Intracellular transport of the glycoprotein of VSV is inhibited by CCCP at a late stage of post-translational processing

Abstract

The appearance of newly synthesized glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus at the surface of infected BHK cells is inhibited reversibly by treatment with carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). Under the conditions used, CCCP treatment depleted the cellular ATP levels by 40–60%, consistent with inhibition of transport at energy-requiring stages. The G protein that accumulates in cells treated with CCCP is heterogeneous. Most of it is larger than the newly synthesized G protein, is acylated with palmitic acid, and is resistant to endoglycosidase H (Endo H). Most of the arrested G protein is also sensitive to digestion with neuraminidase, indicating that it has undergone at least partial sialylation. A minority of G protein accumulates under these conditions in a less-mature form, suggesting its inability to reach the mid-Golgi compartment. The oligosaccharides of this G protein are Endo-H-sensitive and seem to be partly trimmed. Whereas sialylated G protein was arrested intracellularly, fucose-labelled G protein was able to complete its transport to the cell surface, indicating that a late CCCP-sensitive step separates sialylation from fucosylation. These post-translational modifications indicate that G protein can be transported as far as the trans-Golgi in the presence of CCCP and is not merely arrested in the endoplasmic reticulum.