Myoinositol gets incorporated into numerous membrane glycoproteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; incorporation is dependent on phosphomannomutase (sec53).

We recently described a 125 kd membrane glycoprotein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae which is anchored in the lipid bilayer by an inositol-containing phospholipid. We now find that when S. cerevisiae cells are metabolically labeled with [3H]myoinositol, many glycoproteins become labeled more strongly than the 125 kd protein. Myoinositol is attached to these glycoproteins as part of a phospholipid moiety which resembles glycophospholipid anchors of other organisms. Labeling of proteins with [3H]myoinositol for short times and in secretion mutants blocked at various stages of the secretory pathway shows that these phospholipid moieties can be added to proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and that these proteins are transported to the Golgi by the regular secretory pathway. sec53, a mutant which cannot produce GDP-mannose at 37 degrees C, does not incorporate myoinositol or palmitic acid into membrane glycoproteins at this temperature, suggesting that GDP-mannose is required for the biosynthesis of these phospholipid moieties. All other secretion and glycosylation mutants tested add phospholipid moieties to proteins normally.     

Yeast secretory mutants that block the formation of active cell surface enzymes

Yeast cells secrete a variety of glycosylated proteins. At least two of these proteins, invertase and acid phosphatase, fail to be secreted in a new class of mutants that are temperature-sensitive for growth. Unlike the yeast secretory mutants previously described (class A sec mutants; Novick, P., C. Field, and R. Schekman, 1980, Cell., 21:205-420), class B sec mutants (sec 53, sec 59) fail to produce active secretory enzymes at the restrictive temperature (37 degrees C). sec 53 and sec 59 appear to be defective in reactions associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. Although protein synthesis continues at a nearly normal rate for 2 h at 37 degrees C, incorporation of [3H]mannose into glycoprotein is reduced. Immunoreactive polypeptide forms of invertase accumulate within the cell which have mobilities on SDS PAGE consistent with incomplete glycosylation: sec 53 produces little or no glycosylated invertase, and sec 59 accumulates forms containing 0-3 of the 9-10 N-linked oligosaccharide chains that are normally added to the protein. In addition to secreted enzymes, maturation of the vacuolar glycoprotein carboxypeptidase Y, incorporation of the plasma membrane sulfate permease activity, and secretion of the major cell wall proteins are blocked at 37 degrees C.     

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.     

Intracellular transport of the transmembrane glycoprotein G of vesicular stomatitis virus through the Golgi apparatus as visualized by electron microscope radioautography

The intracellular migration of G protein in vesicular stomatitis virus-infected cells was visualized by light and electron microscope radioautography after a 2-min pulse with [3H]mannose followed by nonradioactive chase for various intervals. The radioactivity initially (at 5-10 min) appeared predominantly in the endoplasmic reticulum, and the [3H]mannose-labeled G protein produced was sensitive to endoglycosidase H. Silver grains were subsequently (at 30-40 min) observed over the Golgi apparatus, and the [3H]mannose-labeled G protein became resistant to endoglycosidase H digestion. Our data directly demonstrate the intracellular transport of a plasmalemma-destined transmembrane glycoprotein through the Golgi apparatus.     

Multiple lipid transport pathways to the plasma membrane in yeast

The plasma membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is devoid of lipid-synthesizing enzymes, but contains all classes of bilayer-forming lipids. As the lipid composition of the plasma membrane does not match any of the intracellular membranes, specific trafficking of lipids from internal membranes, especially the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi, to the cell periphery is required. Although the secretory pathway is an obvious route to translocate glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and sterols to the plasma membrane, experimental evidence for the role of this pathway in lipid transport is rare. Addressing this issue in a systematic way, we labeled temperature-sensitive secretory yeast mutants (sec mutants) with appropriate lipid precursors, isolated the plasma membranes at high purity and quantified labeled lipids of this compartment. Shifting sec mutants to the restrictive temperature reduced transport of both proteins and lipids to the plasma membrane, indicating that the latter compounds are also trafficked to the cell periphery through the protein secretory pathway. However, efficient sec blocks did not abrogate protein and lipid transport, suggesting that parallel pathway(s) for the translocation of membrane components to the plasma membrane of yeast must exist.     

Intracellular transfer of phospholipids in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unlike in higher eukaryotic cells, most of the reactions involved in phospholipid biosynthesis occur both in mitochondria and in the endoplasmic reticulum. Some of the key enzymes involved, however, are restricted to one compartment. Thus, the formation of phosphatidylethanolamine by decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine occurs only in mitochondria, while phosphatidylcholine synthesis via methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine is restricted to microsomes. When yeast cells were pulse labelled with [3H]serine,[3H] phosphatidylethanolamine formed in mitochondria was found not only in the organelle but also, with even higher specific radioactivity, in the endoplasmic reticulum. Translocation of phosphatidylethanolamine between organelles was blocked immediately after poisoning cells with cyanide, azide and fluoride. Part of the [3H]phosphatidylcholine formed in the endoplasmic reticulum by methylation of [3H]phosphatidylethanolamine was transferred to mitochondria. This process continued in deenergized cells, although at a lower rate as compared to metabolizing cells. This result indicates rapid movement of both phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine requires metabolic energy, but that phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipid transfer protein that has been found in saccharomyces cerevisiae (Daum, G. and Paltauf, F. (1984) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 784, 385-391). The mechanism of movement of phospholipids from internal membranes to the cell surface was studied with temperature-sensitive secretory mutants (Schekman, R. (1982) Trends Biochem. Sci. 7, 243-246) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A shift from the permissive to the restrictive temperature, which blocks the flow of vesicles involved in the secretion of proteins, had no effect on the transfer of phosphatidylinositol to the plasma membrane.     

Differential arrest of secretory protein transport in cultured rat hepatocytes by azide treatment

The effect of reduced cellular ATP content on intracellular transport of two secretory proteins, albumin and haptoglobin, in isolated rat hepatocytes was studied. The cells were labeled with [35S]methionine and the cellular ATP content was then rapidly reduced to different stable levels by incubation with azide at different concentrations (2.0- 10 mM). The amount of the radioactively labeled secretory proteins in the cells and in the medium after 150 min of incubation was determined by immunoprecipitation followed by gel electrophoresis, fluorography, and densitometry. At progressively lower ATP levels, down to 50% of normal, the protein secretion was unaffected, whereas at even lower levels an increasing portion of the proteins remained in the cells; at 30 and 10% of normal ATP level, 25 and 75% of albumin, respectively, was arrested intracellularly. Analysis of the carbohydrate structure of intracellularly arrested haptoglobin showed that in cells with an ATP level of approximately 30% of normal, the majority of haptoglobin molecules (55%) were fully or partially resistant to endoglycosidase H. This result indicates that exit from the medial and/or the trans part of the Golgi complex (GC) was inhibited under these conditions. It also shows that the protein had accumulated in the GC, since under normal conditions the fraction of the intracellular haptoglobin that is endoglycosidase H resistant is approximately 10%. By similar criteria it was found that at ATP levels below 10% of normal transport of haptoglobin from the endoplasmic reticulum to the medial GC (and possibly also to the cis GC) as well as from the trans GC to the medium were blocked.     

Perturbation of N-linked oligosaccharide structure results in an altered incorporation of [3H]palmitate into specific proteins in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Increased [3H]palmitate incorporation into specific cellular proteins has been reported to occur in Chinese hamster ovary (Wellner, R. B., Ray, B., Ghosh, P. C., and Wu, H. C. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12788-12793) and yeast (Wen, D., and Schlesinger, M. J. (1984) Mol. Cell. Biol. 4, 688-694) mutant cells. In this paper we report studies concerning the relationship between N-linked oligosaccharide structure and [3H]palmitate incorporation into proteins of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. We have compared the incorporation of [3H]palmitate into proteins of wild-type and four different mutant CHO cell lines defective in various steps of N-linked protein glycosylation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoretic analysis showed that three of the mutants exhibited increased [3H]palmitate incorporation into several CHO cellular proteins (approximately 30,000-38,000 molecular weight) as compared to the wild-type cells. One of the affected mutants which accumulates the Man5Gn2Asn intermediate structure was examined in detail. In agreement with earlier reports, virtually all of the [3H] palmitate-labeled proteins of both wild-type and mutant cell lines are membrane-bound. Pretreatment of the mutant cell line with tunicamycin blocked the increased [3H]palmitate incorporation into the two specific proteins (both of approximately 30,000 molecular weight) observed in untreated cells; the decreased incorporation of [3H]palmitate into the 30,000 molecular weight species was accompanied by a concomitant increase in the incorporation of [3H]palmitate into two proteins of approximately 20,000 molecular weight. Pretreatment of wild-type cells with tunicamycin also caused increased [3H]palmitate incorporation into the 20,000 molecular weight species. Endoglycosidase H treatment of [3H]palmitate-labeled extracts from the mutant cell line resulted in the disappearance of the heavily labeled 30,000 molecular weight species and the appearance of intensely labeled 20,000 molecular weight species. Pretreatment of the mutant cell line with either castanospermine or deoxynojirimycin reduced the [3H]palmitate incorporation in to the 30,000 molecular weight species increased in untreated cells, but did not cause increased [3H]palmitate incorporation into the 20,000 molecular weight species. Our results indicate that perturbation of N-linked oligosaccharide structure results in altered incorporation of [3H]palmitate into specific proteins in CHO cells.     

Effects of Inhibitors of Oligosaccharide Processing on P0Protein Synthesis and Incorporation into PNS Myelin

Four inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing were used to investigate their effects on the transport of PNS myelin glycoproteins through the secretory pathway, as well as to gain further insight into the structure of the oligosaccharide chains of the P0 and 19-kDa glycoproteins. Several different inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing were incubated with chopped peripheral nerves from young rats (21-24 days of age) and the uptake of 14C-amino acid and [3H]fucose or [3H]mannose was measured in P0 and the 19-kDa glycoprotein after separation of homogenate and myelin proteins on polyacrylamide gels. [3H]Mannose was not found as suitable as [3H]fucose as an oligosaccharide precursor because glucose used as an energy source profoundly inhibited the uptake of [3H]mannose. The substitution of pyruvate as an energy source, however, resulted in incomplete glycosylation, poor amino acid uptake, and truncated oligosaccharide chains. Endoglycosidase H cleaved approximately 50% of the P0 labeled with [3H]fucose and 14C-amino acid. The lower molecular weight protein resulting from endoglycosidase H cleavage contained approximately one-half the [3H]fucose label on the protein, whereas one-half remained on the oligosaccharide chain of the undegraded P0, indicating that at least one-half the P0 has a hybrid structure. Deoxynojirimycin, deoxymannojirimycin, and castanospermine inhibited incorporation of [3H]fucose into the oligosaccharide chains of P0 and the 19-kDa glycoprotein as predicted from their action in blocking various stages of trimming of high mannose structures before the addition of fucose. P0 synthesized in the presence of these inhibitors was cleaved to a greater extent by endoglycosidase H than the normal protein, indicating increased vulnerability to this enzyme with arrest of normal processing. Similar results were obtained for the 19-kDa glycoprotein. Both the incompletely processed P0 and the 19-kDa glycoprotein formed in the presence of these inhibitors appeared to be transported normally into myelin.     

Proteolipid formation in Mycoplasma capricolum. Influence of cholesterol on unsaturated fatty acid acylation of membrane proteins

Mycoplasma capricolum, a procaryotic sterol and fatty acid auxotroph was grown on media supplemented with [3H]palmitate or [3H]oleate. The isolated bacterial membranes were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of the more than 50 membrane polypeptides revealed by Coomassie blue staining, approximately 25 were labeled with [3H]palmitate and only about 6 were labeled with [3H]oleate. Exhaustive delipidation of the membranes with chloroform:methanol did not alter the labeling pattern. Treatment of delipidated membranes by mild alkaline hydrolysis released up to 71% of the [3H]palmitate and 93% of the [3H]oleate. The data suggest that numerous membrane proteins of M. capricolum are covalently modified by acylation with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Cerulenin, a specific inhibitor of fatty acid synthesis had no effect on the labeling of mycoplasma membrane proteins by either [3H]palmitate or [3H]oleate. A small amount of membrane-associated cholesterol previously shown to stimulate sequentially the synthesis of unsaturated phospholipid, RNA, and protein (Dahl, J. S., and Dahl, C. E. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 692-696) specifically enhances the acylation of certain proteolipids by oleate but not by palmitate.     

Sec59 encodes a membrane protein required for core glycosylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

When incubated at a restrictive temperature, Saccharomyces cerevisiae sec59 mutant cells accumulate inactive and incompletely glycosylated forms of secretory proteins. Three different secretory polypeptides (invertase, pro-alpha-factor, and pro-carboxypeptidase Y) accumulated within a membrane-bounded organelle, presumably the endoplasmic reticulum, and resisted proteolytic degradation unless the membrane was permeabilized with detergent. Molecular cloning and DNA sequence analysis of the SEC59 gene predicted an extremely hydrophobic protein product of 59 kilodaltons. This prediction was confirmed by reconstitution of the sec59 defect in vitro. The alpha-factor precursor, which was translated in a soluble fraction from wild-type cells, was translocated into, but inefficiently glycosylated within, membranes from sec59 mutant cells. Residual glycosylation activity of membranes of sec59 cells was thermolabile compared with the activity of wild-type membranes. Partial restoration of glycosylation was obtained in reactions that were supplemented with mannose or GDP-mannose, but not those supplemented with other sugar nucleotides. These results were consistent with a role for the Sec59 protein in the transfer of mannose to dolichol-linked oligosaccharide.     

Membrane morphogenesis in retinal rod outer segments: inhibition by tunicamycin

Isolated Xenopus laevis retinas were incubated with 3H-labeled mannose or leucine in the presence or absence of tunicamycin (TM), a selective inhibitor of dolichyl phosphate-dependent protein glycosylation. At a TM concentration of 20 micrograms/ml, the incorporation of [3H]mannose and [3H]leucine into retinal macromolecules was inhibited by approximately 66 and 12-16%, respectively, relative to controls. Cellular uptake of the radiolabeled substrates was not inhibited at this TM concentration. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that TM had little effect on the incorporation of [3H]leucine into the proteins of whole retinas and that labeling of proteins (especially opsin) in isolated rod outer segment (ROS) membranes was negligible. The incorporation of [3H]mannose into proteins of whole retinas and ROS membranes was nearly abolished in the presence of TM. Autoradiograms of control retinas incubated with either [3H]mannose or [3H]leucine exhibited a discrete concentration of silver grains over ROS basal disc membranes. In TM-treated retinas, the extracellular space between rod inner and outer segments was dilated and filled with numerous heterogeneously size vesicles, which were labeled with [3H]leucine but not with [3H]mannose. ROS disc membranes per se were not labeled in the TM-treated retinas. Quantitative light microscopic autoradiography of retinas pulse-labeled with [3H]leucine showed no differences in labeling of rod cellular compartments in the presence or absence of TM as a function of increasing chase time. These results demonstrate that TM can block retinal protein glycosylation and normal disc membrane assembly under conditions where synthesis and intracellular transport of rod cell proteins (e.g., opsin) are not inhibited.     

Defective plasma membrane assembly in yeast secretory mutants.

Yeast mutants that are conditionally blocked at distinctive steps in secretion and export of cell surface proteins have been used to monitor assembly of integral plasma membrane proteins. Mutants blocked in transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (sec18), from the Golgi body (sec7 and sec14), and in transport of secretory vesicles (sec1) show dramatically reduced assembly of galactose and arginine permease activities. Simultaneous induction of galactose permease and alpha-galactosidase (a secreted glycoprotein) in sec mutant cells at the nonpermissive temperature (37 degrees C) shows that both activities accumulate and can be exported coordinately when cells are returned to the permissive temperature (24 degrees C) in the presence or absence of cycloheximide. Plasma membrane fractions isolated from sec mutant cells radiolabeled at 37 degrees C have been analyzed by two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. Although most of the major protein species seen in plasma membranes from wild-type cells are not efficiently localized in sec18 or sec7, several of these proteins appear in plasma membranes from sec1 cells. These results may be explained by contamination of plasma membrane fractions with precursor vesicles that accumulate in sec1 cells. Alternatively, some proteins may branch off during transport along the secretory pathway and be inserted into the plasma membrane by a different mechanism.     

Fractionation of the rat ventral prostate with respect to isolation and exocytosis of the prostatic secretion protein

The ventral prostrate was fractionated into one mitochondrial and three microsomal fractions. The different fractions were characterized morphologically and chemically. An interesting finding was that upon homogenization the endoplasmic reticulum membranes often turned ‘inside-out’ giving rise to microsomes with ribosomes attached to the inside of the vesicles. The secretion of the protatic secretion was studied by means of isotopic pulse labeling using radioactive leucine. Peak radioactivity in the secretory fluid was obtained at 2 h after injection with a relativity rapid fall. The radioactivity in the secretory fluid displayed a continuous increase up to 8 h followed by a plateau. When prostatic secretion was purified from secretory fluid and microsomes using a Con A-Sepharose column it showed a typical precursor-product relationship with an early peak at 60 min in microsomal prosatatic secretion protein followed by a peak in secretory fluid at 4 h. Vinblastine blocked the release of labeled secretion protein into the secretory fluid, a phenomenon characteristic for secretory proteins which are exocytosed by means of fusion between secretory granules and the plasma membrane. Following intravenous injection of [³H]estramustine, accumulation was seen in the secretory fluid. Some estramustine probably binds to newly synthesized protatic secretion protein and follows the same route of intracellular transport and extracellular discharge as does prostatic secretion protein.     

Fatty acylation of yeast glycoproteins proceeds independently of N-linked glycosylation

The relationship between protein glycosylation and fatty acylation of glycoproteins was studied in the wild-type and asparagine-linked glycosylation-deficient mutants (alg1 and alg2) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. At the non-permissive temperature (37 degrees C), both mutant cells exhibited increased incorporation of [3H]palmitate into five polypeptides based on SDS-PAGE. In contrast, the wild-type yeast cells contained [3H]palmitate-labeled polypeptides of higher molecular weights, which were converted to the bands seen in the mutant cells upon treatment of the cell extract with endoglycosidase H prior to SDS-PAGE. In addition, labeling of the wild-type yeast cells with [3H]palmitate in the presence of tunicamycin revealed the incorporation of [3H]palmitate into the same five bands as found in the alg1 and alg2 mutants at the non-permissive temperature without tunicamycin. These results indicate that fatty acylation of glycoproteins proceeds independently of protein N-glycosylation in yeast cells.     

Ultrastructure of two secretory mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as revealed by freeze-fracture technique

Permissive and restrictive phenotypes of two secretory mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, sec 1 and sec 18, were studied by freeze-fracture technique. The sec 1 mutant, in addition to accumulating secretory vesicles, was characterized by a disappearance of the plasma membrane invaginations and by an aggregation of intra-membrane particles in vacuolar membranes. A prolonged incubation of the cells at 37 degrees C led to pathological fusion of some vesicles with the plasma membrane. After the cells were transferred back to the permissive temperature the invaginations reappeared rapidly while the accumulated vesicles disappeared only after budding had been resumed. The sec 18 mutant, apart from having distended endoplasmic reticulum membranes, also lost the plasma membrane invaginations at 37 degrees C and regained them at 24 degrees C. The described ultrastructural changes are typical for the restrictive phenotypes and represent further manifestations of the pleiotropic effect of the respective sec mutations.     

Characterization of new mutants in the early part of the yeast secretory pathway isolated by a [3H]mannose suicide selection

We have adapted a [3H]mannose suicide selection to identify mutations in additional genes which function in the early part of the yeast secretory pathway. Thus far this protocol has led to the identification of two new genes which are implicated in this process, as well as additional alleles of previously identified genes. The new mutants, bet1 and bet2, are temperature sensitive for growth and protein transport. Thin section analysis has revealed the accumulation of a network of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) at the restrictive temperature (37 degrees C). Precursors of exported proteins that accumulate in the cell at 37 degrees C are terminally core glycosylated. These observations suggest that the transport of precursors is blocked subsequent to translocation into the ER but before entry into the Golgi apparatus. The bet1 and bet2 mutants define two new complementation groups which have the same properties as previously identified ER-accumulating mutants. This and previous findings (Novick, P., C. Field, and R. Schekman, 1980, Cell, 21:205-215) suggest that protein exit from the ER and entry into the Golgi apparatus is a complex process requiring at least 11 genes.     

The processing and intracellular transport of myeloperoxidase. Modulation by lysosomotropic agents and monensin

Myeloperoxidase, stored in azurophil granules of neutrophils, is synthesized in promyelocytes as a larger molecular weight precursor, which is processed to yield a transient Mr 82 000 intermediate and mature polypeptides with molecular weights of 62 000 and 12 000. We have tried to define subcellular sites for processing using metabolic labelling of the promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 in combination with subcellular fractionation on a Percoll gradient. A reasonable separation was achieved between azurophil granules, Golgi elements and endoplasmic reticulum. The finding of almost exclusively fully processed myeloperoxidase in granules and a mixture of unprocessed and processed polypeptide in fractions enriched in Golgi elements suggests that processing occurred mainly in pregranular structures. Monensin, which exchanges protons for Na+, and the base chloroquine blocked processing probably by inhibition of transport through the Golgi apparatus. However, the lysosomotropic NH4+ cation did not inhibit processing or transport indicating that processing is not necessarily influenced by pH-dependent mechanisms. Results from digestion with endoglycosidase H, incubation with tunicamycin and metabolic labelling with [3H]mannose indicated that myeloperoxidase contained high mannose oligosaccharide side chains. Also [32P]phosphate incorporated into Mr 90 000 and Mr 62 000 myeloperoxidase was susceptible to endoglycosidase H indicating that oligosaccharide side chains are modified by phosphorylation as in lysosomal enzymes. Thus, even if myeloperoxidase contained mannose 6-phosphate residues, these may not necessarily be involved in directing transport to the azurophil granules.     

Suppression of coatomer mutants by a new protein family with COPI and COPII binding motifs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Protein trafficking is achieved by a bidirectional vesicle flow between the various compartments of the eukaryotic cell. COPII coated vesicles mediate anterograde protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus, whereas retrograde Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum vesicles use the COPI coat. Inactivation of COPI vesicle formation in conditional sec21 (gamma-COP) mutants rapidly blocks transport of certain proteins along the early secretory pathway. We have identified the integral membrane protein Mst27p as a strong suppressor of sec21-3 and ret1-1 mutants. A C-terminal KKXX motif of Mst27p that allows direct binding to the COPI complex is crucial for its suppression ability. Mst27p and its homolog Yar033w (Mst28p) are part of the same complex. Both proteins contain cytoplasmic exposed C termini that have the ability to interact directly with COPI and COPII coat complexes. Site-specific mutations of the COPI binding domain abolished suppression of the sec21 mutants. Our results indicate that overexpression of MST27 provides an increased number of coat binding sites on membranes of the early secretory pathway and thereby promotes vesicle formation. As a consequence, the amount of cargo that can bind COPI might be important for the regulation of the vesicle flow in the early secretory pathway.     

Mannosyl carrier functions of retinyl phosphate and dolichyl phosphate in rat liver endoplasmic reticulum

Of the subcellular fractions of rat liver the endoplasmic reticulum was the most active in GDP-mannose: retinyl phosphate mannosyl-transfer activity. The synthesis of retinyl phosphate mannose reached a maximum at 20-30 min of incubation and declined at later times. Retinyl phosphate mannose and dolichyl phosphate mannose from endogenous retinyl phosphate and dolichyl phosphate could also be assayed in the endoplasmic reticulum. About 1.8 ng (5 pmol) of endogenous retinyl phosphate was mannosylated per mg of endoplasmic reticulum protein (15 min at 37 degrees C, in the presence of 5 mM-MnCl2), and about 0.15 ng (0.41 pmol) of endogenous retinyl phosphate was mannosylated with Golgi-apparatus membranes. About 20 ng (13.4 pmol) of endogenous dolichyl phosphate was mannosylated in endoplasmic reticulum and 4.5 ng (3 pmol) in Golgi apparatus under these conditions. Endoplasmic reticulum, but not Golgi-apparatus membranes, catalysed significant transfer of [14C]mannose to endogenous acceptor proteins in the presence of exogenous retinyl phosphate. Mannosylation of endogenous acceptors in the presence of exogenous dolichyl phosphate required the presence of Triton X-100 and could not be detected when dolichyl phosphate was solubilized in liposomes. Dolichyl phosphate mainly stimulated the incorporation of mannose into the lipid-oligosaccharide-containing fraction, whereas retinyl phosphate transferred mannose directly to protein.