Biosynthesis of placental alkaline phosphatase and its post-translational modification by glycophospholipid for membrane-anchoring.

The biosynthesis and post-translational modification of placental alkaline phosphatase were studied in human choriocarcinoma cells, JEG-3. Pulse-chase experiments with [35S]methionine demonstrated that placental alkaline phosphatase was synthesized as a major precursor form with Mr 63,000, which was then converted to a mature form with Mr 66,000, by processing of its N-linked oligosaccharides from the high-mannose type to the complex type. In addition, the two forms of the protein were found to be modified by a glycophospholipid, components of which were characterized by metabolic incorporation into placental alkaline phosphatase of 3H-labeled compounds such as myo-inositol, palmitic acid, stearic acid, mannose, glucosamine, and ethanolamine. When placental alkaline phosphatase labeled with these compounds was treated with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C or papain, the phospholipase C removed only the 3H-labeled fatty acids, whereas papain, that is known to cleave the C-terminal region, released all the radioactive glycolipid components including [3H]ethanolamine. More detailed analysis with shorter pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that placental alkaline phosphatase was primarily synthesized as a form with Mr 64,500 which was not yet labeled with [3H]palmitic acid. This form was converted by papain digestion to the above-mentioned major precursor with Mr 63,000. Taken together, these results suggest that placental alkaline phosphatase is initially synthesized as the precursor with Mr 64,500, which is immediately converted to the intermediate form with Mr 63,000 by simultaneously occurring proteolysis of the C terminus and replacement by the glycophospholipid, and finally to the mature form with Mr 66,000 by terminal glycosylation of its N-linked oligosaccharides. The glycophospholipid thus attached is considered to function as the membrane-anchoring domain of placental alkaline phosphatase.