On the subunit composition of the Neurospora plasma membrane H+-ATPase

The resolution-reconstitution approach has been employed in order to gain information as to the subunit composition of the Neurospora plasma membrane H+-ATPase. Proteoliposomes prepared from sonicated asolectin and a highly purified, radiolabeled preparation of the 105,000-dalton hydrolytic moiety of the H+-ATPase by a freeze-thaw procedure catalyze ATP hydrolysis-dependent proton translocation as indicated by the extensive 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridine fluorescence quenching that occurs upon the addition of MgATP to the proteoliposomes, and the reversal of this quenching induced by the H+-ATPase inhibitor, vanadate, and the proton conductors, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone and nigericin plus K+. ATP hydrolysis is tightly coupled to proton translocation into the liposomes as indicated by the marked stimulation of ATP hydrolysis by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone and nigericin plus K+. The maximum stimulation of ATPase activity by proton conductors is about 3-fold, which indicates that at least two-thirds of the hydrolytically active ATPase molecules present in the reconstituted preparation are capable of translocating protons into the liposomes. Furthermore, as estimated by the extent of protection of the reconstituted 105,000-dalton hydrolytic moiety against tryptic degradation by vanadate in the presence of Mg2+ and ATP, the fraction of the total population of ATPase molecules that are hydrolytically active is at least 91%. Taken together, these data indicate that at least 61% of the ATPase molecules present in the reconstituted preparation are able to catalyze proton translocation. This information allows an estimation of the amount of any polypeptide in the preparation that must be present in order for that polypeptide to qualify as a subunit that is required for proton translocation in addition to the 105,000-dalton hydrolytic moiety, and an analysis of the radiolabeled ATPase preparation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and urea rules out the involvement of any such polypeptides larger than 2,500 daltons. This indicates that the Neurospora plasma membrane H+-ATPase has no subunits even vaguely resembling any that have been found to be associated with other transport ATPases and that if this enzyme has any subunits at all other than the 105,000-dalton hydrolytic moiety, they must be very small.     

Cytoplasmic location of amino acids 359-440 of the Neurospora crassa plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase.

The topographic location of the region comprising amino acids 359-440 of the Neurospora crassa plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase has been elucidated using reconstituted proteoliposomes and protein chemical techniques. Proteoliposomes containing H(+)-ATPase molecules oriented predominantly with their cytoplasmic surface facing outward were cleaved with trypsin and the resulting digest was subjected to centrifugation on a glycerol step gradient to separate the released and liposome-bound peptides. The released peptides were recovered in the upper regions of the step gradient, whereas the liposome-bound peptides were recovered near the 40% glycerol interface. The released peptides present in the upper fractions were reduced, 14C-carboxy-methylated, and then separated by high performance liquid chromatography. Two radioactive cysteine-containing peptides with retention times of about 162 and 182 min were identified as H(+)-ATPase peptides comprising residues Leu363-Lys379 and Leu388-Arg414, respectively, by comparison to standards prepared from the purified ATPase. This information thus establishes a cytoplasmic location for residues 359-418 in the H(+)-ATPase polypeptide chain. It also infers a cytoplasmic location for residues 419-440, since this stretch of amino acids is too short to cross the membrane and return between regions known to be cytoplasmically located. These results and the results of other recent experiments establish the topographical location of nearly all of the 919 residues in the H(+)-ATPase molecule.     

Large-scale isolation of the Neurospora plasma membrane H+-ATPase

A method for the purification of relatively large quantities of the Neurospora crassa plasma membrane proton translocating ATPase is described. Cells of the cell wall-less sl strain of Neurospora grown under O2 to increase cell yields are treated with concanavalin A to stabilize the plasma membrane and homogenized in deoxycholate, and the resulting lysate is centrifuged at 13,500g. The pellet obtained consists almost solely of concanavalin A-stabilized plasma membrane sheets greatly enriched in the H+-ATPase. After removal of the bulk of the concanavalin A by treatment of the sheets with alpha-methylmannoside, the membranes are treated with lysolecithin, which preferentially extracts the H+-ATPase. Purification of the lysolecithin-solubilized ATPase by glycerol density gradient sedimentation yields approximately 50 mg of enzyme that is 91% free of other proteins as judged by quantitative densitometry of Coomassie blue-stained gels. The specific activity of the enzyme at this stage is about 33 mumol of P1 released/min/mg of protein at 30 degrees C. A second glycerol density gradient sedimentation step yields ATPase that is about 97% pure with a specific activity of about 35. For chemical studies or other investigations that do not require catalytically active ATPase, virtually pure enzyme can be prepared by exclusion chromatography of the sodium dodecyl sulfate-disaggregated, gradient-purified ATPase on Sephacryl S-300.     

Studies on the Proton Pumping Activity of H+-ATPase in Tonoplast Vesicles of Populus euphratica

Tonoplast-enriched vesicles were prepared from suspension-cultured Populus euphratica Oliv. cells by differential centrifugation and discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The properties of the proton pumping activity of H+-ATPases in tonoplast vesicles were studied by acridine orange fluorescent quenching measured at 22 ℃. The proton pumping activity of ATPase was ATP-dependent with apparent Michaelis-Menten Constant (Km) for ATP about 0.65 mmol/L. The optimal pH for H+-ATPases activity was 7.5. The proton pumping activity of H+-ATPase could be initiated by some divalent cations, Mg2+ being highly efficient, much more than Fe2+; and Ca2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ were inefficient under the experimental condition. The proton translocation could be stimulated by halide anions, with potencies decreasing in the order Cl-> Br->I->F-. The proton pumping activity was greatly inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), NO-3 and Bafilomycin A1, but not by orthovanadate and azide. These results demonstrated that the H+-ATPase in the tonoplast of Populus euphratica belonged to vacuolar type ATPase. This work was the first time that tonoplast-enriched vesicles were isolated from Populus euphratica cells.     

Chromaffin granule H(+)-ATPase has F1-like structure.

Isolated H(+)-ATPase from chromaffin granules was reconstituted into liposomes and the resultant proteoliposomes were further purified by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. Studies by electron microscopy showed that proteoliposomes had particle structures (average diameter, about 10 nm) on their outer surface. These particles could be removed from the proteoliposomes by cold treatment. Immuno-electron microscopy showed that these particles were recognized by antibodies against the hydrophilic sector of the enzyme. These results indicate that the H(+)-ATPase has a peripheral membrane structure similar to that of F1-ATPase.     

Functional reconstitution of the gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter from synaptic vesicles using artificial ion gradients.

The gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter of rat brain synaptic vesicles was reconstituted in proteoliposomes, and its activity was studied in response to artificially created membrane potentials or proton gradients. Changes of the membrane potential were monitored using the dyes oxonol VI and 3,3'-diisopropylthiodicarbocyanine iodide, and changes of the H+ gradient were followed using acridine orange. An inside positive membrane potential was generated by the creation of an inwardly directed K+ gradient and the subsequent addition of valinomycin. Under these conditions, valinomycin evoked uptake of [3H]GABA which was saturable. Similarly, [3H]glutamate uptake was stimulated by valinomycin, indicating that both transporters can be driven by the membrane potential. Proton gradients were generated by the incubation of K(+)-loaded proteoliposomes in a buffer free of K+ or Na+ ions and the subsequent addition of nigericin. Proton gradients were also generated via the endogenous H+ ATPase by incubation of K(+)-loaded proteoliposomes in equimolar K+ buffer in the presence of valinomycin. These proton gradients evoked nonspecific, nonsaturable uptake of GABA and beta-alanine but not of glycine in proteoliposomes as well as protein-free liposomes. Therefore, transporter activity was monitored using glycine as an alternative substrate. Proton gradients generated by both methods elicited saturable glycine uptake in proteoliposomes. Together, our data confirm that the vesicular GABA transporter can be energized by both the membrane potential and the pH gradient and show that transport can be achieved by artificial gradients independently of the endogenous proton ATPase.     

Depolymerization of solubilized gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase by n-octylglucoside or cholate

We have previously shown that an active (H+ + K+)-ATPase can be extracted from gastric apical membranes using n-octylglucoside (Soumarmon, A., Grelac, F. and Lewin, M.J.M. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 732, 579-585). This extract contained an holomeric enzyme of 390-420 kDa and contained 68% of the K+-stimulated ATPase specific activity originally present. We demonstrate here that inactivation, induced during a more classically designed protocol, is associated with the appearance of smaller, polymorphic structures with molecular mass of 330-360 and 240-250 kDa estimated using molecular sieve chromatography and glycerol gradients. This suggests that (H+ + K+)-ATPase solubilization by n-octylglucoside is a complex process involving first extraction of the enzyme as an active polymer, with subsequent depolymerication and inactivation of this polymer. Depolymerization was specifically studied by treating the large holomeric n-octylglucoside-extracted (H+ + K+)-ATPase with increasing concentrations of either n-octylglucoside or cholate. Detergent-induced changes were characterized by centrifugation on glycerol gradients. Progressive displacement of ATPase activity into three different peaks at 32%, 26% and 20% glycerol was found with increasing detergent concentrations. n-Octylglucoside inhibited enzyme activities and was more deleterious for phosphatase than for ATPase activity. Moreover, it induced the dissociation of phosphatase and ATPase distribution profiles. At concentrations of 0.2 to 1.15%, cholate induced the displacement of the glycerol gradient profiles but no loss of activities and no dissociation of phosphatase and ATPase profiles. Higher concentrations of this detergent (2.5%) also inactivated the ATPase concomitantly with the appearance of a protein peak with no related activity at 16-18% glycerol. From this study we suggest that solubilization of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase can be achieved through the extraction of a polymer by n-octylglucoside and through subsequent depolymerization using cholate. We suggest that the different sizes correspond to monomers, dimers, trimers and perhaps tetramers. The monomers were apparently inactive under present test conditions.     

Some properties of membrane-bound, solubilized and reconstituted into liposomes H+-ATPase of vacuoles of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis

Vacuoles of yeast grown in peptone medium possessed high ATPase activity (up to 1 mumol X mg protein-1 X min-1). Membrane-bound and solubilized ATPase activities were insensitive to vanadate and azide, but were inhibited by NO-3 . K+ and cyclic AMP stimulated both membrane-bound and solubilized ATPase activities. Dio-9 activated the membrane form of vacuolar ATPase 1.5-2-fold and did not affect the solubilized enzyme. Solubilized and partially purified vacuolar ATPase was reconstituted with soy-bean phospholipids by a freeze-thaw procedure. ATPase activities in native vacuoles and proteoliposomes were stimulated effectively by Dio-9, the protonophore FCCP and ionophores valinomycin and nigericin. ATP-dependent H+ transport into proteoliposomes was also shown by quenching of ACMA fluorescence. Vacuolar and partially purified ATPase preparations possessed also GTPase activity. Unlike ATPase, however, GTPase was not incorporated as a proton pump into liposomes.     

Studies on the role of the oligomeric state and subunit III of cytochrome oxidase in proton translocation

Anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography in the presence of lauryldimethylamine N-oxide (LDAO) was introduced to separate cytochrome oxidase into different complexes that either did or did not contain subunit III. Both kinds of enzyme complex exhibited H+ translocation after reconstitution into phospholipid vesicles, but with a significantly (approx. 50-60%) reduced H+/e- ratio as compared with unchromatographed enzyme. The anion-exchange FPLC fractions of the enzyme (with or without subunit III) sedimented more slowly than the control enzyme upon sucrose gradient centrifugation in the presence of cholate and a high potassium phosphate concentration. When the control enzyme was subjected to the sucrose gradient centrifugation in the presence of LDAO or Triton X-100, instead of cholate, one band containing all subunits was observed, which sedimented slowly like the FPLC fractions. Transfer of this band to cholate medium, and reapplication on the sucrose gradient (with cholate), yielded both a slow- and a fast-migrating band after centrifugation. Enzyme complexes that sedimented slowly or rapidly in the sucrose gradients revealed longer and shorter elution times, respectively, in gel filtration FPLC. This suggests that these complexes corresponds to monomers and dimers of cytochrome oxidase. Solubilization of proteoliposomes and subsequent sucrose gradient centrifugation in cholate yielded one fast-migrating band for the untreated enzyme, but both a fast- and a slow-migrating band for the anion-exchange FPLC-treated enzyme, which was exclusively slow-migrating before reconstitution into liposomes. It is suggested that dimerisation of monomeric cytochrome oxidase may be favoured when the enzyme encounters a membranous milieu, and that the dimeric structure might be necessary for proton translocation.     

The blocking effect of aliphatic hydrocarbons on Ca2+ leakage channels formed by aggregates of Ca2+-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum

The effects of aliphatic hydrocarbons within the liposomes on the Ca2+ transport function of isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes of rabbit skeletal muscle, vesiculate preparation of Ca2+ dependent ATPase and proteoliposomes reconstituted from Ca2+-ATPase and egg phosphatidylcholine, were studied. It was shown that liposomes prepared from dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine containing aliphatic hydrocarbons increase 2 to 3 times Ca2+ accumulation by Ca2+-dependent ATPase from rabbit skeletal muscle SR. Ca2+ transport by SR vesicles increases in the presence of hydrocarbons by 15--20%. The activating effect of hydrocarbons on Ca2+ transport by proteoliposomes depends on the lipid/protein ratio. The proteoliposomes with a high lipid/protein ratio are practically insensitive to the effects of hydrocarbons. It was suggested that activation of Ca2+ transport by hydrocarbons is due to blocking of Ca2+ leakage channels formed during the aggregation of Ca2+-ATPase molecules. Treatment of membranes by formaldehyde results in the oligomerization of Ca2+-ATPase and decreases 2--4-fold the ATP-dependent accumulation of Ca2+. Subsequent addition of decane restores Ca2+ transport practically completely.     

Density-based separation of liposomes by glycerol gradient centrifugation

Sonicated liposomes of soybean phospholipids (asolectin) distribute nearly throughout a 19-22% (v/v) glycerol gradient when centrifuged to near equilibrium. Upon recentrifugation on an identical gradient, liposomes selected from several positions in such a gradient migrate as narrow bands to positions close to their original positions, indicating that the liposome distribution in the first gradient is the result of a density-based fractionation. Molecular sieve chromatography, turbidity, and trapped volume measurements indicate that the liposome densities are qualitatively related to their size, with the larger liposomes more dense than the smaller ones. Size estimates obtained by electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations indicate that the fractionation is effective for liposomes with diameters ranging from 200 to 600 A, with maximum efficiency in the range 200-300 A where the majority of the liposomes is found. Interestingly, high concentrations of liposomes improve the efficiency of the fractionation procedure. The size dependence of liposome density is shown not to be due to differential glycerol permeability or lipid composition, and is therefore most likely due to variations in the specific volumes of the individual phospholipid molecules owing to the curvature of the liposomes. Finally, freezing of the glycerol gradient fractions in liquid N2 and storage at -70 degrees C does not modify the size of the isolated liposomes. It is suggested that glycerol density gradient fractionation of liposomes could be a useful general method for obtaining liposomes of reasonably uniform size in large quantities and high concentrations.     

Reconstitution of translocation activity for secretory proteins from solubilized components of Escherichia coli

The protein translocation system of Escherichia coli was solubilized and reconstituted, using the octylglucoside dilution method, into liposomes prepared from E. coli phospholipids. SecA, ATP, phospholipids and membrane proteins were found to be essential for the translocation of a model secretory protein, uncleavable OmpF-Lpp. Phospholipids were found to play roles not only in liposome formation but also in the stabilization of membrane proteins during the octylglucoside extraction. The effects of IgGs specific to five distinct regions of the SecY molecule on protein translocation into proteoliposomes were examined. IgGs specific to the amino- and carboxyl-terminal regions of the SecY molecule strongly inhibited the translocation activity, indicating the participation of SecY in the translocation. Generation of a proton motive force due to the simultaneous reconstitution of F0F1-ATPase was also observed in the presence of ATP. An ATP-generating system consisting of creatine phosphate and creatine kinase significantly enhanced the formation of the proton motive force and the protein translocation activity of the proteoliposomes. Collapse of the proton motive force thus generated partially inhibited the translocation.     

Rapid purification and reconstitution of a plant vacuolar ATPase using Triton X-114 fractionation: subunit composition and substrate kinetics of the H(+)-ATPase from the tonoplast of Kalancho? daigremontiana.

A rapid procedure for the purification and reconstitution into proteoliposomes of the H(+)-translocating ATPase of plant vacuolar membranes is reported. It involves fractionation of the tonoplast with Triton X-114, resolubilization of the ATPase with octyl glucoside in the presence of a mixture of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine and cholesterol (27:53:20, by weight), and removal of the detergent by gel-filtration. Starting with partially purified vacuolar membranes, the procedure can be accomplished in about 2 hours. It has been applied to the H(+)-ATPase from the crassulacean plant Kalancho? daigremontiana, from which it yields vesicles with a specific ATPase activity of about 3 mumol/min per mg protein. The purified enzyme contains polypeptides of apparent molecular mass 72, 57, 48, 42, 39, 33 and 16 kDa; these polypeptides also co-sediment on centrifugation of the solubilized ATPase through glycerol gradients. The 16-kDa subunit is labelled with [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. There is no evidence for a larger ATPase subunit in this preparation. The reconstituted ATPase proteoliposomes undergo ATP-dependent acidification, which can be measured by quenching of the fluorescence of 9-aminoacridine. The initial rate of fluorescence quenching is a measure of the rate of H+ translocation, and is directly proportional to the vesicle protein concentration, so the preparation is suitable for studying the kinetics of the tonoplast H(+)-ATPase. The dependence of the rate of fluorescence quenching on the concentration of MgATP is well fitted by the Michaelis equation, with a Km value about 30 microM. ATP can be replaced by dATP, ITP, GTP, UTP or CTP, and Mg2+ by Mn2+ or Ca2+; kinetic parameters for these substrates are reported. In contrast, hydrolysis of MgATP shows complex kinetics, suggestive either of negative cooperativity between nucleotide-binding sites, or of two non-interacting catalytic sites. Both the hydrolytic and the H(+)-translocating activities of the proteoliposomes are inhibited by nitrate, though not in parallel, the latter activity being the more sensitive. Both activities are inhibited in parallel by bafilomycin A1, which does not produce complete inhibition; the bafilomycin-insensitive component has complex ATPase kinetics similar to those of the uninhibited enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of the plasma membrane ATPase of Neurospora crassa

The plasma membrane of Neurospora crassa contains a proton-translocating ATPase, which functions to generate a large membrane potential and thereby to drive a variety of H+-dependent co-transport systems. We have purified this ATPase by a three-step procedure in which 1) loosely bound membrane proteins are removed by treatment with 0.1% deoxycholate; 2) the ATPase is solubilized with 0.6% deoxycholate in the presence of 45% glycerol; and 3) the solubilized enzyme is purified by centrifugation through a glycerol gradient. This procedure typically yields approximately 30% of the starting ATPase activity in a nearly homogeneous enzyme preparation of high specific activity, 61-98 mumol/min/mg of protein. The membrane-bound and purified forms of the ATPase are very similar with respect to kinetic properties (pH optimum, nucleotide and divalent cation specificity, sigmoid dependence upon Mg-ATP concentration) and sensitivity to inhibitors (including N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and vanadate). Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified ATPase displays a single major polypeptide band of Mr = 104,000, which is essentially identical in its electrophoretic mobility with the large subunit of [Na+, K+]-ATPase of animal cell membranes and [Ca2+]-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum. The structural similarity of the fungal and animal cell ATPases, together with the fact that both are known to form acyl phosphate intermediates, suggests that they may share a common reaction mechanism.     

Direct evidence for the cytoplasmic location of the NH2- and COOH-terminal ends of the Neurospora crassa plasma membrane H+-ATPase

Reconstituted proteoliposomes containing Neurospora plasma membrane H+-ATPase molecules oriented predominantly with their cytoplasmic portion facing outward have been used to determine the location of the NH2 and COOH termini of the H+-ATPase relative to the lipid bilayer. Treatment of the proteoliposomes with trypsin in the presence of the H+-ATPase ligands Mg2+, ATP, and vanadate produces approximately 97-, 95-, and 88-kDa truncated forms of the H+-ATPase similar to those already known to result from cleavage at Lys24, Lys36, and Arg73 at the NH2-terminal end of the molecule. These results establish that the NH2-terminal end of the H+-ATPase polypeptide chain is located on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Treatment of the same proteoliposome preparation with trypsin in the absence of ligands releases approximately 50 water-soluble peptides from the proteoliposomes. Separation of the released peptides by high performance liquid chromatography and spectral analysis of the purified peptides identified only a few peptides with the properties expected of a COOH-terminal, tryptic undecapeptide with the sequence SLEDFVVSLQR, and NH2-terminal amino acid sequence analysis identified this peptide among the possible candidates. Quantitative considerations indicate that this peptide must have come from H+-ATPase molecules oriented with their cytoplasmic portion facing outward, and could not have originated from a minor population of H+-ATPase molecules of reverse orientation. These results directly establish that the COOH-terminal end of the H+-ATPase is also located on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. These findings are important for elucidating the topography of the membrane-bound H+-ATPase and are possibly relevant to the topography of other aspartyl-phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate ATPases as well.     

Phosphorylation of the beta subunit of Na+K+-ATPase in Ehrlich ascites tumor by a membrane-bound protein kinase

We have shown previously that proteoliposomes reconstituted with purified Na+K+-ATPase from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, transport Na+ with low efficiency (Spector, M., O'Neal, S. and Racker, E. (1980) J. Biol. Chem., 255, 5504-5507). We now present evidence that this low efficiency (expressed in the ratio of Na+-transported/ATP-hydrolyzed) is caused by the phosphorylation of the beta subunit of the Na+K+-ATPase by an endogenous protein kinase. On addition of [gamma-32P]ATP, crude tumor plasma membrane preparations phosphorylated the beta subunit of the ATPase, whereas crude mouse brain plasma membranes did not. However, solubilized Na+K+-ATPase from either tumor or brain wre phosphorylated by purified protein kinase from the tumor plasma membrane and dephosphorylated by a phosphatase. In both cases, the phosphorylated enzyme was inefficient; the dephosphorylated enzyme was efficient after reconstitution into liposomes. During isolation of the Na+K+-ATPase from Ehrlich ascites tumor or mouse brain, an endogenous protease partially cleaved from the beta subunit a polypeptide of 29,000 daltons that contained the phosphorylation site. The proteolytic cleavage of the beta subunit was partially inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and the major site of phosphorylation was then seen in the 53,000-dalton beta subunit of the enzyme. The isolated 29,000-dalton polypeptide from mouse brain ATPase was phosphorylated by tumor protein kinase with a stoichiometry of 1 mol of phosphate/mol of protein. When this 29,000-dalton polypeptide from mouse brain was incorporated into the tumor Na+K+-ATPase after mild proteolytic digestion, a marked increase in efficiency was observed after reconstitution of the Na+ pump.     

Measurements of the proton motive force generated by cytochrome c oxidase from Bacillus subtilis in proteoliposomes and membrane vesicles

Cytochrome c oxidase from Bacillus subtilis was reconstituted in liposomes and its energy-transducing properties were studied. The reconstitution procedure used included Ca2+-induced fusion of pre-formed membranes. The orientation of the enzyme in liposomes is influenced by the phospholipid composition of the membrane. Negatively charged phospholipids are essential for high oxidase activity and respiratory control. Analyses of the proteoliposomes by gel filtration, density gradient centrifugation and electron microscopy indicated a heterogeneity of the proteoliposomes with respect to size and respiratory control. Cytochrome c oxidase activity in the proteoliposomes resulted in the generation of a proton motive force, internally negative and alkaline. In the presence of the electron donor, ascorbate/N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine/cytochrome c or ascorbate/phenazine methosulphate, the reconstituted enzyme generated an electrical potential of 84 mV which was increased by the addition of nigericin to 95 mV and a pH gradient of 32 mV which was increased by the addition of valinomycin to 39 mV. Similar results were obtained with beef-heart cytochrome c oxidase reconstituted in liposomes. The maximal proton motive force which could be generated, assuming no endogenous ion leakage, varied over 110-140 mV. From this the efficiency of energy transduction by cytochrome c oxidase was calculated to be 18-23%, indicating that the oxidase is an efficient proton-motive-force-generating system.     

Isolation and characterization of plasma membranes from strains of Neurospora crassa with wild type morphology

A variety of commercially available cell wall hydrolytic enzyme preparations were screened alone and in various combinations for their ability to degrade the cell wall of Neurospora crassa wild type strain 1A. A combination was found which causes complete conversion of the normally filamentous germinated conidia to spherical structures in about 1.5 h. Examination of these spheroplasts by scanning electron microscopy indicated that, although they are spherical, they retain a smooth coat that can only be removed upon prolonged incubation in the enzyme mixture (about 10 h). The 10-h incubation in the enzyme mixture appears to have no obvious detrimental effects on the integrity of the plasma membrane since the activity and regulatory properties of the glucose active transport system in 10-h spheroplasts are essentially unimpaired. Importantly, plasma membranes can be isolated from the 10-h spheroplasts by an adaptation of the concanavalin A method developed previously in this laboratory for cells of the cell wall-less sl strain, which is not the case for the 1.5-h spheroplasts. The yield of plasma membrane vesicles isolated by this procedure is 18-36% as indicated by surface labeling with diazotized [125I]iodosulfanilic acid, and the preparation is less than 1% contaminated with mitochondrial protein. The chemical composition of the wild type plasma membranes is similar to that previously reported for membranes of the sl strain of Neurospora. The isolated wild type plasma membrane vesicles also exhibit all of the functional properties that have previously been demonstrated for the sl plasma membrane vesicles. The wild type vesicles catalyze MgATP-dependent electrogenic proton translocation as indicated by the concentrative uptake of [14C]SCN- and [14C]imidazole under the appropriate conditions, which indicates that they contain the plasma membrane H+-ATPase previously shown to exist in the sl plasma membranes and that they possess permeability barrier function as well. The vesicles also contain a Ca2+/H+ antiporter as evidenced by their ability to catalyze protonophore-inhibited MgATP-dependent 45Ca2+ accumulation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analyses of the isolated vesicles indicate that the protein composition of the wild type vesicles is roughly similar to that of the sl plasma membranes with the H+-ATPase present as a major band of Mr approximately 105,000. The wild type plasma membrane ATPase forms a phosphorylated intermediate similar to that of the sl ATPase, and the specific activity of the H+-ATPase in both wild type and sl membranes is approximately 3 mumol of Pi released/mg of protein/min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Role of Mg2+ in lipid-protein interaction in reconstituted procine heart mitochondrial H+-ATPase

During reconstitution of pig heart mitochondrial H+-ATPase in soybean phospholipid liposomes by the cholate dialysis method, Mg2+ greatly enhances 32Pi-ATP exchange activity, ATPase activity and the sensitivity to oligomycin of the reconstituted enzyme complex. The effect of Mg2+ on the fluidity of the reconstituted proteoliposomes was measured by means of a fluoursecent probe. 1-anilinonaphthalene ?e-8-sulfonate, and spin-label probes, 5-nitroxide stearate, 12-nitroxide stearate and 16-nitroxide stearate. A difference in fluidity seems to be localized near the polar faces of the lipid bilayers of the reconstituted proteolipsomes. Fluidity was less in the presence of Mg2+ than it is absence. The conformations of the Mg2+-containing proteoliposomes was higher. We postulate that Mg2+ may play a role in altering the fluidity of the proteoliposomes, which would favor the formation of a conformation of the reconstituted H+-ATPase with higher activity.     

Purified lac permease and cytochrome o oxidase are functional as monomers

Purified lac permease, the 46.5-kDa product of the lac Y gene that catalyzes lactose/H+ symport, or purified cytochrome o, a terminal oxidase of the Escherichia coli respiratory chain composed of four subunits with a composite molecular mass of 140 kDa, was reconstituted into proteoliposomes individually or in combination. The preparations were then examined by freeze-fracture electron microscopy employing conventional platinum/carbon replicas or by means of a new technique using thin tantalum replicas. In nonenergized proteoliposomes, both proteins appear to reconstitute as monomers based on (i) the variation of intramembrane particle density with protein concentration; (ii) the ratio of particles corresponding to each protein in proteoliposomes reconstituted with a known ratio of permease to oxidase; and (iii) the dimensions of the particles observed in tantalum replicas. The intramembrane particle diameters in tantalum replicas are about 20-25% smaller than those observed in conventional platinum/carbon replicas, indicating that the dimensions of the particles revealed with tantalum more accurately reflect the sizes of lac permease and cytochrome o. The diameters and heights of the permease and cytochrome o in tantalum replicas are 5.1 nm X 2.8 nm and 7.4 nm X 4.2 nm, respectively. Furthermore, a higher percentage of lac permease molecules exhibits a notch or cleft in tantalum replicas relative to platinum/carbon replicas. Importantly, the initial rate of lactose/H+ symport in proteoliposomes varies linearly with the ratio of lac permease to phospholipid, and no change is observed in either the size or distribution of lac permease molecules when the proteoliposomes are energized. The results taken as a whole provide a strong indication that both lac permease and cytochrome o reconstitute into proteoliposomes as monomers, that the permease does not dimerize in the presence of the H+ electrochemical gradient, and that both molecules are completely functional as monomers.