Mannosyl Transferase Research Articles

Candida albicans response regulator gene SSK1 regulates a subset of genes whose functions are associated with cell wall biosynthesis and adaptation to oxidative stress.

Ssk1p of Candida albicans is a putative response regulator protein of the Hog1 two-component signal transduction system. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the phosphorylation state of Ssk1p determines whether genes that promote the adaptation of cells to osmotic stress are activated. We have previously shown that C. albicans SSK1 does not complement the ssk1 mutant of S. cerevisiae and that the ssk1 mutant of C. albicans is not sensitive to sorbitol. In this study, we show that the C. albicans ssk1 mutant is sensitive to several oxidants, including hydrogen peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, menadione, and potassium superoxide when each is incorporated in yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) agar medium. We used DNA microarrays to identify genes whose regulation is affected by the ssk1 mutation. RNA from mutant cells (strain CSSK21) grown in YPD medium for 3 h at 30 degrees C was reverse transcribed and then compared with similarly prepared RNA from wild-type cells (CAF2). We observed seven genes from mutant cells that were consistently up regulated (three-fold or greater compared to CAF2). In S. cerevisiae, three (AHP1, HSP12, and PYC2) of the seven genes that were up regulated provide cells with an adaptation function in response to oxidative stress; another gene (GPH1) is regulated under stress conditions by Hog1p. Three other genes that are up regulated encode a cell surface protein (FLO1), a mannosyl transferase (MNN4-4), and a putative two-component histidine kinase (CHK1) that regulates cell wall biosynthesis in C. albicans. Of the down-regulated genes, ALS1 is a known cell adhesin in C. albicans. Verification of the microarray data was obtained by reverse transcription-PCR for HSP12, AHP1, CHK1, PYC2, GPH1, ALS1, MNN4-4, and FLO1. To further determine the function of Ssk1p in the Hog1p signal transduction pathway in C. albicans, we used Western blot analysis to measure phosphorylation of Hog1p in the ssk1 mutant of C. albicans when grown under either osmotic or oxidative stress. We observed that Hog1p was phosphorylated in the ssk1 mutant of C. albicans when grown in a hyperosmotic medium but was not phosphorylated in the ssk1 mutant when the latter was grown in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. These data indicate that C. albicans utilizes the Ssk1p response regulator protein to adapt cells to oxidative stress, while its role in the adaptation to osmotic stress is less certain. Further, SSK1 appears to have a regulatory function in some aspects of cell wall biosynthesis. Thus, the functions of C. albicans SSK1 differ from those of S. cerevisiae SSK1.

O-mannosylation precedes and potentially controls the N-glycosylation of a yeast cell wall glycoprotein.

Secretory proteins in yeast are N- and O-glycosylated while they enter the endoplasmic reticulum. N-glycosylation is initiated by the oligosaccharyl transferase complex and O-mannosylation is initiated by distinct O-mannosyltransferase complexes of the protein mannosyl transferase Pmt1/Pmt2 and Pmt4 families. Using covalently linked cell-wall protein 5 (Ccw5) as a model, we show that the Pmt4 and Pmt1/Pmt2 mannosyltransferases glycosylate different domains of the Ccw5 protein, thereby mannosylating several consecutive serine and threonine residues. In addition, it is shown that O-mannosylation by Pmt4 prevents N-glycosylation by blocking the hydroxy amino acid of the single N-glycosylation site present in Ccw5. These data prove that the O- and N-glycosylation machineries compete for Ccw5; therefore O-mannosylation by Pmt4 precedes N-glycosylation.

Relaxed Sugar Donor Selectivity of a Sinorhizobium meliloti Ortholog of the Rhizobium leguminosarumMannosyl Transferase LpcC: ROLE OF THE LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE CORE IN SYMBIOSIS OFRHIZOBIACEAE WITH PLANTS

The lpcC gene of Rhizobium leguminosarum and the lpsB gene of Sinorhizobium meliloti encode protein orthologs that are 58% identical over their entire lengths of about 350 amino acid residues. LpcC and LpsB are required for symbiosis with pea and Medicago plants, respectively. S. meliloti lpsB complements a mutant of R. leguminosarum defective in lpcC, but the converse does not occur. LpcC encodes a highly selective mannosyl transferase that utilizes GDP-mannose to glycosylate the inner 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) residue of the lipopolysaccharide precursor Kdo(2)-lipid IV(A). We now demonstrate that LpsB can also efficiently mannosylate the same acceptor substrate as does LpcC. Unexpectedly, however, the sugar nucleotide selectivity of LpsB is greatly relaxed compared with that of LpcC. Membranes of the wild-type S. meliloti strain 2011 catalyze the glycosylation of Kdo(2)-[4'-(32)P]lipid IV(A) at comparable rates using a diverse set of sugar nucleotides, including GDP-mannose, ADP-mannose, UDP-glucose, and ADP-glucose. This complex pattern of glycosylation is due entirely to LpsB, since membranes of the S. meliloti lpsB mutant 6963 do not glycosylate Kdo(2)-[4'-(32)P]lipid IV(A) in the presence of any of these sugar nucleotides. Expression of lpsB in E. coli using a T7lac promoter-driven construct results in the appearance of similar multiple glycosyl transferase activities seen in S. meliloti 2011 membranes. Constructs expressing lpcC display only mannosyl transferase activity. We conclude that LpsB, despite its high degree of similarity to LpcC, is a much more versatile glycosyltransferase, probably accounting for the inability of lpcC to complement S. meliloti lpsB mutants. Our findings have important implications for the regulation of core glycosylation in S. meliloti and other bacteria containing LpcC orthologs.

A Mannosyl Transferase Required for Lipopolysaccharide Inner Core Assembly in Rhizobium leguminosarum: PURIFICATION, SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY, AND EXPRESSION INSALMONELLA waaC MUTANTS

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core domain of Gram-negative bacteria plays an important role in outer membrane stability and host interactions. Little is known about the biochemical properties of the glycosyltransferases that assemble the LPS core. We now report the purification and characterization of the Rhizobium leguminosarum mannosyl transferase LpcC, which adds a mannose unit to the inner 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) moiety of the LPS precursor, Kdo(2)-lipid IV(A). LpcC containing an N-terminal His(6) tag was assayed using GDP-mannose as the donor and Kdo(2)-[4'-(32)P]lipid IV(A) as the acceptor and was purified to near homogeneity. Sequencing of the N terminus confirmed that the purified enzyme is the lpcC gene product. Mild acid hydrolysis of the glycolipid generated in vitro by pure LpcC showed that the mannosylation occurs on the inner Kdo residue of Kdo(2)-[4'-(32)P]lipid IV(A). A lipid acceptor substrate containing two Kdo moieties is required by LpcC, since no activity is seen with lipid IV(A) or Kdo-lipid IV(A). The purified enzyme can use GDP-mannose or, to a lesser extent, ADP-mannose (both of which have the alpha-anomeric configuration) for the glycosylation of Kdo(2)-[4'-(32)P]lipid IV(A). Little or no activity is seen with ADP-glucose, UDP-glucose, UDP-GlcNAc, or UDP-galactose. A Salmonella typhimurium waaC mutant, which lacks the enzyme for incorporating the inner l-glycero-d-manno-heptose moiety of LPS, regains LPS with O-antigen when complemented with lpcC. An Escherichia coli heptose-less waaC-waaF deletion mutant expressing the R. leguminosarum lpcC gene likewise generates a hybrid LPS species consisting of Kdo(2)-lipid A plus a single mannose residue. Our results demonstrate that heterologous lpcC expression can be used to modify the structure of the Salmonella and E. coli LPS cores in living cells.

Overexpression of GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae corrects defects in dolichol-linked saccharide formation and protein glycosylation

Thermosensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, affected in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) located glycosylation, i.e. in Dol-P-Man synthase ( dpm1), in β-1,4 mannosyl transferase ( alg1) and in α-1,3 mannosyltransferase ( alg2), were used to assess the role of GDP-Man availability for the synthesis of dolichol-linked saccharides. The mutants were transformed with the yeast gene MPG1 ( PSA1/ VIG9) encoding GDP-Man pyrophosphorylase catalyzing the final step of GDP-Man formation. We found that overexpression of MPG1 allows growth at non-permissive temperature and leads to an increase in the cellular content of GDP-Man. In the alg1 and alg2 mutants, complemented with MPG1 gene, N-glycosylation of invertase was in part restored, to a degree comparable to that of the wild-type control. In the dpm1 mutant, the glycosylation reactions that depend on the formation of Dol-P-Man, i.e. elongation of Man 5GlcNAc 2-PP-Dol, O-mannosylation of chitinase and synthesis of GPI anchor were normal when MPG1 was overexpressed. Our data indicate that an increased level of GDP-Man is able to correct defects in mannosylation reactions ascribed to the ER and to the Golgi.

Mutation in a calpain-like protease affects the posttranslational mannosylation of phosphatases in Aspergillus nidulans

In this communication, we show that the palB7 mutation drastically reduced the mannose and N-acetylgalactosamine content of the pacA-encoded acid phosphatase secreted by the fungus Aspergillus nidulans at pH 5.0, compared to a control strain. By using mRNA differential display reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction, we isolated two cDNAs from the control pabaA1 strain that were not detected in the palB7 mutant strain that encode a mannosyl transferase and a NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase. Thus, a defect in the posttranslational mannosylation of proteins could be the consequence of mutations in the palB gene, which encodes for a nuclear calpain-like protease that may have specific functions in the processing of transcription factor(s) similar to its homolog, RIM13, in Saccharomyces cereviseae.

An efficient assay for dolichyl phosphate–mannose: protein O-mannosyltransferase

A novel method for quantifying the reaction product from dolichyl phosphoryl mannose:polypeptide mannosyltransferase (protein mannosyl transferase; PMT), was developed. The assay quantifies the amount of radioactivity incorporated into the acceptor peptide YNPTSV from dolichyl phosphoryl [ 3H]mannose (Dol-P-Man). A novel delivery system, large unilamellar vesicles (LUV), composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), is used to keep the poorly soluble donor substrate, Dol-P-Man, in solution. The use of LUV allows generation of truly reproducible data and, as an additional benefit, also results in a more than 10 times increase in transfer efficiency. In contrast to the solvent extraction procedures commonly used in previously described PMT assays, the assay reaction product is separated from the radioactive donor substrate on C 18 cartridges. The use of C 18 cartridges allows generation of reproducible data with a low, consistent background and also produces a significant reduction in the time and labor needed for the product workup. In a reaction mixture consisting of 100 μ g POPC LUV, 9×10 5 cpm (approximately 15 pmol) Dol-P-Man, 100 nmol YNPTSV, and aproximately 4 μ g of crude yeast microsomal extract, time-dependent formation of glycosylated product obeys Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics throughout the course of the reaction—until exhaustion of the donor substrate. The linear initial rates of the reaction allowed calculation of an apparent K m of 1 mM, for the acceptor peptide YNPTSV. Variations in detergent concentration in the assay influence transfer efficiency, possibly through interference with the LUV-based donor substrate delivery system. Hence detergent concentrations should be kept constant.

Sugar-Coated Sensors

Budding yeasts have a rigid cell wall that the yeast must be able to remodel during vegetative growth and pheromone-induced morphogenesis. Wsc1 and Mid2 are cell surface transmembrane proteins with an O-glycosylated extracellular NH 2 -terminal domain and an intracellular COOH-terminus, which are proposed to serve as sensors for cell wall integrity. Philip and Levin showed that the cytoplasmic domains of Wsc1 and Mid2 were able to interact with Rom2 (a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rho1, which is crucial for cell wall remodeling) and that Wsc1 and Mid2 stimulated Rho1 activation (measured as loading of guanine triphosphate analog). The authors identified PMT2 , which encodes a protein mannosyl transferase, as a gene that yields an additive cell lysis defect in a wsc1 Δ background. Pmt2 was exclusively responsible for catalyzing the glycosylation of Mid2, and defective Mid2 glycosylation resulted in impaired Mid2 stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 in response to pheromone. Philip, B., and Levin, D.E. (2000) Wsc1 and Mid2 are cell surface sensors for cell wall integrity signaling that act through Rom2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rho1. Mol. Cell. Biol. 21 : 271-280. [Abstract] [Full Text]

Biosynthesis of Glycoproteins in Candida albicans: Activity of Mannosyl and Glucosyl Transferases

The enzymes dolichol phosphate glucose synthase and dolichol phosphate mannose synthase (DPMS), which catalyze essential steps in glycoprotein biosynthesis, were solubilized and partially characterized in Candida albicans. Sequential incubation of a mixed membrane fraction with increasing concentrations of Nonidet P-40 released a soluble fraction that transferred glucose from UDP-Glc to dolichol phosphate glucose and minor amounts of glucoproteins in the absence of exogenous dolichol phosphate. Studies with the soluble fraction revealed that some properties were different from those previously determined for the membrane-bound enzyme. Accordingly, the soluble enzyme exhibited a twofold higher affinity for UDP-Glc and a sixfold higher affinity over the competitive inhibitor UMP, and the transfer reaction was fourfold more sensitive to inhibition by amphomycin. On the other hand, a previously described protocol for the solubilization of mannosyl transferases that rendered a fraction exhibiting both DPMS and protein mannosyl transferase (PMT) activities operating in a functionally coupled reaction was modified by increasing the concentration of Nonidet P-40. This resulted in a solubilized preparation enriched with DPMS and nearly free of PMT activity which remained membrane bound. DPMS solubilized in this manner exhibited an absolute dependence on exogenous Dol-P. Uncoupling of these enzyme activities was a fundamental prerequisite for future individual analysis of these transferases.

Sequence analysis of two cosmids from the right arm of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe chromosome II.

We report the complete sequence of two cosmids, SPBC19C7 (34815 bp insert, Accession No. AL023859) and SPBC15D4 (33203 bp insert, Accession No. AL031349), localized on chromosome II of the S. pombe genome. Twelve open reading frames (ORFs) were identified in SPBC19C7 and 16 in SPBC5D4. Two known genes were found on each cosmid: cyr1 and uve1 on SPBC19C7, encoding adenylate cyclase and a UV-endonuclease, respectively, and gpt and pho2 on SPBC15D4, encoding an N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase and a4-nitrophenylphosphatase, respectively. Five ORFs similar to known proteins were found on SPBC19C7, and six on SPBC15D4. They include putative genes for a ubiquitin protein ligase, a prolyl-tRNA synthetase, a tRNA splicing endonuclease, a voltage-gated chloride channel, a mannosyl transferase, a kinesin-like protein, a histone transcriptional regulator, an N-acetyltransferase, a cystathionine gamma-synthase and a TFIID subunit. Two ORF products of SPBC15D4 do not have clear homologues: one encodes a putative transcriptional regulator with a binuclear zinc domain and the other a protein with six transmembrane domains. Two ORFs from SPBC15D4 are similar to unknown ORFs, one from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the other from Caenorhabditis elegans. Finally, two ORFs of SPBC19C7 and six of SPBC15D4 correspond to orphan genes. The frequent occurrence of introns and the short and degenerated intron-exon boundaries consensus sequences significantly complicated ORF predictions. Two potential ORF-free regions spanning several kb were predicted, and a clustering of ORFs transcribed in the same orientation was observed.

O-Glycosylation of Axl2/Bud10p by Pmt4p is required for its stability, localization, and function in daughter cells.

Cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae choose bud sites in a manner that is dependent upon cell type: a and alpha cells select axial sites; a/alpha cells utilize bipolar sites. Mutants specifically defective in axial budding were isolated from an alpha strain using pseudohyphal growth as an assay. We found that a and alpha mutants defective in the previously identified PMT4 gene exhibit unipolar, rather than axial budding: mother cells choose axial bud sites, but daughter cells do not. PMT4 encodes a protein mannosyl transferase (pmt) required for O-linked glycosylation of some secretory and cell surface proteins (Immervoll, T., M. Gentzsch, and W. Tanner. 1995. Yeast. 11:1345-1351). We demonstrate that Axl2/Bud10p, which is required for the axial budding pattern, is an O-linked glycoprotein and is incompletely glycosylated, unstable, and mislocalized in cells lacking PMT4. Overexpression of AXL2 can partially restore proper bud-site selection to pmt4 mutants. These data indicate that Axl2/Bud10p is glycosylated by Pmt4p and that O-linked glycosylation increases Axl2/ Bud10p activity in daughter cells, apparently by enhancing its stability and promoting its localization to the plasma membrane.

Dolichol phosphate is a rate-limiting factor in mannosyl transferase activity of adult male worms of Schistosoma mansoni.

The formation of mannolipid through catalysis by mannosyl transferase of adult females of Schistosoma mansoni was found to be 2-3-fold higher than male worms. In contrast, mannosyl transferase in immature females generated approximately the same amount of mannolipid as male worms, immature or not. Exogenous dolichol phosphate added to homogenates of male worms produced a stoichiometric increase in mannolipid formation. Saturating amounts of dolichol phosphate generated similar mannosyl transferase activities in male and female homogenates, showing that in S. mansoni, dolichol phosphate is the lipid intermediate in the glycosylation reaction and that this mannolipid is a rate-limiting substrate. Thin layer chromatography revealed that the mannolipid was identical in male and female worms. Adult males incubated with 14C-acetate synthesised several apolar compounds, one of which displayed a Rf identical to that of the mannolipid. When exposed to 14C-acetate treated males in vitro, untreated females were able to incorporate a compound, which partitioned in the same way as the mannolipid. The increased mannosyl transferase-dependent mannolipid formation in adult females may reflect a higher energy demand by these parasites, which is probably associated with oogenesis.

Molecular analysis of CaMnt1p, a mannosyl transferase important for adhesion and virulence of Candida albicans.

There is an immediate need for identification of new antifungal targets in opportunistic pathogenic fungi like Candida albicans. In the past, efforts have focused on synthesis of chitin and glucan, which confer mechanical strength and rigidity upon the cell wall. This paper describes the molecular analysis of CaMNT1, a gene involved in synthesis of mannoproteins, the third major class of macromolecule found in the cell wall. CaMNT1 encodes an alpha-1, 2-mannosyl transferase, which adds the second mannose residue in a tri-mannose oligosaccharide structure which represents O-linked mannan in C. albicans. The deduced amino acid sequence suggests that CaMnt1p is a type II membrane protein residing in a medial Golgi compartment. The absence of CaMnt1p reduced the ability of C. albicans cells to adhere to each other, to human buccal epithelial cells, and to rat vaginal epithelial cells. Both heterozygous and homozygous Camnt1 null mutants of C. albicans showed strong attenuation of virulence in guinea pig and mouse models of systemic candidosis, which, in guinea pigs, could be attributed to a decreased ability to reach and/or adhere internal organs. Therefore, correct CaMnt1p-mediated O-linked mannosylation of proteins is critical for adhesion and virulence of C. albicans.

Pmt1 mannosyl transferase is involved in cell wall incorporation of several proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We constructed hybrid proteins containing a plant alpha-galactosidase fused to various C-terminal moieties of the hypoxic Srp1p; this allowed us to identify a cell wall-bound form of Srp1p. We showed that the last 30 amino acids of Srp1p, but not the last 16, contain sufficient information to signal glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor attachment and subsequent cell wall anchorage. The cell wall-bound form was shown to be linked by means of a beta1,6-glucose-containing side-chain. Pmt1p enzyme is known as a protein-O-mannosyltransferase that initiates the O-glycosidic chains on proteins. We found that a pmt1 deletion mutant was highly sensitive to zymolyase and that in this strain the alpha-galactosidase-Srp1 fusion proteins, an alpha-galactosidase-Sed1 hybrid protein and an alpha-galactosidase-alpha-agglutinin hybrid protein were absent from both the membrane and the cell wall fractions. However, the plasma membrane protein Gas1p still receives its glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor in pmt1 cells, and in this mutant strain an alpha-galactosidase-Cwp2 fusion protein was found linked to the cell wall but devoid of beta1,6-glucan side-chain, indicating an alternative mechanism of cell wall anchorage.

Lipopolysaccharide dependence of cyanophage sensitivity and aerobic nitrogen fixation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.

Fox- mutants of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 are unable to fix dinitrogen in the presence of oxygen. A fragment of the DNA of Anabaena sp. was cloned by complementation of a spontaneous Fox-, cyanophage-resistant mutant, R56, and characterized. Random insertion of transposon Tn5 delimited the complementing DNA to a 0.6-kb portion of the cloned fragment. Sequencing of this region and flanking DNA showed one complete open reading frame (ORF) similar to the gene rfbP (undecaprenyl-phosphate galactosephosphotransferase) and two partial ORFs similar to genes rfbD (GDP-D-mannose dehydratase) and rfbZ (first mannosyl transferase), all of which are active in the synthesis of the O antigen unit of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. In a transposon (Tn5-1087b)-induced, Fox-, cyanophage-resistant mutant, B14, the transposon was found within the same rfbP-like ORF. The three ORFs were insertionally inactivated with the omega cassette (P. Prentki and H. M. Krisch, Gene 29:303-313, 1984) or with Tn5::omega. Only the insertions in the rfbZ- and rfbP-like ORFs led to resistance to cyanophages A-1(L) and A-4(L) and to a Fox- phenotype. Electrophoretic analysis showed that interruption of the rfbZ- and rfbP-like ORFs resulted in a change in or loss of the characteristic pattern of the lengths of the LPS, whereas interruption of the rfbD-like ORF merely changed the distribution of the lengths of the LPS to one with a greater prevalence of low molecular weights. According to electron microscopy, interruption of the rfbP-like ORF may have led to aberrant deposition of the layers of the heterocyst envelope, resulting in increased leakage of oxygen into the heterocyst. The results suggest that modified LPS may prevent cyanophage infection of Anabaena sp. vegetative cells and the formation of a functional heterocyst envelope.

Lipopolysaccharide Core Glycosylation in Rhizobium leguminosarum: AN UNUSUAL MANNOSYL TRANSFERASE RESEMBLING THE HEPTOSYL TRANSFERASE I OF ESCHERICHIA COLI

The lipopolysaccharide structure of the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum differs from that of Escherichia coli in several ways, one of which is the sugar composition of the core. The E. coli inner core consists of 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) and L-glycero-D-manno-heptose (heptose), while the inner core of R. leguminosarum contains 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo), mannose, galactose, and galacturonic acid. The two Kdo residues and their linkages appear to be identical in both species. The linkages of heptose in E. coli and of mannose in R. leguminosarum to Kdo are both alpha1-5. We now characterize a membrane-associated glycosyl transferase in R. leguminosarum extracts that incorporates mannose into nascent lipopolysaccharide, using Kdo2-lipid IVA as the acceptor and GDP-mannose (or synthetic ADP-mannose) as the donor. The mannosyl transferase is associated with the inner membrane. The apparent Km values for GDP-mannose and Kdo2-lipid IVA are 4.3 microM and 7.1 microM, respectively, in the presence of excess co-substrate. Extracts of E. coli do not catalyze GDP-mannose-dependent glycosylation of Kdo2-lipid IVA, but they are active when ADP-mannose is substituted for GDP-mannose. Given the structural similarity of ADP-mannose to ADP-heptose, we examined the possibility that heptosyl transferase I of E. coli (the product of the rfaC gene) catalyzes mannose transfer from ADP-mannose to Kdo2-lipid IVA. Extracts of E. coli mutants defective in the rfaC gene are unable carry out ADP-mannose-dependent glycosylation of Kdo2-lipid IVA. Plasmids bearing rfaC+ not only restore the missing activity but also direct its overexpression. Our assay using ADP-mannose as a substitute for ADP-heptose (which is not readily available) should facilitate the purification and characterization of heptosyl transferase I of E. coli. The GDP-mannose-dependent enzyme of R. leguminosarum may represent a functional equivalent of E. coli RfaC.

Stepwise assembly of the lipid-linked oligosaccharide in the endoplasmic reticulum of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: identification of the ALG9 gene encoding a putative mannosyl transferase.

The core oligosaccharide Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 is assembled at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum on the lipid carrier dolichyl pyrophosphate and transferred to selected asparagine residues of nascent polypeptide chains. This transfer is catalyzed by the oligosaccharyl transferase complex. Based on the synthetic phenotype of the oligosaccharyl transferase mutation wbp1 in combination with a deficiency in the assembly pathway of the oligosaccharide in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have identified the novel ALG9 gene. We conclude that this locus encodes a putative mannosyl transferase because deletion of the gene led to accumulation of lipid-linked Man6GlcNAc2 in vivo and to hypoglycosylation of secreted proteins. Using an approach combining genetic and biochemical techniques, we show that the assembly of the lipid-linked core oligosaccharide in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum occurs in a stepwise fashion.

Expression of the O9 polysaccharide of Escherichia coli: sequencing of the E. coli O9 rfb gene cluster, characterization of mannosyl transferases, and evidence for an ATP-binding cassette transport system.

The rfb gene cluster of Escherichia coli O9 directs the synthesis of the O9-specific polysaccharide which has the structure -->2-alpha-Man-(1-->2)-alpha-Man-(1-->2)-alpha-Man-(1-->3)-alpha- Man-(1-->. The E. coli O9 rfb cluster has been sequenced, and six genes, in addition to the previously described rfbK and rfbM, were identified. They correspond to six open reading frames (ORFs) encoding polypeptides of 261, 431, 708, 815, 381, and 274 amino acids. They are all transcribed in the counter direction to those of the his operon. No gene was found between rfb and his. A higher G+C content indicated that E. coli O9 rfb evolved independently of the rfb clusters from other E. coli strains and from Shigella and Salmonella spp. Deletion mutagenesis, in combination with analysis of the in vitro synthesis of the O9 mannan in membranes isolated from the mutants, showed that three genes (termed mtfA, -B, and -C, encoding polypeptides of 815, 381, and 274 amino acids, respectively) directed alpha-mannosyl transferases. MtfC (from ORF274), the first mannosyl transferase, transfers a mannose to the endogenous acceptor. It critically depended on a functional rfe gene (which directs the synthesis of the endogenous acceptor) and initiates the growth of the polysaccharide chain. MtfB (from ORF381) then transfers two mannoses into the 3 position of the previous mannose, and MtfA (from ORF815) transfers three mannoses into the 2 position. Further chain growth needs only the two transferases MtfA and MtfB. Thus, there are fewer transferases needed than the number of sugars in the repeating unit. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence of the ORF261 and ORF431 proteins indicated that they function as components of an ATP-binding cassette transport system. A possible correlation between the mechanism of polymerization and mode of membrane translocation of the products is discussed.

Modulation of mannosylphosphodolichol synthase and dolichol kinase activity in Trichoderma, related to protein secretion.

It has been postulated that exoprotein secretion in Trichoderma is related to their O-glycosylation. In the present paper the involvement of phosphodolichol in this process is described and the key role of mannosylphosphodolichol (MPD) synthase in protein O-mannosylation is discussed. The effect of water soluble phospholipid precursors such as choline and Tween 80, known also to increase secretion of cellulases when added to the medium, on MPD-synthase activity is presented. This effect is positive in the Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 (a low producing strain) but has no influence on the enzyme activity from the RUT C-30 strain selected to overproduce secretion of exoproteins and known to contain an increased cellular amount of endoplasmic reticulum. The positive effect of addition of choline and Tween to the medium on the level of dolichol kinase activity is also demonstrated. The influence of cultivation temperature on the activity of the various enzymes involved in dolichol-dependent protein glycosylation i.e. MPD-synthase, dolichyl kinase and MPD/Protein mannosyl transferase was tested. For all enzymes cultivation at 35 degrees C led to the elevated activity, which was most striking for dolichol kinase, whereas for MPD-synthase and MPD/Protein mannosyl transferase the difference was only apparent in the assay when endogenous phosphodolichol was used as a substrate. Furthermore, lipid extract from the membranes cultivated at elevated temperature, when added to the enzyme obtained from Trichoderma grown at 25 degrees C, enhanced the dolichol kinase activity measured in the absence of exogenous dolichol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of a lipid-linked core trisaccharide of N-linked glycoproteins

Two novel analogues of the mannosyl transferase acceptor substrate (GlcNAc)2-Pi-Pi-dolichyl 2 have been prepared in which dolichyl is replaced by phytanyl, 4, and lauryl, 5; both compounds 4 and 5 were synthesized using readily available chitin as the disaccharide precursor. Compound 4 acts as an efficient acceptor substrate for mannosyl transferases from porcine liver and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.