Effects of inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing on P0 protein synthesis and incorporation into PNS myelin.

Four inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing were used to investigate their effects on the transport of PNS myelin glycoproteins through the secretory pathway, as well as to gain further insight into the structure of the oligosaccharide chains of the P0 and 19-kDa glycoproteins. Several different inhibitors of oligosaccharide processing were incubated with chopped peripheral nerves from young rats (21-24 days of age) and the uptake of 14C-amino acid and [3H]fucose or [3H]mannose was measured in P0 and the 19-kDa glycoprotein after separation of homogenate and myelin proteins on polyacrylamide gels. [3H]Mannose was not found as suitable as [3H]fucose as an oligosaccharide precursor because glucose used as an energy source profoundly inhibited the uptake of [3H]mannose. The substitution of pyruvate as an energy source, however, resulted in incomplete glycosylation, poor amino acid uptake, and truncated oligosaccharide chains. Endoglycosidase H cleaved approximately 50% of the P0 labeled with [3H]fucose and 14C-amino acid. The lower molecular weight protein resulting from endoglycosidase H cleavage contained approximately one-half the [3H]fucose label on the protein, whereas one-half remained on the oligosaccharide chain of the undegraded P0, indicating that at least one-half the P0 has a hybrid structure. Deoxynojirimycin, deoxymannojirimycin, and castanospermine inhibited incorporation of [3H]fucose into the oligosaccharide chains of P0 and the 19-kDa glycoprotein as predicted from their action in blocking various stages of trimming of high mannose structures before the addition of fucose. P0 synthesized in the presence of these inhibitors was cleaved to a greater extent by endoglycosidase H than the normal protein, indicating increased vulnerability to this enzyme with arrest of normal processing. Similar results were obtained for the 19-kDa glycoprotein. Both the incompletely processed P0 and the 19-kDa glycoprotein formed in the presence of these inhibitors appeared to be transported normally into myelin.