Asparagine-linked Oligosaccharide Chains Research Articles

Control of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chain processing: studies on bovine pancreatic ribonuclease B. An in vitro system for the processing of exogenous glycoproteins.

To gain an understanding of why the polymannose-type oligosaccharide chain of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease B is not processed to a complex-type chain in vivo, the processing of this glycoprotein was studied in two cell-free systems. Addition of native 125I-ribonuclease B to rat liver Golgi membranes in the presence of UDP-GlcNAc resulted in the conversion of the high mannose chain to a complex type as evidenced by the acquisition of resistance to digestion with endoglucosaminidase H. Processing was linearly dependent on time and on the amount of Golgi membranes. Omission of UDP-GlcNAc from the reaction mixtures completely abolished processing of the glycoprotein. Product identification studies confirmed that the formation of ribonuclease that was resistant to digestion with endoglucosaminidase H was accompanied by the appearance of a complex-type oligosaccharide that contained one or more terminal beta-GlcNAc residues. In vitro processing of 125I-ribonuclease B that had been denatured by reduction and alkylation revealed that the rate of complex chain formation was only slightly greater than that observed with the native enzyme. In contrast to the results obtained with the heterologous rat liver system, Golgi membranes from bovine pancreas failed to process native ribonuclease B to the complex form. However, bovine pancreas Golgi membranes did readily process the denatured form of the enzyme. The presence of a factor in bovine pancreas that binds only to native ribonuclease B and thereby prevents its oligosaccharide chain from being processed was considered to be unlikely on the basis of gel filtration studies and mixing experiments. These findings indicate that some aspect of the conformation of native ribonuclease B prevents one or more of the processing enzymes of bovine pancreas from acting on the oligosaccharide chain. In addition, the substrate specificity of this processing enzyme(s) differs markedly from its counterpart in rat liver. These two factors, conformation of the substrate and specificity of the processing enzymes, apparently combine to produce the high mannose oligosaccharide chain of ribonuclease B observed in vivo.

The use of drugs to dissect the pathway for secretion of the glycoprotein hormone chorionic gonadotropin by cultured human trophoblastic cells.

Agents that affect intracellular cation and pH gradients and inhibit energy production have been tested for their ability to modulate the processing and secretion of the free alpha subunit and the alpha beta dimer of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) by cultured human trophoblastic cells (JAR). Incubation of JAR cells with monensin or nigericin, monovalent cation ionophores that produce equilibration of Na+ and K+ across cellular membranes, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an agent that inhibits intracellular membrane ATPases, and methylamine, which neutralizes intracellular pH gradients, produced similar effects on hCG processing and secretion. All these agents inhibited the processing of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chains of free alpha subunit and the alpha and beta subunits contained in the hCG dimer. Moreover, after treatment of JAR cells with these agents, there was an intracellular accumulation of precursor forms and an inhibition of secretion of "mature" forms of hCG. Monensin affected the processing and secretion of hCG subunits differently at different concentrations. At 5 X 10(-7) M, monensin inhibited the processing of the asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of hCG without altering the rate-limiting step in the secretory pathway or blocking hCG secretion. The intracellular hCG subunit precursors in both control and monensin-treated cells contained a similar array of high mannose oligosaccharides, predominantly of the Man8GlcNAc2 and Man9GlcNAc2 types. However, monensin-treated cells secreted hCG subunits that contained endo H-sensitive oligosaccharides of the high mannose (mostly Man5GlcNAc2) and hybrid types rather than the endo H-resistant complex chains synthesized by control cells. Nevertheless, a full complement of serine-linked oligosaccharides was added to the hCG-beta subunit in monensin-treated cells. These results indicate that the intracellular movement of hCG from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface was not inhibited by monensin at a concentration that impaired Golgi-localized steps in the processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. At 5 X 10(-6) M, monensin significantly inhibited secretion of hCG and created a new rate-limiting step in the processing pathway. hCG subunits bearing Man5GlcNAc2 units accumulated intracellularly, suggesting that the equilibration of intracellular Na+/K+ pools blocked oligosaccharide processing at an intra-Golgi point, perhaps by inhibiting movement of the glycoprotein hormone from the "cis" to the "trans" Golgi compartment. Since the other drugs mentioned above produced similar effects on hCG processing and secretion, it appears that maintenance of intracellular cation and pH gradients is necessary for the intra-Golgi transport of glycoprotein hormones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Evidence for the presence and structure of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide units in the core protein of proteodermatan sulphate.

The N-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides were liberated by hydrazinolysis from purified proteodermatan sulphate from newborn-calf skin and reduced with NaB3H4 at the reducing terminal sugar. One asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chain was linked to one core-protein molecule in proteodermatan sulphate. Structural sequences were analysed by using exoglycosidase digestion. These oligosaccharides were composed of di- and tri-antennary oligosaccharide structures of complex type.

Biosynthesis and turnover of the mannose 6-phosphate receptor in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The natural history of the mannose 6-phosphate receptor was examined by radiolabeling cells in monolayers or in suspension; the receptor was isolated by immuno- or affinity precipitation followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The receptor was found to contain asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chains and phosphorylated serine residues. Newly made receptor was sensitive to endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H (endo-H) and was slowly converted to a mature endo-H resistant form; phosphate was found on the mature receptor only. The receptor had an apparent molecular weight of 215,000 at all times, as determined under reducing and denaturing conditions; unreduced receptor had a greater electrophoretic mobility, suggesting the presence of intrachain disulfide linkages. The synthesis of immunoreactive receptor occurred with a lag of 50 min and of functional receptor with a lag of 70 min, indicating a requirement for some post-translational event(s) for acquisition of immunoreactivity and binding activity. Maturation of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides was not the requisite modification, since endo-H sensitive or deglycosylated receptor bound to both antibody and to insoluble phosphomannan; however, much less immunoreactive and functional receptor was detected in the presence of tunicamycin. Immunoprecipitable [3H]leucine-labeled receptor was degraded with a t1/2 of 16 h and 6 h for cells in monolayers and suspension, respectively, whereas 32P was lost with a corresponding t1/2 of 2.3 and 4 h. A pool of cell surface mannose 6-phosphate receptor was identified by separation on Percoll gradients as well as by iodination of cells with 125I; receptor in this pool was resistant to endo-H and had a t1/2 similar to that of the total [3H]leucine-labeled receptor, even in the presence of a saturating concentration of ligand. During endocytosis, ligand (beta-galactosidase) and 125I-receptor separated, the ligand accumulating within lysosomes. These results are consistent with current concepts of recycling of the mannose 6-phosphate receptor.

Interferon treatment inhibits glycosylation of a viral protein.

Earlier, we reported a 30-200-fold reduction in the yield of infectious vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) released from L cells treated with 10-30 reference units ml-1 of interferon (IFN); however, in these cultures virus particle production, as measured by VSV particle-associated viral RNA, virus nucleocapsid protein and viral transcriptase, was inhibited less than 10-fold. There was biochemical and morphological evidence of a significant reduction in glycoprotein (G) and membrane protein (M) of VSV particles released from IFN-treated cells. We compare here the effects of tunicamycin (TM) and IFN in L cells. Treatment with TM or IFN reduced the production of infectious VSV particles, decreased the amount of G and M proteins in VSV released from treated cells, and inhibited an early step in the formation of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chains, the incorporation by membrane preparations from treated cells of N-acetylglucosamine into glycolipids with the properties of dolichol derivatives.