Distribution of enzymes involved in mannan synthesis in plasma membranes and mesosomal vesicles of Micrococcus lysodeikticus

The distribution of membrane-bound enzymes involved in mannan biosynthesis in plasma and mesosomal membranes of Micrococcus lysodeikticus has been investigated.Isolated mesosomal vesicles, unlike plasma membrane preparations, cannot catalyze the transfer of ¹⁴C]mannose from GDP-¹⁴C]mannose into mannan. This appears to result from the inability of this membrane system to synthesize the carrier lipid ¹⁴C]mannosyl-l-phosphorylundecaprenol. In contrast, this is the major manno-lipid synthesized from GDP-¹⁴C]mannose by isolated plasma membranes. The possibility that substrate inaccessibility could account for the failure to detect the enzyme in isolated mesosomal vesicles appears unlikely from the lack of activity following disruption of the vesicles with ultrasound or with surface active agents.Both membrane preparations possessed the ability to catalyse the transfer of ¹⁴C]mannose from purified ¹⁴C]mannosyl-l-phosphorylundecaprenol into mannan. Furthermore, free mannan and mannan located on both unlabeled mesosomal and unlabeled plasma membranes could act as acceptors of ¹⁴C]mannosyl units from ¹⁴C-labeled carrier lipid located in prelabeled plasma membranes. The possibility that the juxtaposition of mesosomal vesicles and enveloping plasma membrane (i.e. the mesosomal sacculus) in vivo allows mannan, located on mesosomal vesicles, to accept mannosyl units from carrier lipid located in the sacculus membrane is discussed.