scholarly journals The hydrophobic mannoside Manα1-6Manα1-S-(CH2)7-CH3 acts as an acceptor for the UDP-Gal:glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor α1,3-galactosyltransferase of Trypanosoma brucei

1995 ◽  
Vol 309 (3) ◽  
pp. 877-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Pingel ◽  
R A Field ◽  
M L S Güther ◽  
M Duszenko ◽  
M A J Ferguson

The variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of Trypanosoma brucei are attached to the plasma membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchor. This anchor contains the core sequence ethanolamine-PO4-6Man alpha 1-2Man alpha 1-6Man alpha 1-4GlcN alpha 1-6myo-inositol, which is conserved in all GPI anchors, and a unique alpha Gal side chain attached to the 3-position of the alpha Man residue adjacent to the alpha GlcN residue. Here we report that trypanosome membranes can catalyse the transfer of Gal from UDP-Gal to the hydrophobic thioglycoside Man alpha 1-6Man alpha 1-S-(CH2)7-CH3. Characterization of the galactosylated products by electrospray mass spectrometry, exoglycosidase digestion and periodate-oxidation studies revealed that the major product was Man alpha 1-6(Gal alpha 1-3)Man alpha 1-S-(CH2)7-CH3. The similarity of this product to part of the mature VSG GPI anchor suggests that the thioglycoside is able to act as an acceptor for the trypanosome-specific UDP-Gal-GPI anchor alpha 1,3-galactosyltransferase.

1997 ◽  
Vol 324 (3) ◽  
pp. 885-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Françoise PATURIAUX-HANOCQ ◽  
Nicole ZITZMANN ◽  
Jacqueline HANOCQ-QUERTIER ◽  
Luc VANHAMME ◽  
Sylvie ROLIN ◽  
...  

Procyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei have been genetically modified to express the major metacyclic variant surface glycoprotein (VSG variant AnTat 11.17) of Trypanosoma gambiense. The VSG is expressed in an intact membrane-bound form that can be detected over the entire plasma membrane, together with procyclin, and as a series of lower-molecular-mass fragments that are mostly soluble degradation products. The presence of degraded VSG in the cells and the culture medium suggests that VSG is not efficiently processed and/or efficiently folded when expressed in procyclic cells. The level of procyclin expressed on the surface of these cells is slightly reduced, although there is no difference in procyclin mRNA levels. The intact membrane-bound form of the VSG is N-glycosylated with oligomannose structures and contains a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchor that can be biosynthetically labelled with [3H]ethanolamine. The anchor is sensitive to mammalian GPI-specific phospholipase D but, like the anchor of procyclin, it is resistant to the action of bacterial phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. This pattern of phospholipase sensitivity suggests that the GPI anchor acquired by VSG when expressed in procyclics is acylated on the inositol ring and therefore resembles a procyclic procyclin-type anchor rather than a trypomastigote VSG-type anchor with respect to the lipid structure. The VSG expressed in procyclics was sensitive to the action of a mixture of sialidase, β-galactosidase and β-hexosaminidase, suggesting that the VSG GPI anchor also contains a sialylated polylactosamine side-chain modification similar to that described for procyclin. These results indicate that the nature of the protein expressed has little influence on the post-translational modifications performed in the secretory pathway of procyclic trypanosomes.


1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (18) ◽  
pp. 3021-3026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuen-Min Choy ◽  
Guy G. S. Dutton

Methylation, periodate oxidation, and partial hydrolysis studies on the capsular polysaccharide of Klebsiella K-type 56 show the structure to be a repeating unit consisting of[Formula: see text]The nature of the anomeric linkages was determined by p.m.r. spectroscopy of isolated oligosaccharides. The position of the L-rhamnose side chain was defined by characterization of the di- and tetrasaccharides obtained by partial hydrolysis of the fully methylated polysaccharide.This structure represents the first capsular polysaccharide lacking uronic acid to be studied in the genus Klebsiella.


1992 ◽  
Vol 284 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A J Ferguson

The site of palmitoylation of the phosphatidylinositol moiety of the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol membrane anchor of Trypanosoma brucei procyclic acidic repetitive protein was studied by using periodate oxidation. Analysis of the products by g.c.-m.s. allowed the assignment of 40 and 60% of the palmitate to the 2-position and the 3-position respectively of the myo-inositol ring.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 2069-2082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Kajiwara ◽  
Reika Watanabe ◽  
Harald Pichler ◽  
Kensuke Ihara ◽  
Suguru Murakami ◽  
...  

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), covalently attached to many eukaryotic proteins, not only acts as a membrane anchor but is also thought to be a sorting signal for GPI-anchored proteins that are associated with sphingolipid and sterol-enriched domains. GPI anchors contain a core structure conserved among all species. The core structure is synthesized in two topologically distinct stages on the leaflets of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Early GPI intermediates are assembled on the cytoplasmic side of the ER and then are flipped into the ER lumen where a complete GPI precursor is synthesized and transferred to protein. The flipping process is predicted to be mediated by a protein referred as flippase; however, its existence has not been proven. Here we show that yeast Arv1p is an important protein required for the delivery of an early GPI intermediate, GlcN-acylPI, to the first mannosyltransferase of GPI synthesis in the ER lumen. We also provide evidence that ARV1 deletion and mutations in other proteins involved in GPI anchor synthesis affect inositol phosphorylceramide synthesis as well as the intracellular distribution and amounts of sterols, suggesting a role of GPI anchor synthesis in lipid flow from the ER.


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