The Incorporation of d-Glucosamine into Glycolipids and Glycoproteins of Membrane Preparations from Phaseolus aureus Hypocotyls

Radioactivity from d-glucosamine-(14)C is incorporated into particulate fractions of hypocotyls of Phaseolus aureus (mung bean) seedlings. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the sodium dodecyl sulfate-solubilized materials revealed that several polypeptide components varying considerably in molecular weight had become radioactive during the incubation. A considerable amount of (14)C was also recovered in lipid. Equilibrium centrifugation of the particulate material, isolated by initial centrifugation at 100,000 times gravity on sucrose density gradients revealed that radioactivity was recoverable in all of the membrane fractions along the gradient. It is suggested that glycoproteins and glycolipids containing amino sugar are normal constituents of such membranes. The ability of the particulate preparations to catalyze the transfer of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine from uridine diphospho-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine to endogenous acceptor material was also tested. Transfer was optimal at around pH 9 and in the presence of 10 mm Mg(2+), and it occurred largely into an unidentified lipid fraction. After equilibrium centrifugation of crude membrane material on sucrose gradients, a number of distinct fractions could be detected which would catalyze the transfer reaction. Uridine diphospho-d-glucose transferase activity showed a similar but not identical distribution along the gradient.