Oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), an integral component of the endoplasmic-reticulum membrane, catalyses the transfer of dolichyl diphosphate-linked oligosaccharides to specific asparagine residues forming part of the Asn-Xaa-Thr/Ser sequence. We have studied the binding and catalytic properties of the enzyme from pig liver using peptide analogues derived from the acceptor peptide N-benzoyl-Asn-Gly-Thr-NHCH3 by replacing either asparagine or threonine with amino acids differing in size, stereochemistry, polarity and ionic properties. Acceptor studies showed that analogues of asparagine and threonine with bulkier side chains impaired recognition by OST. Reduction of the beta-amide carbonyl group of asparagine yielded a derivative that, although not glycosylated, was strongly inhibitory (50% inhibition at approximately 140 microM). This inhibition may be due to ion-pair formation involving the NH3+ group and a negatively charged base at the active site. Hydroxylation of asparagine at the beta-C position increased Km and decreased Vmax, indicating an effect on both binding and catalysis. The threo configuration at the beta-C atom of the hydroxyamino acid was essential for substrate binding. A peptide derivative obtained by replacement of the threonine beta-hydroxy group with an NH2 group was found to display acceptor activity. This shows that the primary amine is able to mimic the hydroxy group during transglycosylation. The pH optimum with this derivative is shifted by approximately 1 pH unit towards the basic region, indicating that the neutral NH2 group is the reactive species. The various data are discussed in terms of the catalytic mechanism of OST, particular emphasis being placed on the role of threonine/serine in increasing the nucleophilicity of the beta-amide of asparagine through hydrogen-binding.

Recently, we reported a novel congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG-IIb) caused by severe deficiency of the glucosidase I. The enzyme cleaves the alpha1,2-glucose residue from the asparagine-linked Glc(3)-Man(9)-GlcNAc(2) precursor, which is crucial for oligosaccharide maturation. The patient suffering from this disease was compound-heterozygous for two mutations in the glucosidase I gene, a T-->C transition in the paternal allele and a G-->C transition in the maternal allele. This gives rise in the glucosidase I polypeptide to the substitution of Arg486 by Thr and Phe652 by Leu, respectively. Kinetic studies using detergent extracts from cultured fibroblasts showed that the glucosidase I activity in the patient's cells was < 1% of the control level, with intermediate values in the parental cells. No significant differences in the activities of other processing enzymes, including oligosaccharyltransferase, glucosidase II, and Man(9)-mannosidase, were observed. By contrast, the patient's fibroblasts displayed a two- to threefold higher endo-alpha1,2-mannosidase activity, associated with an increased level of enzyme-specific mRNA-transcripts. This points to the lack of glucosidase I activity being compensated for, to some extent, by increase in the activity of the pathway involving endo-alpha1,2-mannosidase; this would also explain the marked urinary excretion of Glc(3)-Man. Comparative analysis of [(3)H]mannose-labeled N-glycoproteins showed that, despite the dramatically reduced glucosidase I activity, the bulk of the N-linked carbohydrate chains (>80%) in the patient's fibroblasts appeared to have been processed correctly, with only approximately 16% of the N-glycans being arrested at the Glc(3)-Man(9-7)-GlcNAc(2) stage. These structural and enzymatic data provide a reasonable basis for the observation that the sialotransferrin pattern, which frequently depends on the type of glycosylation disorder, appears to be normal in the patient. The human glucosidase I gene contains four exons separated by three introns with exon-4 encoding for the large 64-kDa catalytic domain of the enzyme. The two base mutations giving rise to substitution of Arg486 by Thr and Phe652 by Leu both reside in exon-4, consistent with their deleterious effect on enzyme activity. Incorporation of either mutation into wild-type glucosidase I resulted in the overexpression of enzyme mutants in COS 1 cells displaying no measurable catalytic activity. The Phe652Leu but not the Arg486Thr protein mutant showed a weak binding to a glucosidase I-specific affinity resin, indicating that the two amino acids affect polypeptide folding and active site formation differently.