1. In a crude particulate fraction from yeast mannose is transferred from GDP-mannose to an endogenous "lipid" fraction, the monophosphates of dolichol-14 to dolichol-18. The same membrane fraction also catalyzes the mannosylation of glycoproteins. More than 80 of the total radioactivity in the glycoprotein fraction obtained from GDP-[14C]mannose is released by /?-elimination. The small-sized radioactive products of /?-elimination are mannose, mannobiose and mannotriose.2. Ageing of the particulate fraction leads to a drastic loss of mannosyl transfer activity from GDP-[14C]mannose to dolichol monophosphate. To the same extent the amount of [14C]mannose obtained after /?-elimination of the glycoproteins decreases. The amount of radioactive mannobiose and mannotriose is, however, much less affected.3. With decreasing GDP-mannose concentrations the amount of [14C]mannose obtained after /&elimination increases as compared to the amount of radioactive mannobiose and mannotriose. The Km-value for the incorporation of mannosyl groups directly linked to serine and/or threonine, therefore, is lower than the Km-value for the transfer of subsequent mannosyl residues.4. 6. The results are consistent with the assumption that dolichol monophosphate is involved in the mannosylation of a specific position in yeast glycoproteins, i.e. in the formation of mannosyl linkages to serine and/or threonine. The subsequent mannosylation proceeds directly from GDP-mannose in a reaction obligatorily requiring Mn2+.7. After /?-elimination of the methanol-insoluble material mannosylated in the presence of dolichol-monophosphate [14C]mannose the residual insoluble radioactivity is to a large extent transformed into dialyzable material by pronase. Mannose, therefore, is transferred from dolicholmonophosphate mannose also to glycoprotein positions not involving OH-groups of serine or threonine.Glycosylated lipids play a role in the biosynthesis of glycoproteins in animals [l -51, fungi [6,7] and plants [S]. The lipophilic component in all these cases is probably dolichol monophosphate [2,4,9,10].In Succhuvomyces cerevisiue the lipophilic mannosyl acceptor has been shown by mass spectroscopy to consist of the monophosphates of the whole family of dolichols with 14 to 18 isoprene units [lo]. From -~ his 60th birthday. mannosylated dolichol monophosphates the mannosyl group is transferred by yeast membranes to glycoproteins. Preliminary evidence has been presented [7] threonine, only the mannosyl residue directly linked to Dedicated to Professor Dr 0. Hoffmann-Ostenhof on Abbreviations. Dolichol-P, dolichol monophosphate; dolichol-P-Man, dolichol-monophosphate-mannose ; GDPthat within oligomannose chains linked to serine/ Man, guanosine-diphosphate-mannose.Eur. J. Biochem. 46 (1974)