Differences in the glycolipid membrane anchors of bovine and human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterases

Amphiphilic, glycophosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC)-insensitive monomers and dimers of acetylcholinesterase

1. In a recent study, we distinguished two classes of amphiphilic AChE3 dimers in Torpedo tissues: class I corresponds to glycolipid-anchored dimers and class II molecules are characterized by their lack of sensitivity to PI-PLC and PI-PLD, relatively small shift in sedimentation with detergent, and absence of aggregation without detergent. 2. In the present report, we analyze the amphiphlic or nonamphiphilic properties of globular AChE forms in T28 murine neural cells, rabbit muscle, and chicken muscle. The molecular forms were identified by sucrose gradient sedimentation in the presence and absence of detergent and analyzed by nondenaturing charge-shift electrophoresis. Some amphiphilic forms showed an abnormal electrophoretic migration in the absence of detergent, because of the retention of detergent micelles. 3. We show that the amphiphilic monomers (G1a) from these tissues, as well as the amphiphilic dimers (G2a) from chicken muscle, resemble the class II dimers of Torpedo AChE. We cannot exclude that these molecules possess a glycolipidic anchor but suggest that their hydrophobic domain may be of a different nature. We discuss their relationship with other cholinesterase molecular forms.

In vitro expression and biosynthesis of prion protein

In addition to whatever function PrP may have normally, its involvement in scrapie-like neurodegenerative diseases has become clearer in recent years. In vitro studies have made important contributions to the understanding of normal PrP biosynthesis and turnover and how they can be influenced by scrapie infection. Cell-free transcription and translation experiments have indicated that PrP gene translation products are capable of assuming two different topologies, one spanning microsomal membranes and the other completely translocated into the microsomal lumen (Hay et al. 1987a, b). A novel stop transfer signal in the polypeptide is critical to the formation of the transmembrane topology (Yost et al. 1990). Expression of recombinant PrP genes has been accomplished in mouse (Caughey et al. 1988b), monkey (Scott et al. 1988), frog (Hay et al. 1987a), and insect (Scott et al. 1988) tissue culture cells. PrP products encoded by PrP cDNAs cloned from scrapie-infected brain tissues are not infectious and do not have the protease-resistance characteristic of the scrapie-associated form of PrP isolated from diseased tissue (Caughey et al. 1988b; Scott et al. 1988). Studies of PrP encoded by the endogenous gene of mouse neuroblastoma cells have identified the precursors (Caughey et al. 1989) and products (Race et al. 1988; Caughey et al. 1989) of normal PrP biosynthesis and shown that most of the PrP of normal cells is linked to the cell surface by phosphatidylinositol (Stahl et al. 1987; Caughey et al. 1989, 1990; Borchelt et al. 1990). In scrapie-infected clones, and additional pool of PrP is present which, unlike the normal PrP, aggregates (B. Caughey, unpublished observations) and is partially protease resistant (Butler et al. 1988; Caughey et al. 1990; Borchelt et al. 1990; Stahl et al. 1990). This scrapie-associated pool of PrP differs from the normal PrP in that it is primarily intracellular (Caughey et al. 1990; Borchelt et al. 1990; Taraboulos et al. 1990) and resistant to removal from cells by phospholipase or protease (Caughey et al. 1990; Borchelt et al. 1990; Stahl et al. 1990) treatments. Kinetic studies have shown that while PrP-sen is synthesized and degraded relatively rapidly (Caughey et al. Borchelt et al. 1990), PrP-res is synthesized slowly and has a very long half-life (Borchelt et al. 1990). Further studies with the scrapie-infected mouse neuroblastoma cells should lead toward the elucidation of the molecular details of the scrapie-associated modification of PrP and whether the modification is directly related to scrapie agent replication.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Normal and scrapie-associated forms of prion protein differ in their sensitivities to phospholipase and proteases in intact neuroblastoma cells

Previous studies have indicated that scrapie infection results in the accumulation of a proteinase K-resistant form of an endogenous brain protein generally referred to as prion protein (PrP). The molecular nature of the scrapie-associated modification of PrP accounting for proteinase K resistance is not known. As an approach to understanding the cellular events associated with the PrP modification in brain tissue, we sought to identify proteinase K-resistant PrP (PrP-res) in scrapie-infected neuroblastoma cells in vitro and to compare properties of PrP-res with those of its normal proteinase K-sensitive homolog, PrP-sen. PrP-res was detected by immunoblot in scrapie-infected but not uninfected neuroblastoma clones. Densitometry of immunoblots indicated that there was two- to threefold more PrP-res than PrP-sen in one infected clone. Metabolic labeling and membrane immunofluorescence experiments indicated that PrP-sen was located on the cell surface and could be removed from intact cells by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and proteases. In contrast, PrP-res was not removed after reaction with these enzymes. Thus, either the scrapie-associated PrP-res was not on the cell surface or it was there in a form that is resistant to these hydrolytic enzymes. Attempts to detect intracellular PrP-res by immunofluorescent staining of fixed and permeabilized cells revealed that PrP was present in discrete perinuclear Golgi-like structures. However, the staining pattern was similar in both scrapie-infected and uninfected clones, and thus the intracellular staining may have represented only PrP-sen. Analysis of scrapie infectivity in cells treated with extracellular phospholipase, proteinase K, and trypsin indicated that, like PrP-res, the scrapie agent was not removed from the infected cells by any of these enzymes.

Molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase in two sublines of human erythroleukemia K562 cells. Sensitivity or resistance to phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and biosynthesis

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in K562 cells exists in two molecular forms. The major form, an amphiphilic dimer (G2a) which sediments at 5.3 S, and the minor form, an amphiphilic monomer (G1a) which sediments at 3.5 S. Extraction in the presence of the sulfhydryl alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide was required to preserve the G2a form. In Triton X-100 extracts of the subline K562-243, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PtdIns-PLC) from Bacillus thuringiensis converted most of the G2a AChE into a hydrophilic dimer (G2h), indicating that the G2a form possessed a hydrophobic glycoinositol phospholipid that mediated its attachment to the membrane. Treatment of intact K562-243 cells with PtdIns-PLC released approximately 60% of the total AChE activity and provided an estimate of the externally exposed AChE. The direct conversion from an amphiphilic to a hydrophilic dimeric form by PtdIns-PLC was not obtained in extracts or intact cells of the subline K562-48. Instead, pretreatment with alkaline hydroxylamine was necessary to render the amphiphilic G2 form of this subline susceptible to digestion by the phospholipase. In this respect, the amphiphilic dimer of K562-48 AChE resembles the G2a form of human erythrocyte AChE, which is resistant to PtdIns-PLC because of the direct palmitoylation of an inositol hydroxyl group in the anchor [Roberts et al. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 18766-18775]. Release of this acyl chain by hydroxylamine renders the enzyme susceptible to PtdIns-PLC [Toutant et al. (1989) Eur. J. Biochem. 180, 503-508]. In both K562 sublines, sialidase decreased the migration of the G2a form but not of the G1a form of AChE. G1a forms thus appear to represent an intracellular pool of newly synthesized molecules residing in a compartment proximal to the trans-Golgi apparatus. The sialidase-resistant G1a molecules were also resistant to PtdIns-PLC digestion; possible explanations for this resistance are presented.

In vitro attachment of glycosyl-inositolphospholipid anchor structures to mouse Thy-1 antigen and human decay-accelerating factor

Glycosyl-inositolphospholipid (GPL) anchoring structures are incorporated into GPL-anchored proteins immediately posttranslationally in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, but the biochemical and cellular constituents involved in this "glypiation" process are unknown. To establish whether glypiation could be achieved in vitro, mRNAs generated by transcription of cDNAs encoding two GPL-anchored proteins, murine Thy-1 antigen and human decay-accelerating factor (DAF), and a conventionally anchored control protein, polymeric-immunoglobulin receptor (IgR), were translated in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate. Upon addition of dog pancreatic rough microsomes, nascent polypeptides generated from the three mRNAs translocated into vesicles. Dispersal of the vesicles with Triton X-114 detergent and incubation of the hydrophobic phase with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipases C and D, enzymes specific for GPL-anchor structures, released Thy-1 and DAF but not IgR protein into the aqueous phase. The selective incorporation of phospholipase-sensitive anchoring moieties into Thy-1 and DAF but not IgR translation products during in vitro translocation indicates that rough microsomes are able to support and regulate glypiation.

Tissue-specific processing and polarized compartmentalization of clone-produced cholinesterase in microinjected Xenopus oocytes

1. To approach the involvement of tissue-specific elements in the compartmentalization of ubiquitous polymorphic proteins, immunohistochemical methods were used to analyze the localization of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in Xenopus oocytes microinjected with synthetic BuChEmRNA alone and in combination with tissue-extracted mRNAs. 2. When injected alone BuChEmRNA efficiently directed the synthesis of small membrane-associated accumulations localized principally on the external surface of the oocyte's animal pole. Tunicamycin blocked the appearance of such accumulations, suggesting that glycosylation is involved in the transport of nascent BuChE molecules to the oocyte's surface. Coinjection with brain or muscle mRNA, but not liver mRNA, facilitated the formation of pronounced, tissue-characteristic BuChE aggregates. 3. These findings implicate tissue-specific mRNAs in the assembly of the clone-produced protein and in its nonuniform distribution in the oocyte membrane or extracellular material.

Coamplification of human acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase genes in blood cells: correlation with various leukemias and abnormal megakaryocytopoiesis

To study the yet unknown role of the ubiquitous family of cholinesterases (ChoEases) in developing blood cells, the recently isolated cDNAs encoding human acetylcholinesterase (AcChoEase; acetylcholine acetylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7) and butyrylcholinesterase (BtChoEase; cholinesterase; acylcholine acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.8) were used in blot hybridization with peripheral blood DNA from various leukemic patients. Hybridization signals (10- to 200-fold intensified) and modified restriction patterns were observed with both cDNA probes in 4 of the 16 leukemia DNA preparations examined. These reflected the amplification of the corresponding AcChoEase and BtChoEase genes (ACHE and CHE) and alteration in their structure. Parallel analysis of 30 control samples revealed nonpolymorphic, much weaker hybridization signals for each of the probes. In view of previous reports on the effect of acetylcholine analogs and ChoEase inhibitors in the induction of megakaryocytopoiesis and production of platelets in the mouse, we further searched for such phenomena in nonleukemic patients with platelet production disorders. Amplifications of both ACHE and CHE genes were found in 2 of the 4 patients so far examined. Pronounced coamplification of these two related but distinct genes in correlation with pathological production of blood cells suggests a functional role for members of the ChoEase family in megakaryocytopoiesis and raises the question whether the coamplification of these genes could be causally involved in the etiology of hemocytopoietic disorders.

Different membrane-bound forms of acetylcholinesterase are present at the cell surface of hepatocytes

In the present study we have determinated the acetylcholinesterase molecular forms present in rat liver hepatocytes; we have also studied the association of acetylcholinesterase with the cell surface of the hepatocytes. Subcellular fractionation indicated that rough endoplasmic reticulum and plasma-membrane-enriched fractions contains G4 and G2 acetylcholinesterase forms bound to membranes. Hepatocytes incubated with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C released about 70% of the surface acetylcholinesterase. Sedimentation analysis showed that all the solubilized acetylcholinesterase activity comes exclusively from a G2 dimer. The G4 hydrophobic form of acetylcholinesterase accounts for the additional cell-surface activity. The existence of these two forms of acetylcholinesterase on the surface of hepatocytes was further established by analyzing the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C sensitivity of the acetylcholinesterase molecular forms present in isolated rat liver plasma membranes.

Differentiation-regulated loss of the polysialylated embryonic form and expression of the different polypeptides of the neural cell adhesion molecule by cultured oligodendrocytes and myelin

The expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) on cultured murine oligodendrocytes, their precursors, and myelin was examined by indirect immunofluorescence, biosynthetic radiolabeling followed by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis, using antibodies specific for various forms of the molecule. In all culture systems studied, whether the oligodendrocytes were cultured as an enriched fraction containing precursor cells or in the presence of astrocytes and neurons, a similar differentiation-stage-related expression of N-CAM was seen. At early developmental stages many tetanus toxin receptor- and A2B5 antigen-positive putative oligodendrocyte precursors with bipolar morphology were seen and found to express N-CAM in its embryonic form. Of the 04 antigen-positive immature oligodendrocytes with few slender processes most expressed N-CAM, but few the embryonic form of N-CAM. The more mature 01 or 010 antigen-positive oligodendrocytes were found to express exclusively the adult form of N-CAM. Oligodendrocytes synthesized the 120 and 140 kD forms of N-CAM (N-CAM 120 and N-CAM 140), but not N-CAM 180, although with differentiation, N-CAM 120 predominated in oligodendrocytes and also in pure myelin. N-CAM 120 could be released from oligodendrocytes and myelin by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, suggesting that in both oligodendrocytes and myelin N-CAM 120 is inserted into the membrane by covalent linkage to phosphatidylinositol.

Conversion of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase from an amphiphilic to a hydrophilic form by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and serum phospholipase D

Each catalytic subunit in the amphiphilic dimer of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is anchored in the plasma membrane exclusively by a glycoinositol phospholipid. In contrast to erythrocyte AChEs in other mammalian species, the human enzyme is resistant to direct cleavage by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PtdIns-specific PLC). The resistance is due to the existence of an additional fatty acyl chain on the inositol ring which blocks the action of PtdIns-specific PLC [Roberts et al. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 18766-18775]. In this report, nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was applied to permit rapid and unambiguous distinction between amphiphilic AChE, in which each catalytic subunit binds one nonionic detergent micelle, and hydrophilic AChE, which does not interact with detergent. Deacylation of human erythrocyte AChE by an alkaline treatment with hydroxylamine rendered the amphiphilic AChE susceptible to PtdIns-specific PLC with the consequent release of hydrophilic AChE. Although serum anchor-specific phospholipase D (PLD) cleaves the intact human erythrocyte AChE anchor, this treatment, as judged by nondenaturing electrophoresis, did not release hydrophilic AChE. Hydroxylamine treatment before or after PLD digestion was necessary to achieve the conversion. These observations indicate that binding of a single detergent micelle was maintained when any of the three fatty acyl or alkyl groups in the human erythrocyte AChE anchor phospholipid were retained. For proteins that can be identified following nondenaturing gel electrophoresis, these procedures provide methods both for detecting glycoinositol phospholipid anchors resistant to PtdIns-specific PLC and for indicating fatty acyl and/or alkyl chains in these anchors.

A 13 kDa fragment is responsible for the hydrophobic aggregation of brain G4 acetylcholinesterase

Proteinase K treatment of the bovine brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) releases a hydrophobic fragment of 13 kDa, which is entirely responsible for the aggregation of the G4 AChE in the absence of detergent. This observation provides evidence that the 13 kDa fragment, which comes from a previously identified 20 kDa subunit, is directly involved in the attachment of the G4 AChE to brain membranes. A model for the organization of the different sub-domains of the hydrophobic anchor of the G4 AChE is presented.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol is involved in the membrane attachment of proteins in granules of chromaffin cells

Incubation at 37 degrees C or treatment of granule membranes of chromaffin cells with Staphylococcus aureus phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C converted from an amphiphilic to a hydrophilic form two proteins with molecular masses of 82 and 68 kDa respectively. Their release is time- and enzyme-concentration-dependent. We showed that they were immunoreactive with an anti-(cross-reacting determinant) antibody known to be revealed only after removal of a diacylglycerol anchor. Furthermore, the action of HNO2 suggests the presence of a non-acetylated glucosamine residue in the determinant. This is one of the first reports suggesting that a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor might exist in membranes other than the plasma membrane. We showed that the 68 kDa protein is probably not the subunit of dopamine (3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) beta-hydroxylase, an enzyme present in granules in both soluble and membrane-associated forms.

Acetylcholinesterase from Apis mellifera head. Evidence for amphiphilic and hydrophilic forms characterized by Triton X-114 phase separation

The polymorphism of bee acetylcholinesterase was studied by sucrose-gradient-sedimentation analysis and non-denaturing electrophoretic analysis of fresh extracts. Lubrol-containing extracts exhibited only one form, which sedimented at 5 S when analysed on high-salt Lubrol-containing gradients and 6 S when analysed on low-salt Lubrol-containing gradients. The 5 S/6 S form aggregated upon removal of the detergent when sedimented on detergent-free gradients and was recovered in the detergent phase after Triton X-114 phase separation. Thus the 5 S/6 S enzyme corresponds to an amphiphilic acetylcholinesterase form. In detergent-free extracts three forms, whose apparent sedimentation coefficients are 14 S, 11 S and 7 S, were observed when sedimentations were performed on detergent-free gradients. Sedimentation analyses on detergent-containing gradients showed only a 5 S peak in high-salt detergent-free extracts and a 6 S peak, with a shoulder at about 7 S, in low-salt detergent-free extracts. Electrophoretic analysis in the presence of detergent demonstrated that the 14 S and 11 S peaks corresponded to aggregates of the 5 S/6 S form, whereas the 7 S peak corresponded to a hydrophilic acetylcholinesterase form which was recovered in the aqueous phase following Triton X-114 phase separation. The 5 S/6 S amphiphilic form could be converted into a 7.1 S hydrophilic form by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C digestion.

Amphiphilic and nonamphiphilic forms of Torpedo cholinesterases: II. Electrophoretic variants and phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C-sensitive and -insensitive forms

We report an electrophoretic analysis of the hydrophobic properties of the globular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) from various Torpedo tissues. In charge-shift electrophoresis, the rate of electrophoretic migration of globular amphiphilic forms (Ga) is increased at least twofold when the anionic detergent deoxycholate is added to Triton X-100, whereas that of globular nonamphiphilic forms (Gna) is not modified. The G2a forms of the first class, as defined by their aggregation properties, are converted to nonamphiphilic derivatives by phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and human serum phospholipase D (PLD). AChE G2a forms from electric organs, nerves, skeletal muscle, and erythrocyte membranes correspond to this type, which also exists in very small quantities in detergent-solubilized extracts of electric lobes and spinal cord. They present different electrophoretic mobilities, so that each of these tissues contains a distinct "electromorph," or two in the case of electric organs. The G2a forms of the second class (AChE in plasma, BuChE in heart), as well as G4a forms of AChE and BuChE, are insensitive to PI-PLC and PLD but may be converted to nonamphiphilic derivatives by Pronase.

Drosophila acetylcholinesterase: demonstration of a glycoinositol phospholipid anchor and an endogenous proteolytic cleavage

The presence of a glycoinositol phospholipid anchor in Drosophila acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was shown by several criteria. Chemical analysis of highly purified Drosophila AChE demonstrated approximately one residue of inositol per enzyme subunit. Selective cleavage by Staphylococcus aureus phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) was tested with Drosophila AChE radiolabeled by the photoactivatable affinity probe 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)diazirine [( 125I]TID), a reagent that specifically labels the lipid moiety of glycoinositol phospholipid-anchored proteins. Digestion with PI-PLC released 75% of this radiolabel from the protein. Gel electrophoresis of Drosophila AChE in sodium dodecyl sulfate indicated prominent 55- and 16-kDa bands and a faint 70-kDa band. The [125I]TID label was localized on the 55-kDa fragment, suggesting that this fragment is the C-terminal portion of the protein. In support of this conclusion, a sensitive microsequencing procedure that involved manual Edman degradation combined with radiomethylation was used to determine residues 2-5 of the 16-kDa fragment. Comparison with the Drosophila AChE cDNA sequence [Hall, L.M.C., & Spierer, P. (1986) EMBO J. 5, 2949-2954] confirmed that the 16-kDa fragment includes the N-terminus of AChE. Furthermore, the position of the N-terminal amino acid of the mature Drosophila AChE is closely homologous to that of Torpedo AChE. The presence of radiomethylatable ethanolamine in both 16- and 55-kDa fragments was also confirmed. Thus, Drosophila AChE may include a second posttranslational modification involving ethanolamine.

Conversion of a PI-anchored protein to an integral membrane protein by a single amino acid mutation

Qa-2, a cell-surface glycoprotein anchored by phosphatidylinositol (PI), is structurally related to the class I transplantation antigens H-2 K, D, and L, which are integral membrane glycoproteins. The predicted transmembrane segment of Qa-2 differs from those of H-2 K, D, and L by the presence of an aspartate in place of a valine at position 295. A single base change that replaced this aspartate with valine resulted in cell-surface Qa-2 molecules that were insensitive to hydrolysis by a PI-specific phospholipase C and more resistant to papain cleavage, properties shared by H-2D. Cells expressing Asp----Val mutant Qa-2 proteins were still able to attach a PI anchor to endogenous proteins such as Thy-1 and J11D. It therefore appears that this single amino acid change converts Qa-2 from a PI-linked form into an integral membrane protein.

Release of carcinoembryonic antigen from human colon cancer cells by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is released from colon cancer cells into the circulation where it is monitored clinically as an indicator of the recurrence or progression of cancer. We have studied the mechanism of CEA membrane attachment and release using the human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line LS-174T, specimens of human colon cancers, and serum from colon cancer patients. CEA release by cells in vitro and in vivo is associated with the conversion of CEA from a membrane-bound, hydrophobic molecule to a soluble, hydrophilic form with no apparent decrease in molecular mass. When LS-174T cell membranes were incubated with various buffers, proteases, and phospholipases, the only agents that released CEA and converted it to the hydrophilic form were preparations of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). Both [3H]ethanolamine and [3H]palmitate could be incorporated metabolically into CEA but only palmitate was released by treatment with PI-PLC, consistent with the presence of a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol linkage. PI-PLC treatment also release significant quantities of CEA from living monolayers and from seven human colon cancer specimens. These experiments suggest that cellular CEA is anchored to membranes by a covalent linkage to a membrane phosphatidylinositol molecule, and that an endogenous phospholipase may be important for releasing CEA in vitro and in vivo.

Evidence that a glycolipid tail anchors antigen 117 to the plasma membrane of Dictyostelium discoideum cells

We describe the biochemical features of the putative cell cohesion molecule antigen 117, indicating that it is anchored to the plasma membrane by a glycolipid tail. Antigen 117 can be radiolabeled with [3H]myristate, [3H]palmitate, and [14C]ethanolamine. The fatty acid label is removed by periodate oxidation and nitrous acid deamination, indicating that the fatty acid is attached to the protein by a structure containing carbohydrate and an unsubstituted glucosamine. As cells develop aggregation competence, the antigen is released from the cell surface in a soluble form that can still be radiolabeled with [14C]ethanolamine but not with [3H]myristate or [3H]palmitate. The molecular weight of the released antigen is similar to that found in the plasma membrane, but it preferentially partitions in Triton X-114 as a hydrophilic, as opposed to a hydrophobic, protein. Plasma membranes contain the enzyme activity responsible for the release of the antigen in a soluble form.

Complete structure of the glycosyl phosphatidylinositol membrane anchor of rat brain Thy-1 glycoprotein

Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors have recently been identified as alternatives to hydrophobic amino acid sequences for the attachment of a variety of eukaryotic cell surface molecules to the lipid bilayer. In single cell eukaryotes the GPI group appears to be the predominant form of membrane attachment, and in vertebrates a substantial minority of molecules have this anchor including cell surface hydrolytic enzymes, antigens and cell adhesion molecules. Analysis of different GPI anchors suggests they share common structural features including linkage to the COOH group of the terminal amino acid via ethanolamine phosphate, the presence of phosphatidylinositol lipid and a glycan between the bridging ethanolamine phosphate and the lipid. In the case of the Trypanosoma brucie variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) the full structure of the GPI anchor has been determined and this provides a prototype for comparison with other molecules. We now report the structure of the GPI anchor of rat brain Thy-1 glycoprotein. It has an identical backbone to the VSG anchor but shows significant differences in side chain moieties.

Glycolipid reanchoring of T-lymphocyte surface antigen CD8 using the 3' end sequence of decay-accelerating factor's mRNA

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is one of a family of cell-associated proteins that undergo posttranslational modifications in which glycolipid anchoring structures are substituted for membrane-spanning sequences. The signals that direct the covalent substitution reaction in these proteins are unknown. Human DAF was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and murine BW lymphocytes. In both cases, the xenogeneic DAF in transfectants incorporated a glycolipid anchor. A chimeric CD8-DAF cDNA, encompassing the extra-cellular region of the T-lymphocyte surface antigen CD8 and the 3' end of DAF mRNA (encoding the C-terminal region of mature DAF as well as the hydrophobic extension peptide), was expressed in human leukemia lines after transfection with an Epstein-Barr virus-based episomal vector. The chimeric protein in transfectants demonstrated glycolipid anchoring, whereas unaltered CD8 in control experiments did not. The signals directing glycolipid anchoring in eukaryotic cells are thus evolutionarily conserved and contained in the 3' end of the DAF sequence.

Structural and functional roles of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol in membranes

Glycosylated forms of phosphatidylinositol, which have only recently been described in eukaryotic organisms, are now known to play important roles in biological membrane function. These molecules can serve as the sole means by which particular cell-surface proteins are anchored to the membrane. Lipids with similar structures may also be involved in signal transduction mechanisms for the hormone insulin. The utilization of this novel class of lipid molecules for these two distinct functions suggests new mechanisms for the regulation of proteins in biological membranes.