Glucosylation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol membrane anchors: identification of uridine diphosphate-glucose as the direct donor for side chain modification in Toxoplasma gondii using carbohydrate analogues.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite of the phylum apicomplexa and a common and often life-threatening opportunistic infection associated with AIDS. A family of parasite-specific glycosylphosphatidylinositols containing a novel glucosylated side chain has been shown to be highly immunogenic in humans (Striepen et al. (1997) J. Mol. Biol. 266, 797-813). In contrast to trypanosomes in T. gondii side chain modification takes place before addition to protein in the endoplasmic reticulum. The biosynthesis of these modifications was studied in an in vitro system prepared from hypotonically lysed T. gondii parasites. Radiolabeled glucose-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol precursors were synthesized by T. gondii membrane preparations upon incubation with uridine diphosphate-[3H]glucose. Synthesis of glucosylated glycolipids took place only in the presence of exogenous uridine diphosphate-glucose and was stimulated by unlabeled uridine diphosphate-glucose in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to glycosylphosphatidylinositol mannosylation, glucosylation was shown to be insensitive to amphomycin treatment. In addition, the glucose analogue 2-deoxy-D-glucose was used to trace the glycosylphosphatidylinositol glucosylation pathway. Detailed analysis of glycolipids synthesized in vitro in the presence of UDP and GDP derivatives of D-glucose and 2-deoxy-D-glucose ruled out an involvement of dolichol phosphate-glucose and demonstrates direct transfer of glucose from uridine diphosphate-glucose.