scholarly journals Human meprinbeta: O-linked glycans in the intervening region of the type I membrane protein protect the C-terminal region from proteolytic cleavage and diminish its secretion

2003 ◽  
Vol 369 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris LEUENBERGER ◽  
Dagmar HAHN ◽  
Anastassios PISCHITZIS ◽  
Marianne K. HANSEN ◽  
Erwin E. STERCHI
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Brush Border ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Brush Border Membrane ◽  
Integral Membrane Protein ◽  
Proteolytic Processing ◽  
Type I ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Small Intestinal

Human meprin (hmeprin; N-benzoyl-l-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid hydrolase; EC 3.4.24.18) is a member of the astacin family of zinc metalloendopeptidases. The major site of expression is the brush border membrane of small intestinal and kidney epithelial cells. The enzyme is a type I integral membrane protein composed of two distinct subunits, α and β, which are linked by disulphide bridges. The enzyme complex is attached to the plasma membrane only via the β-subunit. The α-subunit is cleaved in the endoplasmic reticulum in a constitutive manner to remove the C-terminal membrane anchor which leads to secretion of the protein. While the β-subunit of hmeprin remains largely attached to the brush-border membrane some proteolytic processing occurs intracellularly as well as at the cell surface and results in the release of this subunit from the cell. In the present paper, we report that the β-subunit bears multiple O-linked sugar residues in the intervening domain. In contrast, the α-subunit does not contain O-linked oligosaccharides. Our results show that the O-linked carbohydrate side chains in hmeprinβ are clustered around a 13 amino acid sequence that contains the main cleavage site for proteolytic processing of the subunit. Prevention of O-glycosylation by specific inhibitors leads to enhanced proteolytic processing and the consequence is an increased release of hmeprinβ into the culture medium.

Heterologous expression of Na+-K+-ATPase in insect cells: intracellular distribution of pump subunits

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (3) ◽  
pp. C982-C992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Gatto ◽  
Scott M. McLoud ◽  
Jack H. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Atpase Activity ◽  
Insect Cells ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Enzyme Preparations ◽  
High Five Cells

The Na+-K+-ATPase is a heterodimeric plasma membrane protein responsible for cellular ionic homeostasis in nearly all animal cells. It has been shown that some insect cells (e.g., High Five cells) have no (or extremely low) Na+-K+-ATPase activity. We expressed sheep kidney Na+-K+-ATPase α- and β-subunits individually and together in High Five cells via the baculovirus expression system. We used quantitative slot-blot analyses to determine that the expressed Na+-K+-ATPase comprises between 0.5% and 2% of the total membrane protein in these cells. Using a five-step sucrose gradient (0.8–2.0 M) to separate the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and plasma membrane fractions, we observed functional Na+ pump molecules in each membrane pool and characterized their properties. Nearly all of the expressed protein functions normally, similar to that found in purified dog kidney enzyme preparations. Consequently, the measurements described here were not complicated by an abundance of nonfunctional heterologously expressed enzyme. Specifically, ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity, [3H]ouabain binding, and cation dependencies were measured for each fraction. The functional properties of the Na+-K+-ATPase were essentially unaltered after assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, we measured ouabain-sensitive 86Rb+ uptake in whole cells as a means to specifically evaluate Na+-K+-ATPase molecules that were properly folded and delivered to the plasma membrane. We could not measure any ouabain-sensitive activities when either the α-subunit or β-subunit were expressed individually. Immunostaining of the separate membrane fractions indicates that the α-subunit, when expressed alone, is degraded early in the protein maturation pathway (i.e., the endoplasmic reticulum) but that the β-subunit is processed normally and delivered to the plasma membrane. Thus it appears that only the α-subunit has an oligomeric requirement for maturation and trafficking to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, assembly of the α-β heterodimer within the endoplasmic reticulum apparently does not require a Na+pump-specific chaperone.

scholarly journals Transient translocation of the cytoplasmic (endo) domain of a type I membrane glycoprotein into cellular membranes.

1993 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Liu ◽  
D T Brown
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Signal Sequence ◽  
Attachment Site ◽  
Integral Membrane Protein ◽  
Carboxyl Terminus ◽  
Type I ◽  
E2 Glycoprotein ◽  
Typical Type ◽  
Membrane Spanning

The E2 glycoprotein of the alphavirus Sindbis is a typical type I membrane protein with a single membrane spanning domain and a cytoplasmic tail (endo domain) containing 33 amino acids. The carboxyl terminal domain of the tail has been implicated as (a) attachment site for nucleocapsid protein, and (b) signal sequence for integration of the other alpha-virus membrane proteins 6K and E1. These two functions require that the carboxyl terminus be exposed in the cell cytoplasm (a) and exposed in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (b). We have investigated the orientation of this glycoprotein domain with respect to cell membranes by substituting a tyrosine for the normally occurring serine, four amino acids upstream of the carboxyl terminus. Using radioiodination of this tyrosine as an indication of the exposure of the glycoprotein tail, we have provided evidence that this domain is initially translocated into a membrane and is returned to the cytoplasm after export from the ER. This is the first demonstration of such a transient translocation of a single domain of an integral membrane protein and this rearrangement explains some important aspects of alphavirus assembly.

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