Lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) consists of a highly glycosylated luminal domain, a single-transmembrane domain and a short cytoplasmic tail that possesses a lysosome-targeting signal (GYQTI(382)) at the COOH terminus. It is hypothesized that the COOH-terminal isoleucine, I(382), could be substituted with any other bulky hydrophobic amino acid residue for LAMP-1 to exclusively localize in lysosomes. In order to test this hypothesis, we compared subcellular distribution of four substitution mutants with phenylalanine, leucine, methionine and valine at the COOH-terminus (termed I382F, I382L, I382M and I382V, respectively) with that of wild-type (WT)-LAMP-1. Double-labelled immunofluorescence analyses showed that these substitution mutants were localized as significantly to late endocytic organelles as WT-LAMP-1. However, the quantitative subcellular fractionation study revealed different distribution of WT-LAMP-1 and these four COOH-terminal mutants in late endosomes and dense secondary lysosomes. WT-LAMP-1 was accumulated three to six times more in the dense lysosomal fraction than the four mutants. The level of WT-LAMP-1 in late endosomal fraction was comparable to those of I382F, I382M and I382V. Conversely, I382L in the late endosomal fraction was approximately three times more abundant than WT-LAMP-1. These findings define the presence of isoleucine residue at the COOH-terminus of LAMP-1 as critical in governing its efficient delivery to secondary lysosomes and its ratio of lysosomes to late endosomes.

We examined the change in the subcellular distribution of a lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase (beta-G), caused by decreased cholesterol levels in mouse melanoma cells using an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin and lipoprotein-deficient serum (LDS). There was a decrease in the cholesterol content of the cells and increased secretion of the mature form of beta-G located in lysosomes, as documented by Percoll density gradient fractionation, digitonin permeabilization and immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, another lysosomal enzyme, cathepsin H, was found to be released in the medium from cells treated with lovastatin. Both the precursor and mature forms of cathepsin H were detected in the medium of treated cells. Next, when cells were treated with LDS without lovastatin, concomitantly with the decrease in the levels of cholesterol and beta-G activity in the cells, beta-G activity in the medium increased. Also, the ratio of beta-G (3.2-fold) released in the medium from cells treated with Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (D-MEM) containing lovastatin and LDS was higher than that (2.3-fold) on treatment with D-MEM containing LDS without lovastatin. From these results, it was suggested that the exocytosis of mature enzymes from lysosomes into the medium or mis-sorting of the lysosomal precursor forms to the medium was caused by the lovastatin- and/or LDS-induced decrease in the cholesterol content of the cells, although the mechanism of secretion by lysosomal enzymes differed somewhat.