Cell surface glycoproteins involved in the stimulation of interleukin 1-dependent interleukin 2 production by a subline of EL4 thymoma cells. II. Structure, biosynthesis, and maturation.

In the present study, we examined the biosynthesis and the maturation of two distinct membrane glycoproteins detected by two monoclonal antibodies (RL388 and RL119), which were selected on the basis of their ability to stimulate the production of interleukin 2 by a subline of the murine EL4 thymoma. RL388 detected a disulfide-linked heterodimer complex (Mr = 130,000) composed of a glycosylated heavy (Mr = 86,000) and a nonglycosylated light (Mr = 39,000) subunit. The unglycosylated precursor of the heavy chain was a polypeptide of Mr = 57,500, which was converted upon maturation into a Mr = 73,000 core-glycosylated intermediate, and then into the Mr = 86,000 surface-expressed molecule. Partial endo-H digestion of the core-glycosylated form suggested the presence of four N-linked glycan units. The antibody reacted with a protein determinant expressed on the mature form as well as the unglycosylated precursor of the heavy chain. Moreover, both subunits assembled rapidly during biosynthesis, and the glycosylation of the heavy chain was not required for this association. Taken together, these data suggest that the antigen detected by RL388 may be the murine homologue of the human 4F2 antigen. The antigen identified by RL119 was a surface glycoprotein of Mr = 55,000 with three to five N-linked glycan units. The unglycosylated precursor polypeptide was of Mr = 29,000. The fully core-glycosylated form of Mr = 41,000, which was detected after inhibition of glucosidase I with 1-deoxynojirimycin, was converted into a Mr = 39,000 intermediate, and upon further trimming, into a Mr = 36,000 endo-H-sensitive form. The latter could be detected for chase periods of over several hours, thus suggesting a low rate of intracellular processing. The wide cellular distribution of the molecules identified by RL388 and RL119 and their preferential expression on the surface of growing cells suggests that they may be associated with cell activation events.