Subcellular fractions isolated from livers of 19-day-old chicken embryos were analyzed in order to assess whether liver mitochondria contained glycosylated proteins or had mannosyl- or sialyl-transferases that could transfer sugars to mitochondrial macromolecules. 2. Proteins in liver mitochondrial membranes and matrix fractions were screened for their affinities for concanavalin A (Con A). 3. After separation by gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, a significant number of the proteins bound [125I]Con A, and the binding of the lectin was substantially inhibited by alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. 4. In addition, radio-iodinated matrix proteins were screened for lectin-binding properties by chromatography on Con A covalently linked to agarose. 5. A number of proteins, representing 14% of those loaded onto the column, became tightly bound to the agarose-linked lectin, and the molecular weights of several of those proteins are reported. 6. Mannosyltransferase activities were measured in fractions highly enriched for mitochondria. 7. In the reactions, mannose was transferred from guanosine diphosphomannose to materials insoluble in 0.3% trichloroacetic acid or in chloroform:methanol (2:1). 8. The fractions also catalyzed the transfer of mannose to materials extractable in chloroform:methanol and which migrated with the Rf of dolichol phosphate on Silica Gel H. 9. Dolichol phosphate stimulated the transfer of mannose to those materials extractable in the organic solvents. 10. Marker enzyme analyses indicated that the mannosyl transferase activity in the mitochondrial fraction could not be accounted for entirely by contaminating microsomal membranes. 11. Although sialyltransferase activity was detected also in the mitochondrial fractions, the levels of the activity and the kinetics of the reactions indicated that Golgi membranes were most likely the sources of the enzyme.     

Two rhamnogalacturonide tetrasaccharides isolated from semi-retted flax fibers are signaling molecules in Rubus fruticosus L. cells.

Water extraction of semi-retted flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) fiber bundles yielded a mixture of pectic oligosaccharides and two acidic rhamnogalacturonide tetrasaccharides that were separated by size-exclusion chromatography. One- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance studies and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry experiments indicated that the two tetrasaccharides have a common primary structure, i.e. alpha-D-delta GalpA(1-->2)-alpha-L- Rhap(1-->4)-alpha-D-GalpA-(1-->2)-L-alpha,beta-Rhap, with a rhamnopyranose as terminal reducing end, and a 4-deoxy-beta-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosiduronic acid at the nonreducing end. However, the two tetrasaccharides differ by an acetyl group located at the O-3 position of the internal galacturonic acid residue. These two tetrasaccharides induce the activation of D-glycohydrolases of Rubus fructicosus L. cells or protoplasts within minutes.     

Functional expression of mung bean Ca2+/H+ antiporter in yeast and its intracellular localization in the hypocotyl and tobacco cells.

The Ca2+-transport activity and intracellular localization of the translation product of cDNA for mung bean Ca2+/H+ antiporter (VCAX1) were examined. When the cDNA was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that lacked its own genes for vacuolar Ca2+-ATPase and the antiporter, VCAX1 complemented the active Ca2+ transporters, and the microsomal membranes from the transformant showed high activity of the Ca2+/H+ antiporter. Treatment of the vacuolar membranes with a cross-linking reagent resulted in a clear band of the dimer detected with antibody specific for VCAX1p. The antibody was also used for immunolocalization of the antiporter in fractions obtained by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation of the microsomal fraction from mung bean. The immunostained band was detected in the vacuolar membrane fraction and the slightly heavy fractions that exhibited activity of the Golgi marker enzyme. A fusion protein of VCAX1p and green fluorescent protein was expressed in tobacco cells. The green fluorescence was clearly observed on the vacuolar membrane and, in some cases, in the small vesicles. The subcellular fractionation of transformed tobacco cells confirmed the vacuolar membrane localization of the fusion protein. These results confirm that VCAX1p functions in the vacuolar membrane as a Ca2+/H+ antiporter and also suggest that VCAX1p may exist in the Golgi apparatus.     

GOLGI FRACTIONS PREPARED FROM RAT LIVER HOMOGENATES : II. Biochemical Characterization

The three Golgi fractions isolated from rat liver homogenates by the procedure given in the companion paper account for 6–7% of the protein of the total microsomal fraction used as starting preparation. The lightest, most homogeneous Golgi fraction (GF₁) lacks typical "microsomal" activities, e.g., glucose-6-phosphatase, NADPH-cytochrome c-reductase, and cytochrome P-450. The heaviest, most heterogeneous fraction (GF₃) is contaminated by endoplasmic reticulum membranes to the extent of ~15% of its protein. The three fractions taken together account for nearly all the UDP-galactose: N-acetyl-glucosamine galactosyltransferase of the parent microsomal fraction, and for ~70% of the activity of the original homogenate. Omission of the ethanol treatment of the animals reduces the recovery by half. The transferase activity is associated with the membranes of the Golgi elements, not with their content. Galactose is transferred not only to N-acetyl-glucosamine but also to an unidentified lipid-soluble component.