The oligosaccharide moieties of the epidermal growth factor receptor in A-431 cells. Presence of complex-type N-linked chains that contain terminal N-acetylgalactosamine residues.
The receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the human epidermoid carcinoma cell line A-431 is a glycoprotein of apparent molecular weight = 170,000. During biosynthesis, the receptor is first detected as a precursor of apparent Mr = 160,000. In this report we describe our studies on the structures of the oligosaccharide moieties of the mature receptor and its precursor. A-431 cells were grown in medium containing radioactive sugars and the radiolabeled receptors were purified by immunoprecipitation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Radiolabeled glycopeptides were prepared from the purified receptor by proteolysis, and their structures were examined by a variety of techniques. The mature EGF receptor contains both complex-type and high mannose-type Asn-linked oligosaccharides in the approximate ratio of 2 to 1, while the precursor contains only high mannose-type chains. A number of experimental results demonstrate that the mature receptor does not contain oligosaccharides in O-linkage through N-acetylgalactosamine to either serine or threonine. The high mannose-type oligosaccharides in both precursor and mature receptor can be cleaved by endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H and occur in the mature receptor as Man9GlcNAc2 (6%), Man8GlcNAc2 (49%), Man7GlcNAc2 (25%), and Man6GlcNAc2 (20%), whereas, in the receptor precursor the high mannose chains occur primarily as Man8GlcNAc2 (70%). The complex-type oligosaccharides in the mature receptor are predominantly tri- or tetraantennary species and are unusual in several respects. (i) Many of the chains do not contain sialic acid, while the remaining chains contain 1-2 sialic acid residues. (ii) Half of the [3H] mannose-derived radioactivity was recovered as [3H] fucose and the remaining half as [3H] mannose, indicating that there may be an average of 3 fucose residues/chain. (iii) About one-third of the [3H] glucosamine-derived radioactivity in these glycopeptides was recovered as N-acetylgalactosamine and these residues are all alpha-linked and occur at the nonreducing termini. These data demonstrate that the complex-type Asn-linked oligosaccharides in the EGF receptor from A-431 cells contain sugar residues related to human blood type A. In light of other recent studies, these results suggest that in A-431 cells blood group determinants in surface glycoproteins are contained in Asn-linked but not O-linked oligosaccharides.
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; D002460:Cell Line; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000032:analysis; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D006801:Humans; D008358:Mannose / Q000378:metabolism; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D014316:Tritium
D006020:Glycopeptides; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D014316:Tritium; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D005944:Glucosamine; D008358:Mannose