Degradation of [6-3H]- and [1-14C]glucosamine-labeled asialo-alpha 1-acid glycoprotein by the perfused rat liver

The relative contribution of mannose salvage pathways to glycosylation in PMI-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblast cells

Mannose for mammalian glycan biosynthesis can be imported directly from the medium, derived from glucose or salvaged from endogenous or external glycans. All pathways must generate mannose 6-phosphate, the activated form of mannose. Imported or salvaged mannose is directly phosphorylated by hexokinase, whereas fructose 6-phosphate from glucose is converted to mannose 6-phosphate by phosphomannose isomerase (PMI). Normally, PMI provides the majority of mannose for glycan synthesis. To assess the contribution of PMI-independent pathways, we used PMI-null fibroblasts to study N-glycosylation of DNase I, a highly sensitive indicator protein. In PMI-null cells, imported mannose and salvaged mannose make a significant contribution to N-glycosylation. When these cells were grown in mannose-free medium along with the mannosidase inhibitor, swainsonine, to block the salvage pathways, N-glycosylation of DNase I was almost completely eliminated. Adding approximately 13 microm mannose to the medium completely restored normal glycosylation. Treatment with bafilomycin A(1), an inhibitor of lysosomal acidification, also markedly reduced N-glycosylation of DNase I, but in this case only 8 microm mannose was required to restore full glycosylation, indicating that a nonlysosomal source of mannose made a significant contribution. Glycosylation levels were greatly also reduced in glycoconjugate-free medium, when endosomal membrane trafficking was blocked by expression of a mutant SKD1. From these data, we conclude that PMI-null cells can salvage mannose from both endogenous and external glycoconjugates via lysosomal and nonlysosomal degradation pathways.

Aspartylglycosaminuria: biochemistry and molecular biology

Aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU, McKusick 208400) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by defective degradation of Asn-linked glycoproteins. AGU mutations occur in the gene (AGA) for glycosylasparaginase, the enzyme necessary for hydrolysis of the protein oligosaccharide linkage in Asn-linked glycoprotein substrates undergoing metabolic turnover. Loss of glycosylasparaginase activity leads to accumulation of the linkage unit Asn-GlcNAc in tissue lysosomes. Storage of this fragment affects the pathophysiology of neuronal cells most severely. The patients notably suffer from decreased cognitive abilities, skeletal abnormalities and facial grotesqueness. The progress of the disease is slower than in many other lysosomal storage diseases. The patients appear normal during infancy and generally live from 25 to 45 years. A specific AGU mutation is concentrated in the Finnish population with over 200 patients. The carrier frequency in Finland has been estimated to be in the range of 2.5-3% of the population. So far there are 20 other rare family AGU alleles that have been characterized at the molecular level in the world's population. Recently, two knockout mouse models for AGU have been developed. In addition, the crystal structure of human leukocyte glycosylasparaginase has been determined and the protein has a unique alphabetabetaalpha sandwich fold shared by a newly recognized family of important enzymes called N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolases. The nascent single-chain precursor of glycosylase araginase self-cleaves into its mature alpha- and beta-subunits, a reaction required to activate the enzyme. This interesting biochemical feature is also shared by most of the Ntn-hydrolase family of proteins. Many of the disease-causing mutations prevent proper folding and subsequent activation of the glycosylasparaginase.

Human glycosylation disorders and sugar supplement therapy

Some genetic defects in protein glycosylation can be treated effectively with dietary supplements of monosaccharides. An easy screening test and non-toxic therapy for potentially lethal disorders should encourage physicians to search for more patients with glycosylation disorders. It should also stimulate research on the occurrence and availability of monosaccharides used for glycoconjugate synthesis and for vertebrate models to study their utilization.

Binding of D-galactose-terminated ligands to rabbit asialoglycoprotein receptor

The binding affinities of a series of D-galactose-terminated glycerol glycosides and oligosaccharides for the asialoglycoprotein receptor isolated from rabbit liver were determined in vitro using a radioreceptor-inhibition assay with 125I-asialoorosomucoid. The relative affinities of the synthetic ligands increased with the number of exposed D-galactose termini. Of the compounds examined, 1,2,3-tri-O-beta-lactosylglycerol associated with the greatest affinity (estimated Kd = 7.97 x 10(-5) M). Examination of the affinities of the synthetic series indicated that both the number and propinquity of the D-galactose termini influenced the strength of the binding interactions.

Rat liver chitobiase: purification, properties, and role in the lysosomal degradation of Asn-linked glycoproteins

Chitobiase, the lysosomal glycosidase responsible for splitting the GlcNAc beta-D-(1-4)GlcNAc moiety in Asn-linked glycoproteins, was purified over 600-fold from frozen rat livers utilizing an assay with di-N-acetylchitobiose as the substrate. The final preparation showed a major polypeptide of Mr 43,000 (sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) that was determined to be the chitobiase by an immunological method. The purified chitobiase also hydrolyzed tri- and tetrasaccharides of chitin, which like di-N-acetylchitobiose were not substrates if first reduced by NaBH4. The initial products formed during hydrolysis of the tetrasaccharide were trisaccharide and GlcNAc. These results imply that chitobiase is a "reducing-end exohexosaminidase" which cleaves single GlcNAc units only from the reducing end of oligosaccharides. Fucose, typically found linked to the reducing-end GlcNAc in complex oligosaccharide chains, was found to block this reaction. Additional substrates that were hydrolyzed included GlcNAc beta-D-(1-4)MurNAc, the repeating structure from bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan, and the Man beta-D-(1-4)GlcNAc reducing-end component of glycoproteins. Km and Vm for hydrolysis of these substrates were of similar magnitude as for di-N-acetylchitobiose (6.3 mM and 15 mumol/min/mg protein, respectively). Liver tissues from nin mammalian species were surveyed for the presence of chitobiase activity. The activity was found in rat, mouse, rabbit, and guinea pig liver (Stirling [(1974) FEBS Lett. 39, 171-175] previously observed the enzyme in human liver), but not in dog, sheep, pig, cat, and cow liver. The presence or absence of chitobiase so far observed was found to exactly correlate with the type of oligosaccharide fragments found to accumulate in animals containing genetic or inhibitor-induced lysosomal storage pathologies. The presence of the chitobiase corresponds to the occurrence of one GlcNAc unit at the reducing end of stored oligosaccharides, while the absence of this glycosidase yields fragments with an intact GlcNAc beta-D-(1-4)GlcNAc moiety. These results verify our previous proposal that lysosomal disassembly of glycoproteins to free amino acids and sugars is an ordered, bidirectional pathway in which chitobiase (when present) catalyzes the last step during digestion of the protein-oligosaccharide linkage region.

Lysosomal catabolic pathway of N-glycosylprotein glycans

In vitro study of the initiation steps of catabolism of N-glycosylproteins in rat liver lysosomes has led to the evidence that the degradation of the carbohydrate chain is an ordered and bi-directional phenomenon: 1) The first one starts at the reducing terminus, immediately follows the degradation of the peptidic backbone by proteases and involves a serial reaction of 3 enzymes, respectively, 1) an alpha-L-fucosidase, 2) an aspartylglucosaminidase, and 3) an acidic 'oligosaccharide specific' endo-N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase, that we propose calling endo-chitobiase. 2) The second one is the commonly admitted sequential recurrent degradation by exoglycosidases. This process explains the presence of oligosaccharides sharing a single terminal reducing N-acetylglucosamine residue in human lysosomal storage diseases. Using a model glycoasparagine as a substrate, we followed the above mentioned hydrolysis reactions by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The kinetic data revealed a rapid hydrolysis of the substrate via pathway 1 prior to the action of exoglycosidases. Moreover, the latter act at different rates on the different antennae of the substrate.

Biliary excretion of FITC metabolites after administration of FITC labeled asialo orosomucoid as a measure of lysosomal proteolysis

An isolated perfused rat liver system was used to study the hepatic uptake and degradation of asialo orosomucoid (asialo alpha 1-acid glycoprotein). To this aim we coupled the fluorochrome FITC to the asialoglycoprotein. The covalent attachment of FITC to the glycoprotein did not affect its perfusate disappearance. The disappearance rate was characterized by a t1/2 approximately equal to 6.1 min, the clearance being 11.2 ml/min. The internalized ligand was probably extensively degraded in the lysosomes as demonstrated by the appearance of low molecular weight fluorescent compounds in the bile, having a higher fluorescence yield than the native conjugate. Lysosomal degradation of ASOR-FITC was shown to be the rate limiting step in FITC excretion into the bile. Treatment of a perfused liver with varying doses of the protease inhibitor leupeptin did not influence the perfusate disappearance rate of the protein. However, leupeptin inhibited the biliary output of FITC metabolites in a dose dependent fashion, half maximal inhibition occurring at 210 nM (in the perfusion medium), corresponding with a dose of 0.05 mg leupeptin per 10 g liver. It is concluded that the rate of lysosomal degradation of proteins in vivo can be determined by measuring the biliary excretion of fluorescent material originating from fluorescent probes covalently coupled to the particular protein.

Tissue locations for the turnover of radioactively labeled rat orosomucoid in vivo

Tissues involved in the turnover of rat serum orosomucoid were identified by methods designed to cause lysosomal trapping of radiolabel at the sites of glycoprotein degradation. 125I-, [3H]Raffinose-, and [1-14C]glucosamine-labeled orosomucoid exhibited serum half-lives of 20, 20, and 27 h when injected intravenously into rats. As expected, the asialo derivative of [3H]raffinose-labeled rat orosomucoid was lost very rapidly from the circulation and recovered quantitatively in the liver within 30 min. At 50 h after injection of [3H]raffinose-asialo-orosomucoid the liver retained 38% of the radioactivity while the remainder was found in the gastrointestinal tract and urine. Chromatography of the urine on Bio-Gel P-4 revealed a single radioactive product that eluted similar to raffinose-lysine. The same material was found in the liver. This ability of the [3H]raffinose label to resist metabolic disposal was used to evaluate tissue catabolism of native rat orosomucoid. Comparison of the tissue radioactivity in experiments using 125I- and [3H]raffinose-labeled derivatives of the nondesialylated glycoprotein showed kidney, liver, and muscle to be most active in 3H accumulation. However, the [3H]raffinose metabolites excreted in the urine was markedly different from those produced from asialo-orosomucoid and in contrast there was minimal loss of label to the gastrointestinal tract from the native substrate. Leupeptin, an inhibitor of lysosomal thiol cathespins, was administered continuously to rats by a subcutaneous osmotic pump. At 24 h after injection of 125I-orosomucoid, leupeptin-treated rats showed a net 16% increase in tissue radioactivity above sham-operated animals and a corresponding decrease occurred in the radioactivity associated with the gastrointestinal tract and urine. Tissues that exhibited increases in radioactivity were kidney, muscle, liver, and hide. The different behavior of labeled native and asialo-orosomucoids suggests that the hepatic galactose receptor system plays, at most, a limited role in maintaining homeostasis of the native glycoprotein.