Glycosylation of the mammalian alpha 1-adrenergic receptor by complex type N-linked oligosaccharides

The binding subunit of the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor has been identified as an Mr = 80,000 peptide in several tissues. Adsorption of the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor to a wheat germ agglutinin lectin-agarose resin suggests that the receptor protein is glycosylated. In this study, we investigated the nature of the carbohydrate chains linked to the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor peptide. The alpha 1-adrenergic receptor from DDT2 MF-2 smooth muscle cell and rat brain membranes was photolabeled with 125I-azido-prazosin [( 125I]CP65,526) and then treated with exoglycohydrolases prior to SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. Removal of terminal sialic acid residues by neuraminidase decreased the receptor Mr by 6,000; however, alpha-mannosidase was without effect, indicating complex type glycosylation of the receptor-protein. Similar results were observed for the rat hepatic membrane alpha 1-adrenergic receptor. Removal of N-linked carbohydrates at asparagine residues by peptide-N4[N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl]asparagine amidase (from Flavobacterium meningosepticum) resulted in a specifically labeled peptide at Mr = 50,000-55,000 in DDT1 MF-2 membrane and solubilized receptor preparations. Treatment of DDT1 MF-2 cells with swainsonine or (+)-1-deoxymannojirimycin, inhibitors of complex type carbohydrate chain biosynthesis, caused a reduction in the apparent molecular weight of the receptor (Mr = 60,000) but did not alter the number of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors per cell or their affinity for the radioligand [3H]prazosin. These findings indicate that the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor is heavily glycosylated, the major oligosaccharide moiety being of the complex type, N-linked to asparagine residues. The peptide backbone of the receptor has an Mr less than or equal to 55,000, consistent with the predicted molecular mass of other membrane neurotransmitter receptors based on sequence analysis of isolated cDNA clones.