William M. Canfield

A Novel Glycosulfopeptide Binds to P-selectin and Inhibits Leukocyte Adhesion to P-selectin

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is a dimeric membrane mucin on leukocytes that binds selectins. The molecular features of PSGL-1 that determine this high affinity binding are unclear. Here we demonstrate the in vitro synthesis of a novel glycosulfopeptide (GSP-6) modeled after the extreme N terminus of PSGL-1, which has been predicted to be important for P-selectin binding. GSP-6 contains three tyrosine sulfate (TyrSO3) residues and a monosialylated, core 2-based O-glycan with a sialyl Lewis x (C2-O-sLex) motif at a specific Thr residue. GSP-6 binds tightly to immobilized P-selectin, whereas glycopeptides lacking either TyrSO3 or C2-O-sLex do not detectably bind. Remarkably, an isomeric glycosulfopeptide to GSP-6, termed GSP-6′, which contains sLex on an extended core 1-based O-glycan, does not bind immobilized P-selectin. Equilibrium gel filtration analysis revealed that GSP-6 binds to soluble P-selectin with aK d of ∼350 nm. GSP-6 (<5 μm) substantially inhibits neutrophil adhesion to P-selectin in vitro, whereas free sLex (5 mm) only slightly inhibits adhesion. In contrast to the inherent heterogeneity of post-translational modifications of recombinant proteins, glycosulfopeptides permit the placement of sulfate groups and glycans of precise structure at defined positions on a polypeptide. This approach should expedite the probing of structure-function relationships in sulfated and glycosylated proteins, and may facilitate development of novel drugs to treat inflammatory diseases involving P-selectin-mediated leukocyte adhesion.

Molecular basis of variant pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy (mucolipidosis IIIC)

Mucolipidosis IIIC, or variant pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy, is an autosomal recessive disease of lysosomal hydrolase trafficking. Unlike the related diseases, mucolipidosis II and IIIA, the enzyme affected in mucolipidosis IIIC (N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase [GlcNAc-phosphotransferase]) retains full transferase activity on synthetic substrates but lacks activity on lysosomal hydrolases. Bovine GlcNAc-phosphotransferase has recently been isolated as a multisubunit enzyme with the subunit structure alpha(2)beta(2)gamma(2). We cloned the cDNA for the human gamma-subunit and localized its gene to chromosome 16p. We also showed, in a large multiplex Druze family that exhibits this disorder, that MLIIIC also maps to this chromosomal region. Sequence analysis of the gamma-subunit cDNA in patients from 3 families identified a frameshift mutation, in codon 167 of the gamma subunit, that segregated with the disease, indicating MLIIIC results from mutations in the phosphotransferase gamma-subunit gene. This is to our knowledge the first description of the molecular basis for a human mucolipidosis and suggests that the gamma subunit functions in lysosomal hydrolase recognition.

Bovine UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:Lysosomal-enzyme N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase I PURIFICATION AND SUBUNIT STRUCTURE

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:lysosomal-enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (GlcNAc-phosphotransferase) catalyzes the initial step in the synthesis of the mannose 6-phosphate determinant required for efficient intracellular targeting of newly synthesized lysosomal hydrolases to the lysosome. The enzyme was partially purified ∼30,000-fold by chromatography of solubilized membrane proteins from lactating bovine mammary glands on DEAE-Sepharose, reactive green 19-agarose, and Superose 6. The partially purified enzyme was used to generate a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies. The anti-GlcNAc-phosphotransferase monoclonal antibody PT18 was coupled to a solid support and used to immunopurify the enzyme ∼480,000-fold to apparent homogeneity with an overall yield of 29%. The purified enzyme has a specific activity of 10-12 μmol of GlcNAc phosphate transferred per h/mg using 100 mM α-methylmannoside as acceptor. The subunit structure of the enzyme was determined using a combination of analytical gel filtration chromatography, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and amino-terminal sequencing. The data indicate that bovine GlcNAc-phosphotransferase is a 540,000-Da complex composed of disulfide-linked homodimers of 166,000- and 51,000-Da subunits and two identical, noncovalently associated 56,000-Da subunits.

RESIDUES THROUGHOUT THE CYTOPLASMIC DOMAIN AFFECT THE INTERNALIZATION EFFICIENCY OF P-SELECTIN

The cytoplasmic domains of many membrane proteins have short sequences, usually including a tyrosine or a di-leucine, that function as sorting signals. P-selectin is an adhesion receptor for leukocytes that is expressed on activated platelets and endothelial cells. Its 35-residue cytoplasmic domain contains signals for sorting into regulated secretory granules, for endocytosis, and for movement from endosomes to lysosomes. The domain has a membrane-distal sequence, YGVFTNAAF, that resembles some tyrosine-based signals. We studied the effects of deletions and mutations in the cytoplasmic tail of human P-selectin on its internalization in clathrin-coated pits of transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. Mutations and deletions in the putative tyrosine-based motif did not clearly implicate these residues as critical components of a short internalization signal. Indeed, a construct containing a truncated 18-residue cytoplasmic domain with a single substitution (K761A/H773Stop) was internalized nearly three times as fast as wild-type P-selectin; this construct contained no di-leucine, tyrosine, or other known sorting motif. Substitution of residues throughout the cytoplasmic domain affected the internalization rate of P-selectin. Furthermore, the cytoplasmic domain of P-selectin mediated faster internalization when attached to the extracellular and transmembrane domains of the low density lipoprotein receptor than when attached to the corresponding domains of P-selectin. Thus, we were unable to identify a short internalization signal in the cytoplasmic tail of P-selectin. Residues throughout the cytoplasmic domain, and perhaps the transmembrane sequence to which the domain is attached, affect the efficiency of internalization.

Bovine UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:Lysosomal-enzyme N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase II. ENZYMATIC CHARACTERIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE CATALYTIC SUBUNIT

The kinetic properties of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:lysosomal-enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (GlcNAc-phosphotransferase) purified to homogeneity from lactating bovine mammary gland have been investigated. GlcNAc-phosphotransferase transferred GlcNAc 1-phosphate from UDP-GlcNAc to the synthetic acceptor α-methylmannoside, generating GlcNAc-1-phospho-6-mannose α-methyl, the structure of which was confirmed by mass spectroscopy. GlcNAc-phosphotransferase was active between pH 5.7 and 9.3, with optimal activity between pH 6.6 and 7.5. Activity was strictly dependent on Mg2+ or Mn2+. The Km for Mn2+ was 185 μM. The Km for UDP-GlcNAc was 30 μM, and that for α-methylmannoside was 63 mM. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by UDP-Glc, with a Ki of 733 μM. The 166-kDa subunit was identified as the catalytic subunit by photoaffinity labeling with azido-[β-32P]UDP-Glc. Purified GlcNAc-phosphotransferase utilizes the lysosomal enzyme uteroferrin ∼163-fold more effectively than the non-lysosomal glycoprotein ribonuclease B. Antibodies to GlcNAc-phosphotransferase blocked the transfer to cathepsin D, but not to α-methylmannoside, suggesting that protein-protein interactions are required for the efficient utilization of glycoprotein acceptors. These results indicate that the purified bovine GlcNAc-phosphotransferase retains the specificity for lysosomal enzymes as acceptors previously observed with crude preparations.

Evidence of normal functional levels of activated protein C inhibitor in combined Factor V/VIII deficiency disease.

Human activated protein C (APC) is a plasma serine protease that possesses amidolytic and anticoagulant activity. The rate at which the amidolytic and anticoagulant activity of APC was neutralized in normal plasma was essentially identical to that observed in plasma obtained from four individuals with combined Factor V/VIII deficiency disease. Incubation of radioiodinated APC with either normal human plasma or the combined Factor V/VIII-deficient plasmas resulted in the formation of a stable complex (Mr = 96,000) of the enzyme and a plasma protein as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Pretreatment of the radiolabeled APC with diisopropyl fluorophosphate prevented the formation of the enzyme-protein complex. On the basis of its ability to form a complex with radiolabeled APC, the APC-binding protein was purified to homogeneity from normal human plasma by ammonium sulfate fractionation, heparin-agarose chromatography, and QAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography. The APC-binding protein (Mr = 54,000) is a glycoprotein, and possesses an amino-terminal sequence of Gly-Arg-Thr-Cys-Pro-Lys-Pro-Asp. The amino-terminal sequence of the APC-binding protein exhibited considerable homology with bovine colostrum inhibitor and pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, but no apparent sequence homology with the plasma serine protease inhibitors. Affinity-purified antibody against APC-binding protein immunoprecipitated a complex of radiolabeled APC and native APC-binding protein from normal human plasma. Complex formation was virtually eliminated in plasma immunodepleted of the APC-binding protein. Quantitative electroimmunoassay indicated essentially equal levels of APC-binding protein antigen in normal plasma compared with plasma from four patients with combined Factor V/VIII deficiency disease.

Hyaluronan biosynthesis by class I streptococcal hyaluronan synthases occurs at the reducing end.

Previous studies reached different conclusions about whether class I hyaluronan synthases (HASs) elongate hyaluronic acid (HA) by addition to the reducing or the nonreducing end. Here we used two strategies to determine the direction of HA synthesis by purified class I HASs from Streptococcus equisimilis and Streptococcus pyogenes. In the first strategy we used each of the two UDP-sugar substrates separately to pulse label either the beginning or the end of HA chains. We then quantified the relative rates of radioactive HA degradation by treatment with β-glycosidases that act at the nonreducing end. The results with both purified HASs demonstrated that HA elongation occurred at the reducing end. In the second strategy, we used purified S. equisimilis HAS, UDP-glucuronic acid, and UDP[β-32P]-Glc-NAc to radiolabel nascent HA chains. Under conditions of limiting substrate, the 32P-labeled products were separated from the substrates by paper chromatography and identified as HA-[32P]UDP saccharides based on their degradation by snake venom phosphodiesterase or hyaluronidase and by their binding to a specific HA-binding protein. The 32P radioactivity was chased (released) by incubation with unlabeled UDP-sugars, showing that the HA-UDP linkages turn over during HA biosynthesis. In contrast, HA-[32P]UDP products made by the purified class II Pasteurella multocida HAS were not released by adding unlabeled UDP-sugars, consistent with growth at the nonreducing end for this enzyme. The results demonstrate that the streptococcal class I HAS enzymes polymerize HA chains at the reducing end.

Structural Requirements for Efficient Processing and Activation of Recombinant Human UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:Lysosomal-enzyme-N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase

Mannose 6-phosphate-modified N-glycans are the determinant for intracellular targeting of newly synthesized lysosomal hydrolases to the lysosome. The enzyme responsible for the initial step in the synthesis of mannose 6-phosphate is UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:lysosomal-enzyme-N-acetylglucosmine-1-phosphotransferase(GlcNAc-phosphotransferase). GlcNAc-phosphotransferase is a multisubunit enzyme with an α2β2γ2 arrangement that requires a detergent for solubilization. Recent cloning of cDNAs and genes encoding these subunits revealed that the α- and β-subunits are encoded by a single gene as a precursor, whereas the γ-subunit is encoded by a second gene. The hydropathy plots of the deduced amino acid sequences suggested that the α- and β-subunits but not the γ-subunit contain transmembrane domains. Access to these cDNAs allowed us to express a soluble form of human recombinant GlcNAc-phosphotransferase by removing the putative transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains from the α- and β-subunits. Because this modification prevented precursor processing to mature α- and β-subunits, the native cleavage sequence was replaced by a cleavage site for furin. When the modified α/β-subunits (α′/β′-subunits) precursor and wild type γ-subunit cDNAs were co-expressed in 293T or CHO-K1 cells, a furin-like protease activity in these cells cleaved the precursor and produced an active and processed soluble GlcNAc-phosphotransferase with an α′2β′2γ2-subunits arrangement. Recombinant soluble GlcNAc-phosphotransferase exhibited specific activity and substrate preferences similar to the wild type bovine GlcNAc-phosphotransferase and was able to phosphorylate a lysosomal hydrolase, acid α-glucosidase in vitro.

Human mannose 6-phosphate-uncovering enzyme is synthesized as a proenzyme that is activated by the endoprotease furin.

N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester α-N-acetylglucosaminidase, also known as “uncovering” enzyme (UCE), is localized in the trans-Golgi network, where it removes a covering N-acetylglucosamine from the mannose 6-phosphate recognition marker on lysosomal acid hydrolases. Here we show that UCE is synthesized as an inactive proenzyme that is activated by the endoprotease furin, which cleaves an RARLPR↓D sequence to release a 24-amino acid propiece. As furin is localized in the trans-Golgi network, newly synthesized UCE is inactive until it reaches this terminal Golgi compartment. LoVo cells (derived from a human colon adenocarcinoma) lack furin activity and have extremely low UCE activity. Addition of furin to LoVo cell extracts restores UCE activity to normal levels, demonstrating that the UCE proenzyme is stable in this cell type. LoVo cells secrete acid hydrolases with phosphomannose diesters as a consequence of the deficient UCE activity. This demonstrates for the first time that UCE is the only enzyme in these cells capable of efficiently uncovering phosphomannose diesters. UCE also hydrolyzes UDP-GlcNAc, a sugar donor for Golgi N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases. The fact that UCE is not activated until it reaches the trans-Golgi network may ensure that the pool of UDP-GlcNAc in the Golgi stack is not depleted, thereby maintaining proper oligosaccharide assembly.

Molecular cloning and functional expression of two splice forms of human N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase.

We have isolated and sequenced human cDNA and mouse genomic DNA clones encodingN-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphodiester α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (phosphodiester α-GlcNAcase) which catalyzes the second step in the synthesis of the mannose 6-phosphate recognition signal on lysosomal enzymes. The gene is organized into 10 exons. The protein sequence encoded by the clones shows 80% identity between human and mouse phosphodiester α-GlcNAcase and no homology to other known proteins. It predicts a type I membrane-spanning glycoprotein of 514 amino acids containing a 24-amino acid signal sequence, a luminal domain of 422 residues with six potential N-linked glycosylation sites, a single 27-residue transmembrane region, and a 41-residue cytoplasmic tail that contains both a tyrosine-based and an NPF internalization motif. Human brain expressed sequence tags lack a 102-base pair region present in human liver cDNA that corresponds to exon 8 in the genomic DNA and probably arises via alternative splicing. COS cells transfected with the human cDNA expressed 50–100-fold increases in phosphodiester α-GlcNAcase activity proving that the cDNA encodes the subunits of the tetrameric enzyme. Transfection with cDNA lacking the 102-base pair region also gave active enzyme. The complete genomic sequence of human phosphodiester α-GlcNAcase was recently deposited in the data base. It showed that our cDNA clone was missing only the 5′-untranslated region and initiator methionine and revealed that the human genomic DNA has the same exon organization as the mouse gene.