Positive regulation of the enzymatic activity of gastric H⁺,K⁺-ATPase by sialylation of its β-subunit

The gastric proton pump (H⁺,K⁺-ATPase) consists of a catalytic α-subunit (αHK) and a glycosylated β-subunit (βHK). βHK glycosylation is essential for the apical trafficking and stability of αHK in gastric parietal cells. Here, we report the properties of sialic acids at the termini of the oligosaccharide chains of βHK. Sialylation of βHK was found in LLC-PK1 cells stably expressing αHK and βHK by staining of the cells with lectin-tagged fluorescent polymeric nanoparticles. This sialylation was also confirmed by biochemical studies using sialic acid-binding lectin beads and an anti-βHK antibody. The sialic acids of βHK are cleaved enzymatically by neuraminidase (sialidase) and nonenzymatically by an acidic solution (pH 5). Interestingly, the enzymatic activity of H⁺,K⁺-ATPase was significantly decreased by cleavage of the sialic acids of βHK. In contrast, βHK was not sialylated in the gastric tubulovesicles prepared from the stomach of fed hogs. The H⁺,K⁺-ATPase activity in these tubulovesicles was not significantly altered by neuraminidase. Importantly, the sialylation of βHK was observed in the gastric samples prepared from the stomach of famotidine (a histamine H₂ receptor antagonist)-treated rats, but not histamine (an acid secretagogue)-treated rats. The enzymatic activity of H⁺,K⁺-ATPase in the samples of the famotidine-treated rats was significantly higher than in the histamine-treated rats. The effects of famotidine were weakened by neuraminidase. These results indicate that βHK is sialylated at neutral or weakly acidic pH, but not at acidic pH, suggesting that the sialic acids of βHK positively regulate the enzymatic activity of αHK.