Monensin-induced accumulation of beta-D-xyloside-initiated glycosaminoglycans

Developmental effects of monensin on Drosophila melanogaster

Extracellular matrix and membrane proteins and their correct secretion probably are key elements in morphogenesis and differentiation in Drosophila. In this study, we have analysed the effects of monensin, a Na⁺-H⁺-ionophore which blocks normal secretion, applied during cellular blastoderm formation on further development. Normal cell morphology and intercellular contacts are lost and the extracellular matrix becomes disorganized. Gastrulation is blocked and abnormal foldings can be observed. Cuticle phenotypes showed different degrees of ventral, dorsal, head and posterior defects. The results are discussed in the context of what is known about membrane and extracellular matrix proteins in Drosophila.

Effect of monensin on the sulfation of heparan sulfate proteoglycan from endothelial cells

Monensin is a monovalent metal ionophore that affects the intracellular translocation of secretory proteins at the level of trans-Golgi cisternae. Exposure of endothelial cells to monensin results in the synthesis of heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate with a lower degree of sulfation. The inhibition is dose dependent and affects the ratio [35S]-sulfate/[3H]-hexosamine of heparan sulfate from both cells and medium, with no changes in their molecular weight. By the use of several degradative enzymes (heparitinases, glycuronidase, and sulfatases) the fine structure of the heparan sulfate synthesized by control and monensin-treated cells was investigated. The results have shown that among the six heparan sulfate disaccharides there is a specific decrease of the ones bearing a sulfate ester at the 6-position of the glucosamine moiety. All other biosynthetic steps were not affected by monensin. The results are indicative that monensin affects the hexosamine C-6 sulfation, and that this sterification is the last step of the heparan sulfate biosynthesis and should occur at the trans-Golgi compartment.

Binding of lectin-fluorescein conjugates to intracellular compartments of growth-plate chondrocytes in situ

In this study, lectin-binding techniques are applied to growth-plate cartilage to analyze the intracellular localization of lectin-binding glycoconjugates of chondrocytes in situ. The binding of ten fluorescein-conjugated lectins is analyzed on 1-micron-thick Epon-embedded, nondecalcified sections of growth plates from Yucatan swine. Comparisons are made to intracellular binding in chondrocytes of tracheal, articular, and auricular cartilage. Ear epithelium, tracheal epithelium, and kidney are used as positive control tissues for the specificity of lectin binding. Only the mannose-binding lectins had affinity for the RER and nuclear envelope. Eight lectins reacted within the Golgi complex with characteristic patterns which ranged from localized fine linear strands to extensive vesicular accumulations. When cartilage slabs were exposed before embedment to the ionophore monensin to disrupt intracellular transport through the Golgi, it was possible to define differential subcompartments of the Golgi complex, based upon sites of sugar addition. Also, it was possible to characterize the cytoplasmic deposits of reserve-zone chondrocytes which were positive with concanavalin A as glycogen, based upon their sensitivity to amylase. This method allows resolution at the light-microscopic level of lectin-binding glycoconjugates with localization to specific organelles. Patterns of intracellular binding were consistent with biochemical data relating to the subcellular localization of processing steps of complex carbohydrates prior to secretion.

Reversibility of monensin inhibition of oligosaccharide processing of human fibronectin

Monensin impairs oligosaccharide processing in fibronectin primarily by inhibiting the conversion of oligosaccharides from the high mannose type to the complex type. The separate effects of monensin and cations on alpha-mannosidase activity in fibroblasts were examined using an in vitro assay system. The results indicated that monensin did not directly inhibit alpha-mannosidase activity in vitro, although prior treatment of fibroblasts with monensin caused an irreversible suppression of enzyme activity. The reversibility of monensin action on oligosaccharide processing was also examined. Analyses using concanavalin A (ConA) Sepharose affinity chromatography showed that the inhibitory action of monensin on oligosaccharide processing was biologically reversible. A progressive return to complex type oligosaccharides began about 11 h after the removal of the monensin. These composite results indicate that the reversibility of monensin action on oligosaccharide processing in fibronectin may be attributed to the restoration of enzyme activity, although the mechanism by which restoration occurs remains to be deciphered.