Neuraminidase activity in human peripheral lymphocytes: its increase in chronic active liver disease

Deleterious actions of chronic ethanol treatment on the glycosylation of rat brain clusterin

Clusterin is a N-glycosylated sialoglycoprotein present in rat brain cells. Clusterin, which elicits aggregation in a wide variety of cells, has been suggested to play an important role in synaptic remodeling through its cell adhesion property or lipid transport capacity in the brain. Sialic acid residues in clusterin may be responsible for its structural conformation, stability and functional ability. Maturation of clusterin is governed by the relative actions of sialyltransferases and sialidases that are present in brain microsomes, golgi bodies, cytosol and plasma membranes. We have earlier reported that chronic ethanol treatment in rats has a damaging effect on the hepatic glycosylation machinery. Others have reported increased hydrolysis of brain sialoconjugates in rats following chronic ethanol administration. Specificity of the effects of chronic ethanol treatment in the brain in relation to the glycosylation process, is still obscure. Therefore, in this investigation, we have studied the specific effects of chronic ethanol treatment on the glycosylation of rat brain clusterin and the causes that may lead to any possible defects in the glycosylation process. We have determined the effects of chronic ethanol treatment on (i) the incorporation of labeled leucine and N-acetylmannosamine into immunoprecipitable clusterin in whole brain homogenate, microsomes, golgi, cytosol, plasma membrane and synaptosomes, (ii) enzymatic activities of sialyltransferases in golgi and synaptosomes, and sialidase in brain cytosol and plasma membranes, and (iii) de novo synthetic rate of rat brain cytosolic sialidase. Our results showed that chronic ethanol treatment in rats resulted in (1) a decreased sialation index of brain clusterin by 47. 2% (p<0.001), 56.7% (p<0.05), 51.7% (p<0.05), 64.8% (p<0.001), and 54.5% (p<0.05), respectively, in whole brain homogenate, golgi, cytosol, plasma membranes, and synaptosomes; (2) a 46.1% (p<0.05) and 12.5% (p<0.05) decreased activities of brain sialyltransferases, respectively, in the golgi and the synaptosomal fractions; (3) a 70. 1% (p<0.05) and 42.6% (p<0.05) increased activities of sialidases, respectively, in the cytosol and plasma membrane fractions; and (4) a 22.2%-64.3% (p<0.001) increased incorporation of labeled leucine into brain cytosolic sialidase. Our findings have clearly established that long-term ethanol treatment in rats leads to a marked impairment in the glycosylation of rat brain clusterin as a result of altered activities of brain sialation and desialation enzymes. In particular, the specific increase noted in brain sialidase activity was due to concomitant increases in its synthetic rate. These defects in the glycosylation of brain clusterin may lead to changes in the molecular conformation of clusterin, and thus, may result in its structural instability and/or functional impairment.

Effects of chronic ethanol on enzymes regulating sialylation and desialylation of transferrin in rats

Transferrin is N-glycosylated glycoprotein and plays an important role in iron transport from sites of absorption and storage to sites of utilization. Chronic ethanol alters the normal microheterogeneity pattern of transferrin as a consequence of changes in the sialic acid content. However the underlying basis of this change in sialic acid contents of transferrin in alcohol abuse remains unclear. We have undertaken this study in order to investigate the effects of chronic ethanol in rats with respect to the hepatic rate of (i) transferrin synthesis based on labeled leucine incorporation, (ii) the incorporation of labeled N-acetyl mannosamine (NAM) into sialic acid residues of transferrin, and (iii) roles of specific sialyltransferase and sialidase at hepatic subcellular level. The results showed no significant difference in the incorporation of labeled leucine into transferrin at all levels between the control and ethanol group, whereas the incorporation of NAM into transferrin was significantly decreased by 84% (p < 0.001) both at the whole cell and Golgi level. Thus, the incorporation of labeled NAM relative to the incorporation of labeled leucine into hepatic transferrin was significantly decreased by 86% (p < 0.001) in chronic ethanol-treated animals as compared with the controls both at the whole cell golgi levels. These data are further supported by our finding of concomitant decrease in the activity of beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase by 58% (p < 0.01) in ethanol-treated rats as compared with control animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)