A candidate mammalian glycoinositol phospholipid precursor containing three phosphoethanolamines.

The glycoinositol phospholipid (GPI) anchors of mammalian proteins contain linear ethanolamine (EthN)-P-6ManManManGlcN glycan sequences that bear additional EthN-P substituents and in some cases include a fourth Man and a GalNAc or sialic acid-GalGalNAc. Precursors of these anchoring structures are preassembled in the endoplasmic reticulum by sequential glycosylation of inositol phospholipid. In previous studies (Hirose, S., Prince, G. M, Sevlever, D., Ravi, L., Rosenberry, T. L., Ueda, E., and Medof, M. E. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 16968-16974), a series of putative intermediates of this assembly process were isolated from human HeLa cells and murine lymphomas, and several of the more polar products were found to contain a second EthN-P attached to the Man residue (Man 1) proximal to GlcN. In this study, the most polar HeLa cell GPI species was purified by normal phase HeLa cell GPI species was purified by normal phase Iatrobead high performance liquid chromatography, and its glycan was characterized. Dionex anion exchange chromatographic analyses of fragments produced by nitrous acid deamination, hydrofluoric acid dephosphorylation, and trifluoroacetic acid hydrolysis in conjunction with biosynthetic labeling studies indicated a structure containing a third EthN-P substituent linked to the 6-position of Man 2. The polar GPI product exhibited a ManManManGlcN core lacking additional Man or GalNAc. The implications of the identification of this triply phosphoethanolamine-substituted species to mammalian GPI anchor biosynthesis are discussed.

Mannosylation of endogenous and exogenous phosphatidic acid by liver microsomal membranes. Formation of phosphatidylmannose.

Hamster liver post-nuclear membranes catalyze the transfer of mannose from GDP-mannose to endogenous dolichyl phosphate and to a second major endogenous acidic lipid. This mannolipid was believed to be synthesized from endogenous retinyl phosphate and was tentatively identified as retinyl phosphate mannose (Ret-P-Man) (De Luca, L. M., Brugh, M. R. Silverman-Jones, C. S. and Shidoji, Y. (1982) Biochem. J. 208, 159-170). To characterize this endogenous mannolipid in more detail, we isolated and purified the mannolipid from incubations containing hamster liver membranes and GDP-[14C]mannose and compared its properties to those of authentic Ret-P-Man. We found that the endogenous mannolipid was separable from authentic Ret-P-Man on a Mono Q anion exchange column, did not exhibit the absorbance spectrum characteristic of a retinol moiety, and was stable to mild acid under conditions which cleave authentic Ret-P-Man. The endogenous mannolipid was sensitive to mild base hydrolysis and mannose was released from the mannolipid by snake venom phosphodiesterase digestion. These properties were consistent with the endogenous acceptor being phosphatidic acid. Addition of exogenous phosphatidic acid, but not phospholipids with a head group blocking the phosphate moiety, to incubations containing hamster liver membranes and GDP-[14C]mannose resulted in the synthesis of a mannolipid with chromatographic and physical properties identical to the endogenous mannolipid. A double-labeled mannolipid was synthesized in incubations containing hamster liver membranes, GDP-[14C]mannose, and [3H]phosphatidic acid. Mannosyl transfer to exogenous phosphatidic acid was saturable with increasing concentrations of phosphatidic acid and GDP-mannose and specific for glycosyl transfer from GDP-mannose. Class E Thy-1-negative mutant mouse lymphoma cell membranes, which are defective in dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis, also fail to transfer mannose from GDP-mannose to exogenous phosphatidic acid or retinyl phosphate. Amphomycin, an inhibitor of dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis, blocked mannosyl transfer to the endogenous lipid, and to exogenous retinyl phosphate and phosphatidic acid. We conclude that the same mannosyltransferase responsible for dolichyl phosphate mannose synthesis can also utilize in vitro exogenous retinyl phosphate and phosphatidic acid as well as endogenous phosphatidic acid as mannosyl acceptors.

Characterization of a mannosyl-lipid compound of microsomal fractions of rat pancreas and influence of diet.

1. High-starch diet induces an activation of rat pancreatic microsomal mannosyl-transferase activity as compared with a standard diet or a high-fat diet. 2. This increase is found in a mannose-containing lipid which is identified as a dolichyl-phosphoryl-mannose on the criteria of DEAE-cellulose chromatography, alkaline and acid hydrolysis, thin-layer chromatography and identity of this endogenous product with the [14C]mannose-containing product synthesized in presence of exogenous dolichyl-monophosphate added to the incubation medium. 3. Kinetic parameters (Km and Vmax) of the enzyme versus polyprenic acceptor are not modified by the diet. 4. The results indicate that the activation of the mannose transfer is principally due to an increase of the polyprenic endogenous acceptor by the high-starch diet.