A two-step enzymatic formation of a glucoprotein in potato tuber

Regulation of self-glycosylation of reversibly glycosylated polypeptides from Solanum tuberosum

Reversibly glycosylated polypeptides (RGPs) belong to a family of self-glycosylating proteins believed to be involved in plant polysaccharide synthesis. The precise function of these enzymes remains to be elucidated. Our results showed that the RGP 38-kDa subunit is phosphorylated in potato extracts (Solanum tuberosum L.). An increase in the self-glycosylation of Solanum tuberosum RGP (StRGP) 38-kDa subunit was observed after alkaline phosphatase (AP) treatment. Our results suggest that phosphorylation of StRGP appears to regulate its self-glycosylation. It was determined that when the StRGP reaction was carried out in the presence of UDP-[(14)C]Glc as the sugar donor and then 1 mM UDP was added in a chase-out experiment, radioactive UDP-Glc was obtained indicating that StRGP reaction seems to be reversible. The anomeric configuration of transferred sugars to StRGP protein was also studied.

Regulation of the catalytic behaviour of L-form starch phosphorylase from sweet potato roots by proteolysis

Starch phosphorylase (SP) is an enzyme used for the reversible phosphorolysis of the alpha-glucan in plant cells. When compared to its isoform in an animal cell, glycogen phosphorylase, a peptide containing 78 amino acids (L78) is inserted in the centre of the low-affinity type starch phosphorylase (L-SP). We found that the amino acid sequence of L78 had several interesting features including the presence of a PEST region, which serves as a signal for rapid degradation. Indeed, most L-SP molecules isolated from mature sweet potato roots were nicked in the middle of a molecule, but still retained their tertiary or quaternary structures, as well as full catalytic activity. The nicking sites on the L78 were identified by amino acid sequencing of these peptides, which also enabled us to propose a proteolytic process for L-SP. Enzyme kinetic studies of L-SP in the direction of starch synthesis indicated that the Km decreased during the proteolytic process when starch was used as the limiting substrate, but the Km for the other substrate (Glc-1-P) increased. On the other hand, the maximum velocities (Vmax) increased for both substrates. Mobility of the nicked L-SP was retarded on a native polyacrylamide gel containing soluble starch, indicating the increased affinity for starch. Results in this study suggested that L78 and its proteolytic modifications might play a regulatory role on the catalytic behaviour of L-SP in starch biosynthesis.

Purification of an autocatalytic protein-glycosylating enzyme from cell suspensions of Daucus carota L

A glycosyltransferase was identified in the 174 000 · g membrane pellet and the supernatant from extracts of cell suspensions of Daucus carota L. The enzyme from the supernatant was enriched 475-fold, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and fluorography of this purified sample showed that the only enriched protein band (40 000 Da) was simultaneously an enzyme and a glucose-acceptor. Gel filtration and electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions proved that in vivo this protein provides the subunits for a very large molecule. Radio-gas-liquid chromatography demonstrated that only one glucosyl moiety was transferred from UDP-glucose to the protein.

Alpha-glucan synthesis on a protein primer. A reconstituted system for the formation of protein-bound alpha-glucan

Reconstitution experiments with the DEAE-cellulose-treated enzymes, engaged in a two-step mechanism of synthesis of alpha-glucan bound to protein, are performed. Urea/sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of the radioactive products synthesized by the reconstituted system shows highly glucosylated, labeled bands, whose apparent molecular masses change with the acrylamide concentration in the gels. The long carbohydrate chains synthesized during the second step arise from the sequential addition of glucosyl moieties to the glucoprotein formed during the first step. A deglucosylation experiment confirms that the product of the reconstituted system originates from the 38-kDa glucosylated component of the reaction 1 product by the addition of beta-amylase-sensitive glucosyl moieties. Our data suggest that specific phosphorylases and starch synthetases are found in potato tuber, which are capable of utilizing reaction 1 product as primer for the synthesis of protein-bound glucan.

alpha-Glucan synthesis on a protein primer, uridine diphosphoglucose: protein transglucosylase I. Separation from starch synthetase and phosphorylase and a study of its properties

It was found that the DEAE-cellulose-treated UDP-Glc:protein transglucosylase I catalyzing the first step (reaction 1) in the formation of alpha-glucan bound to protein in potato tuber is not only specific for the glucosyl donor but also for the endogenous acceptor. A single radioactive 38-kDa macromolecular component appeared during denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of reaction 1 product. The labeled component is probably the polypeptide subunit of the endogenous acceptor which is being glucosylated. The radioactivity incorporated in reaction 1 product was isolated from a protease digest as a low-molecular-mass glucopeptide fraction. A beta-elimination reaction carried out in the presence of a reducing agent demonstrated that only one glucosyl moiety is transferred from UDP-Glc to the aminoacyl residue, thus forming an O-glucosidic linkage. 3H-labeled sodium borohydride showed that serine and threonine are involved in the peptide bond to glucose. Ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, affinity chromatography on concanavalin-A--Sepharose, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 and sucrose density gradient centrifugation failed to separate the enzyme catalyzing reaction 1 from the endogenous acceptor.

The initiation of glycogen biosynthesis in rat heart alpha-1,4 glucans tightly associated with glycogen synthase

A partially purified glycogen synthase from rat cardiac muscle transferred glucosyl residues from UDP-[14C]glucose to an endogenous protein acceptor in the absence of added primer. After native gel electrophoresis of the enzyme preparation, unprimed activity was detected. Primer-dependent and independent activities were found in the same position. After denaturing gel electrophoresis of the reaction products, radioactivity comigrated with protein. Pulse-chase experiments showed that the size of the reaction products increased as a function of time. These products were degraded by amyloglucosidase, thus suggesting that glycogen-like molecules had grown on the protein acceptor. The activity of the enzyme was markedly reduced upon preincubation with alpha-amylase. Therefore, preformed protein-bound alpha-1,4-glucans were acting as primers. The glucoprotein acceptor may be a protein strongly associated with glycogen synthase, or alternatively, the enzyme itself.

The initiation of glycogen biosynthesis in rat heart

A rat heart extract synthesizes glycogen-like material from UDP-glucose in the absence of added primer. Most of this material is precipitable by dilute trichloroacetic acid, in contrast to glycogen synthesized in presence of added glycogen primer. It is postulated that the endogenous initiation of glycogen synthesis occurs by apposition of glucose residues to a protein and that the material so synthesized in vitro corresponds to the protein-bound glycogen reported to exist in rat heart. The ability to label the putative protein primer in vitro with [14C]glucose should assist the isolation of the primer and the elucidation of the nature of the association between the carbohydrate and protein moeities.