A cleavable N-terminal signal peptide is not a prerequisite for the biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins.

During the biosynthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins, an N-terminal signal peptide is used to direct biosynthesis to the endoplasmic reticulum. It was previously unknown whether or not this signal must be removed during the biosynthesis of GPI-anchored proteins. Using neutral endopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.11), a well characterized type II membrane protein that is attached to the membrane via an uncleaved N-terminal signal peptide, we extended its C terminus with 33 of the 37 amino acids of the GPI anchor signal sequence of decay-accelerating factor. When expressed in COS-1 and Chinese hamster fibroblast (CHW) cells, the protein was shown to possess both transmembrane and GPI anchors, indicating that a cleavable N-terminal signal peptide is not a prerequisite for the biosynthesis of GPI-anchored proteins.