Rapid isolation of endosomes from BHK cells: identification of DPP IV (CD26) in endosomes

In plasma membrane glycoproteins the peripheral monosaccharides of the N-glycan side chains are degraded faster than the core oligosaccharides and the protein backbone. This intramolecular heterogeneous turnover is a typical characteristic of membrane glycoproteins and is termed remodeling or reprocessing. The mechanism of the reprocessing has been shown first for dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV, CD26). However, it is still a question in which subcellular compartment the enzyme machinery for the reprocessing is located. Since lysosomes could be excluded, it has been proposed that the responsible glycosidases are located at the plasma membrane, in endosomes, or in the trans-Golgi network. The present study is concerned with the possible role of endosomes in this process of reprocessing. We transfected nonpolarized BHK cells with rat DPP IV cDNA. By establishing a fast and efficient method to purify endosomes, we could identify for the first time significant amounts of DPP IV in endosomes and we suggest therefore that endosomes are closely related with the regulation of reprocessing of plasma membrane glycoproteins.