Treatment of rhamnogalacturonan I with lithium in ethylenediamine

Rhamnogalacturonan I is a pectic polysaccharide that is solubilized from the walls of suspension-cultured sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus) by the action of a highly purified endo-1,4-α-polygalacturonanase. Rhamnogalacturonan I has a linear backbone consisting of the diglycosyl repeating unit, →4)-α-d-GalpA-(1→2)-α-l-Rhap-(1→. Approximately half of the α-l-rhamnosyl residues of the backbone are branched at O-4. Selective cleavage at the galactosyluronic acid residues of the backbone by treatment of rhamnogalacturonan I wit lithium in ethylenediamine resulted in the release of the neutral glycosyl-residue sidechains that had been attached to the backbone. Various analytical techniques, including combined liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, combined gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, were used to determine the structure of the side chains. The majority of the sidechains were isolated as oligoglycosylalditols, with rhamnitol at the “reducing” end. Terminal 2-, 4-, or 6-linked galactosyl residues were found attached to O-4 of the rhamnitol residues The 2-, 4-, and 6-linked galactosyl residues had terminal or 2-linked arabinosyl, or additional galactosyl, residues attached to them. Based on the results of fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry, the side chains were found to range in size from one to fourteen glycosyl residues. The side-chain structures suggest that there are four or more distinct families of side chains attached to the backbone of rhamnogalacturonan I.     

Monoclonal antibodies to rhamnogalacturonan I backbone

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against rhamnogalacturonan I backbone, a pectin domain, using Arabidopsis thaliana seed mucilage-derived rhamnogalacturonan I oligosaccharides—BSA conjugates. Two monoclonal antibodies, designated INRA-RU1 and INRA-RU2, selected for further characterization, were specific for the backbone of rhamnogalacturonan I, displaying no binding activity against the other pectin domains i.e. homogalacturonans, galactans or arabinans. A range of oligosaccharides was prepared by enzymatic digestion of rhamnogalacturonan I isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana seed mucilage and from sugar beet pectin, purified by low-pressure chromatography and characterized by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and mass spectrometry. These rhamnogalacturonan I oligomers were used to characterize the binding site of the two monoclonal antibodies by competitive inhibition. Both INRA-RU1 and INRA-RU2 showed maximal binding to the [→2)-α-l-rhamnosep-(1→4)-α-d-galacturonic acid p-(1→]₇ structural motif but differed in their minimum binding requirement. INRA-RU2 required at least two disaccharide (rhamnose–galacturonic acid) repeats for the antibody to bind, while INRA-RU1 required a minimum of six disaccharide repeats. Furthermore, the binding capacity of INRA-RU1 decreased steeply as the number of disaccharide repeats go beyond seven. Each of these antibodies reacted with hairy regions isolated from sugar beet pectin. Immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that both antibodies can be readily used to detect rhamnogalacturonan I epitopes in various cell wall samples.     

Iodide accumulation into thyroid Golgi vesicles

Pig thyroid Golgi vesicles incubated in a suitable medium were able to concentrate iodide from the medium. This trapping required the integrity of the vesicles, was time- and temperature-dependent, and was inhibited by a competitive inhibitor of iodide active transport (perchlorate), suggesting a facilitated transport mechanism.     

Fatty acylation promotes fusion of transport vesicles with Golgi cisternae

Two different methods, stimulation of transport by fatty acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) and inhibition of transport by a nonhydrolyzable analogue of palmitoyl-CoA, reveal that fatty acylation is required to promote fusion of transport vesicles with Golgi cisternae. Specifically, fatty acyl-CoA is needed after the attachment of coated vesicles and subsequent uncoating of the vesicles, and after the binding of the NEM-sensitive fusion protein (NSF) to the membranes, but before the actual fusion event. We therefore suggest that an acylated transport component participates, directly or indirectly, in membrane fusion.     

Monoiodotyrosine formation during thyroglobulin processing in Golgi vesicles

A golgi-enriched subfraction was obtained from porcine thyroid glands by differential centrifugation. When incubated in a suitable medium, these vesicles were able to concentrate iodide from the medium and bind it to protein. The iodination process was inhibited by methylmercapto-imidazole and was increased by the addition of an H2O2 generating system to the medium. Analysis of the protein content of the vesicles revealed the presence of 18 and 12-13 S thyroglobulin molecules, lacking mannose residues, and containing only monoiodotyrosine. It is concluded that in vitro, iodination can begin before exocytosis, in the smooth-surfaced vesicles derived from the golgi apparatus, as soon as N-acetylglucosamine is incorporated onto the pre-thyroglobulin molecule.     

Inheriting a structural scaffold for Golgi biosynthesis

In animal cells, the Golgi complex undergoes reversible disassembly during mitosis. The disassembly/reassembly process has been intensively studied in order to understand the mechanisms that govern organelle assembly and inheritance during cell division. A long-standing controversy in the field has been whether formation of Golgi structure is template-mediated or self-organizes from components of the endoplasmic reticulum. A recent study1 however, has demonstrated that a subset of proteins that form a putative Golgi matrix can be inherited during cell division in the absence of membrane input from the endoplasmic reticulum. The outcome of this study suggests that a templating mechanism for the formation of Golgi structure may exist. This study has important implications for understanding mechanisms that govern Golgi biogenesis.     

Endosomes and Golgi vesicles in adsorptive and fluid phase endocytosis

We studied with morphometric methods the endocytosis by pheochromocytoma cells of a conjugate of wheat germ agglutinin with ferritin (WGA-Ft) and of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Quantitative studies indicated that WGA-Ft was cleared slowly from cell surfaces and that it was not recycled to the surface. Cells labeled with WGA-Ft for 15 min at room temperature were washed and incubated in medium containing HRP for 15 or 30 min at 37 degrees C. The greatest proportion of labeled vesicles and tubules contained only WGA-Ft (83.4% at 15 min and 85.3% at 30 min). A very small fraction of labeled vesicles and tubules contained only HRP (0.2% at 15 min and 0.9% at 30 min). Vesicles and tubules at the Golgi apparatus were labeled almost exclusively with WGA-Ft (97% at 15 min and 30 min); the rest had both labels. Most labeled lysosomes contained both labels (80.1% at 15 min and 80.8% at 30 min). Of the remainder more contained WGA-Ft alone (20% at 15 min and 10.9% at 30 min), then HRP alone (none at 15 min and 8.2% at 30 min). In contrast to the various and varying patterns of labeling with WGA-Ft and HRP of the other organelles studied, the vast majority of endosomes contained both markers (94.1% at 15 min and 100% at 30 min); the rest contained WGA-Ft only. These results demonstrate that endosomes are recipients of both fluid phase and adsorptive endocytosis markers; these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that endosomes mediate the sorting out and subsequent intracellular traffic of membrane bound and fluid phase markers. Cisterns of the Golgi apparatus did not contain WGA-Ft; in sharp contrast, when WGA-HRP was used, the cisterns of the Golgi apparatus consistently contained HRP.     

Divalent cation activation of galactosyltransferase in native mammary Golgi vesicles

Millimolar concentrations of manganese are required for maximal activation of purified galactosyltransferase (lactose synthase, EC 2.4.1.22), the enzyme that catalyzes addition of galactosyl groups to proteins and, in lactose synthesis, to glucose. To examine manganese activation of this enzyme under in vivo conditions, we studied intact, partially purified Golgi membranes from mouse mammary glands. In intact vesicles treated with the divalent cation ionophore, A23187, activation followed Michaelis-Menton kinetics with a Km of 3 microM; maximal activation was achieved below 10 microM manganese. In both detergent-solubilized and leaky vesicles the kinetics of manganese activation were consistent with the presence of two manganese-binding sites with dissociation constants about 40 microM and 20 mM. The difference is consistent with the presence in intact vesicles of an endogenous activator too large to traverse the membrane via A23187; this activator could bind to the low affinity manganese site allowing manganese or another divalent cation such as zinc to activate the enzyme at micromolar concentrations. The Km for UDP-galactose was found to be similar in the vesicular and solubilized preparations at micromolar and millimolar manganese concentrations, respectively, providing additional evidence for this hypothesis.     

Biosynthesis of gangliosides from asialogangliosides in rat liver Golgi vesicles

Biosynthesis of glycolipids GA2, GA1, GM1b, and GD1c was studied in Golgi vesicles isolated from rat liver. Sequential addition of N-acetylgalactosamine, galactose and two sialic acid residues to lactosylceramide led to the endproduct GD1c. Activities of the corresponding glycosyltransferases were shown to be present in isolated Golgi vesicles and their respective kinetic data were determined. The products of each reaction were characterized by their mobility on thin-layer chromatography, by enzymic degradation to their respective precursors, and in case of GM1b by FAB mass spectrometry.     

Microtubule independent vesiculation of Golgi membranes and the reassembly of vesicles into Golgi stacks

We have recently shown that ilimaquinone (IQ) causes the breakdown of Golgi membranes into small vesicles (VGMs for vesiculated Golgi membranes) and inhibits vesicular protein transport between successive Golgi cisternae (Takizawa et al., 1993). While other intracellular organelles, intermediate filaments, and actin filaments are not affected, we have found that cytoplasmic microtubules are depolymerized by IQ treatment of NRK cells. We provide evidence that IQ breaks down Golgi membranes regardless of the state of cytoplasmic microtubules. This is evident from our findings that Golgi membranes break down with IQ treatment in the presence of taxol stabilized microtubules. Moreover, in cells where the microtubules are first depolymerized by microtubule disrupting agents which cause the Golgi stacks to separate from one another and scatter throughout the cytoplasm, treatment with IQ causes further breakdown of these Golgi stacks into VGMs. Thus, IQ breaks down Golgi membranes independently of its effect on cytoplasmic microtubules. Upon removal of IQ from NRK cells, both microtubules and Golgi membranes reassemble. The reassembly of Golgi membranes, however, takes place in two sequential steps: the first is a microtubule independent process in which the VGMs fuse together to form stacks of Golgi cisternae. This step is followed by a microtubule-dependent process by which the Golgi stacks are carried to their perinuclear location in the cell. In addition, we have found that IQ has no effect on the structural organization of Golgi membranes at 16 degrees C. However, VGMs generated by IQ are capable of fusing and assembling into stacks of Golgi cisternae at 16 degrees C. This is in contrast to the cells recovering from BFA treatment where, after removal of BFA at 16 degrees C, resident Golgi enzymes fail to exit the ER, a process presumed to require the formation of vesicles. We propose that at 16 degrees C there may be general inhibition in the process of vesicle formation, whereas the process of vesicle fusion is not affected.     

Novel rhamnogalacturonan I and arabinoxylan polysaccharides of flax seed mucilage

The viscous seed mucilage of flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a mixture of rhamnogalacturonan I and arabinoxylan with novel side group substitutions. The rhamnogalacturonan I has numerous single nonreducing terminal residues of the rare sugar l-galactose attached at the O-3 position of the rhamnosyl residues instead of the typical O-4 position. The arabinoxylan is highly branched, primarily with double branches of nonreducing terminal l-arabinosyl units at the O-2 and O-3 positions along the xylan backbone. While a portion of each polysaccharide can be purified by anion-exchange chromatography, the side group structures of both polysaccharides are modified further in about one-third of the mucilage to form composites with enhanced viscosity. Our finding of the unusual side group structures for two well-known cell wall polysaccharides supports a hypothesis that plants make a selected few ubiquitous backbone polymers onto which a broad spectrum of side group substitutions are added to engender many possible functions. To this end, modification of one polymer may be accompanied by complementary modifications of others to impart functions to heterocomposites not present in either polymer alone.     

Transport of CMP-N-glycoloylneuraminic acid into mouse liver Golgi vesicles

CMP-Neu5Gc has been shown to be transported into mouse liver Golgi vesicles by a specific carrier the characteristics of which were investigated in detail. In the system employed, CMP-Neu5Gc enters the Golgi vesicles within 2 min; transport was saturable with high concentrations of the sugar-nucleotide and was dependent on temperature. A kinetic analysis gave an apparent K_m of 1.3 μM and a maximal transport velocity of 335 pmol/mg protein per min. Almost identical values were obtained with CMP-Neu5Ac, under the same incubation conditions. Furthermore, the uptake of CMP-Neu5Gc was inhibited by CMP-Neu5Ac, a substrate analogue. Conversely, the uptake of CMP-Neu5Ac was inhibited by CMP-Neu5Gc to the same extent, leading to the conclusion that the transport of CMP-Neu5Ac and CMP-Neu5Gc is mediated by the same carrier molecule. This transport system for CMP-Neu5Gc involves both CMP and CMP-Neu5Gc since intravesicular CMP induced the entry of external CMP-Neu5Gc.     

Coated vesicles of liver Golgi apparatus increased by ascorbate

Cultured hepatocytes and hepatoma cells when treated for 10–30 min with 30 mM ascorbate (vitamin C) responded by a 2- to 3-fold increase in the numbers of coated vesicles of the Golgi apparatus zone as determined by quantitation from electron micrographs. At a near optimal concentration of 30 mM ascorbate, the effect was reproduced under a variety of conditions of fixation and methods of specimen preparation.     

Shuttle-like movements of Golgi vesicles in the tip of growingChara rhizoids

Summary In tip-growingChara rhizoids, the in-vivo saltatory movements of Golgi vesicles were recorded. The movements in radial direction back and forth between the ER aggregate and the plasma membrane occurred three times more often than movements passing the ER aggregate tangentially. The mean velocity of the class of Golgi vesicles observed (0.4–1 m in diameter) was approx. 0.3 m/s. Higher speed of 1–1.5 m/s occurred only in radial directions. Possibly, the ER aggregate is involved in guidance of the Golgi vesicles.Abbreviations DIC differential interference contrast - ER endoplasmic reticulum - OsFeCN osmium tetroxide-potassium ferricyanide Dedicated to the memory of Professor O. Kiermayer     

Characterization of fibrous compound of Golgi vesicles in tapetal cells ofDelphinium

Summary It was shown that Golgi structures abundantly appearing in tapetal cells ofDelphinium Ajacis L. developing anthers, prior to meiocytes meiosis, show a fine fibrous material within their vesicles. At the time of the formation of tapetal cell wall this fibrous component, released by an exocytotic process, is incorporated into the cell wall. The membrane of dictyosomes derived vesicles participates in the development of plasma membrane. Fibrous material appears to be morphologically similar to the fibrils of tapetal cell wall; this cell wall gives a positive reaction for cellulose and pectins, as visible in the light microscope. Moreover, the fibrous and pectinase resistant compound of dictyosomes derived vesicles and the fibrils of cell wall disappear partly after cellulase digestion which proves their cellulosic character. On the other hand pectinase treatment as well as ruthenium red staining suggest associated with cellulose pectins within Golgi vesicles.     

Synthesis of rhamnogalacturonan I fragments by a modular design principle

The improved syntheses of methyl 2-O-acetyl-3-O-benzyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (12) and 1,2-di-O-acetyl-3-O-benzyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranose (15), which were used as glycosyl acceptor and donor, respectively, are described. Glycosylation of the O-4 position of both rhamnose derivatives with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl bromide (26) provided disaccharides 27 and 29. After partial deprotection of 27 and coupling of the resulting 28 with disaccharide 19, tetrasaccharide 31 was obtained. Furthermore, transforming of 29 into the corresponding bromide 30 and coupling with galacturonates 16 and 32 provided trisaccharides 33 and 34, respectively, which could be regarded as building blocks of ramified rhamnogalacturonan fragments. The preparation of tetra- (21) and hexasaccharide (25) of rhamnogalacturonan I is reported to demonstrate the feasibility of the synthesis of larger pectin fragments using the modular design principle with this type of building blocks.     

乙烯的直接生物合成

乙烯是世界上需求最大的化工原料,随着石油资源的日益枯竭和原油价格的不断攀升,生物乙烯迎来了重大发展机遇。文中主要比较两条生物乙烯合成途径——生物乙醇脱水制备乙烯途径 (即间接途径) 和生物乙烯的直接合成途径,重点论述了直接合成途径和途径中关键酶的性质、利用微生物直接合成生物乙烯的基因工程策略、工程化制造生物乙烯的前景及成功事例,并指出直接合成生物乙烯替代石化乙烯具有较大的市场潜力。     

ER-to-Golgi transport by COPII vesicles in Arabidopsis involves a ribosome-excluding scaffold that is transferred with the vesicles to the Golgi matrix

Plant Golgi stacks are mobile organelles that can travel along actin filaments. How COPII (coat complex II) vesicles are transferred from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export sites to the moving Golgi stacks is not understood. We have examined COPII vesicle transfer in high-pressure frozen/freeze-substituted plant cells by electron tomography. Formation of each COPII vesicle is accompanied by the assembly of a ribosome-excluding scaffold layer that extends approximately 40 nm beyond the COPII coat. These COPII scaffolds can attach to the cis-side of the Golgi matrix, and the COPII vesicles are then transferred to the Golgi together with their scaffolds. When Atp115-GFP, a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein of an Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of the COPII vesicle-tethering factor p115, was expressed, the GFP localized to the COPII scaffold and to the cis-side of the Golgi matrix. Time-lapse imaging of Golgi stacks in live root meristem cells demonstrated that the Golgi stacks alternate between phases of fast, linear, saltatory movements (0.9-1.25 microm/s) and slower, wiggling motions (<0.4 microm/s). In root meristem cells, approximately 70% of the Golgi stacks were connected to an ER export site via a COPII scaffold, and these stacks possessed threefold more COPII vesicles than the Golgi not associated with the ER; in columella cells, only 15% of Golgi stacks were located in the vicinity of the ER. We postulate that the COPII scaffold first binds to and then fuses with the cis-side of the Golgi matrix, transferring its enclosed COPII vesicle to the cis-Golgi.     

Microbial biosynthesis of designer outer membrane vesicles

The three domains of bacterial outer membrane vesicle (OMV) engineering.

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