Biosynthesis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae glycoproteins: nature of some participating glycolipids.

A particulate membrane preparation from Saccharomyces cerevisiae catalyzed the incorporation of mannose from GDP-mannose into lipids that were extractable in chloroform-methanol. One lipid has been previously characterized as dolichyl phosphomannose. Another one was purified by chromatography on silicic acid, DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex LH-20 was found to be alkali unstable. The lipid moiety was shown to be dolichol and the glycosydic part contained mannose, glucose and glucosamine. Radioactive mannose was also incorporated at a slower rate into more polar compounds. They were soluble in chloroform-methanol-water and were seen to liberate neutral oligosaccharides after alkaline hydrolysis. Radioactive mannose was also incorporated into substances which behave chemically as glycoproteins since they were insoluble in organic solvents, water and trichloroactic acid. Pronase treatment of the trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material released water-soluble oligosaccharides. When the particulate preparation which had been extracted with chloroform-methanol at-20 C, was incubated with GDP-(U-14C)mannose, radioactivity was incorporated into glycolipids that were soluble in chloroform-methanol-water and into glycoproteins. This result suggests that at least part of the mannose was transferred to endogenous acceptors independent of dolichyl phosphomannose.