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Abstract: Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a representative marker of cholestasis, in diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, the hepatic localization of ALP in patients with cholestatic liver diseases has not been fully clarified. Accordingly, we studied the expression of ALP in the liver of PBC, chronic hepatitis C and controls. By immunohistochemistry, in the liver tissue of controls and chronic hepatitis C patients, ALP was found to be localized in the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes and the apical area of the cytoplasm of bile duct epithelial cells. In PBC, ALP was localized in both the canalicular and baso-lateral membranes of hepatocytes and in the whole cytoplasm of the remaining bile duct epithelial cells. The expression of ALP in liver tissues evaluated by Western blotting was increased to 3.6-fold in PBC compared with that in the controls and chronic hepatitis C patients, while the expression of mRNA of ALP evaluated by RT-PCR was increased to 7.0-fold in PBC compared with that in the controls and chronic hepatitis C patients. The present study is the first study to reveal altered localization and increased expression of ALP which may result in the elevation of serum ALP in PBC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Interleukin (IL)-18 induces T cells and natural killer cells to produce not only interferon-γ but also other cytokines by binding to the IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) α and β subunits. However, little is known about how IL18, IL-18Rα, and IL-18Rβ form a high-affinity complex on the cell surface and transduce the signal. We found that IL-18 and IL-18Rα bind to glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) glycan via the third mannose 6-phosphate diester and the second β-GlcNAc-deleted mannose 6-phosphate of GPI glycan, respectively. To determine which GPIanchored glycoprotein is involved in the complex of IL-18 and IL-18Rα, IL-18Rα of IL-18-stimulated KG-1 cells was immunoprecipitated together with CD48 by anti-IL-18Rα antibody. More than 90% of CD48 was detected as β-GlcNAc-deleted GPI-anchored glycoprotein, and soluble recombinant human CD48 without GPI glycan bound to IL-18Rα, indicating that CD48 is associated with IL-18Rα via both the peptide portion and the GPI glycan. To investigate whether the carbohydrate recognition of IL-18 is involved in physiological activities, KG-1 cells were digested with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C before IL-18 stimulation. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases and the following IL-18-dependent interferon-γ production. These observations suggest that the complex formation of IL-18·IL-18Rα·CD48 via both the peptide portion and GPI glycan triggers the binding to IL-18Rβ, and the IL-18-IL-18Rα-CD48·IL-18Rβ complex induces cellular signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents study findings showing that a beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl phosphate diester residue is attached to the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor of human placental alkaline phosphatase (AP). Evidence that both sialidase-treated soluble AP and its GPI-anchored glycan bound to a Psatyrella velutina lectin-Sepharose column; Analysis of trypsin-digested sAP; Finding that the beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl phosphate diester residue is important for GPI anchor recognition of aerolysin.

Integrating the pleomorphic membranes of the intermediate compartment (IC) into the array of Golgi cisternae is a crucial step in membrane transport, but it is poorly understood. To gain insight into this step, we investigated the dynamics by which cis-Golgi matrix proteins such as GM130 and GRASP65 associate with, and incorporate, incoming IC elements. We found that GM130 and GRASP65 cycle via membranous tubules between the Golgi complex and a constellation of mobile structures that we call late IC stations. These stations are intermediate between the IC and the cis-Golgi in terms of composition, and they receive cargo from earlier IC elements and deliver it to the Golgi complex. Late IC elements are transient in nature and sensitive to fixatives; they are seen in only a fraction of fixed cells, whereas they are always visible in living cells. Finally, late IC stations undergo homotypic fusion and establish tubular connections between themselves and the Golgi. Overall, these features indicate that late IC stations mediate the transition between IC elements and the cis-Golgi face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV-related protein (DPPX) was found to be preferentially expressed in the brain tissue. We isolated two rat cDNA clones encoding DPPX-S and DPPX-L from a brain cDNA library, of which DPPX-L had a longer sequence at the NH2 terminus. The biosynthesis of DPPXs was examined in both in vitro and in vivo systems. In the cell-free translation system, DPPX-S and DPPX-L were synthesized as 93-kDa and 97-kDa forms, respectively, which are in good agreement with the molecular masses estimated from their primary structure. In COS-1 cells transfected with the cDNAs, DPPX-S and DPPX-L were initially synthesized as 113-kDa and 117-kDa forms, respectively, with high-mannose type oligosaccharides, which were then converted to 115-kDa and 120-kDa forms, mostly with the complex-type sugar chains. Immunofluorescence-micro-scopic observations confirmed that both DPPXs were expressed on the cell surface. DPPXs were found to have no enzyme activity of DPPIV, even when they were mutated to have the consensus active-site sequence Gly-X-Ser-X-Gly for serine proteases. Immu-noblot analysis of samples prepared from various rat tissues demonstrated that DPPX-S, but not DPPX-L, was detectable only in the brain tissue. These results indicate that, of the two isoforms, DPPX-S is preferentially expressed in the brain tissue as the surface glycoprotein without protease activity, although its function remains unknown at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on α&supl;-protease inhibitors. Determination of the genetic type of the protease inhibitor by autosomal co-dominant alleles; Presence of multiple genetic variants of the protease inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of weak amines on the proteolytic conversions of proalbumin to serum were studied in primary culture of rat hepatocytes. In control culture proalbumin was converted to serum albunin was inhibited and proalbunin per se was released into, medium. A similar inhibition of the processing was also observed in the presence of other amines such as methylamine and NH4Cl. Thus weak amines mimic the carboxylic ionophore monensin with regard to the effet on proalbunin conversion [Oda & Ikehara (1982) Biochem, Biophys. Res. Commun, 105, 766-772]. Since proteolytic conversion of proalbunin is believed to occur at the Golgi complex, these results suggest that weakly basic amines perturb the Golgi complex in addition to lysosomes and endosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mutant, CTM422, resistant to low dose of tunicamycin (TM) was isolated from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and it showed 7- to 10-fold higher resistance to TM than CHO. We further mutagenized CTM422, to isolate TM-high-resistant mutants which were resistant to about 100-fold higher dose of TM than CHO. The TM-high-resistant mutants (N101 and N102) acquired about 4-fold higher cross-resistance to 2-deoxy-D-glucose than CHO or CTM422, while both CHO and CTM422 showed similar sensitivity to 2-deoxy-D-glucose. TM-low-resistance appeared to be codominant, and TM-high-resistance was partially codominant against TM sensitivity, respectively. The transfer activity of N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine into the lipid fraction with CHO and CTM422 cell extracats was inhibited by TM to a similar extent, while the extract of N102 cells showed about 10-fold higher resistance to TM than CHO or CTM422. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the biosynthesis and intracellular processing of three major secretory proteins, albumin, α1-protease inhibitor and α2u-globulin, in cultured rat hepatocytes. The effect of secretion-blocking agents, monensin, a monovalent ionophore, and the microtubule-affecting agents colchicine and taxol was determined. In the control cells, α1-protease inhibitor, a glycoprotein, was first synthesized as an endoglycosidase-H-sensitive form with Mr 51000, and then processed to two endoglycosidase-H-resistant forms having Mr 51000 and 56000, the latter of which was secreted into the medium. Initially synthesized proalbumin was converted with chase to serum-type albumin, while no pro-type precursor was identified for α2u-globulin. In the cells lrcated with colchicine or taxol, in which secretion was greatly inhibited, the fully processed α1-protease inhibitor and albumin accumulated and were finally secreted into the medium. In the monensin-treated cells, however, most of the newly synthesized α1-protease inhibitor and albumin were not processed to the final mature forms, resulting in accumulation of two 51000-Mr forms and proalbumin, respectively. Moreover in treated cells, proalbumin and the endoglycosidase-H-resistant α1-protease inhibitor were finally secreted into the medium. Such an effect was not caused by NH4Cl which also inhibited the secretion and is known to exert the similar effect as monensin on the receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway. Based on these results, the use of monensin may prove valuable for more detailed analysis of intracellular processing of various proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The N-linked sugar chains of alkaline phosphatases, purified from rat AH-130 hepatoma and from normal rat liver, were released quantitatively as oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis and were labeled by reduction with NaB 3H4 A comparative study of their structures revealed that the following structural differences are induced by hepatocyte carcinogenesis: complex-type tetraantennary sugar chains and hybrid-type sugar chains appear; outer-chain moieties of the sugar chains of the hepatoma enzyme contain exclusively the Gal(β1-4)GIcNAc groups (type 2 chains) but those of the normal enzyme contain other Gal(Beta;1)GIcNAc groups and type 2 chains: and novel fucosylated high-mannose-type sugar chains are found in the oligosaccharides of the hepatoma enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cDNA encoding a 5′-nucleotidase was identified by screening a λgt10 cDNA library from the electric lobe of Discopyge ommata using a cDNA probe containing the complete open reading frame coding for the rat liver enzyme. Nucleotide sequence analysis defines an open reading frame of 577 amino acids, corresponding to a calculated molecular mass of 63833 Da. The N-terminus of the mature protein, as determined by direct protein sequencing, is preceded by 29 amino acid residues comprising a signal peptide. The C-terminus contains a stretch of hydrophobic amino adds, considered to be cleaved on post-translational modification and exchanged for glycosylphosphatidylinositol as a membrane anchor. The predicted protein contains four potential N-linked glycosylation sites. Electric ray 5′-nucleotidase shares 61 % amino acid identity with the enzymes from rat liver and human placenta, and about 23% with bacterial proteins possessing 5′-nucleotidase activity and also additional enzyme activities like UDP-glucose hydrolase. Polyclonal antibodies raised against 5′-nucleotidase from mammalian sources or the electric ray electric organ reveal mutual cross-reactivity. Interestingly, there are 5–7 domains highly conserved in procaryotes and vertebrates in enzymes exhibiting 5′-nucleotidase, 3′-nucleotidase or phosphodiesterase activity. 5′-nucleotidase isolated from Torpedo electric organ hydrolyzes UDP-glucose at 8% of the rate of AMP hydrolysis. The possible phylogenetic origin of vertebrate 5′-nucleotidase from multifunctional nucleotide hydrolases is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron microscopic observations showed that the fungal metabolite brefeldin A caused disassembly of the Golgi complex in human choriocarcinoma cells and accumulation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear envelope, where ALP was not apparently detectable in control cells. Pulse/chase experiments with [35S]methionine demonstrated that in the control cells, ALP synthesized as a 63-kDa precursor form was rapidly converted to a 66-kDa form, by processing of its N-linked oligosaccharides from the highmannose type to the complex type, which was expressed on the cell surface after 30 min of chase. In contrast, in the brefeldin-A-treated cells the precursor was gradually converted to a 65-kDa form, slightly smaller than the control mature form. which was not expressed on the cell surface even after a prolonged time of chase. Kinetics of the ALP processing in thc brefeldin-A-treated cells demonstrated that thc precursor was initially converted to an intermediate form, partially sensitive to endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H (endo H), then to an endo-Hresistant 65-kDa form. In addition, this form was found to be sensitive to neuraminidase digestion, though its sialylation was not so complete as that of the control mature form. Taken together, these results suggest that under disassembly of the Golgi complex caused by brefeldin A, oligosaccharide-processing enzymes including sialyltransferase, an enzyme in the tram Golgi cisterna(e) and/or the frans Golgi network, might be redistributed into the ER and involved in processing of the oligosaccharides of ALP accumulating there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cDNA was cloned coding for human placental 5’-nucleotidase. The 3547-cDNA contains an open reading frame that encodes a 574-residue polypeptide with a calculated size of 63375 Da. The NH2-terminal 26 residues comprises a signal peptide, which is followed by the NH2-terminal sequence of the purified protein. Four potential N-linked glycosylation sites are found in the molecule, accounting for a larger mass of the mature form (71 kDa). The predicted structure contains a hydrophobic amino acid sequence at the COOH terminus, a possible signal for the post-translational modification by glycophosholipid. To confirm this possibility, we tried to isolate and characterize the membrane-anchoring domain of 5’-nucleotidase. BrCN-cleaved fragments of the protein were extracted with hexane and subjected to HPLC, resulting in purification of a single component of 2.3 kDa. Chemical analyses revealed that the purified fragment contains the tetradecapeptide Lys-Ile-Tyr-Pro-Ala-Val-Glu-Gly-Arg-Ile-Lys-Phe-Ser, ethanolamine, glucosamine, mannose, inositol, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. The peptide sequence determined is identified at positions 540-523 in the primary structure deduced from the cDNA sequence, which predicts a further extension to position 548, containing the hydrophobic amino acid sequence. Thus, it is concluded that the nmature 5’-nucleotidase lacks the predicted COOH-terminal peptide extension (524-548), which has been replaced by the glycophospholipid functioning as the membrane anchor of 5’-nucleotidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural analysis of 55 nearly full-length cDNA clones revealed heterogeneity in the 5'-untranslated regions of rat liver alkaline phosphatase mRNAs. The 5' extremities diverged into two totally unrelated sequence stretches at the position 88 nucleotides upstream of the initiation codon ATG. These two sequences, referred to as E1 and E2, were assigned on the genome about 36 000 base pairs (36 kbp) and 10 kbp upstream, respectively, of the exon coding for the 5'-most part of the common region. The gene consisted of 13 exons, including E1 and E2, and spanned about 56 kbp. The 11 exons (E3 to E13) following E1 and E2 were shared in common by the El-type and the E2-type mRNAs. Analyses by SI nuclease mapping and primer extension revealed the presence of two independent transcription-initiation sites specific to each of the El and E2 sequences. These results are interpreted as indicating a possible alternative usage of two leader exons, hence the presence of two independent promoters. Structural features of these putative promoters are described in the context of transcriptional fundamental and regulatory cis-elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chains of rat haptoglobin which were synthesized and secreted by hepatocytes in primary culture. When the cells were incubated with either [³H]mannose,[³H]galactose, or [³H]fucose, all the radioactive precursors were incorporated into the β subunit of haptoglobin. [³]HMannose-labled haptoglobin was purified from the culture medium by immunoaffinity chromatogrpahy, and [³H]oligosaccharides were prepared by strong alkali-borohydride treatment. The oligosccharides obtained were analyzed by anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, concanavali-A - Sepharose chromatography and Bio-Gel P-4 chromatography before and after sequential exoglycosidase digestions. The oligosaccharides labeled with [³H]fucose or [³H]galactose were also characterized by the above methods. The results indicated that rat haptoglobin contains two complex-type oligosccharide chains in each β subunit one with a possible structure of (± NeuAc→Galβ→GlcNAcβ→)3(Manα→)2Manβ→GlcNAc→(±Fucα→)GcNAc and the other with (±NeuAc→Galβ→GlcNacβ→Manα→)2Manβ→GlcNAc→(±Fucα→)GlcNAc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was highly effectively extracted with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) from various source materials. The yield of CEA was, in some cases, 20-30 times more than that obtained by the usual method with perchloric acid. Addition of 0.1-0.2 units of PI-PLC to 1 g tumor tissue and incubation at 37 °C for 1 h with continuous shaking seem to be practically sufficient for CEA extraction. A simple purification procedure for CEA after extraction with PI-PLC is proposed. The immunochemical properties of CEA thus obtained were found to be identical to those of CEA obtained by the usual method. Copyright © 1991 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the biosynthesis and intracellular transport of tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) transiently expressed in COS-1 cells. Mutations were introduced into TNSALP to examine the effects of a single amino acid substitution on the activity and biosynthesis of TNSALP. The cells expressing wild-type TNSALP exhibited more than 200-fold higher alkaline phosphatase activity than untransfected ones. Pulse-chase experiments showed that TNSALP was synthesized as a 66-kDa endoglucosaminidase H (Endo H)-sensitive form and converted to EndoH-resistant forms with heterogenous molecular masses (∼80 kDa), which finally appeared on the cell surface as judged by digestion with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). In contrast, a TNSALP with a Glu218↑Gly mutation exhibited no phosphatase activity at all and the 66-kDa Endo H-sensitive form was the only molecular species throughout the chase in the transfected cells. In accordance with this finding, digestion with PI-PLC and immunofluorescence observation confirmed that this mutant was never expressed on the cell surface. Another mutant with a Ala162↑Thr substitution, which naturally occurs in association with a lethal hypophosphatasia, exhibited a low activity and only a small fraction of the 66-kDa form acquired Endo-H resistance and reached the cell surface. Since the wild-type and the mutant TNSALPs were labeled with [3H]ethanolamine, a component of glycosylphospha-tidylinositol (GPI), it is unlikely that the impaired intracellular transport of the two mutants is due to a failure in their modification by GPI. Interestingly, the 66-kDa Endo H-sensitive form of the TNSALP mutants but not that of the wild-type, was found to form an interchain disulfide-bonded high-molecular-mass aggregate within the cells. These results suggest that impaired intracellular transport of the TNSALP (Ala162→Thr) molecule caused by its aggregation is the molecular basis for the lethal hypophosphatasia carrying this mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]