STI prevalence and associated factors among urban men in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the prevalence of selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among urban men in Pakistan and identify associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 2400 urban men aged 16-45 years was carried out in six cities of Pakistan. Respondents were selected through a multistage systematic sampling design. After obtaining informed consent a structured behavioural questionnaire was administered. Blood and urine samples were also collected and tested for HIV (ELISA), HSV-2 (ELISA) syphilis (RPR and TPHA), chlamydia (PCR) and gonorrhoea (PCR). RESULTS: Of the 2383 respondents whose results were received, 4.4% (n = 106) tested positive for at least one of the five STIs. The prevalence of the individual organisms was as follows: syphilis, 1.3%; HIV, 0.1%; HSV-2, 3.4%; gonorrhoea, 0.8% and chlamydia, no cases. City-wise, the highest prevalence was in Karachi (8.5%) followed by Lahore (5.3%), Faisalabad (4.0%) Quetta (4.3%), Rawalpindi (2.5%) and Peshawar (2.0%). At the univariate and multivariate level, older age, less schooling, and having more than four sexual partners were significantly associated with the presence of an STI. 92% of men who tested positive for any STI were asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: HIV prevalence in Pakistan remains low, however, the emergence of genital herpes is a matter of concern as it could lead to a future conduit for HIV spread. Health education messages should target less educated segments of society and specifically advocate safe sex practices and early diagnosis.

Delineation of the minimal catalytic domain of human Galbeta1-3GalNAc alpha2,3-sialyltransferase (hST3Gal I).

The CMP-Neu5Ac:Galbeta1-3GalNAc alpha2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3Gal I, EC 2.4.99.4) is a Golgi membrane-bound type II glycoprotein that catalyses the transfer of sialic acid residues to Galbeta1-3GalNAc disaccharide structures found on O-glycans and glycolipids. In order to gain further insight into the structure/function of this sialyltransferase, we studied protein expression, N-glycan processing and enzymatic activity upon transient expression in the COS-7 cell line of various constructs deleted in the N-terminal portion of the protein sequence. The expressed soluble polypeptides were detected within the cell and in the cell culture media using a specific hST3Gal I monoclonal antibody. The soluble forms of the protein consisting of amino acids 26-340 (hST3-Delta25) and 57-340 (hST3-Delta56) were efficiently secreted and active. In contrast, further deletion of the N-terminal region leading to hST3-Delta76 and hST3-Delta105 gave also rise to various polypeptides that were not active within the transfected cells and not secreted in the cell culture media. The kinetic parameters of the active secreted forms were determined and shown to be in close agreement with those of the recombinant enzyme already described (H. Kitagawa, J.C. Paulson, J. Biol. Chem. 269 (1994)). In addition, the present study demonstrates that the recombinant hST3Gal I polypeptides transiently expressed in COS-7 cells are glycosylated with complex and high mannose type glycans on each of the five potential N-glycosylation sites.

'Glyco-deglyco' processes during the synthesis of N-glycoproteins.

For the past 15 years, it has appeared increasingly evident that the N-glycosylation process was accompanied by the release of oligomannoside type oligosaccharides. This material is constituted of oligosaccharide-phosphates and of neutral oligosaccharides possessing one GlcNAc (OS-Gn1) or two GlcNAc (OS-Gn2) at the reducing end. It has been demonstrated that oligosaccharide-phosphates originated from the cleavage by a specific pyrophosphatase, of non-glycosylated cytosolic faced oligosaccharide-PP-Dol and chiefly the Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol. The Man5GlcNAc2-P, as the main product, is recovered in the cytosolic compartment and is further degraded to Man5GlcNAc1 by as for yet not depicted enzymes. In contrast, OS-Gn2 produced from hydrolysis of oligosaccharide-PP-Dol (presumably as a transfer reaction onto water) when the amount of protein acceptor is limiting, are generated into the lumen of rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER). They are further submitted to processing alpha-glucosidases and rough ER mannosidase and are (mainly as Man8GlcNAc2) exported into the cytosolic compartment. This material is further degraded into a single component, the Man5GlcNAc1: Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-3 (Man alpha 1-6)Man beta 1-4GlcNAc by the sequential action of a cytosolic neutral chitobiase followed by cytosolic mannosidase. Furthermore, OS-Gn1 could have a dual origin: on the one hand, they originate from OS-Gn2 by the cytosolic degradation pathway indicated above; on the other hand, we will discuss a possible origin from the degradation or remodeling of newly synthesized glycoproteins. Considered first as a minor phenomenon, these observations have lead to the concept of intracellular oligomannoside trafficking, a process which results from more fundamental phenomena such as the control of the dolichol cycle, and the so-called quality-control of glycoprotein. In this review, we would like to describe the evolution of ideas on the origin, intracellular trafficking and putative roles of these oligomannosides released during the N-glycosylation process. We propose that these early stage 'glyco-deglyco' processes represent a way of control of N-glycosylation and of the fate of N-glycoproteins.

Serum-stimulated cell cycle entry promotes ncOGT synthesis required for cyclin D expression.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is a unique and universally expressed enzyme catalyzing O-GlcNAcylation of thousands of proteins. Although OGT interferes with many crucial intracellular processes, including cell cycle, only few studies have focused on elucidating the precise role of the glycosyltransferase during cell cycle entry. We first demonstrated that starved MCF7 cells reincubated with serum quickly induced a significant OGT increase concomitantly to activation of PI3K and MAPK pathways. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments performed upon serum stimulation showed a progressive interaction between OGT and ß-catenin, a major factor in the regulation of cell cycle. OGT expression was also observed in starved HeLa cells reincubated with serum. In these cells, the O-GlcNAcylation status of the ß-catenin-2XFLAG was increased following stimulation. Moreover, ß-catenin-2XFLAG was heavily O-GlcNAcylated in exponentially proliferating HeLa cells when compared to confluent cells. Furthermore, blocking OGT activity using the potent inhibitor Ac-5SGlcNAc prevented serum-stimulated cyclin D1 synthesis and slightly delayed cell proliferation. At last, interfering with OGT expression (siOGT) blocked cyclin D1 expression and decreased PI3K and MAPK activation. Together, our data indicate that expression and catalytic activity of OGT are necessary and essential for G0/G1 transition.

Effect of cell attachment and growth on the synthesis and fate of dolichol-linked oligosaccharides in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The inhibition of cellular processes in suspended anchorage-dependent Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines and their restoration upon attachment to a solid substrate has been used as a model to study the relationship between oligosaccharide-diphospho-dolichols and their metabolic products (glycoprotein and soluble oligosaccharide material, i.e. oligosaccharide phosphates and neutral oligosaccharides). Using metabolic labelling we demonstrated that suspended cells have a low incorporation rate into lipid intermediates and into glycoproteins. The oligosaccharide-lipid populations are mainly glucosylated and the neutral oligosaccharides have exclusively a chitobiosyl residue at their reducing end. In contrast, monolayer cells exhibit a high incorporation rate into lipid intermediates with a pattern dominated by two species containing either two or five mannose residues, and into glycoproteins with a pattern similar to the one observed for suspended cells (i.e. glucosylated species). In monolayer cells the neutral oligosaccharides possess either one or two GlcNAc residues at their reducing end. The variations in the nature and in the quantity of soluble oligosaccharide material as a function of the cell density reflects regulatory points in the synthesis of N-glycosyl proteins. The first regulatory point could be the control of the quantity of non-glucosylated oligosaccharide-lipids to be channelled toward the glucosylated lipid-donor pool. The level of this donor pool being constant, the oligosaccharide-transferase could utilize oligosaccharide-lipid donors at a constant rate by two different reactions: either transfer onto protein when acceptors are available, or transfer onto water generating neutral oligosaccharides possessing two GlcNAc residues at the reducing end. Another regulatory point would be the degradation of a part of neoglycoproteins leading to the release of neutral oligosaccharides possessing one GlcNAc residue at the reducing end.

Reciprocal relationship between alpha1,2 mannosidase processing and reglucosylation in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of Man-P-Dol deficient cells.

The study of the glycosylation pathway of a mannosylphosphoryldolichol-deficient CHO mutant cell line (B3F7) reveals that truncated Glc(0-3)Man5GlcNAc2 oligosaccharides are transferred onto nascent proteins. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that these newly synthesized glycoproteins are retained in intracellular compartments and converted to Man4GlcNAc2 species. In this paper, we demonstrate that the alpha1,2 mannosidase, which is involved in the processing of Man5GlcNAc2 into Man4GlcNAc2, is located in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The enzyme was shown to be inhibited by kifunensine and deoxymannojirimycin, indicating that it is a class I mannosidase. In addition, Man4GlcNAc2 species were produced at the expense of Glc1Man5GlcNAc2 species. Thus, the trimming of Man5GlcNAc2 to Man4GlcNAc2, which is catalyzed by this mannosidase, could be involved in the control of the glucose-dependent folding pathway.

Use of inhibitors to characterize intermediates in the processing of N-glycans synthesized by insect cells: a metabolic study with Sf9 cell line.

The most frequent type of N-glycan synthesized by lepidopteran Sf9 cells appears to be fucosylated Man3GlcNAc2,and this has been a limitation for a large scale production and utilization of therapeutic glycoproteins in cultured insect cells. The current knowledge of the protein glycosylation pathway derived from structural studies on recombinant glyco-proteins expressed by using baculovirus vectors. In this work we provide more direct evidence for the sequential events occurring in the processing of endogenous N-glycoproteins of noninfected Sf9 cells. By metabolic labeling with radioactive mannose, we characterized the glycan structures which accumulated in the presence of processing inhibitors (castanospermine and swainsonine) and in the presence of an intracellular trafficking inhibitor (monensin). We thus demonstrated that from the glycan precursor Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 to GlcNAcMan5(Fuc)GlcNAc2 intermediate, the processing pathway in Sf9 cells paralleled the one demonstrated in mammalian cells. By using monensin, we demonstrated the formation of Man3(Fuc)GlcNAc2 from GlcNAcMan3(Fuc)GlcNAc2, a reaction which has not been described in mammalian cells. Our results support the idea that the hexosaminidase activity is of physiological relevance to the glycosylation pathway and is Golgi located.

Release of oligomannoside-type glycans as a marker of the degradation of newly synthesized glycoproteins.

The N-glycosylation of proteins is accompanied by the release of soluble oligosaccharide material. Besides oligosaccharide phosphates originating from the cleavage of lipid intermediates, neutral free oligosaccharides represent the major part of this material and are heterogeneous depending on whether the reducing end has one or two N-acetylglucosamine residues. The present study focuses on the intracellular origin of neutral free oligosaccharides in a CHO cell line. Kinetic and pulse-chase experiments clearly indicate that oligosaccharides possessing a chitobiosyl unit are derived from oligosaccharide pyrophosphodolichol, whereas oligosaccharides possessing one N-acetyl-glucosamine residue are derived from newly synthesized glycoprotein. This relationship is confirmed by comparing the glycosylation pattern of lipid donors and glycoproteins with those of neutral free oligosaccharides under various incubation conditions (inhibition of protein synthesis, presence of processing inhibitors, presence or absence of glucose). Degradation of newly synthesized glycoprotein and formation of neutral oligosaccharides with one N-acetylglucosamine residue are inhibited at 16 degrees C but not affected by lysosomotropic agents such as leupeptin or NH4Cl. Together with the fact that the degradation of newly synthesized glycoproteins and the subsequent release of the glycan are recovered in permeabilized cells, these results suggest that this phenomenon occurs in the rough endoplasmic reticulum or in a closely related compartment.

N-glycan structure of a short-lived variant of ribophorin I expressed in the MadIA214 glycosylation-defective cell line reveals the role of a mannosidase that is not ER mannosidase I in the process of glycoprotein degradation.

A soluble form of ribophorin I (RI(332)) is rapidly degraded in Hela and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by a cytosolic proteasomal pathway, and the N-linked glycan present on the protein may play an important role in this process. Specifically, it has been suggested that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) mannosidase I could trigger the targeting of improperly folded glycoproteins to degradation. We used a CHO-derived glycosylation-defective cell line, MadIA214, for investigating the role of mannosidase(s) as a signal for glycoprotein degradation. Glycoproteins in MadIA214 cells carry truncated Glc(1)Man(5)GlcNAc(2) N-glycans. This oligomannoside structure interferes with protein maturation and folding, leading to an alteration of the ER morphology and the detection of high levels of soluble oligomannoside species caused by glycoprotein degradation. An HA-epitope-tagged soluble variant of ribophorin I (RI(332)-3HA) expressed in MadIA214 cells was rapidly degraded, comparable to control cells with the complete Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2) N-glycan. ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of RI(332)-3HA was also proteasome-mediated in MadIA214 cells, as demonstrated by inhibition of RI(332)-3HA degradation with agents specifically blocking proteasomal activities. Two inhibitors of alpha1,2-mannosidase activity also stabilized RI(332)-3HA in the glycosylation-defective cell line. This is striking, because the major mannosidase activity in the ER is the one of mannosidase I, specific for a mannose alpha1,2-linkage that is absent from the truncated Man(5) structure. Interestingly, though the Man(5) derivative was present in large amounts in the total protein pool, the two major species linked to RI(332)-3HA shortly after synthesis consisted of Glc(1)Man(5 )and Man(4), being replaced by Man(4 )and Man(3) when proteasomal degradation was inhibited. In contrast, the untrimmed intermediate of RI(332)-3HA was detected in mutant cells treated with mannosidase inhibitors. Our results unambiguously demonstrate that an alpha1,2-mannosidase that is not ER mannosidase I is involved in ERAD of RI(332-)3HA in the glycosylation-defective cell line, MadIA214.

Occurrence of a cytosolic neutral chitobiase activity involved in oligomannoside degradation: a study with Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells.

Neutral oligomannosides possessing one GlcNAc (OS-Gn1) and two GlcNAc (Os-Gn2) at the reducing end have been reported to be released during the N-glycosylation process in various biological models. To investigate which enzyme is responsible for OS-Gn1 formation, we used the Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cell line which exhibits neither lysosomal chitobiase nor endoglucosaminidase activities. However, these cells produced OS-Gn1 and we showed that a neutral chitobiase is responsible for the transformation of OS-Gn2 into OS-Gn1. Using streptolysin O-permeabilized MDBK cells, we demonstrated that this neutral chitobiase activity is located in the cytosolic compartment and is active on oligomannoside species released during the N-glycosylation process.

Cytosolic deglycosylation process of newly synthesized glycoproteins generates oligomannosides possessing one GlcNAc residue at the reducing end.

Recent studies on the mechanism of degradation of newly synthesized glycoproteins suggest the involvement of a retrotranslocation of the glycoprotein from the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol, where a deglycosylation process takes place. In the studies reported here, we used a glycosylation mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells that does not synthesize mannosylphosphoryldolichol and has an increased level of soluble oligomannosides originating from glycoprotein degradation. In the presence of anisomycin, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, we observed an accumulation of glucosylated oligosaccharide-lipid donors (Glc3Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol), which are the precursors of the soluble neutral oligosaccharide material. Inhibition of rough endoplasmic reticulum glucosidase(s) by castanospermine led to the formation of Glc3Man5GlcNAc2(OSGn2) (in which OSGn2 is an oligomannoside possessing two GlcNAc residues at its reducing end), which was then retained in the lumen of intracellular vesicles. Thus they were protected during an 8 h chase period from the action of cytosolic chitobiase, which is responsible for the conversion of OSGn2 to oligomannosides possessing one GlcNAc residue at the reducing end (OSGn1). In contrast, when protein synthesis was maintained in the presence of castanospermine, glucosylated oligomannosides (Glc1-3Man5GlcNAc1) were recovered in cytosol. Except for monoglucosylated Man5 species, which are potential substrates for luminal calnexin and calreticulin, the pattern of oligomannosides was similar to that observed on glycoproteins. The occurrence in the cytosol of glucosylated species with one GlcNAc residue at the reducing end implies that the deglycosylation process that generates glucosylated OSGn1 from glycoproteins occurs in the cytosol.

Expression of a membrane-bound form of Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase in baculovirus-infected insect cells: a potential tool for sialylation of glycoproteins produced in the baculovirus-insect cells system.

A chimeric protein containing the catalytic domain of Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase, the transmembrane domain of the major envelope glycoprotein of the baculovirus (gp67), and the signal peptide of ecdysteroid glucosyltransferase of the baculovirus was expressed under the control of the very late promoter p10 in baculovirus-infected lepidopteran cells. The recombinant protein was found to be enzymatically active. Three days after infection, equal amounts of activity were found associated to the plasma membrane and in the infection medium, both forms having the same apparent molecular weight and being N-glycosylated. When exogenous galactosylated acceptors (lactose or asialo-alpha1-acid glycoprotein) were added in the culture medium of cells infected with the recombinant baculovirus in the presence of a sialylated donor, a sialylation could be observed. Therefore, we propose the use of trans-sialidase as a potential tool for sialylation of glycoconjugates in the baculovirus-insect cells system.

Oligomannosides or oligosaccharide-lipids as potential substrates for rat liver cytosolic alpha-D-mannosidase.

We have previously reported the substrate specificity of the cytosolic alpha-D-mannosidase purified from rat liver using Man9GlcNAc, i.e. Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-3(Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-6)Man alpha 1-6(Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-3) Man beta 1-4G1cNAc, as substrate [Grard, Saint-Pol, Haeuw, Alonso, Wieruszeski, Strecker and Michalski (1994) Eur. J. Biochem. 223, 99-106]. Man9 G1cNAc is hydrolysed giving Man5GlcNAc, i.e. Man alpha 1-2 Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-3(Man alpha 1-6)Man beta 1-4GlcNAc, possessing the same structure as the oligosaccharide of the dolichol pathway formed in the cytosolic compartment during the biosynthesis of N-glycosylprotein glycans. We study here the activity of the purified cytosolic alpha-D-mannosidase towards the oligosaccharide-diphosphodolichol intermediates formed during the biosynthesis of N-glycans, and also towards soluble oligosaccharides released from the endoplasmic reticulum which are glucosylated or not and possessing at their reducing end either a single N-acetylglucosamine residue or a di-N-acetylchitobiose sequence. We demonstrate that (1) dolichol pyrophosphate oligosaccharide substrates are poorly hydrolysed by the cytosolic alpha-D-mannosidase; (2) oligosaccharides with a terminal reducing di-N-acetylchitobiose sequence are not hydrolysed at all; (3) soluble oligosaccharides bearing a single reducing N-acetylglucosamine are the real substrates for the enzyme. These results suggest a role for alpha-D-mannosidase in the catabolism of glycans released from the endoplasmic reticulum rather than in the regulation of the biosynthesis of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides.

Catabolism of glycan moieties of lipid intermediates leads to a single Man5GlcNAc oligosaccharide isomer: a study with permeabilized CHO cells.

This paper presents kinetic and structural analyses of oligosaccharide material released during glycosylation in permeabilized Chinese hamster ovary cells incubated with sugar nucleotides. Permeabilized cells released 30 times more oligosaccharide material than metabolically labelled cells, normalized to the amount of labelled glycoprotein acceptor, making this an amenable system for study. Fifteen to forty per cent of the oligosaccharide material released by permeabilized cells was oligosaccharide-phosphate, depending on the nature and amount of the oligosaccharide-lipids synthesized. The oligosaccharide-phosphates released were recovered in the cytosol, and were exclusively Man2Glc-NAc2P and Man5GlcNAc2P, released from oligosaccharide-lipids thought to be facing the cytosol. In contrast, the structures found as neutral oligosaccharide material were similar to those attached to newly synthesized glycoproteins, indicating that the oligosaccharides were subjected to the same processing enzymes whether or not they were protein bound. Importantly, the kinetics of the transfer to protein and the release of free neutral oligosaccharide were parallel, suggesting that the same enzyme was responsible for both processes. Structural analyses demonstrated that the same Man5GlcNAc2 structure was transferred to protein and released as free oligosaccharide. Neutral oligosaccharides were found in both the cytosol and the pellet; however, oligosaccharides with one GlcNAc residue at the reducing end (OS-Gn1) were found exclusively in the supernate. The major neutral oligosaccharide produced after 2 h of metabolic labelling was Man5GlcNAc and it was found in the cytosol.