Tryptic Dissection and Reconstitution of Translocation Activity for Nascent Presecretory Proteins Across Microsomal Membranes
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Proc. Natd. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 76, No. 4, pp. 1795-1799, April 1979 Cell Biology Tryptic dissection and reconstitution of translocation activity for nascent presecretory proteins across microsomal membranes (prolactin mRNA/translation in reticulocyte lysate/signal and ribosome receptor domain/transport domain/signal peptidase) PETER WALTER, ROBERT C. JACKSON*, MADELEINE M. MARCUS, VISHWANATH R. LINGAPPA, AND GUNTER BLOBEL Laboratory of Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021 Communicated by Fritz Lipmann, December 26,1978 ABSTRACT The ability of microsomal membranes to tionally competent components which were separated by translocate nascent presecretory proteins across their lipid bi- centrifugation. Translocation activity of the membrane can be layer into the intravesicular space was investigated by using regenerated by recombination of the fractions. trypsin as a proteolytic probe. We found that under defined conditions trypsin is able to dissect the translocation activity METHODS of microsomal membranes into components that can be sepa- rated into two fractions, one soluble and the other membrane Preparation of Stripped Microsomal Membranes. Rough bound. The trypsinized membrane fraction has lost its translo- microsomal membranes were prepared from freshly excised cation activity. Addition of the trypsin-generated soluble frac- dog pancreas (11) as described (12), with the following excep- tion, however, results in reconstitution of translocation activity. tions: all buffers contained 1 mM dithiothreitol and the rough These results are compatible with the notion proposed in the microsomes were collected by centrifugation for 2.5 hr at signal hypothesis that the translocation activity of the micro- somal membrane resides in transmembrane protein(s). We 140,000 X gay. All procedures were done at 2-4°C. The re- propose that trypsin effects solubilization from the membrane sulting pellet, consisting of rough microsomes, was resuspended of cytosol-exposed domain(s) involved in recognition of the by manual homogenization in a Potter-Elvehjem homogenizer signal sequence or ribosome or both, leaving behind mem- in solution A (250 mM sucrose/50 mM triethanolamine-HCI, brane-integrated domain(s) that provide the environment for pH 7.5/1 mM dithiothreitol) to a concentration of 50 A2g the passage of the nascent chain across the membrane. Signal units/ml. [All absorbance determinations of membrane solu- peptidase activity was unaffected by trypsinization of micro- somal vesicles consistent with a localization of the active site tions were done in 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDodSO4).] of this enzyme on the cisternal side of the vesicles. Membrane-bound polysomes and peripheral membrane proteins were removed by extracting rough microsomes first Most of the secretory proteins (1) and several membrane pro- with EDTA and then with high salt. A solution of rough mi- teins (2-4) so far investigated are synthesized as preproteins crosomes was incubated for 2 min at 2-40C with 1 vol of solu- containing an amino-terminal extension (signal peptide) when tion B (like solution A, except that it was 46 mM in EDTA); their mRNAs are translated in a cell-free system in the absence 20-ml aliquots were transferred into 45-ml centrifuge tubes of microsomal membranes. The signal peptide portion of the underlayered with 15 ml of solution C (like solution A, except nascent chain has been proposed (5) to contain the necessary that it contained 0.5 M sucrose) and centrifuged for 1 hr at information to direct the translating ribosome to form a func- 140,000 X gav- The resulting pellet of EDTA-stripped micro- tional complex with receptor(s) of the rough endoplasmic re- somal membranes was resuspended in solution A to a concen- ticulum membrane and thereby to provide the conditions for tration of 50 A2g units/ml (yield after EDTA stripping was a unidirectional translocation of the nascent peptide chain across t--30-40% of the A280 of the original rough microsomes). Ice- the membrane into the intracisternal space. Before the nascent cold 2.0 M KCl was slowly added to a final concentration of 0.5 chain is completed, the signal peptide is removed by signal M. The membranes were centrifuged for 1 hr at 140,000 X gv, peptidase, an endoprotease located on the cisternal side of the Excess KCI was removed from the sedimented membranes by membrane (6), except for chicken ovalbumin (7), which is resuspending them in solution A and centrifuging again through proposed to contain an uncleavable signal sequence (8). a cushion of 15 ml of solution C for 1 hr at 140,000 X gav The Little is known about the recognition-transport machinery resulting pellet was resuspended in solution A to a concentration in the membrane or the ribosomal components interacting with of 40 A20 units/ml (yield after KC1 stripping was -60-70% of it. Two membrane proteins, restricted in their location to rough the A20 of the EDTA-stripped microsomes). Aliquots were endoplasmic reticulum, have been proposed (9) to function as frozen in liquid N2 and stored at -80°C. This preparation is ribosome receptors, primarily on the basis of their physical as- called stripped microsomal membranes. sociation with membrane-bound ribosomes. Furthermore, it Limited Trypsin Digestion of Stripped Microsomal has been reported (10) that microsomal membranes can be Membranes. All operations were performed at 1-40C. Volumes largely depleted of their translocation activity when extracted for digestion were 15-500,l. For a typical trypsin treatment, with a solution of relatively high ionic strength (500 mM KCl) 78 ,ul of stripped microsomal membranes was incubated for 30 and that activity can be regenerated when the salt extract is min on ice with 2 ,lI of a trypsin solution of the appropriate added back to the depleted membranes. concentration so that the final concentration of trypsin was We present a way to dissect the translocation activity in the 5-600 ,ug/ml. The trypsin solution was freshly prepared by microsomal membrane by limited trypsinization into func- dilution of a stock solution (10 mg of trypsin per ml in 10 mM triethanolamine-HCl, pH 7.5) kept in small aliquots at -800C. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "ad- Abbreviation: NaDodSO4, sodium dodecyl sulfate. vertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate * Present address: Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical this fact. School, Hanover, NH 03755. 1795 Downloaded by guest on September 28, 2021 1796 Cell Biology: Walter et at. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76 (1979) Trypsin digestion was terminated by addition of 10,ul of RESULTS Trasylol. Aliquots of this mixture were assayed directly in the To investigate the nature of the translocation activity that allows cell-free protein-synthesizing system (see Fig. 1) or fractionated the nascent chains of secretory proteins to be transferred into from aliquots by high-speed centrifugation into a membrane the cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, we sought and a supernatant fraction. limited proteolysis of microsomal vesicles as a means to dissect To prepare the membrane fraction, we layered a 40-,ul ali- this activity into functional components. The rationale was that quot of the digestion mixture over a discontinuous sucrose the translocation activity might be represented by transmem- gradient consisting of 50 t1A of 0.5 M sucrose over 25 ,l of 2.0 brane protein(s) (5) that should contain cytosol-exposed do- M sucrose in 175-Aul nitrocellulose tubes; both sucrose solutions main(s) that are readily accessible to proteolytic enzymes. On also contained 10 mM triethanolamine1HCl, pH 7.5/1 mM the premise that these domains are globular in nature, condi- dithiothreitol/1% Trasylol. Centrifugation for 5 min at 30 tions were sought that would permit their proteolytic severance lb./inch2 (1 lb./inch2 = 6.9 kPa), generating -100,000 X g., in a form sufficiently intact so that their readdition to the pro- was in a Beckman Airfuge kept in a cold room (4-8°C). The teolytically depleted and inactivated membranes would restore membranes banded neatly at the 2.0 M/0.5 M sucrose interface translocation activity. and, by a Hamilton syringe, could be quantitatively recovered Translocation activity of microsomal membranes can be (after removal of the 2.0 M sucrose layer). The original volume assayed in cell-free protein-synthesizing systems (12, 15, 16). of 40 A.l was restored by addition of 20 MAl of 10mM triethano- The activity is tightly coupled to translation-i.e., it is expressed lamine.HCl, pH 7.5/1 mM dithiothreitol. Membranes prepared only during but not after synthesis of the polypeptide chain; this way will abbreviated moreover, it is accompanied by cleavage ("processing") of the be Mb(x), in which x indicates the signal peptide (13, 15, 17). We used a nuclease-treated rabbit concentration of trypsin in ,ug/ml of digestion mixture. reticulocyte lysate system programmed with bovine pituitary To prepare the supernatant fraction, we centrifuged the RNA (12, 13). In the absence of microsomal membranes there remaining 45-Al aliquot for 10 min at 30 lb./inch2 in the Air- is synthesis of a larger molecule, preprolactin, whereas in the fuge. The supernatant was withdrawn with a Hamilton syringe presence of adequate amounts of membranes there is synthesis and recentrifuged for 10 min at 30 lb./inch2. Supernatants primarily of "processed" prolactin which is similar, if not prepared this way will be abbreviated Sup(x), in which x in- identical, to mature prolactin (13). Among the two forms of dicates the concentration of trypsin in ,ug/ml of digestion prolactin molecules that are synthesized in the presence of mixture. One equivalent of Mb(x) or Sup(x) is arbitrarily de- microsomal membranes, only the "processed" prolactin, but fined as the amount of material that is derived from the not the unprocessed preprolactin molecules, were segregated equivalent (0.035 A28o unit) of stripped microsomal mem- within the microsomal vesicles (12, 13).