Lysosomal enzyme phosphorylation. II. Protein recognition determinants in either lobe of procathepsin D are sufficient for phosphorylation of both the amino and carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides.

Cathepsin D is a bilobed lysosomal aspartyl protease that contains one Asn-linked oligosaccharide/lobe. Each lobe also contains protein determinants that serve as recognition domains for binding of UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase, the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of the mannose 6-phosphate residues on lysosomal enzymes. In this study we examined whether the location of the protein recognition domain influences the relative phosphorylation of the amino and carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides. To do this, chimeric proteins containing either amino or carboxyl lobe sequences of cathepsin D substituted into a glycosylated form of the homologous secretory protein pepsinogen were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The amino and carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides were then isolated from the various chimeric proteins and independently analyzed for their mannose 6-phosphate content. This analysis has shown that a phosphotransferase recognition domain located on either lobe of a cathepsin D/glycopepsinogen chimeric molecule is sufficient to allow phosphorylation of oligosaccharides on both lobes. However, phosphorylation of the oligosaccharide on the lobe containing the recognition domain is favored. We also found that the majority of the carboxyl lobe oligosaccharides of cathepsin D acquire two phosphates, whereas the amino lobe oligosaccharides only acquire one phosphate.