Characterization of the elongating alpha-D-mannosyl phosphate transferase from three species of Leishmania using synthetic acceptor substrate analogues

Leishmania express lipophosphoglycans and proteophosphoglycans that contain Gal beta 1-4Man alpha 1-P phosphosaccharide repeat structures assembled by the sequential addition of Man alpha 1-P and beta Gal. The synthetic acceptor substrate Gal beta 1-4Man alpha 1-P-decenyl and a series of analogues were used to probe Leishmania alpha-D-mannosyl phosphate transferase activity. We show that the activity detected with Gal beta 1-4Man alpha 1-P-decenyl is the elongating cx-D-mannosyl phosphate transferase associated with lipophosphoglycan biosynthesis (eMPT(LPG)). Differences in the apparent K-m values for the donor and acceptor substrates were found using L, major, L. mexicana, and L. donovani promastigote membranes, but total activity correlated with the number of lipophosphoglycan repeats. Further comparisons showed that lesion-derived L mexicana amastigotes, that do not express lipophosphoglycan, lack eMPT(LPG) and that nondividing L. major metacyclic promastigotes contain 5-fold less eMPT(LPG) activity than dividing procyclic promastigotes. The fine specificity of promastigote eMPT(LPG) activity was determined using 24 synthetic analogues of Gal beta 1-4Man alpha 1-P-decenyl. The three species gave similar results: the negative charge of the phosphodiester and the C-6 hydroxyl of the alpha Man residue are essential for substrate recognition, the latter most likely acting as a hydrogen bond acceptor. The C-6' hydroxyl of the beta Gal residue is required for substrate recognition as well as for catalysis, The rate of Man alpha 1-P transfer declines with increasing acceptor substrate chain length. The presence of a monosaccharide substituent at the C-3 position of the terminal beta Gal residue abrogates Man-P transfer, showing that chain elongation must precede side chain modification during lipophosphoglycan biosynthesis. In contrast, substitution of the penultimate phosphosaccharide repeat does not abrogate transfer but is slightly stimulatory in L. mexicana and inhibitory in L. major.