Effects of Mannose on the Growth of N(2)-Fixing Azotobacter vinelandii

Mannose is not a suitable substrate for N(2)-fixing Azotobacter vinelandii. However, when H(2) gas is provided, A. vinelandii can grow mixotrophically with H(2) as the energy source and mannose as the carbon source (T.-Y. Wong and R. J. Maier, J. Bacteriol. 163:528-533, 1985). In this report, seven sugars were used to determine whether A. vinelandii could derive energy from these sugars for mannose utilization. Supplementation of fructose- or galactose-limited medium with mannose did not influence the biomass produced by N(2)-fixing A. vinelandii. The presence of mannose in glucose- or maltose-limited cultures increased cell yield slightly. The addition of mannose decreased the total biomass in the melibiose-limited culture slightly. Mannose was a potent inhibitor of growth when sucrose or turanose was used as the primary sugar. The inhibitory effect of mannose on utilization of sucrose and turanose seems to be related to the energy requirement of the N(2)-fixing processes.     

H2-dependent mixotrophic growth of N2-fixing Azotobacter vinelandii.

Azotobacter vinelandii can grow with a variety of organic carbon sources and fix N2 without the need for added H2. However, due to an active H2-oxidizing system, H2-dependent mixotrophic growth in an N-free medium was demonstrated when mannose was provided as the carbon source. There was no appreciable growth with either H2 or mannose alone. Both the growth rate and the cell yield were dependent on the concentrations of both substrates, H2 and mannose. Cultures growing mixotrophically with H2 and mannose consumed approximately 4.8 mmol of O2 and produced 4.6 mmol of CO2 per mmol of mannose consumed. In the absence of H2, less CO2 was produced, less O2 was consumed, and cell growth was negligible. The rate of acetylene reduction in mixotrophic cultures was comparable to the rate in cultures grown in N-free sucrose medium. The rate of [14C]mannose uptake of cultures with H2 was greater than with argon, whereas [14C]sucrose uptake was unaffected by the addition of H2; therefore, the role of H2 in mixotrophic metabolism may be to provide energy for mannose uptake. A. vinelandii is not an autotroph, as attempts to grow the organism chemoautotrophically with H2 or to detect ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity were unsuccessful.     

Metabolism of cyanide by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The oxidation of veratryl alcohol (3,4-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol) by lignin peroxidase H2 (LiP H2) from the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was strongly inhibited by sodium cyanide. The I50 was estimated to be about 2-3 microM. In contrast, sodium cyanide binds to the native enzyme with an apparent sodium cyanide dissociation constant Kd of about 10 microM. Inhibition of the veratryl alcohol oxidase activity of LiP H2 by cyanide was reversible. Ligninolytic cultures of P. chrysosporium mineralized cyanide at a rate that was proportional to the concentration of cyanide to 2 mM. The N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone-cyanyl radical adduct was observed by ESR spin trapping upon incubation of LiP H2 with H2O2 and sodium cyanide. The identity of the spin adduct was confirmed using 13C-labeled cyanide. Six-day-old cultures of the fungus were more tolerant to sodium cyanide toxicity than spores. Toxicity measurements were based on the effect of sodium cyanide on respiration of the fungus as determined by the metabolism of [14C]glucose to [14C]CO2. We propose that this tolerance of the mature fungus was due to its ability to mineralize cyanide and that this fungus might be effective in treating environmental pollution sites contaminated with cyanide.     

Nutrient uptake by Candida albicans: the influence of cell surface mannoproteins.

Numerous ultrastructural and biochemical analyses have been performed to characterize the cell wall composition and structure of Candida albicans. However, little investigation has focused on how subtle differences in cell wall structure influence the intracellular transport of amino acids and monosaccharides. In this study C. albicans 4918 and ATCC 10231 were grown in culture conditions capable of modifying surface mannoproteins and induced surface hydrophobic or hydrophilic yeast cell wall states. Subcultures of these hydrophobic and hydrophilic yeasts were subsequently incubated with one of seven L-[3H] amino acids: glycine, leucine, proline, serine, aspartic acid, lysine, or arginine. The transport of [3H] mannose and [3H] N-acetyl-D-glucosamine were also investigated. This study revealed significant strain differences (P < or = 0.05) between hydrophilic and hydrophobic yeast transport of these nutrients throughout a 2 h incubation. Hydrophilic cultures of 4918 and ATCC 10231 transported nearly two times more (pmol mg-1 dry weight) proline, mannose, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine than hydrophobic yeast. Hydrophobic cultures preferentially incorporated serine and aspartic acid in both these strains. Strain variation was indicated with the transport of leucine, lysine, and arginine, as follows: experiments showed that hydrophilic 4918 cultures selectively transported leucine, lysine, and arginine, whereas, the hydrophobic ATCC 10231 cultures incorporated these amino acids.     

Differential processing and regulation of thyroid-stimulating hormone subunit carbohydrate chains in thyrotropic tumors and in normal and hypothyroid pituitaries

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) alpha- and beta-subunit glycosylation was investigated in mouse thyrotropic tumor and in normal and hypothyroid pituitary cells for various periods of time in the presence of [3H]mannose or [3H]galactose. After sequential precipitation with anti-alpha and anti-beta sera, subunits were treated with Pronase followed by endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H (Endo H) and analyzed by paper chromatography. In primary cultures of thyrotropic tumor cells incubated for 60 min with [3H]mannose, primarily Man9GlcNAc and Man8GlcNAc were found on TSH + alpha subunits, whereas Glc1Man9GlcNAc and Man9GlcNAc were prominent on free beta subunits. After preincubation of cells for 16 h in the presence or absence of glucose followed by a 60-min pulse of [3H]mannose, there was an 8-fold increase in labeled TSH + alpha but only a minimal change in free beta or total proteins. In the absence of glucose, there was a selective accumulation of Man8GlcNAc on TSH + alpha but not on free beta or total proteins; however, there was no detectable accumulation of Endo H resistant forms during glucose starvation on TSH subunits or total proteins. Normal mouse and rat pituitary minces incubated for 60 min with either [3H]mannose or [3H]galactose showed no glucose-containing species on TSH subunits, but equal amounts of Man9GlcNAc and Man8GlcNAc on TSH + alpha, and mostly Man9GlcNAc on free beta subunits. In contrast, hypothyroid mouse and rat pituitaries exhibited an increase in Glc1Man9NAc and Glc1Man8GlcNAc on free beta but not on TSH + alpha or total proteins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Uptake and incorporation of glucose and mannose by whole cells of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Glucose uptake by whole-cell suspensions of the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was two- to fourfold higher under aerobic conditions than during incubation under atmospheres of N(2) or H(2) gas. The O(2)-stimulated uptake activity was lost rapidly (>70% in 5 h) when cell suspensions were incubated aerobically, but this loss was prevented by the addition of crude catalase. Catalase had no apparent effect on cell viability during these incubations. Glucose uptake activity was strongly inhibited by a 10-fold excess of mannose or galactose but not by methyl-alpha-d-glucoside, fructose, or lactose. Both glucose and mannose were rapidly incorporated into polyglucose after uptake. The O(2)-stimulated glucose uptake was not inhibited by cyanide, azide, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or 2-N-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide. However, p-chloromercuribenzoate, menadione, and sodium fluoride inhibited uptake by 88, 67, and 55%, respectively. All attempts to detect phosphoenolpyruvate-phosphotransferase activity for glucose, methyl-alpha-d-glucoside, and 2-deoxyglucose were negative. The bacteria contained hexokinase activity and a complete glycolytic Embden-Meyerhof pathway.     

The processing of N-linked glycans in yeast. Mutually exclusive steps in the processing of a Man6 derivative by yeast membrane preparations

When a derivatized oligosaccharide isolated from ovalbumin and containing 6 mannose residues was incubated with yeast membranes and GDP-mannose, two sets of products were obtained, a high molecular weight one containing about 25 mannose residues and a low molecular weight one consisting of compounds with 7, 8, and 9 mannose residues, respectively. When the low molecular weight products were reincubated with the yeast membranes and GDP-mannose, no further mannose incorporation was observed, showing that these compounds must be of the wrong structure as substrates for yeast glycan processing enzymes. The structures were investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The high molecular weight products contained an outer chain of an average length of 18 1----6-linked mannose residues attached to a core structure made up of the original 6 mannose residues with one additional 1----2-linked mannose added. The low molecular weight product with 8 mannose residues was deduced to contain a terminal 1----6-linked mannose (on the 1----6 arm) substituted by mannose at the 2-position, and the ones with 7 and 9 mannose residues were identified as having an additional 1----3-linked mannose on the starting Man6 substrate and on the Man8 product, respectively. The results lend further support to the picture that the processing steps must occur in proper sequence for specific products to form.     

Involvement of the mannose receptor in infection of macrophages by influenza virus

Influenza viruses A/PR/8/34 (PR8; H1N1), A/Aichi/68 X-31 (HKx31; H3N2), and A/Beijing/89 X-109 (BJx109; H3N2) show marked differences in their ability to infect murine macrophages, including resident alveolar and peritoneal macrophages as well as the macrophage-derived cell line J774. The hierarchy in infectivity of the viruses (PR8 < HKx31 < BJx109) resembles that of their reactivity with mannose-binding lectins of the collectin family. Since the macrophage mannose receptor recognizes the same spectrum of monosaccharides as the collectins do, we investigated the possible involvement of this receptor in infection of macrophages by influenza virus. In competitive binding studies, the binding of (125)I-labeled mannosylated bovine serum albumin to macrophages was inhibited by the purified hemagglutinin and neuraminidase (HANA) glycoproteins of influenza virus but not by HANA that had been treated with periodate to oxidize its oligosaccharide side chains. The inhibitory activity of HANA from the three strains of virus differed markedly and correlated with the infectivity of each virus for macrophages. Infection of macrophages, but not MDCK cells, by influenza virus was inhibited by yeast mannan. A variant line of J774 cells, J774E, which expresses elevated levels of the mannose receptor, was more readily infected than J774, and the sensitivity of J774E cells to infection was greatly reduced by culture in the presence of D-mannose, which down-modulated mannose receptor expression. Together, the data implicate the mannose receptor as a major endocytic receptor in the infectious entry of influenza virus, and perhaps other enveloped viruses, into murine macrophages.     

The participation of lipid-linked oligosaccharide in synthesis of membrane glycoproteins.

Membrane preparations from hen oviduct catalyze the transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose into three components: mannosyl phosphoryl polyisoprenol, oligosaccharide-lipid, and glycoprotein. Eivence that mannosyl phosphoryl polyisoprenol serves as a mannosyl donor for synthesis of both oligosaccharide-lipid and glycoproteins was previously reported (Waechter, C.J., Lucas, J.J., and Lennarz, W.J. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 7570-7579). In this study the oligosaccharide-lipid has been isolated, and the oligosaccharide has been partially characterized. Based on paper chromatography the oligosaccharide chain contains 7 to 9 glycose units. The glycose at the reducing terminus is N-acetylglucosamine, whereas mannose is found at the nonreducing end. When UDP-N-acetyl[14C]glucosamine is incubated with oviduct membranes in the absence of GDP-mannose, a 14C-labeled chitobiosyl lipid, but little oligosaccharide-lipid is synthesized. When GDP-mannose is also present in the incubation mixture an oligosaccharide-lipid is formed containing N-acetyl[14C]glucosaminyl residues. This oligosaccharide-lipid is chromatographically identical with the [14C]mannose-containing oligosaccharide-lipid isolated in the earlier study cited above. When the N-acetyl[14C]glucosamine-oligosaccharide released from the oligosaccharide-lipid by mild acid is treated with partially purified alpha-mannosidase the major radioactive product is [14C]chitobiose. Evidence that the [14C]mannose-containing oligosaccharide-lipid serves as an oligosaccharide donor for glycoprotein synthesis was obtained by incubation of partially purified oligosaccharide-lipid with the membranes. The products of this incubation were shown to be glycoproteins on the basis of their sensitivity to pronase, as determined by both gel filtration and paper electrophoresis. Similar experiments, using oligosaccharide-lipid doubly labeled with [14C]mannose and N-acetyl[3H]glucosamine, provided evidence that the oligosaccharide chain of the oligosaccharide-lipid is transferred en bloc to glycoprotein s.     

Effects of Mannose on the Growth of N2-Fixing Azotobacter vinelandii

Mannose is not a suitable substrate for N₂-fixing Azotobacter vinelandii. However, when H₂ gas is provided, A. vinelandii can grow mixotrophically with H₂ as the energy source and mannose as the carbon source (T.-Y. Wong and R. J. Maier, J. Bacteriol. 163:528-533, 1985). In this report, seven sugars were used to determine whether A. vinelandii could derive energy from these sugars for mannose utilization. Supplementation of fructose- or galactose-limited medium with mannose did not influence the biomass produced by N₂-fixing A. vinelandii. The presence of mannose in glucose- or maltose-limited cultures increased cell yield slightly. The addition of mannose decreased the total biomass in the melibiose-limited culture slightly. Mannose was a potent inhibitor of growth when sucrose or turanose was used as the primary sugar. The inhibitory effect of mannose on utilization of sucrose and turanose seems to be related to the energy requirement of the N₂-fixing processes.     

Processing of MOPC 315 immunoglobulin A oligosaccharides: evidence for endoplasmic reticulum and trans Golgi alpha 1,2-mannosidase activity

The processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides on the alpha- chains of an immunoglobulin A (IgA) has been investigated using MOPC 315 murine plasmacytoma cells. These cells secrete IgA containing complex-type oligosaccharides that were not sensitive to endo-beta-N- acetylglucosaminidase H. In contrast, oligosaccharides present on the intracellular alpha-chain precursor were of the high mannose-type, remaining sensitive to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H despite a long intracellular half-life of 2-3 h. The major [3H]mannose-labeled alpha-chain oligosaccharides identified after a 20-min pulse were Man8GlcNAc2 and Man9GlcNAc2. Following chase incubations, the major oligosaccharide accumulating intracellularly was Man6GlcNAc2, which was shown to contain a single alpha 1,2-linked mannose residue. Conversion of Man6GlcNAc2 to complex-type oligosaccharides occurred at the time of secretion since appreciable amounts of Man5GlcNAc2 or further processed structures could not be detected intracellularly. The subcellular locations of the alpha 1,2-mannosidase activities were studied using carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone and monensin. Despite inhibiting the secretion of IgA, these inhibitors of protein migration did not effect the initial processing of Man9GlcNAc2 to Man6GlcNAc2. Furthermore, no large accumulation of Man5GlcNAc2 occurred, indicating the presence of two subcellular locations of alpha 1,2-mannosidase activity involved in oligosaccharide processing in MOPC 315 cells. Thus, the first three alpha 1,2-linked mannose residues were removed shortly after the alpha-chain was glycosylated, most likely in rough endoplasmic reticulum, since this processing occurred in the presence of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. However, the removal of the final alpha 1,2-linked mannose residue as well as subsequent carbohydrate processing occurred just before IgA secretion, most likely in the trans Golgi complex since processing of Man6GlcNAc2 to Man5GlcNAc2 was greatly inhibited in the presence of monensin.     

1,4-Dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-mannitol inhibits glycoprotein processing and mannosidase

1,4-Dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-mannitol (DIM) was synthesized chemically from benzyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside [Fleet et al (1984) J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 1240-1241], and was tested in vitro as an inhibitor of various alpha-mannosidases and in cell culture as an inhibitor of glycoprotein processing. DIM proved to be an effective inhibitor of jack bean alpha-mannosidase, with 50% inhibition requiring 25 to 50 ng/ml inhibitor. It also inhibited lysosomal alpha-mannosidase, but in this case 50% inhibition required about 1 to 2 micrograms/ml. In both cases, the inhibition was of the competitive type when p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside was used as the substrate. The inhibition was better at higher pH values, suggesting that DIM was more effective when the nitrogen in the ring was in the unprotonated form. In addition, rat liver processing mannosidase I was also inhibited by DIM as measured by the release of [3H]mannose from [3H]mannose-labeled Man9GlcNAc. Glycoprotein processing was examined in influenza virus-infected MDCK cells. Infected cells were incubated in various concentrations of DIM and labeled with [2-3H]mannose. Viral and cell pellets were digested with Pronase and glycopeptides were isolated by gel filtration on columns of Bio-Gel P-4. The glycopeptides were then treated with endoglucosaminidase H (Endo H) and rechromatographed on the Bio-Gel column in order to distinguish complex from high-mannose structures. As the DIM concentration in the medium was raised, more and more of the [3H]mannose was incorporated into high-mannose oligosaccharides, and less and less radioactivity was in the complex chains. Most of the Endo H-released oligosaccharides induced by DIM were of the Man9GlcNAc structure, as determined by gel filtration, HPLC, and digestion by alpha-mannosidase. Thus, DIM also appears to inhibit mannosidase I in cell culture. However, about 15% of the Endo H-released oligosaccharides appear to be hybrid types of oligosaccharides, suggesting that DIM may also inhibit mannosidase II.     

Radiolabelling of Mycobacterium avium oligosaccharide determinant and use in macrophage studies

Internal radiolabelling procedures were used to radiolabel the oligosaccharide determinant of the glycopeptidolipids (GPL) from serovars 4 and 20 of the Mycobacterium avium complex. Mycobacteria were cultured in the presence of [6-3H]fucose, [2-3H]mannose or [methyl-3H]methionine, after which radiolabelled native lipid was extracted and distribution of radioactivity in native and deacetylated lipid was determined by thin-layer chromatographic methods. Incorporation of radiolabel was confirmed by examining acid hydrolysates of purified GPL for 3H-labelled sugars on cellulose thin-layer plates. Least incorporation of radiolabel into GPL was observed with [6-3H]fucose, whereas better incorporation was obtained with [2-3H]mannose and [methyl-3H]methionine. Use of [methyl-3H]methionine resulted in the radiolabelling of the methylated sugars in both the oligosaccharide determinant and the 3,4-di-O-methylrhamnose located at the terminus of the peptide core. Use of [2-3H]mannose resulted in the incorporation of radioactivity into the oligosaccharide determinant as 2-O-methylfucose, found in the GPL of both serovars 4 and 20. GPL radiolabelled with [2-3H]mannose were subsequently examined in macrophage cultures and found to be relatively inert to degradation by those phagocytic cells. These results substantiate earlier findings with the GPL of serovar 20 and indicate that these mycobacterial components may play a role in pathogenesis.     

Hydrogen-mediated enhancement of hydrogenase expression in Azotobacter vinelandii.

Azotobacter vinelandii cultures express more H2 uptake hydrogenase activity when fixing N2 than when provided with fixed N. Hydrogen, a product of the nitrogenase reaction, is at least partly responsible for this increase. The addition of H2 to NH4+-grown wild-type cultures caused increased whole-cell H2 uptake activity, methylene blue-dependent H2 uptake activity of membranes, and accumulation of hydrogenase protein (large subunit as detected immunologically) in membranes. Both rifampin and chloramphenicol inhibited the H2-mediated enhancement of hydrogenase synthesis. Nif- A. vinelandii mutants with deletions or insertions in the nif genes responded to added H2 by increasing the amount of both whole-cell and membrane-bound hydrogenase activities. Nif- mutant strain CA11 contained fourfold more hydrogenase protein when incubated in N-free medium with H2 than when incubated in the same medium containing Ar. N2-fixing wild-type cultures that produce H2 did not increase hydrogenase protein levels in response to added H2.     

Characterization of a highly glycosylated biosynthetic intermediate of ovalbumin

Ovalbumin extracted from oviduct slices incubated with [35S]methionine or [2-3]mannose contained two biosynthetic intermediates, OE and OF (Y. Kato, H. Iwase, and K. Hotta, 1984, J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 95, 455-463). In the present study, these intermediates are further characterized. The 3H dpm/35S dpm ratio of OF labeled with both [35S]methionine and [3H]mannose was twice that or greater than that of OE. The tritium-labeled OF migrated more slowly than OE on sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and had a molecular weight exceeding that of OE by about 1500. These findings, along with the fact that [3H]OF had sugar chains similar to those of [3H]OE, suggest that OF may possibly have two sugar chains in one molecule. For confirmation of this, the glycosylation sites of OF were examined. Peptic and tryptic glycopeptides were prepared from [2-3H]mannose-labeled OF and the other ovalbumin subfractions--OA, OC, OD, and OE--and then analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The peptic glycopeptides prepared from [3H]OF contained glycopeptides in addition to those derived from the other subfractions although tryptic glycopeptides obtained from [3H]OF were similar to those from the other subfractions. This shows that the above hypothesis is valid.     

Phosphorylation of lignin peroxidases from Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Identification of mannose 6-phosphate

Many of the extracellular lignin-degrading peroxidases from the wood-degrading fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium are phosphorylated. Immunoprecipitation of the extracellular fluid of cultures grown with H2K32PO4 with a polyclonal antibody raised against one of the lignin peroxidase isozymes, H8 (pI 3.5), revealed the incorporation of H2K32PO4 into lignin peroxidases. Analyses of the purified isozymes from labeled cultures by isoelectric focusing showed that, in addition to isozyme H8, lignin peroxidase isozymes H2 (pI 4.4), H6 (pI 3.7), and H10 (pI 3.3) are also phosphorylated. These analyses also showed that lignin peroxidase isozyme H1 (pI 4.7) and manganese-dependent peroxidase isozymes H3 (pI 4.9) and H4 (pI 4.5) are not phosphorylated. Phosphate quantitation indicated the presence of one molecule of phosphate/molecule of enzyme for all of the phosphorylated isozymes. To locate the site of phosphorylation, one-dimensional phosphoamino acid analysis was performed with hydrolyzed 32P-protein. However, phosphotyrosine, phosphoserine, and phosphothreonine could not be identified. Coupled enzyme assays of acid hydrolysate indicated the presence of mannose 6-phosphate as the phosphorylated component on the lignin peroxidase isozymes. Digestion of the isozymes with N-glycanase released the phosphate component, indicating that the mannose 6-phosphate is contained on an asparagine-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.     

Glycosylation, ADP-ribosylation, and methylation of Tetrahymena histones

We have examined some of the postsynthetic modifications that occur in macronuclear histones from Tetrahymena thermophila. When purified macronuclei are incubated with [32P]NAD+, histones H1, H2A, H2B, and H3 are ADP-ribosylated. Furthermore, histones H1, H2A, H2B, and H3 contain fucose and mannose residues as evidenced by the incorporation of [3H]fucose and by the specific binding to these proteins of gorse seed lectin and concanavalin A. Finally, our studies on incorporation of methyl groups into histones show that histone H2A, together with the related nonhistone protein A24, is methylated in Tetrahymena.     

Inositol acylation of a potential glycosyl phosphoinositol anchor precursor from yeast requires acyl coenzyme A.

Glycosyl phosphoinositol (GPI) anchors on proteins can be modified by palmitoylation of their inositol residue, which makes such anchors resistant to cleavage by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) (Roberts, W. L., Myher, J. J., Kuksis, A., Low, M. G., and Rosenberry, T.L. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 18766-18775). Mannosylated GPI lipids made in trypanosomal and mammalian cells can also be inositol-acylated, indicating that inositol acylation may be a normal step in GPI anchor synthesis. We find that Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants blocked in dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis accumulate a lipid that can be radiolabeled in vivo with [3H]myo-inositol, [3H]GlcN, and [3H]palmitic acid. This lipid is resistant to PI-PLC, yet sensitive to mild alkaline hydrolysis, and has been characterized as GlcN-phosphatidylinositol (PI), fatty acylated on its inositol residue. When yeast membranes are incubated with UDP-[14C] GlcNAc, 14C-labeled GlcNAc-PI and GlcN-PI are made. Addition of ATP and CoA, or of palmitoyl-CoA to incubations results in the synthesis of [14C]GlcN-(acyl-inositol)PI. This lipid is also made when membranes are incubated with [1-14C]palmitoyl-CoA and UDP-GlcNAc. We propose that acyl CoA is the donor in inositol acylation of GlcN-PI, and that GlcN-(acyl-inositol)PI is an obligatory intermediate in GPI synthesis.     

Alternate substrates of dopamine beta-hydroxylase. I. Kinetic investigations of benzyl cyanides as substrates and inhibitors

A series of benzyl cyanide analogs have been studied as substrates and inhibitors of dopamine beta-hydroxylase to extend our initial report (Baldoni, J. M., and Villafranca, J. J. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 8987-8990) which showed that p-hydroxybenzyl cyanide was a suicide substrate of dopamine beta-hydroxylase. Thus, the appVmax values for benzyl cyanide analogs decrease in the order p-OH greater than m-OH greater than H much greater than p-OCH3,m-OCH3; the m-OH, m-OCH3 and p-OCH3 analogs are competitive inhibitors versus tyramine in initial velocity studies. The Vmax values for tyramine and p-hydroxybenzyl cyanide are nearly identical at saturating O2 and ascorbate (pH 5.0, 37 degrees C) but the Km for O2 is 0.14 and 2.8 mM, respectively, with tyramine and p-hydroxybenzyl cyanide. Studies of the pH dependence of log V/K for tyramine show two pKa values of 5.2 and 5.8 while for m-hydroxybenzyl cyanide the values are 5.3 and 5.9. The log Vmax profile shows one pKa of 5.9 with tyramine as substrate. Thus, nearly identical enzymic groups are involved in binding and/or catalysis with these two substrates. All the benzyl cyanide analogs are suicide inactivators of dopamine beta-hydroxylase. With m-hydroxybenzyl cyanide, the partition between catalysis and inactivation (kcat/kinact) changed from approximately 600 to approximately 17 as the pH varied from 5.0 to 6.7. The log kinact versus pH profile shows one pKa value of 6.0, suggesting that an enzymic group must be deprotonated for maximal inactivation. Copper was essential for the suicide inactivation of dopamine beta-hydroxylase by benzyl cyanides and kinetic studies of partially inhibited dopamine beta-hydroxylase (approximately 50%) showed that inactive enzyme molecules were completely inactive. The following papers in this series discuss the partial reactivation of suicide-inhibited dopamine beta-hydroxylase and the stoichiometry of inactivation by benzyl cyanide analogs.