Lecithin : cholesterol acyltransferase : role of N-linked glycosylation in enzyme function

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT; phosphatidylcholine-sterol acyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.43) is a glycoprotein which is responsible for the formation of cholesteryl ester in plasma. The carbohydrate content has been estimated to be approx. 25% of the total LCAT mass, and four potential N-linked glycosylation sites have been predicted at residues 20, 84, 272 and 384 of the LCAT protein sequence. In the present study, we have examined which of these sites are utilized and how the N-glycosylation affects the secretion and function of the enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed to eliminate the glycosylation consensus sequence at each of the four potential sites, and the mutant proteins were expressed in COS cells. The amount of each mutant LCAT secreted was similar to that of the wild-type enzyme but the molecular mass was decreased by 3-4 kDa. The specific activity of each mutant LCAT was significantly different from the wild-type; however, the magnitude and direction of the change depended on the glycosylation site mutagenized. Loss of carbohydrate at position 20, 84 or 272 resulted in a decrease in the specific activity of the mutant enzymes by 18%, 82%, and 62% respectively. In contrast, the mutant protein without glycosylation at position 384 displayed a 2-fold increase in enzyme activity. In addition, a quadruple mutant was constructed such that all four potential glycosylation sites were eliminated. The amount of the unglycosylated LCAT secreted into the culture medium was less than 10% of the wild-type level and the specific activity of this enzyme was decreased to 5% of that of the wild type. The results demonstrate that all four potential N-glycosylation sites in LCAT are used and the presence of carbohydrate at each site has diverse effects on the enzyme activity.