Golgi fractions prepared from rat liver homogenates. II. Biochemical characterization

Compartmentation of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide processing in the Golgi apparatus

Golgi-associated processing of complex-type oligosaccharides linked to asparagine involves the sequential action of at least six enzymes. By equilibrium sucrose density gradient centrifugation of membranes from Chinese hamster ovary cells, we have partially resolved the set of four initial enzymes in the pathway (Mannosidase I, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) Transferase I, Mannosidase II, and GlcNAc Transferase II) from two later-acting activities (galactosyltransferase and sialyltransferase). In view of the recent demonstration that galactosyltransferase is restricted to the trans face of the Golgi complex in HeLa cells (Roth, J., and E.G. Berger, 1982, J. Cell Biol., 93:223-229), our results suggest that removal of mannose and attachment of peripheral N-acetylglucosamine may occur in some or all of the remaining cisternae on the cis side of the Golgi stack.

Two homologous cytochromes b5 in a single cell

The amino acid sequence of the heme-binding domains of rat liver cytochromes b5 from outer mitochondrial membranes and from microsomes has been determined by a combination of automatic and manual degradation of fragments generated by trypsin digestion and by cleavage at tryptophan. Tryptic peptides were separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The sequence of microsomal cytochrome b5 is identical with the one published by Ozols and Heinemann after completion of this study [Biochim. Biophys. Acta (1982) 704, 163-173]. The sequence of outer membrane cytochrome b5 differs from the microsomal one at 38 positions out of 91. There are 40 positions invariant between this sequence and the eight microsomal sequences published thus far. The non-conservative substitutions are located at the surface of the known three-dimensional structure of calf microsomal cytochrome b5 except for the substitution of histidine-15 by arginine. This paper brings the final proof that two iso-cytochromes b5 exist in the same cell. Their high degree of similarity as well as their differential cellular localization raise some questions which are briefly discussed.

Biosynthesis of high density lipoprotein by chicken liver: nature of nascent intracellular high density lipoprotein

Young chickens were administered L-[(3)H]leucine and after 10 or 30 min the livers were removed and fractioned into rough (RER) and smooth (SER) endoplasmic reticulum fractions and into light, intermediate, and heavy golgo cell fractions. The labeled high density lipoprotein (HDL), contained within these intracellular organelles was isolated either by immunoprecipitation using rabbit antiserum to rooster HDL, or by ultracentrifugal glotation between densities 1.063 and 1.21 g/ml. The radioactive apoproteins of nascent HDL were analyzed by SDS PAGE and detected by fluorography. Analyses of radioactive apoproteins obtained by immunoprecipitation from the contents of the RER, the SER, and the three golgi complex fractions revealed only one apoprotein, A1. The C peptide present in serum HDL was not detected intracellularly. The radioactive apoprotein A1 which is present within the cisternae of the RER and the SER fractions failed to float, whereas apoprotein A1, present within the golgi apparatus, readily floated between densities 1.063 and 1.21 g/ml. The HDL particles, isolated by flotation from the golgi apparatus content, were further characterized by lipid and protein analyses and by electron microscopy. Golgi HDL particles have the same density as serum HDL. On a percentage basis, golgi HDL contains less protein and more phospholipids than does serum HDL. Morphologically, golgi HDL is different in appearance from serum HDL. It is more heterogeneous in size, with most of the particles ranging 8.3-25 nm in diameter. The spherical particles contain small membrane tails. Occasionally, a few disk-shaped bilayer structures are also found within the golgi apparatus. These studies show that the newly synthesized apoprotein A1, present within the RER and the SER cell fractions, is not fully complexed with lipid and that apoprotein A1 does not acquire sufficient lipid to float at the proper HDL density until it enters the golgi apparatus. The difference in chemical composition and the heterogeneous size of golgi HDL may be attributed to the different stages of HDL maturation.

Dissection of the Golgi complex. II. Density separation of specific Golgi functions in virally infected cells treated with monensin

In the accompanying paper (Griffiths, G., P. Quinn, and G. Warren, 1983, J. Cell Biol., 96:835-850), we suggested that the Golgi stack could be divided into functionally distinct cis, medial, and trans compartments, each comprising one or two adjacent cisternae. These compartments were identified using Baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells infected with Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and treated with monensin. This drug blocked intracellular transport but not synthesis of the viral membrane proteins that were shown to accumulate in the medial cisternae. In consequence, these cisternae bound nucleocapsids. Here we show that this binding markedly increased the density of the medial cisternae and allowed us to separate them from cis and trans Golgi cisternae. A number of criteria were used to show that the intracellular capsid-binding membranes (ICBMs) observed in vivo were the same as those membranes sedimenting to a higher density in sucrose gradients in vitro, and this separation of cisternae was then used to investigate the distribution, within the Golgi stack, of some specific Golgi functions. After labeling for 2.5 min with [3H]palmitate, most of the fatty acid attached to viral membrane proteins was found in the ICBM fraction. Because the viral membrane proteins appear to move from cis to trans, this suggests that fatty acylation occurs in the cis or medial Golgi cisternae. In contrast, the distribution of alpha 1-2-mannosidase, an enzyme involved in trimming high-mannose oligosaccharides, and of galactosyl transferase, which is involved in the construction of complex oligosaccharides, was not affected by monensin treatment. Together with data in the accompanying paper, this would restrict these two Golgi functions to the trans cisternae. Our data strongly support the view that Golgi functions have specific and discrete locations within the Golgi stack.

Biochemical studies on Lowe's syndrome

Lowe's syndrome (oculo-cerebro-renal syndrome) has been studied biochemically. The disease was characterized by proteinuria, sialic aciduria and the excretion of undersulfated chondroitin sulfate A due mainly to malfunction of renal tubules. However, cultured skin fibroblasts from patients were found also to produce markedly undersulfated glycosaminoglycans. The undersulfation was caused by depressed sulfation rather than by increased desulfation. Subsequent studies have revealed that degradation of active sulfate (adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate, PAPS) was markedly elevated in the cells from patients whereas PAPS biosynthesis or sulfate transfer of sulfate from PAPS to glycosaminoglycan acceptors were normal. The enzyme involved in PAPS degradation was then identified as a nucleotide pyrophosphatase which is capable of degrading various nucleotides. The level of the enzyme activity in patients' cells was about ten times higher than that in normal cells and the level in heterozygotes were intermediate between patients and normal individuals. It was suggested that Lowe's syndrome is caused by elevation of biosynthesis of a nucleotide pyrophosphatase having a capacity to degrade PAPS due to a defect in regulating the enzyme synthesis.

Bile-salt-binding polypeptides in plasma membranes of hepatocytes revealed by photoaffinity labelling

1. Photoaffinity labelling of a subfraction of plasma membranes of rat liver, enriched with sinusoidal surfaces, with the sodium salts of (3 beta-azido-7 alpha,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oyl)-2-amino[2-3H(N)]ethanesulfonic acid, (7,7-azo-3 alpha,12 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oyl)-2-amino[2-3H(N)]ethanesulfonic acid and (11 xi-azido-12-oxo-3 alpha,7 alpha-dihydroxy- 5 beta-cholan-24-oyl)-2-amino[2-3H(N)]ethanesulfonic acid resulted with each derivative in a clear covalent incorporation of radioactivity into polypeptides with the apparent molecular weights of 67,000, 52,000, 48,000, 43,000 and about 20,000. 2. Photoaffinity labelling of a membrane subfraction predominantly composed of bile canalicular membranes by the photolabile derivatives of the conjugated bile salts also showed covalent incorporation of radioactivity into polypeptides of the same apparent molecular weights as with the subfraction enriched with the sinusoidal membranes. 3. The extent of photoaffinity labelling of the different membrane polypeptides is dependent upon the photolabile bile-salt derivative used. However, with each of the photolabile derivatives the relative ratio of the labelling of the different membrane polypeptides was similar for both membrane subfractions. Provided that the uptake as well as the secretion of bile salts by hepatocytes are carrier-mediated processes, this suggests the participation of the same polypeptides in both processes.

Submitochondrial localization and asymmetric disposition of two peripheral cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases

There are two distinct cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases associated with the liver mitochondrion: one with the outer membrane and one with the inner membrane. No activity is associated with the lysosomal fraction. Both of the enzymes are peripheral proteins and can be released from the membranes by high-ionic-strength treatment. Treatment of intact mitochondria with trypsin and insoluble trypsin localizes these enzymes to the cytosol-facing surface of their respective membranes. The enzymes differ in regard to sedimentation coefficient, thermostability and susceptibility to inactivation by trypsin. Both enzymes degrade cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP. Whereas the outer-membrane enzyme displays Michaelis kinetics and appears to be a low-affinity enzyme, the inner-membrane enzyme displays kinetics indicative of apparent negative co-operativity.

Effect of colchicine on the uptake of prolactin and insulin into Golgi fractions of rat liver

In previous studies we have shown that 125I-labeled prolactin is taken up by a receptor-dependent process and concentrated in an intact form in Golgi elements from female rat liver (J. Biol. Chem., 1979, 254:209-214). In this study we have examined the effect of colchicine on this uptake process into Golgi elements. Colchicine [25 mumol (10 mg)/100 gm body wt] was injected intraperitoneally in adult female rats, and hepatic Golgi fractions were prepared at 1, 2, and 3 h postinjection. The enzyme recoveries and morphological appearance of fractions from colchicine-treated and control (alcohol alone) animals were similar. At times greater than 1 h after colchicine there was a marked (greater than 60%) inhibition of uptake of 125I-ovine prolactin (125I-oPRL) into Golgi light and intermediate fractions but no inhibition of uptake into Golgi heavy and plasmalemma elements. At times from 2 to 45 min postinjection, 125I-oPRL was extracted from Golgi elements and found to be largely intact as judged by rebinding to receptors. The inhibitory effect of colchicine was seen at doses ranging from 0.25 mumol to 25 mumol/100 g body wt. Vincristine also inhibited 125I-oPRL uptake into the Golgi light and intermediate fractions but lumicolchicine had no inhibitory effect. There was a smaller effect of colchicine both at early (1 h) and later (3 h) times on the extent and pattern of 125I-insulin uptake. Colchicine treatment did not produce a significant change in lactogen receptor levels in the Golgi fractions. These results demonstrate that colchicine treatment inhibited the transfer of prolactin into Golgi vesicular elements. The much smaller effect on insulin uptake suggests that there may be differences in the manner in which the two hormones are handled in the course of internalization.

Decreased intestinal calcium absorption in vivo and normal brush border membrane vesicle calcium uptake in cortisol-treated chickens: evidence for dissociation of calcium absorption from brush border vesicle uptake

The influence of cortisol on intestinal calcium transport was studied in isolated duodenal loops and brush border membrane (BBM) vesicles of vitamin D-deficient or replete chickens. Four- to five-week-old vitamin D-deficient cockerels were dosed intraperitoneally with 1 microgram of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] alone 15 hr before sacrifice or in combination with 1, 3, or 5 mg of cortisol 24 and 48 hr before sacrifice. After a 1-microgram dose of 1,25-)OH)2D3 the in situ intestinal ligated loop technique revealed a 60% increase in calcium absorption compared to control birds (P less than or equal to 0.001). However, the administration of cortisol in various doses (3 and 5 mg) to chickens given 1,25-(OH)2D3 resulted in significant decreases in intestinal calcium transport in vivo (P less than or equal to 0.05; P less than or equal to 0.05). When intestinal BBM vesicles were prepared from birds treated in a manner identical with that described above, there was no observable difference between calcium uptake in BBM vesicles of the 1,25-(OH)2D3-treated birds and that of the cortisol plus 1,25-(OH)2D3-treated birds. 1,25-(OH)2D3-treated and 1,25-(OH)2D3 plus cortisol-treated chicks had intestinal BBM vesicle uptakes that were significantly greater than those of vitamin D-deficient controls (P less than or equal to 0.02; P less than or equal to 0.025). These data show that in vivo intestinal calcium transport may be markedly reduced in the presence of normal intestinal BBM vesicle calcium uptake. This suggest that factors other than BBM calcium uptake (e.g., protein synthesis or contraluminal membrane events) play an important role in the movement of calcium from the intestinal lumen into the bloodstream and extracellular fluid of the organism.

Hepatic Golgi fractions resolved into membrane and content subfractions

Golgi fractions isolated from rat liver homogenates have been resolved into membrane and content subfractions by treatment with 100 mM Na2CO3 pH 11.3. This procedure permitted extensive extraction of content proteins and lipoproteins, presumably because it caused an alteration of Golgi membranes that minimized the reformation of closed vesicles. The type and degree of contamination of the fractions was assessed by electron microscopy and biochemical assays. The membrane subfraction retained 15% of content proteins and lipids, and these could not be removed by various washing procedures. The content subfraction was contaminated by both membrane fragments and vesicles and accounted for 5 to 10% of the membrane enzyme activities of the original Golgi fraction. The lipid compositions of the subfractions was determined, and the phospholipids of both membrane and content were found to be uniformly labeled with [33P]phosphate administered in vivo.

Membrane fusion and glycosylation in the rat hepatic Golgi apparatus

When purified Golgi fractions were incubated with UDP-[3H]galactose in the absence of Triton-X-100, radioactivity was incorporated into an endogenous lipid and several peptide acceptors. Electron microscope analysis of Golgi fractions incubated in the endogenous galactosyl transferase assay medium revealed extensive fusion of Golgi saccules. Systematic removal of constituents in the galactosyl transferase assay medium showed enhanced (minus beta-mercaptoethanol) or reduced (minus ATP, minus sodium cacodylate buffer or minus MnCl2) fusion of Golgi membranes compared to the complete medium, Stereologic analysis revealed a correlation between membrane fusion and galactosyl transferase activity (r = 0.99, P less than 0.001). Electron microscope radioautography was carried out after incubation of Golgi fractions with UDP-[3H]galactose. Silver grains were not observed over trans elements of Golgi but were revealed mainly over large fused saccules with the number of silver grains being proportionate to membrane fusion (r = 0.92, P less than 0.001). Bilayer destabilization at points of Golgi membrane fusion may act to translocate galactose across the Golgi membrane and thereby provide a fusion regulated substrate for terminal glycosylation.

Galactose transfer to endogenous acceptors within Golgi fractions of rat liver

The distribution of galactosyl transferase was studied using trans and cis Golgi fractions isolated by a modification of the Ehrenreich et al. procedure (1973. J. Cell Biol. 59:45-72) as well as an intact Golgi fraction isolated by a new one-step procedure. Two methods of assay were used. The first method analyzed the ability of Golgi fractions to transfer galactose (from uridine diphosphogalactose [UDP-gal] substrate) to the defined exogenous acceptor ovomucoid. The second method assessed the transfer of galactose from UDP-gal substrate to endogenous acceptors (endogenous glycosylation). The trans Golgi fraction (Golgi light) was highly active by the first method but revealed only low activity by the second method. Golgi fractions enriched in central and cis elements (the Golgi intermediate, heavy and especially the intact Golgi fraction) were highly active in both methods of assay. The endogenous glycosylation approach was validated by gel fluorography of the endogenous acceptors. For all Golgi fractions, transfer of galactose was revealed to secretory glycopeptides. It is concluded that galactosyl transferase activity in vivo occurs primarily in central and cis Golgi elements but not trans Golgi vesicles.

Ultrastructural visualization of galactose in the glycoprotein of gastric surface cells with a peanut lectin conjugate

The ultrastructural localization of peanut lectin-binding sites in the gastric surface epithelial cell has been studied using a horseradish peroxidase-labelled peanut lectin (PL-HRP) conjugate and other cytochemical techniques. The PL-HRP procedure has visualized glycoprotein with presumed terminal galactose residues in the apical plasmalemma and secreted mucins and has localized such glycoprotein selectively in the 'intermediate Golgi cisternae' situated between the saccules of the maturing face and those of the forming face of the Golgi stacks. Other cytoplasmic organelles, including the forming and stored secretory granules, did not reveal glycoprotein with terminal galactosyl residues. These results demonstrate the applicability of the PL-HRP labelling technique at the electron microscopical level to localize not only extra but also intracellular peanut lectin-reactive sites. The observation afford information concerning the possible site in the Golgi apparatus where galactose residues are added to the growing oligosaccharide side-chain of mucous glycoprotein.

Effect of ethanol on the synthesis and secretion of hepatic secretory glycoproteins and albumin

The effects of ethanol on the synthesis and secretion of serum glycoproteins and albumin, a nonglycosylated protein, were studied in rat liver slices. Serum glycoproteins and albumin were determined by immunoprecipitation from either the incubation medium or from the washed slices. When ethanol (10 mM) was present in the incubation medium, [14C]glucosamine incorporation in secretory glycoproteins was decreased. This inhibitory effect was, however, much greater in the secretory proteins released into the medium than in those retained in the liver slices. Similar inhibitions by ethanol were also observed when leucine or valine were used as a label for either total export proteins or albumin. Since ethanol impaired protein synthesis, and inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide, was used so that both the control and ethanol-treated slices had identical pools of protein acceptors available for glycosylation. When cycloheximide alone was added to the slices, glucosamine radioactivity of secretory glycoproteins was equally reduced in both the medium and the liver. When cycloheximide and ethanol were both present, decreased appearance of glucosamine-labeled proteins in the medium was observed when compared to the slices containing cycloheximide alone; however, radioactivity of secretory glycoproteins retained in the liver was elevated. Ethanol also decreased the appearance of fucose-labeled glycoproteins in the medium without altering fucose incorporation into the total pool of secretory glycoproteins. The effects of ethanol on hepatic protein secretion independent of its effect on synthesis were further determined by prelabeling proteins with either [14C]leucine or [14C]fucose. Ethanol impaired the secretion of these prelabeled proteins into the medium. The results of this study show that ethanol impairs both the synthesis and secretion of secretory glycoproteins and albumin.

Analytical study of microsomes and isolated subcellular membranes from rat liver VIII. Subfractionation of preparations enriched with plasma membranes, outer mitochondrial membranes, or Golgi complex membranes

Preparations enriched with plasmalemmal, outer mitochondrial, or Golgi complex membranes from rat liver were subfractionated by isopycnic centrifugation, without or after treatment with digitonin, to establish the subcellular distribution of a variety of enzymes. The typical plasmalemmal enzymes 5'-nucleotidase, alkaline phosphodiesterase I, and alkaline phosphatase were markedly shifted by digitonin toward higher densities in all three preparations. Three glycosyltransferases, highly purified in the Golgi fraction, were moderately shifted by digitonin in both this Golgi complex preparation and the microsomal fraction. The outer mitochondrial membrane marker, monoamine oxidase, was not affected by digitonin in the outer mitochondrial membrane marker, monoamine oxidase, was not affected by digitonin in the out mitochondrial membrane preparation, in agreement wit its behavior in microsomes. With the exception of NADH cytochrome c reductase (which was concentrated in the outer mitochondrial membrane preparation), typical microsomal enzymes (glucose-6-phosphatase, esterase, and NADPH cytochrome c reductase) displayed low specific activities in the three preparations; except for part of the glucose-6-phosphatase activity in the plasma membrane preparation, their density distributions were insensitive to digitonin, as they were in microsomes. The influence of digitonin on equilibrium densities was correlated with its morphological effects. Digitonin induced pseudofenestrations in plasma membranes. In Golgi and outer mitochondrial membrane preparations, a few similarly altered membranes were detected in subfractions enriched with 5'-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphodiesterase I. The alterations of Golgi membranes were less obvious and seemingly restricted to some elements in the Golgi preparation. No morphological modification was detected in digitonin-treated outer mitochondrial membranes. These results indicate that each enzyme is associated with the same membrane entity in all membrane preparations and support the view that there is little overlap in the enzymatic equipment of the various types of cytomembranes.

Effect of various hepatic membrane fractions on microtubule assembly-with special emphasis on the role of membrane phospholipids

This report describes an interaction between rat brain microtubule protein and various hepatic fractions in vitro. Purified preparations of Golgi membranes, plasma membrane, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear membranes, and mitochondria were obtained from the livers of 200-g rats. Several concentrations of fresh or sonicated frozen membranes were incubated with twice-cycled rat brain microtubule protein in a microtubule assembly buffer for 60 min at 30 degrees C. Changes in microtubule assembly were assessed either by quantitative electron microscopy on negatively stained samples or by spectrophotometric methods. The results show that all the tested membranes "bound" microtubule protein, preventing assembly: Golgi and plasma membranes, as well as mitochondria, were especially potent in this regard. To identify the membrane-associated components responsible for microtubule protein binding, the membranes were extracted with methanol-chloroform, and liposomes were prepared from the resulting lipids. Microtubule protein incubated with these liposomes showed a differential ability to assemble that was similar to the effect obtained with intact membranes. Membrane-extracted phospholipids were identified as the lipid component responsible for these changes, with the negatively charged phospholipids (cardiolipin and phosphatidylserine) being uniquely active. These findings indicate that hepatic membranes differentially interact with brain microtubule protein; this interaction may be dependent on membrane phospholipids.

Isolation and biochemical characterization of tyrosinase-rich GERL and coated vesicle in melanin synthesizing cells

The site of condensation and activation of tyrosinase prior to melanosome melanogenesis has been investigated using subcellular fractionation and enzymic analysis of so-called Golgi apparatus of melanoma cells. Two different functional units have been found in the so-called Golgi fraction, the tyrosinase-rich GERL-coated vesicle unit and the TPPase-rich Golgi unit. The tyrosinase-rich unit consists of a tubular structure with a cisternal portion corresponding to the three-dimensional structural characteristics of GERL, and spheroid vesicles, corresponding to the currently accepted criteria for coated vesicles. This fact suggests, in agreement with electron microscopic observations, that the GERL-coated vesicle unit is a specialized portion of smooth endoplasmic reticulum having the function of activating and condensing the tyrosinase synthesized by ribosomes.

Heterogeneous distribution of filipin--cholesterol complexes across the cisternae of the Golgi apparatus

The Golgi apparatus is a key element in the ordered movement of secretory polypeptides from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane during secretion. It has been shown that cisternae that receive membranes from the reticulum are morphologically similar to the latter and that cisternae liberating secretory granules resemble that plasma membrane. By using an ultrastructural probe for membrane cholesterol, filipin, on freeze-fractured and thin-sectioned exocrine and endocrine pancreatic cells, we have shown that an enrichment in filipin-cholesterol complexes takes places across the stacked cisternae of the Golgi apparatus; the reticulum-related (forming) cisternae are poor in such complexes, but the secretory granule-related (maturing) cisternae contain numerous complexes. Secretory granule membrane is also richly labeled with filipin-cholesterol complexes. The heterogeneous cholesterol distribution in the membranes of the Golgi apparatus, as shown by filipin, emphasizes the polarity of this organelle, in agreement with its role in organizing the traffic of the secretory polypeptides from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane.

The site of incorporation of sialic acid residues into glycoproteins and the subsequent fates of these molecules in various rat and mouse cell types as shown by radioautography after injection of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine. I. Observations in hepatocytes

To study the site of incorporation of sialic acid residues into glycoproteins in hepatocytes, we gave 40-g rats and 15-g Swiss albino mice a single intravenous injection of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine (8 mCi) and then sacrificed them after 2 and 10 min. To trace the subsequent migration of the labeled glycoproteins, we injected 40-g rats with 4 mCi of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine and sacrificed them after 20 and 30 min, 1, 4, and 24 h, and 3 and 9 d. Concurrent biochemical experiments were carried out to test the specificity of injected [3H]N-acetylmannosamine as a precursor for sialic acid residues of glycoproteins. In radioautographs from rats and mice sacrificed 10 min after injection, grain counts showed that over 69% of the silver grains occurred over the Golgi region. The majority of these grains were localized over the trans face of the Golgi stack, as well as over associated secretory vesicles and possibly GERL. In rats, the proportion of grains over the Golgi region decreased with time to 37% at 1 h, 11% at 4 h, and 6% at 24 h. Meanwhile, the proportion of grains over the plasma membrane increased from 4% at 10 min to 29% at 1 h and over 55% at 4 and 24 h; two-thirds of these grains lay over the sinusoidal membrane, and the remainder were equally divided over the lateral and bile canalicular membranes. Many silver grains also appeared over lysosomes at the 4- and 24-h time intervals, accounting for 15-17% of the total. At 3 and 9 d after injection, light microscope radioautographs revealed a grain distribution similar to that seen at 24 h, with a progressive decrease in the intensity of labeling such that by 9 d only a very light reaction remained. Because our biochemical findings indicated that [3H]N-acetylmannosamine is a fairly specific precursor for the sialic acid residues of glycoproteins (and perhaps glycolipids), the interpretation of these results is that sialic acid is incorporated into these molecules in the Golgi apparatus and that the latter then migrate to secretion products, to the plasma membrane, and to lysosomes in a process of continuous renewal. It is possible that some of the label seen in lysosomes at later time intervals may have been derived from the plasma membrane or from material arising outside the cells.

Biogenesis of hepatocyte plasma-membrane domains. Incorporation of (3H)fucose into plasma-membrane and golgi-apparatus glycoproteins

1. Rats were injected intracaudally with [3H]fucose and its rate of incorporation into the fucoproteins of serum, Golgi and plasma-membrane subfractions was followed for up tp 2h. 2. Incorporation into the Golgi dictyosome and secretory-vesicular fractions reached a maximum at 15 min or less, but most of the radioactivity was associated with classes of secretory glycoproteins. Incorporation into sinusoidal plasma-membrane fractions reached a maximum at 30 min, coinciding with the maximum release of fucoproteins into the serum. Contiguous and canalicular plasma-membrane fractions were labelled slightly later and at a lower rate and specific radioactivity. 3. Fluorography of fucoproteins separated by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis helped to distinguish between the major secretory and membrane-bound glycoproteins. The results show that a major biogenetic sequence is probably from Golgi dictyosomes to Golgi secretory elements to a sinusoidal plasma membrane. 4. The kinetics of incorporation make it unlikely that there is rapid and direct insertion of glycoproteins into the bile-canalicular plasma membrane. A route involving direct transfer of glycoproteins via a membrane-mediated intracellular path from the blood sinusoidal to the bile-canalicular plasma membranes is proposed.

Plasma membranes from intestinal microvilli and erythrocytes contain cytochromes b5 and P-420

The presence of cytochromes b5, P-450 and P-420 and activities of NADH- and NADPH-cytochrome c redutases were determined in plasma membranes isolated from microvilli of the chick and rat intestinal epithelium and erythrocyte membranes from chick, rat and man. The results are compared with the amounts of these components found in microsomal fractions from intestinal epithelium and in nuclear membranes from chick erythrocytes. Plasma membranes from intestinal microvilli and from erythrocytes contained significant amounts of NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity and of a pigment spectrophotometrically indistinguishable from rat liver microsomal cytochrome b5. In addition, cytochrome b5 fragments were prepared from the membranes by limited trypsin digestion and consisted of two to four components with Mr values in the range 10 000-13 500. In low-temperature difference spectra, the presence of a second cytochrome was noted which was similar to cytochrome P-420. Cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activities were not detected in plasma membrane fractions in significant concentrations but were present in the corresponding endomembrane fractions. These findings in highly purified, well defined plasma membrane fractions, in which contamination by endomembranes is minimal, strengthen the evidence for the existence of cytochrome-containing redox systems in plasma membranes of various cells and suggest that such redox components are general components of the cell surface. Possible functions and origins of these redox components in plasma membranes are discussed.

Cellular fractionation and isolation of the plasma membrane of Burkitt's lymphoma cells

A procedure for cellular fractionation and preparation of plasma membrane from a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line is described. This procedure involves homogenization with a Polytron in buffered isotonic sucrose, and separation of cellular fractions by differential and isopycnic centrifugation in sucrose. The isolated plasma membrane fraction contains 44% of the cellular cholesterol, 50% of the ouabain-sensitive (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity, 43% of the gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activities and 16% of the phospholipid. This fraction contains only 3% of cellular protein and is contaminated with less than 4% of the total cellular activities of microsomal, lysosomal, mitochondrial, Golgi and soluble marker enzymes. The cholesterol : phospholipid molar ratio of the crude plasma membrane is 0.56. The membranes in this fraction are in the form of vesicles. Further purification of plasma membrane is achieved by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and results in a 25- to 30-fold enrichment of plasma membrane markers. Plasma membrane markers band in these gradients between 1.10 and 1.15 g/cm3. The distribution patterns in the cell fractions of 18 cellular constituents are quantitatively determined. Most constituents are found to distribute in a fashion consistent with the results obtained in other systems. Thymidine-5'-phosphodiesterase (phosphodiesterase I), esterase, nucleoside diphophatase and glucose-6-phosphatase, however, are shown to be poor markers of membrane fractions in this system. Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination was used to identify several plasma membrane proteins which are exposed at the surface. After separation of labeled polypeptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, the predominant labeled protein was identified as the heavy chain of IgM. Several lesser labeled proteins were observed.

Transport of the membrane glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus to the cell surface in two stages by clathrin-coated vesicles

The G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is transported from its site of synthesis in the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane via the Golgi apparatus. Pulse-chase experiments suggest that G is transported to the cell surface in two successive waves of clathrin-coated vesicles. The oligosaccharides of G protein carried in the early wave are of the "high-mannose" (G1) form, whereas the oligosaccharides in the second, later wave are of the mature "complex" (G2) form. the early wave is therefore proposed to correspond to transport of G in coated vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus, and the succeeding wave to transport from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane. The G1- and G2-containing coated vesicles appear to be structurally distinct, as judged by their differential precipitation by anticoated vesicle serum.

Localization and biosynthesis of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase, an integral membrane protein, in rat liver cells. I. Distribution of the enzyme activity in microsomes, mitochondria, and golgi complex

The subcellular distribution of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase in rat liver cells was reinvestigated. In fresh heavy and light Golgi fractions (GF3 and GF1 + 2) and in mitochondria, the specific activity of rotenone-insensitive NADH-cytochrome c reductase was approximately 100, 60, and 30%, respectively, of the value found in microsomes. However, the Golgi enzyme was unstable inasmuch as pelleting and resuspending the fresh fractions resulted in a considerable inactivation (40--60%), which was further increased with subsequent storage at 4 degrees C. A similar inactivation was observed using cytochrome b5 but not ferricyanide as electron acceptor. The inactivation of Golgi NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity was independent of the protein concentration of the fractions during storage, was unaffected by the addition of the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene, but was partly prevented by buffering the fractions at neutral pH and by storage at--20 degrees C. A total Golgi fraction was analyzed by density equilibration on continuous sucrose gradients after exposure to digitonin. As expected, the distribution of both protein and galactosyl transferase were shifted to higher densities by this treatment. However, not all galactosyl transferase-bearing elements were shifted to the same extent by exposure to the detergent, suggesting a biochemical heterogeneity of the Golgi complex. In contrast to their behavior in microsomes, the distribution of NADH-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome b5 of Golgi fractions was shifted by digitonin, although to a lesser extent than that of galactosyl transferase. These results indicate that NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase is an authentic component of Golgi membranes, as well as of microsomes and of mitochondria. The conflicting results reported in the past on the Golgi localization of the enzyme could be due, on the one hand, to the differential lability of the activity in its various subcellular locations and, on the other, to the heterogeneity of the Golgi complex in terms of both cholesterol and enzyme distribution.

The binding of cytochrome b5 to plasma membranes of rat liver: its implication for membrane specificity and biogenesis

The in vitro incorporation of cytochrome b5 into purified plasma membranes was investigated by biochemical and immunological methods. Plasma membrane preparations incorporated three times less cytochrome b5 than did microsomal preparations; 60% of this cytochrome b5 could not be reduced by the NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase and considered as being bound to the plasma membrane. The morphological observations made after the immunochemical labeling of cytochrome b5 clearly showed a good but asymmetrical distribution of the ferritin labeling: only the inner face of the plasma membrane incorporated cytochrome b5. These results are discussed with respect to theories which concern the subcellular membrane relationships in the cell.

Synthesis of rat liver microsomal cytochrome b5 by free ribosomes

Free and membrane-bound polyribosomes were separated from liver homogenates and characterized by electron microscopy. Using the wheat germ cell-free translation system, total translation products of poly A+RNA extracted from free polyribosomes (poly A+RNAf) showed some correlation to total liver cytosol proteins. In contrast, translation products of poly A+RNA from membrane-bound polyribosomes (poly A+RNAmb) showed some similarity to rat serum. Antibody to purified rat serum albumin immunoprecipitated from only the translation products of poly A+RNAmb a single polypeptide of mol wt 68,000. i.e., 3,000 greater than secreted serum albumin. In contrast, antibody to detergent-extracted cytochrome b5 immunoprecipitated from only the translation products of poly A+RNAf a single polypeptide of mol wt 17,500, identical to that of microsomal cytochrome b5. A consideration of the known properties of cytochrome b5 is consistent with an exclusive site of synthesis on free ribosomes.

Distribution of terminal glycosyltransferases in hepatic Golgi fractions

The distribution of the three glycosyltransferases synthesizing the terminal trisaccharide sialic acid yields D-galactose yields N-acetylglucosamine present in many glycoproteins was determined in Golgi fractions prepared from rat liver homogenates by a modification of the procedure of Ehrenreich et al. (1973, J. Cell Biol. 70:671--684). The enzymes were assayed with asialofetuin, ovomucoid, and Smith-degraded ovomucoid as sugar acceptors. Careful adjustment of the pH of all sucrose solutions to 7.0 +/- 0.1 prevented enzyme inactivation, and allowed quantitative recoveries at every isolation step. The three morphologically and functionally different Golgi fractions GJ1, GF2, and GF3 showed (in that order) decreasing specific activities of all three enzymes, but the relative amounts and relative specific activities of the three transferases in any given fraction were nearly identical. Two marginal fractions, one extra heavy (collected on the gradient below GF3) and the other extra light (isolated by flotation from the postmicrosomal supernate) were found to contain recognizable Golgi elements. An enrichment of any transferase over the two others was not detected in either preparation. A partial release of content from a combined GF1+2 was achieved by treatment with the nonionic detergent Triton X-100. Low Triton/phospholipid ratios (less than 2 mg/mg) led to lysis of the vesicles and cisternae and loss of very low density lipoprotein particles (ascertained by electron microscopy), but failed to separate the transferases from each other; the three enzymes sedimented together with a population of empty vesicles to a density of approximately 1.08 g/ml.

Highly purified basal lateral plasma membranes from rat duodenum. Physical criteria for purity

Preparations of intestinal epithelial cell basal lateral plasma membranes were analyzed with free flow electrophoresis and density perturbation with digitonin. The initial basal lateral membrane preparations were obtained by equilibrium density gradient centrifugation after two different schemes of homogenization and differential sedimentation (A.K. Mircheff, C.H. van Os, and E.M. Wright. 1978. Membr. Biochem. 1:177, and A.K. Mircheff, S.D. Hanna, M.W. Walling, and E.M. Wright. 1979. Prep. Biochem. 9:33. In these preparations, Na,K-ATPase, a marker for the basal lateral mambrane, was purified 16- to 18-fold over the initial homogenate. The preparations were also enriched in NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and galactosyltransferase. Both free-flow electrophoresis, which separates on the basis of surface charge, and density perturbation with digitonin, which depends on a specific interaction of digitonin with cholesterol-rich membranes, resolved the preparation into three populations of particles. The major population, which represented basal lateral membranes purified 20- to 32-fold with respect to the initial homogenate, contained Na,K-ATPase, alkaline phosphatase, adenylate cyclase, and acid phosphatase. A second population was defined by its content of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, and the third was defined by its content of galactosyltransferase. Guanylate cyclase appeared to be partitioned between the Na,K-ATPase-rich and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase-rich populations. Galactosyltransferase is also present in fractions which contain the Na,K-ATPase-rich membranes, but the present data cannot exclude the possibility of spillover by the adjacent, galactosyltransferase-rich population. This work emphasizes the importance of multiple, physical criteria for purity in the isolation of subcellular components.

Subcellular particles involved in the translocation of proteins in rat brain

Protein translocation systems which are inhibited by vinblastine, colchicine, and low calcium concentrations have been found in the cells of the brain slice. The early steps in the translocation pathways of newly synthesized protein have been studied by use of a double-label experiment in conjunction with subcellular fractionation. Certain subcellular particles have been positioned on the pathways with reference to vinblastine-sensitive translocation steps. There appears to be many subcellular organelles that are located downstream from a vinblastine-sensitive translocation step and which receive significant quantities of translocated protein within an hour of its synthesis. Some of these organelles co-enrich with the enzyme marker 5'-AMPase. Myelinated axons, Golgi derived vesicles, and smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum all are enriched in fractions which contain a net vinblastine-sensitive importation of protein. The major particles, which lie upstream from a vinblastine-sensitive translocation step and are net exporters of protein on this system, are found in a brain capillary fraction. It is suggested that the most likely exporter present in these capillaries are the end feet of astrocyte glial cells.

Characterization of UDP-galactosyl:asialo-mucin transferase activity in the Golgi system of rat liver

UDPgalactosyltransferase activity (UDPgalactose:mucopolysaccharide galactosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.74) was measured in a well-characterized fraction of Golgi membranes in the presence of UDPgalactose and exogenous acceptor sites. Substrate saturation for 0.05 mg Golgi protein was achieved at a concentration of 4.6 mM UDPgalactose. Desialylated mucin proved to be the most suitable acceptor protein. Access to galactose acceptor sites was not rate limiting for the reaction when 20 mg of asialo-mucin/ml of incubation mixture was used. With these concentrations of substrates the use of nucleotides to inhibit pyrophosphatases and of detergents to perturb the membrane structure was not necessary and proved, in fact, to be inhibitory to galactose transfer. UDPgalactosyl:asialo-mucin transferase activity in Golgi membranes was 230 nmol galactose transferred/mg Golgi protein per 30 min.

[Comparative study of microsomal enzymic activities in adult and foetal monkey hepatocytes (author's transl)]

Differential centrifugation was applied to adult and foetal liver of monkey. Obtained fractions were: F1 (800 X g); F2 (12 500 X g); F3 (200 000 X g); and cell sap. Analysis of chemical compounds of these fractions shows that: (1) adult and foetal nucleic acids levels are similar; (2) there are more proteins in adult than in foetal hepatocytes; (3) most of the glycogen is located in F3; the foetal level is twenty times higher than the adult level. Plasma membrane enzymes (5'-nucleotidase, adenylate cyclase) show a nucleomicrosomic distribution. The distribution of alkaline phosphatase is not significant. Mitochondrial enzymes (monoamine oxydase, succinate cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome oxydase) are enriched in F2 without any sedimentation in F3. There is more malate dehydrogenase liberated in cell sap during foetal liver fractionation. This indicates the foetal mitochondria are more sensitive to the homogenisation method. Lysosomal enzymes (acid phosphatase, N-acetylglucosaminidase) are enriched in F2. The same observation for N-acetylglucosaminidase as for malate dehydrogenase leads to the same conclusion for foetal lysosomes. Endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi enzymes (glucose-6-phosphatase and related phosphotransferase activity, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and sialytransferase) are much enriched in F3. Thus this fraction F3 is pure enough to allow the observation of the modification produced on endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus during foetal and neonatal development.

Golgi fractions from livers of control and ethanol-intoxicated rats. Enzymic and morphologic properties following rapid isolation

Following rapid isolation, it has been found that Golgi apparatus from ethanol-intoxicated animals contain high levels of galactosyltransferase but also detectable glucose-6-phosphatase and microsomal esterase, as well as 5'-nucleotidase activity. In experiments carried out in parallel on littermate animals but without intoxication, similar recoveries and specific activities of the four enzymes were observed. Morphologic analysis of Golgi fractions isolated from control animals demonstrated no striking morphologic difference to those from the ethanol-intoxicated animals. Indeed, using galloyl glucose-lead staining techniques to mark the lipoprotein particles in situ, it was found that all Golgi apparatus of hepatocytes from control animals were marked by very low density lipoprotein particles. It is therefore concluded that within the limits of the present analyses, Golgi fractions isolated from control animals are as valid as those isolated from ethanol-intoxicated rats.

The lipids of the Golgi apparatus subfractions from rat liver

Golgi apparatus were isolated from untreated rat liver and separated into three fractions. One consisted mainly of vesicles, a second of tubular particles (dictyosomes) and the third was a mixed fraction. Large differences between these fractions could be seen in the electron microscope and by enzyme analysis. The total lipid content of the vesicles was 3.5-times greater than that of the dictyosomes and the neutral lipid value was 7-times greater. The ratio of phospholipids to protein was approximately the same in the three fractions. However, the phospholipid patterns differed between the vesicle and dictyosome fractions.