Regulation of biosynthesis of N-glycolylneuraminic acid-containing glycoconjugates: characterization of factors required for NADH-dependent cytidine 5'monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylation

Exploration of the Sialic Acid World

Sialic acids are cytoprotectors, mainly localized on the surface of cell membranes with multiple and outstanding cell biological functions. The history of their structural analysis, occurrence, and functions is fascinating and described in this review. Reports from different researchers on apparently similar substances from a variety of biological materials led to the identification of a 9-carbon monosaccharide, which in 1957 was designated "sialic acid." The most frequently occurring member of the sialic acid family is N-acetylneuraminic acid, followed by N-glycolylneuraminic acid and O-acetylated derivatives, and up to now over about 80 neuraminic acid derivatives have been described. They appeared first in the animal kingdom, ranging from echinoderms up to higher animals, in many microorganisms, and are also expressed in insects, but are absent in higher plants. Sialic acids are masks and ligands and play as such dual roles in biology. Their involvement in immunology and tumor biology, as well as in hereditary diseases, cannot be underestimated. N-Glycolylneuraminic acid is very special, as this sugar cannot be expressed by humans, but is a xenoantigen with pathogenetic potential. Sialidases (neuraminidases), which liberate sialic acids from cellular compounds, had been known from very early on from studies with influenza viruses. Sialyltransferases, which are responsible for the sialylation of glycans and elongation of polysialic acids, are studied because of their significance in development and, for instance, in cancer. As more information about the functions in health and disease is acquired, the use of sialic acids in the treatment of diseases is also envisaged.

Biochemical, Cellular, Physiological, and Pathological Consequences of Human Loss of N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid

About 2-3 million years ago, Alu-mediated deletion of a critical exon in the CMAH gene became fixed in the hominin lineage ancestral to humans, possibly through a stepwise process of selection by pathogen targeting of the CMAH product (the sialic acid Neu5Gc), followed by reproductive isolation through female anti-Neu5Gc antibodies. Loss of CMAH has occurred independently in some other lineages, but is functionally intact in Old World primates, including our closest relatives, the chimpanzee. Although the biophysical and biochemical ramifications of losing tens of millions of Neu5Gc hydroxy groups at most cell surfaces remains poorly understood, we do know that there are multiscale effects functionally relevant to both sides of the host-pathogen interface. Hominin CMAH loss might also contribute to understanding human evolution, at the time when our ancestors were starting to use stone tools, increasing their consumption of meat, and possibly hunting. Comparisons with chimpanzees within ethical and practical limitations have revealed some consequences of human CMAH loss, but more has been learned by using a mouse model with a human-like Cmah inactivation. For example, such mice can develop antibodies against Neu5Gc that could affect inflammatory processes like cancer progression in the face of Neu5Gc metabolic incorporation from red meats, display a hyper-reactive immune system, a human-like tendency for delayed wound healing, late-onset hearing loss, insulin resistance, susceptibility to muscular dystrophy pathologies, and increased sensitivity to multiple human-adapted pathogens involving sialic acids. Further studies in such mice could provide a model for other human-specific processes and pathologies involving sialic acid biology that have yet to be explored.

Sialic acids as link to Japanese scientists

This manuscript is dedicated to Prof. Tamio Yamakawa and describes my cooperations on sialic acid-related topics with Japanese scientists during the last 40 years. We studied sialic acids and their O-acetylated derivatives in the sea urchin Pseudocentrotus depressus, in Halocynthia species, and in human and bovine milk. In seafood we mainly searched for N-glycolylneuraminic acid. With synthetic substrates it was shown that sialic acid O-acetylation at C-4 hinders the activity of sialidases, with the exception of viral enzymes. The biosynthesis of Neu5Gc was discussed and the distribution of this sialic acid in dogs followed in modern literature and reviewed regarding their migration. An excellent source of sialic acids is edible bird nest substance (Collocalia mucin) which was used for the synthesis of sialylation inhibitors.

Involvement of a non-human sialic Acid in human cancer

Sialic acids are common monosaccharides that are widely expressed as outer terminal units on all vertebrate cell surfaces, and play fundamental roles in cell–cell and cell–microenvironment interactions. The predominant sialic acids on most mammalian cells are N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) and N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). Neu5Gc is notable for its deficiency in humans due to a species-specific and species-universal inactivating deletion in the CMAH gene encoding the hydroxylase that converts CMP-Neu5Ac to CMP-Neu5Gc. However, Neu5Gc is metabolically incorporated into human tissues from dietary sources (particularly red meat), and detected at even higher levels in some human cancers. Early life exposure to Neu5Gc-containing foods in the presence of certain commensal bacteria that incorporate dietary Neu5Gc into lipooligosaccharides can lead to generation of antibodies that are also cross-reactive against Neu5Gc-containing glycans in human tissues (“xeno-autoantigens”). Such anti-Neu5Gc “xeno-autoantibodies” are found in all humans, although ranging widely in levels among individuals, and displaying diverse and variable specificities for the underlying glycan. Experimental evidence in a human-like Neu5Gc-deficient Cmah^−/−mouse model shows that inflammation due to “xenosialitis” caused by this antigen–antibody interaction can promote tumor progression, suggesting a likely mechanism for the well-known epidemiological link between red meat consumption and carcinoma risk. In this review, we discuss the history of this field, mechanisms of Neu5Gc incorporation into tissues, the origin and specificities of human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies, their use as possible cancer biomarkers, implications of xenosialitis in cancer initiation and progression, and current and future approaches toward immunotherapy that could take advantage of this unusual human-specific phenomenon.

Metabolism of vertebrate amino sugars with N-glycolyl groups: elucidating the intracellular fate of the non-human sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid

The two major mammalian sialic acids are N-acetylneuraminic acid and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). The only known biosynthetic pathway generating Neu5Gc is the conversion of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid into CMP-Neu5Gc, which is catalyzed by the CMP-Neu5Ac hydroxylase enzyme. Given the irreversible nature of this reaction, there must be pathways for elimination or degradation of Neu5Gc, which would allow animal cells to adjust Neu5Gc levels to their needs. Although humans are incapable of synthesizing Neu5Gc due to an inactivated CMAH gene, exogenous Neu5Gc from dietary sources can be metabolically incorporated into tissues in the face of an anti-Neu5Gc antibody response. However, the metabolic turnover of Neu5Gc, which apparently prevents human cells from continued accumulation of this immunoreactive sialic acid, has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we show that pre-loaded Neu5Gc is eliminated from human cells over time, and we propose a conceivable Neu5Gc-degrading pathway based on the well studied metabolism of N-acetylhexosamines. We demonstrate that murine tissue cytosolic extracts harbor the enzymatic machinery to sequentially convert Neu5Gc into N-glycolylmannosamine, N-glycolylglucosamine, and N-glycolylglucosamine 6-phosphate, whereupon irreversible de-N-glycolylation of the latter results in the ubiquitous metabolites glycolate and glucosamine 6-phosphate. We substantiate this finding by demonstrating activity of recombinant human enzymes in vitro and by studying the fate of radiolabeled pathway intermediates in cultured human cells, suggesting that this pathway likely occurs in vivo. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed degradative pathway is partially reversible, showing that N-glycolylmannosamine and N-glycolylglucosamine (but not glycolate) can serve as precursors for biosynthesis of endogenous Neu5Gc.

Metabolism of vertebrate amino sugars with N-glycolyl groups: incorporation of N-glycolylhexosamines into mammalian glycans by feeding N-glycolylgalactosamine

The outermost positions of mammalian cell-surface glycans are predominantly occupied by the sialic acids N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). To date, hydroxylation of CMP-Neu5Ac resulting in the conversion into CMP-Neu5Gc is the only known enzymatic reaction in mammals to synthesize a monosaccharide carrying an N-glycolyl group. In our accompanying paper (Bergfeld, A. K., Pearce, O. M., Diaz, S. L., Pham, T., and Varki, A. (2012) J. Biol. Chem. 287, jbc.M112.363549), we report a metabolic pathway for degradation of Neu5Gc, demonstrating that N-acetylhexosamine pathways are tolerant toward the N-glycolyl substituent of Neu5Gc breakdown products. In this study, we show that exogenously added N-glycolylgalactosamine (GalNGc) serves as a precursor for Neu5Gc de novo biosynthesis, potentially involving seven distinct mammalian enzymes. Following the GalNAc salvage pathway, UDP-GalNGc is epimerized to UDP-GlcNGc, which might compete with the endogenous UDP-GlcNAc for the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway. Using UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase-deficient cells, we confirm that conversion of GalNGc into Neu5Gc depends on this key enzyme of sialic acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate by mass spectrometry that the metabolic intermediates UDP-GalNGc and UDP-GlcNGc serve as substrates for assembly of most major classes of cellular glycans. We show for the first time incorporation of GalNGc and GlcNGc into chondroitin/dermatan sulfates and heparan sulfates, respectively. As demonstrated by structural analysis, N-glycolylated hexosamines were found in cellular gangliosides and incorporated into Chinese hamster ovary cell O-glycans. Remarkably, GalNAc derivatives altered the overall O-glycosylation pattern as indicated by the occurrence of novel O-glycan structures. This study demonstrates that mammalian N-acetylhexosamine pathways and glycan assembly are surprisingly tolerant toward the N-glycolyl substituent.

Metabolism of vertebrate amino sugars with N-glycolyl groups: resistance of α2-8-linked N-glycolylneuraminic acid to enzymatic cleavage

The sialic acid (Sia) N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and its hydroxylated derivative N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) differ by one oxygen atom. CMP-Neu5Gc is synthesized from CMP-Neu5Ac, with Neu5Gc representing a highly variable fraction of total Sias in various tissues and among different species. The exception may be the brain, where Neu5Ac is abundant and Neu5Gc is reported to be rare. Here, we confirm this unusual pattern and its evolutionary conservation in additional samples from various species, concluding that brain Neu5Gc expression has been maintained at extremely low levels over hundreds of millions of years of vertebrate evolution. Most explanations for this pattern do not require maintaining neural Neu5Gc at such low levels. We hypothesized that resistance of α2-8-linked Neu5Gc to vertebrate sialidases is the detrimental effect requiring the relative absence of Neu5Gc from brain. This linkage is prominent in polysialic acid (polySia), a molecule with critical roles in vertebrate neural development. We show that Neu5Gc is incorporated into neural polySia and does not cause in vitro toxicity. Synthetic polymers of Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc showed that mammalian and bacterial sialidases are much less able to hydrolyze α2-8-linked Neu5Gc at the nonreducing terminus. Notably, this difference was not seen with acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of polySias. Molecular dynamics modeling indicates that differences in the three-dimensional conformation of terminal saccharides may partly explain reduced enzymatic activity. In keeping with this, polymers of N-propionylneuraminic acid are sensitive to sialidases. Resistance of Neu5Gc-containing polySia to sialidases provides a potential explanation for the rarity of Neu5Gc in the vertebrate brain.

Glycosyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of the inner core region of different lipopolysaccharides

The inner core of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structures in Gram-negative bacteria is considered a highly conserved region. The sugar connecting the membrane-associated lipid A moiety with the hydrophilic saccharide moiety, 3-deoxy-alpha-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) is present in every LPS molecule investigated but it may be partially replaced by d-glycero-alpha-d-talo-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Ko). l-Glycero-alpha-d-manno-heptose (Hep) and phosphate residues are part of most but not all LPS structures and additionally, modifications with 4-amino-4-deoxy-beta-l-arabinose (Ara4N) residues occur in some. A number of different glycosyltransferases is involved in the biosynthesis of the inner core region of different lipopolysaccharides. Here, we report the characterization of Kdo transferases, heptosyltransferases and Ara4N transferases from a variety of bacteria.

N-glycolylneuraminic acid deficiency in humans

Classic studies suggested that the common mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) is an oncofetal antigen in humans, being immunogenic in adult humans and yet apparently expressed in human fetuses and tumors. We and others have recently found that the human deficiency of Neu5Gc can be explained by an inactivating mutation in the gene encoding CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase. Thus, Neu5Gc is not an oncofetal antigen in the classical sense, and other explanations must be found for the observed expression pattern. This review provides an update on this matter, and considers a variety of other old and new questions that arise from it.

A structural difference between the cell surfaces of humans and the great apes

The sialic acids are major components of the cell surfaces of animals of the deuterostome lineage. Earlier studies suggested that humans may not express N-glycolyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), a hydroxylated form of the common sialic acid N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). We find that while Neu5Gc is essentially undetectable on human plasma proteins and erythrocytes, it is a major component in all the four extant great apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla and orangutan) as well as in many other mammals. This marked difference is also seen amongst cultured lymphoblastoid cells from humans and great apes, as well as in a variety of other tissues compared between humans and chimpanzees, including the cerebral cortex and the cerebrospinal fluid. Biosynthetically, Neu5Gc arises from the action of a hydroxylase that converts the nucleotide donor CMP-Neu5Ac to CMP-Neu5Gc. This enzymatic activity is present in chimpanzee cells, but not in human cells. However, traces of Neu5Gc occur in some human tissues, and others have reported expression of Neu5Gc in human cancers and fetal tissues. Thus, the enzymatic capacity to express Neu5Gc appears to have been suppressed sometime after the great ape-hominid divergence. As terminal structures on cell surfaces, sialic acids are involved in intercellular cross-talk involving specific vertebrate lectins, as well as in microbe-host recognition involving a wide variety of pathogens. The level of sialic acid hydroxylation (level of Neu5Ac versus Neu5Gc) is known to positively or negatively affect several of these endogenous and exogenous interactions. Thus, there are potential functional consequences of this widespread structural change in humans affecting the surfaces of cells throughout the body.

A mutation in human CMP-sialic acid hydroxylase occurred after the Homo-Pan divergence

Sialic acids are important cell-surface molecules of animals in the deuterostome lineage. Although humans do not express easily detectable amounts of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc, a hydroxylated form of the common sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid, Neu5Ac), it is a major component in great ape tissues, except in the brain. This difference correlates with lack of the hydroxylase activity that converts CMP-Neu5Ac to CMP-Neu5Gc. Here we report cloning of human and chimpanzee hydroxylase cDNAs. Although this chimpanzee cDNA is similar to the murine homologue, the human cDNA contains a 92-bp deletion resulting in a frameshift mutation. The isolated human gene also shows evidence for this deletion. Genomic PCR analysis indicates that this deletion does not occur in any of the African great apes. The gene is localized to 6p22-p23 in both humans and great apes, which does not correspond to known chromosomal rearrangements that occurred during hominoid evolution. Thus, the lineage leading to modern humans suffered a mutation sometime after the common ancestor with the chimpanzee and bonobo, potentially affecting recognition by a variety of endogenous and exogenous sialic acid-binding lectins. Also, the expression of Neu5Gc previously reported in human fetuses and tumors as well as the traces detected in some normal adult humans must be mediated by an alternate pathway.

CMP-N-Acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase is exclusively inactive in humans

We cloned cDNAs for mouse and human CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) hydroxylases and showed that the human CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase protein is inactive because of a partial deletion in the hydroxylase gene. We report here that no other active CMP-NeuAc hydroxylases are present in humans. Southern blot analysis showed that the human homologue of the mouse CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase is one gene in the human genome and no other homologues of the mouse hydroxylase exist in human genome. The mouse and the human CMP-NeuAc hydroxylases were mapped to chromosome 13A3 and chromosome 6p22, respectively, by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The chromosomal location of the human hydroxylase is syntenic to that of the mouse hydroxylase. These results demonstrate that the human CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase is the only homologue of the mouse hydroxylase, and CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase is exclusively inactive in humans.

The molecular basis for the absence of N-glycolylneuraminic acid in humans

N-Glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) is abundantly expressed in most mammals, but it is not detectable in humans. The expression of NeuGc is controlled by cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) hydroxylase activity. We previously cloned a cDNA for mouse CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase and found that the human genome contains a homologue. We report here the molecular basis for the absence of NeuGc in humans. We cloned a cDNA for human CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase from a HeLa cell cDNA library. The cDNA encodes a 486-amino acid protein, and its deduced amino acid sequence lacks a domain corresponding to the N-terminal 104 amino acids of the mouse CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase protein, although the human protein is highly identical (93%) to the rest of the mouse hydroxylase protein. The N-terminal truncation of the human hydroxylase is caused by deletion of a 92-base pair-long exon in human genomic DNA. The human hydroxylase expressed in COS-7 cells exhibited no enzymatic activity, and a mouse hydroxylase mutant, which lacks the N-terminal domain, was also inactive. A chimera composed of the human hydroxylase and the N-terminal domain of the mouse hydroxylase displayed the enzyme activity. These results indicate that the human homologue of CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase is inactive because it lacks an N-terminal domain that is essential for enzyme activity. The absence of NeuGc in human glycoconjugates is due to a partial deletion in the gene that encodes CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase.

The Sialoadhesins--a family of sialic acid-dependent cellular recognition molecules within the immunoglobulin superfamily

For many years evidence has accumulated that sialic acids function in cellular interactions either by masking or as a recognition site. However, receptors or adhesion molecules mediating such functions between eukaryotic cells were unknown until about 5 years ago, when it was found that the members of the Selectin family mediate adhesion of leukocytes to specific endothelia through binding to sialylated glycans like sialyl Lewis. More recently, the Sialoadhesin family of sialic acid-dependent adhesion molecules was defined within the superfamily of immunoglobulin-like molecules. So far, it has been shown that sialoadhesin (Sn), CD22, CD33, the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and the Schwann cell myelin protein (SMP) belong to this family. In contrast to the Selectins, these proteins are associated with diverse biological processes, i.e. hemopoiesis, neuronal development and immunity. In this review their properties, carbohydrate specificities and potential biological functions are discussed. Finally, we provide perspectives with respect to the nature of ligands, implications of sialic acid modifications and future research.

Molecular cloning of cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase. Regulation of species- and tissue-specific expression of N-glycolylneuraminic acid

Cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) hydroxylase, which is the key enzyme for the synthesis of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc), has been purified from the cytosolic fraction of mouse liver, as described in our previous paper. The amino acid sequences of the purified CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase, and peptides obtained by lysylendopeptidase digestion, were used to synthesize specific oligonucleotide primers. A mouse cDNA clone of the enzyme was obtained by a combination of the polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The sequence of the clone contained an open reading frame coding for a protein of 577 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 66 kDa. The deduced sequence included the amino acid sequences obtained for the purified enzyme and peptides, and a complete match was obtained for 159 residues. The enzyme has neither a signal peptide sequence nor a membrane spanning domain, which is consistent with localization of the enzyme in the cytosol. Transfection of a cDNA construct to COS-1 cells increased the enzyme activity and the amount of NeuGc. Comparison of the sequence with GenBank data indicated that no similar sequence has been reported so far. Northern blot analysis of various mouse tissues with the enzyme cDNA as a probe indicated that expression of NeuGc is related to the level of CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase mRNA. On Southern blot analysis with the same probe, cross-hybridizing bands were detected in the human and fish genomes.

Donor substrate specificities of Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase and Gal beta 1,3GalNAc alpha 2,3-sialyltransferase: comparison of N-acetyl and N-glycolylneuraminic acids

Using cloned sialyltransferases, Gal beta 1,3GalNAc alpha 2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3Gal I) and Gal beta 1,4GlcNAc alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal I) from both chicken and mouse, CMP-NeuAc and CMP-NeuGc were compared as donor substrates with pyridylamino-oligo-saccharides as acceptors. ST6Gal I showed 4-7-times higher activity toward CMP-NeuGc than CMP-NeuAc, while for ST3Gal I there was no significant difference between them, irrespective of the origin of the enzymes. Also, the difference in donor substrate (i.e., NeuAc and NeuGc) had little effect on the preference to acceptor substrates of these enzymes. Thus, the results showed that the cloned sialyltransferases can utilize both CMP-NeuAc and CMP-NeuGc as donor substrates, and that the preference difference between the sialyltransferases to CMP-NeuGc and CMP-NeuAc could, at least partly, explain the discrepancy in the ratio of NeuAc and NeuGc in glycolipids and glycoproteins in individual tissues.

Glycosphingolipid composition of rat placenta: changes associated with stage of pregnancy

The composition of glycolipids and their changes in the placenta were investigated in the normal pregnant rat. Total lipid fractions extracted from the placenta between days 12 and 20 of pregnancy (day 0 = oestrus) were subjected to glycolipid analysis using DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, silica-gel HPLC, silica-gel TLC, TLC/immunostaining, matrix-assisted secondary-ion mass spectrometry in the negative-ion mode and 1H NMR. Glycolipids identified in the rat placenta were: gangliosides GM3 (NeuAcLacCer and NeuGcLacCer) and GD3 (NeuAcNeuAcLacCer, NeuAcNeuGcLacCer and NeuGcNeuAcLacCer), and neutral glycolipids ceramide monosaccharide (CMH) (GlcCer), ceramide disaccharide (CDH) (LacCer), ceramide trisaccharide (CTH) (Gb3Cer) and ceramide tetrasaccharide (CQH) (Gb4Cer). The content of neutral glycolipids was higher than that of gangliosides throughout pregnancy. Of the neutral glycolipids, CMH and CTH predominated and the level of CDH was low at mid-pregnancy. During late pregnancy, CMH and CTH decreased and CDH increased markedly. CQH remained at a low level throughout pregnancy. Of the gangliosides, GM3 was predominant on days 12-16 and then decreased, whereas GD3, which was low on day 12, increased slightly on day 16 and maintained the same level thereafter. Immunohistochemical studies indicated that these changes in the expression of major gangliosides from GM3 to GD3 occurred in labyrinthine trophoblasts. Thus expression of these glycolipids appears to change markedly during pregnancy.

Purification, characterization and reconstitution of CMP-N-acetylneuraminate hydroxylase from mouse liver

CMP-N-acetylneuraminate hydroxylase was isolated from mouse liver high speed supernatant with a yield of 0.4% and an apparent 1000-fold purification. The enzyme is a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 66 kDa, as determined by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE. The hydroxylase system was reconstituted with Triton X-100-solubilized mouse liver microsomes and purified soluble or microsomal forms of cytochrome b5 reductase and cytochrome b5. The systems were characterized in detail and kinetic parameters for each system were determined.

Heterogeneity of the rat NADH-cytochrome-b5-reductase transcripts resulting from multiple alternative first exons

In order to understand the mechanisms responsible for the generation of different isoforms (membrane-bound and soluble) of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase, and the different clinical forms of recessive congenital methemoglobinemia due to the deficiency of this enzyme in humans (type I, without mental retardation; type II, with mental retardation), we have looked for mRNA heterogeneity in various rat tissues. We have found four types of mRNAs, each with a different first exon (1L, 1R, 1X and 1Y), all of which were precisely spliced to join the common second exon. Our results are consistent with a 5'-->3' 'scanning' mechanism for splice-site selection. The previously characterized 1L and 1R transcripts arise from the alternative use of either a ubiquitous promoter (Pr-L) or an erythroid-specific promoter (Pr-R). In addition, the X and Y RNA species are novel transcripts which are expressed ubiquitously and at a relatively low level. The first alternative exons 1X and 1Y are noncoding, such that the AUG codon present in the common second exon is functional, as it is in the R mRNA. Thus, the X and Y mRNAs are expected to be translated in vivo into a ubiquitous soluble enzyme. Consequently, the rat NADH-cytochrome-b5-reductase gene is expressed through the use of at least four different promoters, which are probably subjected to different forms of regulation. This model of gene expression in rat could be important in understanding the basis for the different types of the NADH-cytochrome-b5-reductase enzyme and their deficiency in man.

CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase from mouse liver and pig submandibular glands. Interaction with membrane-bound and soluble cytochrome b5-dependent electron transport chains

In this report, the nature of the protein components involved in the functioning of cytidine-5'-monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5 Ac) hydroxylase in high-speed supernatants of mouse liver has been investigated. Fractionation and reconstitution experiments showed that this enzyme system consists of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase, cytochrome b5 and a 56-kDa terminal electron acceptor having the CMP-Neu5 Ac hydroxylase activity. This enzyme system is extracted in a soluble protein fraction; however, the amphipathic, usually membrane-associated, forms of cytochrome b5 and the reductase were found to predominate and are presumably the forms which support the turnover of the hydroxylase in vivo. Although the majority of cellular cytochrome b5 and cytochrome b5 reductase is membrane-bound, the addition of intact microsomes elicited no significant increase in the hydroxylase activity of supernatants. Detergent-solubilised microsomes, however, potently activated the hydroxylase, probably due to the greater accessibility of the cytochrome b5. Accordingly, in reconstitution experiments, pure hydrophilic cytochrome b5 interacts more effectively with the hydroxylase than isolated amphipathic cytochrome b5. Studies on the CMP-Neu5 Ac hydroxylase system in fractionated porcine submandibular glands and bovine liver suggest that the composition of this enzyme system is conserved in all mammals possessing sialoglycoconjugates containing N-glycolylneuraminic acid.