Procedures have been devised for the isolation of the surface membranes o l mouse fibroblasts (I. cell) and a variety of other cells. Thc surface membranes are stabilized by various reagents in a hypotonic solution and are then removed intact or as large fragments with a Dounce homogenizer. The membranes are purified by differential centrifugation o n solutions of sucrose or glycerol or O R a column of fine glass beads. A trilaminar pattern can be seen in thin sections of the membrane in the electron microscope. Sufficient material can be conveniently obtained for chemical analyses.
Comparative studies of the glycopeptides from the surface of BHK2i/Cn cells before and after transformation by Rous sarcoma virus revealed a major difference. Cells were grown in the presence of radioactive L-fucose or D-glucosamine.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic disease for which the gene was identified within the last decade. Pulmonary disease predominates in this ultimately fatal disease and current therapy only slows the progression. CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR), the gene product, is an integral membrane glycoprotein that normally functions as a chloride channel in epithelial cells. The most common mutation, deltaF508, results in mislocalization and altered glycosylation of CFTR. Altered fucosylation and sialylation are hallmarks of both membrane and secreted glycoproteins in CF and the focus here is on these investigations. Oligosaccharides from CF membrane glycoproteins have the Lewis x, selectin ligand in terminal positions. In addition, two major bacterial pathogens in CF, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Haemophilus influenzae, have binding proteins, which recognize fucose in alpha1,3 linkage and asialoglycoconjugates. We speculate that the altered terminal glycosylation of airway epithelial glycoproteins in CF contributes to the chronic infection and robust inflammatory response in the CF lung. Understanding the effects of mutant CFTR on glycosylation may provide further insight into the regulation of glycoconjugate processing as well as therapy for CF.
Turnover studies of the surface membrane and of cell particulate matter of L cells in tissue culture in logarithmic and plateau phase of growth have been made. The rate of incorporation of isotope into these fractions and the rate of fall of specific activities of labeled L-cell fractions have been observed. The following interpretation of the data appears most likely although other interpretations are possible. Growing and nongrowing cells synthesize approximately similar amounts of surface membrane and particulate material. In the growing cell the material is incorporated with net increases in substance. There is relatively little turnover. In the nongrowing cell newly synthesized material is incorporated, but a corresponding amount of material is eliminated so that there is turnover without net increase of substance. Our results suggest that there is no gross differential turnover between the protein, lipid, and carbohydrate of the surface membrane under the conditions of our experiments. Metabolic inhibitors or omission of amino acids in the culture medium lead to a decrease in synthesis of surface membrane and cell particulates and cause an equivalent decrease in the rate of degradation of surface membrane and of particulates; therefore the synthetic and degradative aspects of turnover appear to be coupled. As cultures of nongrowing cells in suspension or on a glass surface age, their synthetic and turnover capacities diminish. Our results suggest that the cell may exist in a nongrowing state with a level of synthesis similar to that of a growing cell. It can exist in this state with a high level of turnover.
Glycopeptides were removed by trypsin digestion from the surface of control cells and cells transformed by Rous sarcoma virus, murine sarcoma virus, or polyoma virus. After digestion with pronase, the glycopeptides were analyzed by gel filtration. The elution profiles suggest that there are differences in the glycopeptides from the surface of control cells and those from transformed cells.
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