Maturation of lipoprotein lipase. Expression of full catalytic activity requires glucose trimming but not translocation to the cis-Golgi compartment.

The relationship between maturation of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and its translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi complex was determined by measuring lipolytic activity under conditions preventing transport of the enzyme from the ER to the Golgi compartment. In the presence of brefeldin A, a reagent that inhibits movement of proteins from the ER and causes the disassembly of the Golgi complex, pro-5 Chinese hamster ovary cells accumulated catalytically active LPL, while secretion of the enzyme was effectively blocked. LPL retained intracellularly by brefeldin A treatment possessed oligosaccharide chains that were processed to the complex form by the Golgi enzymes redistributed into the ER. At 16 degrees C, a condition disrupting protein transport to the cis-Golgi, the retained enzyme again remained catalytically active although the oligosaccharides remained in the high mannose form. Lastly, attachment of the specific ER retention signal KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) to the carboxyl terminus of LPL also resulted in intracellularly retained enzyme that was fully active. The importance of oligosaccharide processing for attainment of LPL catalytic activity in vitro was also determined. LPL was active and secreted when trimming of the mannose residues was inhibited by deoxymannojirimycin and when addition of complex sugars was blocked using Chinese hamster ovary mutants (lec1 and lec2), indicating that these processing events are not necessary for the expression of a functional enzyme. However, blocking glucose removal by glucosidase inhibitors (castanospermine and N-methyl-deoxynojirimycin) resulted in a significant reduction in LPL specific activity and secretion. Thus, glucose trimming of LPL oligosaccharides is essential for enzyme activation; however, further oligosaccharide processing or translocation of the enzyme to the cis-Golgi is not required for full expression of lipolytic activity in vitro.