A new class of sugar analogues for use in the investigation of sugar transport

Exofacial photolabelling of the human erythrocyte glucose transporter with an azitrifluoroethylbenzoyl-substituted bismannose

The synthesis of 2-N-[4-(1'-azitrifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-1,3-bis-(D-mannos-4-++ +yloxy)-2- propylamine (ATB-BMPA) is described. This compound was used as an exofacial probe for the human erythrocyte glucose-transport system. A new method is described for directly estimating the affinity for exofacial ligands which bind to the erythrocyte glucose transporter. By using this equilibrium-binding method, the Ki for ATB-BMPA was found to be 338 +/- 37 microM at 0 degrees C and 368 +/- 59 microM at 20 degrees C. This was similar to the concentration of ATB-BMPA required to half-maximally inhibit D-galactose uptake (Ki = 297 +/- 53 microM). The new photoaffinity reagent labelled the glucose transporter in intact cells but, because of its improved selectivity, was also used to label the glucose transporter in isolated erythrocyte membranes. The ATB-BMPA-labelled glucose transporter was 80% immunoprecipitated by anti-(GLUT1-C-terminal peptide) antibody, which shows that the GLUT1 glucose transporter is the major isoform present in erythrocytes. The labelling of the glucose transporter at its exofacial site, and the adoption of an outward-facing conformation, renders the transport system resistant to thermolysin and trypsin treatment. Trypsin treatment of the unlabelled glucose transporter in erythrocyte membranes produced an 18 kDa fragment which was subsequently labelled by ATB-BMPA, but had low affinity for this exofacial ligand. This suggests that the trypsin-treated transporter adopts an inward-facing conformation. The ability of D-glucose to displace ATB-BMPA from the native transporter and from the 18 kDa trypsin fragment have been compared. The D-glucose concentration which was required to obtain half-maximal inhibition of ATB-BMPA labelling was 6-fold lower for the 18 kDa tryptic fragment.

Expression of substrate specificity in facilitated transport systems

In facilitated transport systems the carrier reorientation step is shown to be largely independent of the forces of interaction between the substrate and the carrier site, whereas in coupled systems (obligatory exchange or cotransport) reorientation proceeds at the expense of the binding force developed in the transition state. In consequence, the expression of substrate specificity is expected to differ in the two systems. In the facilitated transport of analogs no larger than the normal substrate, the affinity but not the maximum rate of transport can vary widely; with larger analogs, both the affinity and rate can vary if steric constraints are more severe in the translocation step than in binding. In coupled transport, by contrast, the translocation step can be highly sensitive to the structure of the substrate, and binding much less sensitive. The theory agrees with published observations on facilitated systems for choline and glucose in erythrocytes, as well as on Na(+)-coupled systems for the same substrates in other cells. The following mechanism, which could account for the behavior, is proposed. In facilitated systems, the transport site fits the substrate closely and retains its shape as the carrier undergoes reorientation. In coupled systems, the site is initially looser, but during carrier reorientation it contracts around the substrate. In both systems, the carrier encloses the substrate during the translocation step, though for a different reason: in coupled but not in facilitated systems the binding force enormously increases in the enclosed state, through a chelation effect. In both systems, steric interference with enclosure retards the translocation of bulky substrate analogs.

Photolabeling of erythrocyte and adipocyte hexose transporters using a benzophenone derivative of bis(D-mannose)

The benzophenone derivative of 1,3-bis(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (BB-BMPA) has been tested as an exofacial photoaffinity label for the sugar transport systems of human erythrocytes and rat adipocytes. The half-maximal inhibition constants for the reagent are 971 microM in erythrocytes and 536 microM in basal and 254 microM in insulin-treated adipocytes. The photolabelling of erythrocyte membranes is very specific for the 50 kDa transporter peptide and is completely displaced by D-glucose. The exofacial photoaffinity labelling of adipocytes also shows labelling of a 50 kDa transporter peptide, which is displaced by cytochalasin B, but extensive nonspecific labelling of a 75 kDa plasma membrane peptide occurs. The transporter is labelled in insulin-treated cells but not in basal cells which indicates that this in situ labelling technique selectively reveals only those transporters that visit and are active in the plasma membrane during the labelling period. This also indicates that in basal cells transporters do not turn over rapidly. Subcellular redistribution of transporters after the labelling period has been studied. Following incubation and washing at 37 degrees C in the presence of insulin, 30% of the transporters photolabelled at the plasma membrane are internalised and are found in the light microsome fraction of the cell. The proportion of transporter that is observed to be internalised is much greater than can be accounted for by a contamination of the light microsome fraction by plasma membrane. The labelled 50 kDa transporter peptide in the light microsomes is enriched when compared with the carry-over of the 75 kDa nonspecifically labelled plasma membrane peptide. Thus we have obtained direct evidence for transporter translocation.

Photolabelling of the hexose transporter at external and internal sites: fragmentation patterns and evidence for a conformational change

The human erythrocyte sugar transporter has been labelled at its internal site with cytochalasin B and at its outside site by the azidosalicoyl derivative of bis(D-mannose) (ASA-BMPA). The cleavage of the transporter by various proteinases has been studied. Chymotrypsin, subtilisin and V8 proteinase give parallel fragmentation patterns for the two labels down to fragments as small as 7 kDa. Thus the binding sites for the two labels can only be separated by a small span of protein. 2-Nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoic acid (NTCB) cleaves at cysteines to give a 15 kDa fragment from the two labels. N-Bromosuccinimide (a reagent which preferentially cleaves at tryptophan residues) has revealed differences in fragmentation of the transporter labelled with either cytochalasin B or with ASA-BMPA. A major cleavage site is proposed to occur at tryptophan 186 which leaves a C-terminal fragment containing both labels. A tryptophan cleavage at residue 388 divides the cytochalasin B site and the ASA-BMPA site. A further tryptophan cleavage gives a cytochalasin B labelled 3 kDa fragment probably from residues 388-412. This gives an assignment of the cytochalasin B site as the inside of the hydrophobic span H 10. Since the ASA-BMPA site is probably only 7 kDa from residue 388 and is on the same 15 kDa NTCB fragment as cytochalasin B we assign this to the outside of hydrophobic span H 9. Thermolysin only cleaves the transporter labelled with cytochalasin B and not with ASA-BMPA. A 18 kDa cytochalasin B labelled fragment is formed. This is indicative of a change in conformation of the transporter when an outside ligand is bound such that the inside of the hydrogen bonding transmembrane segments H 7 and H 8 (and containing the proposed thermolysin cleavage site) are withdrawn from the cytosolic surface. Thus it appears that the core of the transporter (including the external and internal sites plus the transmembrane channel) is located between segments H 7 and H 10.

Photolabeling of the adipocyte hexose carrier with an aryl azide derivative of maltose

A nitrophenyl azide derivative of maltose, N-(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)-maltosylamine (NAP-maltosylamine), was synthesized as a potential photoaffinity label for the hexose carrier of the rat adipocyte. This derivative inhibited 3-O-methylglucose uptake with a Ki of 1.3 mM in the dark, while that of maltose was 10.0 mM. Carbon-14-labeled maltose and NAP-maltosylamine entered adipocytes via the hexose carrier, the latter in a concentrative fashion. Photolysis of NAP-[14C]maltosylamine in the presence of an adipocyte low density microsomal membrane fraction labeled several electrophoretic bands. Among these are a 45 kDa band which showed features expected of the hexose carrier: its labeling was decreased 40% by D- but not L-glucose and pretreatment of intact adipocytes with insulin decreased labeling of the 45 kDa band by 10-40%, as predicted by the translocation theory of insulin-stimulated transport activation. These studies show the suitability of using carbon-1-modified sugar photoaffinity labels as probes for the hexose carrier and possibly of its regulation in rat adipocytes.

Exofacial photoaffinity labelling of the human erythrocyte sugar transporter

The 4-azidosalicylate derivative of 1,3-bis(D-mannos-4'-yloxy)-2-[2-3H]propylamine (ASA-[2-3H]BMPA) has been tested as a photoaffinity label for the sugar transporter in human erythrocytes. When photolysed in the presence of intact erythrocytes, ASA-[2-3H]BMPA covalently binds to the exofacial surface of the transporter. This labelled protein appears as a broad band in the 4.5 region in sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The peak of radiolabel incorporation gives an apparent Mr of approx. 50 000 on 5-20% acrylamide gels. The binding is 80% inhibitable by 320 mM 4,6-O-ethylidene-D-glucose, by 320 mM D-glucose and by 50 microM cytochalasin B. Photoirradiation of a saturating concentration of ASA-BMPA in the presence of erythrocytes results in a 25-30% loss of D-galactose transport activity. From transport inactivation data and estimations of the amount of ASA-[2-3H]BMPA binding to the transporter it is calculated that there are approx. 220 000 exofacial hexose-transport binding sites per erythrocyte. The labelling of the transporter has been carried out using freshly drawn blood and 4-weeks-old transfusion blood. No change in the binding profile on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was observed. Proteolytic digestion of the ASA-[2-3H]BMPA-labelled transporter with either trypsin or alpha-chymotrypsin results in the appearance of a labelled 19 kDa fragment on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Interaction of hydrophobic bis (D-mannose) derivatives with adipocyte and erythrocyte sugar transport systems

The inhibition of sugar uptake by a series of hydrophobic bis(D-mannose) derivatives has been measured in rat adipocytes. When the D-mannose moieties of the bis compounds are separated by a hexane bridge the transport inhibition constant (Ki) is greater than for a decane-bridged molecule. This is probably due to the increased hydrophobicity of the bridge of the decane-bridged compound. The enhancement in affinity due to the second sugar in the bis(D-mannose) derivatives is probably only 2-fold, since half reduction of the bis(D-mannosyloxy)hexane increases Ki approx. 2-3-fold. N'-DNP-1,3-bis(D-mannos-4'-yloxy)propyl-2-amine has very high affinity in insulin-treated cells. The affinity is approx. 1000-fold higher than for D-mannose. This enhancement is probably due to the hydrophobicity of the DNP group. The distance from the sugar to the hydrophobic group is important because an increase in Ki occurs if an aminocaproyl spacer is introduced between the DNP group and 1,3-bis(D-mannos-4'-yloxy)propyl-2-amine. Aminocaproyl and glycyl spacers also increase the Ki for NAP derivatives of 1,3-bis(D-mannos-4'-yloxy)propyl-2-amine. Each of the hydrophobic bis(D-mannose) derivatives has a lower Ki in insulin-treated cells. This may be due to an insulin responsive hydrophobic interaction between the hydrophobic portion of the sugar and a hydrophobic domain in the transport system. The inhibition constants for the hydrophobic bis(D-mannose) compounds have also been measured in human erythrocytes.