Carbohydrate recognition site of interleukin-2 in relation to cell proliferation.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a cytokine with important roles in the immune system. IL-2 initially binds a high mannose-type glycan and a specific peptide sequence of the IL-2 receptor alpha-subunit and sequentially forms a high affinity complex of IL-2.IL-2 receptor alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits. This formation induces cellular signaling and cell proliferation (Fukushima, K., and Yamashita, K. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 7351-7356). To determine the carbohydrate-binding site of IL-2, we prepared wild-type and point-mutated (35)S-IL-2 by an in vitro transcription and translation method. We found that wild-type (35)S-IL-2 tends to form a dimer spontaneously, and the dimeric form has both carbohydrate recognition activity and cell proliferation activity. Moreover, substitution of Asn-26 in IL-2 with Gln or Asp conserved the dimeric form and affected the carbohydrate recognition activities in correspondence with the cell proliferation activities, suggesting that Asn-26 in IL-2 is involved in the carbohydrate recognition site. These results suggest that the carbohydrate recognition of IL-2 dimer triggers formation of high affinity complex (IL-2.IL-2Ralpha, -beta, -gamma)(2), and the hetero-octamer stimulates IL-2-dependent T-cell proliferation by intensifying cellular signaling.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human galactose 3-O-sulfotransferase that transfers sulfate to gal beta 1-->3galNAc residue in O-glycans.

We have identified a novel galactose 3-O-sulfotransferase, termed Gal3ST-4, by analysis of an expression sequence tag using the amino acid sequence of human cerebroside 3'-sulfotransferase (Gal3ST-1). The isolated cDNA contains a single open reading frame coding for a protein of 486 amino acids with a type II transmembrane topology. The amino acid sequence of Gal3ST-4 revealed 33%, 39%, and 30% identity to human Gal3ST-1, Gal beta 1-->3/4GlcNAc:-->3'-sulfotransferase (Gal3ST-2) and Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc:-->3'-sulfotransferase (Gal3ST-3), respectively. The Gal3ST-4 gene comprised at least four exons and was located on human chromosome 7q22. Expression of Gal3ST-4 in COS-7 cells produced a sulfotransferase activity that catalyzes the transfer of [(35)S]sulfate to the C-3' position of Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc alpha 1-O-Bn. Gal3ST-4 recognizes Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc and Gal beta 1-->3(GlcNAc beta 1-->6)GalNAc as good substrates, but not Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc(OH) or Gal beta 1-->3/4GlcNAc. Asialofetuin is also a good substrate, and the sulfation was found exclusively in O-linked glycans that consist of the Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc moiety, suggesting that the enzyme is specific for O-linked glycans. Northern blot analysis revealed that 2.5-kilobase mRNA for the enzyme is expressed extensively in various tissues. These results suggest that Gal3ST-4 is the fourth member of a Gal:-->3-sulfotransferase family and that the four members, Gal3ST-1, Gal3ST-2, Gal3ST-3, and Gal3ST-4, are responsible for sulfation of different acceptor substrates.

Intracellular lectins associated with N-linked glycoprotein traffic.

The vectorial intracellular transport of N-glycan-linked glycoproteins is indispensable for biological functions. In order to sort these glycoproteins to the correct destination, animal intracellular lectins play important roles as sorting receptors. The roles of such lectins in the biosynthetic pathway from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cell surface are addressed in this review. Calnexin and calreticulin function via specific carbohydrates in quality control of newly synthesized glycoproteins in the ER, and ERGIC-53 seems to function in the transport of glycoproteins from ER to the Golgi complex. In addition to the well-understood role of mannose 6-phosphate receptor in lysosomal protein sorting, the vesicular integral protein of 36 kDa (VIP36) functions as a sorting receptor by recognizing high-mannose type glycans containing alpha1-->2Man residues for transport from Golgi to the cell surface in polarized epithelial cells.

Vesicular-integral membrane protein, VIP36, recognizes high-mannose type glycans containing alpha1-->2 mannosyl residues in MDCK cells.

The 36 kDa vesicular-integral membrane protein, VIP36, has been originally isolated from MDCK cells as a component of glycolipid-enriched detergent-insoluble complexes containing apical marker proteins, and its luminal domain shows homology to leguminous plant lectins and ERGIC-53. As the first step to identify the functional role of VIP36, the carbohydrate binding specificity of VIP36 was investigated using a fusion protein of glutathione- S -transferase and luminal domain of VIP36 (Vip36). It was found that VIP36 recognizes high-mannose type glycans containing alpha1-->2 Man residues and alpha-amino substituted asparagine. The binding of Vip36 to high-mannose type glycans was independent of Ca(2+)and theoptimal condition was pH 6.0 at 37 degrees C. The concentration at which half inhibition of the binding by Man(7-9).GlcNAc(2). N Ac. Asn occurred was 1.0 x 10(-9)M. The association constant between Man(7-9).GlcNAc(2)in porcine thyroglobulin and immobilized Vip36 was 2.1 x 10(8)M(-1)as determined by means of a biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance. These results indicate that VIP36 functions as an intracellular lectin recognizing glycoproteins which possess high-mannose type glycans, (Manalpha1-->2)(2-4).Man(5). GlcNAc(2).

Elevation of alpha2-->6 sialyltransferase and alpha1-->2 fucosyltransferase activities in human choriocarcinoma.

Structures of N-linked sugar chains are species and tissue specific and change in the course of tumorigenesis. Sialyl linkages of human placental glycoproteins are exclusively Neu5Ac alpha2-->3Gal, whereas Fuc alpha1-->2Gal and Neu5Ac alpha2-->6Gal residues are expressed in human chorionic gonadotropin and alkaline phosphatase, which are produced in human choriocarcinoma JEG-3 and BeWo cells. In the present study, to elucidate the enzymological and molecular biological basis of the structural changes that occur in the course of tumorigenesis, alpha1-->2 fucosyltransferase, alpha2-->3 and alpha2-->6 sialyltransferase activities, and the expression levels of the corresponding mRNAs were measured. The alpha2-->3 sialyltransferase activity did not change as a result of tumorigenesis; however, the alpha2-->6 siayltransferase activity and alpha1-->2 fucosyltransferase activity in JEG-3 and BeWo cells increased to levels several times higher than those in placenta Competitive PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of mRNA encoding alpha1-->2 fucosyltransferase and mRNA encoding alpha2-->6 sialyltransferase increased significantly as a result of tumorigenesis, indicating that such structural changes are regulated at the level of transcription of these glycosyltransferase genes.

Identification and characterization of N-acetylglucosamine-6-O-sulfate-specific beta1,4-galactosyltransferase in human colorectal mucosa.

6-Sulfo-sialyl Lewis X structure is attributable to recognition between lymphocytes and high endothelial venules. However, the biosynthetic pathway still remains unclear. We found that a beta-galactosyltransferase (betaGalT) in human colorectal mucosa preferentially acts on GlcNAc-6-O-sulfate (6S-GN). 6S-GN:beta4GalT was partially purified by UDP-hexanolamine-Sepharose and asialo-agalacto-ovomucin-Sepharose chromatographies. The optimum pH of this enzyme was found to be 6.5-7.5 and the Michaelis constants for 6S-GN and UDP-Gal were 0.43 mM and 16 microM, respectively. The enzymatic activity was dependent on divalent cations and the substrate specificity was not affected by alpha-lactalbumin. This is the first demonstration of the occurrence of 6S-GN:beta4GalT.

Lectin-like characteristics of recombinant human interleukin-1beta recognizing glycans of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor.

We found that 35S-labeled recombinant human interleukin-1beta (rhIL-1beta) binds phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C-treated human placental alkaline phosphatase, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C-treated trypanosome surface variant glycoproteins, and urinary uromodulin immobilized on plates or immobilized on CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B. The interaction between rhIL-1beta and these glycoproteins was lectin-like, since it was inhibited in the presence of specific saccharides, i.e. mannose 6-phosphate or synthetic Ac-NH.CH2.CH2. PO4--->6Manalpha1-->(+/-2Manalpha1-->+/-6Manalpha1-->) propyl at about 1 microM. On the other hand, a wide variety of compounds including biantennary sugar chains derived from these glycoproteins as well as ethanolamine phosphate, inositol phosphate, mannose 6-sulfate, mannose 1-phosphate, glucose 6-phosphate, and mannitol 6-phosphate did not show any inhibitory effect at concentrations up to 1 mM. These results indicate that rhIL-1beta interacts with these glycoproteins via the mannose 6-phosphate diester of glycans on the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Furthermore, when monolayers of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells on polycarbonate filter membranes were incubated with 35S-rhIL-1beta in either the apical or basolateral chamber, 35S-interleukin-1beta was found to bind specifically to the apical membranes with a Ka value of 4.6 x 10(7) M-1, and the specific interaction was inhibited by 1 microM mannose 6-phosphate. Since the mannose 6-phosphate diester moiety exists only in the GPI glycans on plasma membranes, it was evident that interleukin-1beta can directly interact with the mannose 6-phosphate diester component of the intact glycan of GPI anchors on plasma membranes.

A partial deficiency of dehydrodolichol reduction is a cause of carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome type I.

Carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein (CDG) syndrome type I is a congenital disorder that involves the underglycosylation of N-glycosylated glycoproteins (Yamashita, K., Ideo, H., Ohkura, T., Fukushima, K., Yuasa, I., Ohno, K., and Takeshita, K. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 5783-5789). In an effort to further elucidate the biochemical basis of CDG syndrome type I in our patients, we investigated the defect in the multi-step pathway for biosynthesis of lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLO) by the metabolic labeling method using [3H]glucosamine, [3H]mannose, and [3H]mevalonate. The LLO levels in synchronized cultures of fibroblasts from these patients were severalfold lower than those in control fibroblasts in the S phase, and the oligosaccharides released from LLO showed the same structural composition, Glc1 approximately 3.Man9.GlcNAc.GlcNAc, in the case of both the patients and controls. The amount of [3H]mannose incorporated into mannose 6-phosphate, mannose 1-phosphate, and GDP-mannose was greater in fibroblasts from these patients than in the control fibroblasts in the G1 period, although the ratios of these acidic mannose derivatives as indicated by the relative levels of radioactivity were the same for the two types of fibroblasts. Furthermore, upon metabolic labeling with [3H]mevalonate, the level of [3H]dehydrodolichol in fibroblasts from these patients increased in the S phase, and the levels of [3H]dolichol and [3H]dolichol-PP oligosaccharides concomitantly decreased, although the chain length distribution of the respective dolichols and dehydrodolichols was the same in the two types of fibroblasts. These results indicate that the conversion of dehydrodolichol to dolichol is partially defective in our patients and that the resulting loss of dolichol leads directly to underglycosylation.

Identification of a biochemical lesion, and characteristic response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of a cultured macrophage-like cell mutant with defective LPS-binding.

We have previously isolated a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-resistant mutant (named LR-9) of a cultured macrophage-like cell line, J774.1. This mutant had defective LPS binding [Hara-Kuge, S., Amano, F., Nishijima, M., and Akamatsu, Y. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 6606-6610]. In this study, we found that: (1) LPS-binding to parental J774.1 cells was dependent on a serum factor with a molecular weight of about 60 kDa, probably LPS binding protein (LBP); (2) LPS-binding to J774.1 cells was markedly reduced by treating the cells with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC); (3) mutant LR-9 cells were defective in LPS-binding even in the presence of serum; (4) LR-9 cells lacked CD14 protein on flow cytometric and immunoblot analyses, but retained normal CD14 mRNA levels on RNA blot analysis; (5) small amounts of LPS (1 to 10 ng/ml) activated J774.1, but not LR-9 cells, to secrete tumor necrosis factor-alpha and to release arachidonate metabolites, whereas both J774.1 and LR-9 were activated by large concentrations of LPS (100 to 1,000 ng/ml). These results provide genetic evidence that CD14 molecules in J774.1 cells play a crucial role in LPS-binding and in LPS-triggered signal transduction, and indicate that large amounts of LPS can activate J774.1 cells without the participation of CD14 molecules.

En bloc incorporation of coatomer subunits during the assembly of COP-coated vesicles.

The cDNA encoding epsilon-COP, the 36-kD subunit of coatomer, was cloned from a bovine liver cDNA library and sequenced. Immunoblotting with an anti-epsilon-COP antibody showed that epsilon-COP exists in COP-coated vesicles as well as in the cytosolic coatomer. Using the cloned cDNA, recombinant His6- tagged epsilon-COP was overexpressed in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, from which metabolically radiolabeled coatomer was purified by taking advantage of the His6 tag. Radiolabeled coatomer was employed to establish that all the subunits of the coatomer enter coated vesicles as an intact unit.

zeta-COP, a subunit of coatomer, is required for COP-coated vesicle assembly.

cDNA encoding the 20-kD subunit of coatomer, zeta-COP, predicts a protein of 177-amino acid residues, similar in sequence to AP17 and AP19, subunits of the clathrin adaptor complexes. Polyclonal antibody directed to zeta-COP blocks the binding of coatomer to Golgi membranes and prevents the assembly of COP-coated vesicles on Golgi cisternae. Unlike other coatomer subunits (beta-, beta'-, gamma-, and epsilon-COP), zeta-COP exists in both coatomer bound and free pools.

Isolation of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-resistant mutant, with defective LPS binding, of cultured macrophage-like cells.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-resistant mutants which did not respond to LPS were isolated from a macrophage-like mouse cell line, J774.1. Unlike the parental J774.1 cells, these mutants grew even in LPS added medium as well as in normal growth medium without any morphological changes. Assay of 125I-LPS binding to the cell monolayers revealed that one of these LPS-resistant mutants (LR-9) was strikingly defective in LPS-binding activity. Scatchard plot showed that LR-9 cells lacked the high affinity binding sites which were present in J774.1. The high affinity binding was inhibited by addition of excess unlabeled LPS, lipid A, lipid IVA (tetraacyl-beta(1'-6)-linked D-glucosamine disaccharide-1,4'-bisphosphate), and lipid X (2,3-diacylglucosamine 1-phosphate) and sensitive to proteinase K. LPS enhanced O2- generation and the release of arachidonic acid in J774.1 cells but not in LR-9 cells. Other stimulants such as zymosan and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, however, induced the release of arachidonic acid in LR-9 cells as well as in J774.1 cells. LPS-photocross-linked assay allowed the identification of 65- and 55-kDa LPS-binding proteins in the membrane fraction of J774.1 cells. Both of the bands were not detectable in that of LR-9 cells and disappeared by competing with unlabeled LPS or lipid X. These results show that one or both of the two LPS-binding proteins might relate to the specific membrane receptor for LPS.