In situ measurement of the electrical potential across the lysosomal membrane using FRET

The progressive acidification of the endocytic pathway is generated by H(+) pumping of electrogenic vacuolar-type ATPases (V-ATPases) on the endosomal/lysosomal membrane. The determinants of pH during endosome maturation are not completely understood, but the permeability to ions that neutralize the electrogenic effect of the V-ATPase has been proposed to play a central role. If counter-ion conductance becomes limiting, the generation of a large membrane potential would dominate the proton-motive force (pmf), diminishing the pH gradient proportionally. Validation of this notion requires direct measurement of the electrical potential that develops across the endosomal/lysosomal membrane. To date, the measurement of lysosomal membrane potential (ψ(φ) ) in situ has been hampered by the inability to access endosomes by electrophysiological means and the fact that individual organelles cannot be discerned when using potentiometric fluorescent dyes. Here, we describe a noninvasive procedure to estimate ψ(φ) in intact cells, based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). At steady state, ψ(φ) averaged 19 mV (lumen positive) and was only partially dissipated by inhibition of the V-ATPase with concanamycin A (CcA). ψ(φ) was considerably increased by alkalinization of the lysosome lumen by NH(4) Cl, implying that at steady state the V-ATPase operates at submaximal rates and that the contribution of ψ(φ) to pmf is relatively small. Our method should enable systematic studies of endosomal/lysosomal potential.     

Mechanisms of pH regulation in the regulated secretory pathway

A precise pH gradient between organelles of the regulated secretory pathway is required for sorting and processing of prohormones. We studied pH regulation in live endocrine cells by targeting biotin-based pH indicators to cellular organelles expressing avidin-chimera proteins. In AtT-20 cells, we found that steady-state pH decreased from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (pH(ER) = 7.4 +/- 0.2, mean +/- S.D.) to Golgi (pH(G) = 6.2 +/- 0.4) to mature secretory granules (MSGs) (pH(MSG) = 5.5 +/- 0.4). Golgi and MSGs required active H(+) v-ATPases for acidification. ER, Golgi, and MSG steady-state pH values were also dependent upon the different H(+) leak rates across each membrane. However, neither steady-state pH(MSG) nor rates of passive H(+) leak were affected by Cl(-)-free solutions or valinomycin, indicating that MSG membrane potential was small and not a determinant of pH(MSG). Therefore, our data do not support earlier suggestions that organelle acidification is primarily regulated by Cl(-) conductances. Measurements of H(+) leak rates, buffer capacities, and estimates of surface areas and volumes of these organelles were applied to a mathematical model to determine the H(+) permeability (P(H+)) of each organelle membrane. We found that P(H+) decreased progressively from ER to Golgi to MSGs, and proper acidification of Golgi and MSGs required gradual decreases in P(H+) and successive increases in the active H(+) pump density.     

Golgi alkalinization by the papillomavirus E5 oncoprotein

The E5 oncoprotein of bovine papillomavirus type I is a small, hydrophobic polypeptide localized predominantly in the Golgi complex. E5-mediated transformation is often associated with activation of the PDGF receptor (PDGF-R). However, some E5 mutants fail to induce PDGF-R phosphorylation yet retain transforming activity, suggesting an additional mechanism of action. Since E5 also interacts with the 16-kD pore-forming subunit of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase), the oncoprotein could conceivably interfere with the pH homeostasis of the Golgi complex. A pH-sensitive, fluorescent bacterial toxin was used to label this organelle and Golgi pH (pH(G)) was measured by ratio imaging. Whereas pH(G) of untreated cells was acidic (6.5), no acidification was detected in E5-transfected cells (pH approximately 7.0). The Golgi buffering power and the rate of H(+) leakage were found to be comparable in control and transfected cells. Instead, the E5-induced pH differential was attributed to impairment of V-ATPase activity, even though the amount of ATPase present in the Golgi complex was unaltered. Mutations that abolished binding of E5 to the 16-kD subunit or that targeted the oncoprotein to the endoplasmic reticulum abrogated Golgi alkalinization and cellular transformation. Moreover, transformation-competent E5 mutants that were defective for PDGF-R activation alkalinized the Golgi lumen. Neither transformation by sis nor src, two oncoproteins in the PDGF-R signaling pathway, affected pH(G). We conclude that alkalinization of the Golgi complex represents a new biological activity of the E5 oncoprotein that correlates with cellular transformation.     

Determinants of the phagosomal pH in macrophages. In situ assessment of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase activity, counterion conductance, and H+ "leak".

We studied the factors that determine the intraphagosomal pH (pHp) in elicited murine peritoneal macrophages. pHp was measured in situ by recording the fluorescence of covalently fluoresceinated Staphylococcus aureus ingested by the macrophages. Following spontaneous acidification of the phagosomes, passive (leak) H+ permeability was determined measuring the rate of change of pHp upon complete inhibition of the H+ pump with bafilomycin A1. A significant, but comparatively low passive H+ permeability was detected. The existence of a passive H+ leak implies that continuous energy expenditure is required for the maintenance of an acidic pHp. In combination with ionophores, bafilomycin was also used to estimate the counterion permeability. The counterion conductance was found to be severalfold higher than the H+ leak. Ion substitution experiments in electropermeabilized cells and the inhibitory effects of quinine and 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid suggest that both monovalent anions and cations permeate the phagosomal membrane. The activity of the H+ pump was measured at various pHp levels. In the steady state, the rate of H+ pumping was considerably lower than counterion permeation. These findings suggest that the phagosomal membrane potential is insignificant. Consistent with this notion, increasing phagosomal conductance with ionophores failed to accelerate the rate of H+ pumping. Thus, the transmembrane delta pH is the predominant component of the proton-motive force across the phagosomal membrane in the steady state. The rate of H+ pumping was found to decrease steeply as the phagosomal lumen became acidified. Therefore, the pH sensitivity of the H+ pump, which possibly reflects a kinetic or allosteric effect, is the primary determinant of pHp.     

Determinants of the phagosomal pH in neutrophils.

Phagosomes formed by neutrophils are much less acidic than those of other phagocytic cells. The defective acidification seen in neutrophils has been attributed to consumption of protons during the dismutation of superoxide, because a large, sustained acidification is unmasked when the cells are treated with inhibitors of the NADPH oxidase. Consumption of protons transported into the phagosome by dismutation would tightly couple the activities of the NADPH oxidase and the vacuolar type H(+)-pump (or V-ATPase). We tested the existence of the predicted coupling using microfluorimetry and digital imaging and found that the rate of superoxide generation was independent of the activity of the H(+)-pump. Moreover, we failed to detect the alkalinization predicted to develop through dismutation when the pump was inhibited. Instead, two other mechanisms were found to contribute to the inability of neutrophil phagosomes to acidify. First, the insertion of V-ATPases into the phagosomal membrane was found to be reduced when the oxidase is active. Second, the passive proton (equivalent) permeability of the phagosomal membrane increased when the oxidase was activated. The increased permeability cannot be entirely attributed to the conductive H(+) channels associated with the oxidase, since it is not eliminated by Zn(2+). We conclude that the NADPH oxidase controls the phagosomal pH by multiple mechanisms that include reduced proton delivery to the lumen, increased luminal proton consumption, and enhanced backflux (leak) into the cytosol.     

Luminal and cytosolic pH feedback on proton pump activity and ATP affinity of V-type ATPase from Arabidopsis

Proton pumping of the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase into the lumen of the central plant organelle generates a proton gradient of often 1-2 pH units or more. Although structural aspects of the V-type ATPase have been studied in great detail, the question of whether and how the proton pump action is controlled by the proton concentration on both sides of the membrane is not understood. Applying the patch clamp technique to isolated vacuoles from Arabidopsis mesophyll cells in the whole-vacuole mode, we studied the response of the V-ATPase to protons, voltage, and ATP. Current-voltage relationships at different luminal pH values indicated decreasing coupling ratios with acidification. A detailed study of ATP-dependent H(+)-pump currents at a variety of different pH conditions showed a complex regulation of V-ATPase activity by both cytosolic and vacuolar pH. At cytosolic pH 7.5, vacuolar pH changes had relative little effects. Yet, at cytosolic pH 5.5, a 100-fold increase in vacuolar proton concentration resulted in a 70-fold increase of the affinity for ATP binding on the cytosolic side. Changes in pH on either side of the membrane seem to be transferred by the V-ATPase to the other side. A mathematical model was developed that indicates a feedback of proton concentration on peak H(+) current amplitude (v(max)) and ATP consumption (K(m)) of the V-ATPase. It proposes that for efficient V-ATPase function dissociation of transported protons from the pump protein might become higher with increasing pH. This feature results in an optimization of H(+) pumping by the V-ATPase according to existing H(+) concentrations.     

Essential role of the V-ATPase in male gametophyte development

Intracellular pH homeostasis is a prerequisite for biological processes and requires the action of proton pumps. The vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) is involved in regulating pH in endomembrane compartments of all eukaryotic cells. In plants, there is an additional endomembrane proton pump, H(+)-pyrophosphatase (H(+)-PPase). However, the relative roles of the two types of pumps in endomembrane acidification and energization of secondary active transport are unclear. Here, we show that a strong T-DNA insertion allele of VHA-A, the single copy gene encoding the catalytic subunit of the Arabidopsis V-ATPase, causes complete male and partial female gametophytic lethality. Severe changes in the morphology of Golgi stacks and Golgi-derived vesicles in male gametophytes are the first visible symptoms of cell degeneration leading to a failure to develop mature pollen. Similar effects on Golgi morphology were observed in pollen tubes when growth was blocked by Concanamycin A, a specific V-ATPase inhibitor. Taken together, our results suggests that V-ATPase function is essential for Golgi organization and development of the male gametophyte.     

Regulation of yeast ectoapyrase ynd1p activity by activator subunit Vma13p of vacuolar H+-ATPase

CD39-like ectoapyrases are involved in protein and lipid glycosylation in the Golgi lumen of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By using a two-hybrid screen, we found that an activator subunit (Vma13p) of yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) binds to the cytoplasmic domain of Ynd1p, a yeast ectoapyrase. Interaction of Ynd1p with Vma13p was demonstrated by direct binding and co-immunoprecipitation. Surprisingly, the membrane-bound ADPase activity of Ynd1p in a vma13Delta mutant was drastically increased compared with that of Ynd1p in VMA13 cells. A similar increase in the apyrase activity of Ynd1p was found in a vma1Delta mutant, in which the catalytic subunit A of V-ATPase is missing, and the membrane peripheral subunits including Vma13p are dissociated from the membranes. However, the E286Q mutant of VMA1, which assembles inactive V-ATPase complex including Vma13p in the membrane, retained wild type levels of Ynd1p activity, demonstrating that the presence of Vma13p rather than the function of V-ATPase in the membrane represses Ynd1p activity. These results suggest that association of Vma13p with the cytoplasmic domain of Ynd1p regulates its apyrase activity in the Golgi lumen.     

pH-dependent cargo sorting from the Golgi

The vacuolar proton-translocating ATPase (V-ATPase) plays a major role in organelle acidification and works together with other ion transporters to maintain pH homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. We analyzed a requirement for V-ATPase activity in protein trafficking in the yeast secretory pathway. Deficiency of V-ATPase activity caused by subunit deletion or glucose deprivation results in missorting of newly synthesized plasma membrane proteins Pma1 and Can1 directly from the Golgi to the vacuole. Vacuolar mislocalization of Pma1 is dependent on Gga adaptors although no Pma1 ubiquitination was detected. Proper cell surface targeting of Pma1 was rescued in V-ATPase-deficient cells by increasing the pH of the medium, suggesting that missorting is the result of aberrant cytosolic pH. In addition to mislocalization of the plasma membrane proteins, Golgi membrane proteins Kex2 and Vrg4 are also missorted to the vacuole upon loss of V-ATPase activity. Because the missorted cargos have distinct trafficking routes, we suggest a pH dependence for multiple cargo sorting events at the Golgi.     

Improved mathematical model for estimating H+ influx and H+ efflux in plant vacuolar vesicles acidified by ATPase or pyrophosphatase

To adapt to environmental changes, plant cells very likely possess a biochemical system, using vacuoles, for maintaining cytoplasmic pH homeostasis. A simple approach is to estimate the active H(+) influx and H(+) efflux of isolated vacuolar vesicles, although there is no good mathematical model to describe H(+) flux. To establish a new quantitative model, vacuolar vesicles were isolated from hypocotyls of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.), and pyrophosphate (PPi)- or ATP-dependent acidification was monitored using acridine orange. The change of pH inside the vesicles (pH(in)) was calculated using a pH calibration curve relating fluorescence quenching with DeltapH. After formation of a steady state DeltapH, passive H(+) efflux was monitored after terminating pumping with ethylenediaminetetraacetate, and the relative H(+) permeability coefficient (p(H+)) was calculated. The H(+) efflux simulated using the p(H+) corresponded to the H(+) efflux determined experimentally. H(+) influx was then calculated by subtracting the predicted H(+) efflux from the experimental net H(+) influx. H(+) influx into vesicles driven by H(+)-PPase or H(+)-ATPase decreased exponentially as the intravesicular pH(in) decreased, suggesting modulation of pumping by DeltapH, pH(in), or both. Finally, the PPi- or ATP-dependent H(+) accumulation determined experimentally was closely simulated by the predicted H(+) influx and H(+) efflux. The ability to predict H(+) flux under different conditions provides a powerful tool for studying pH homeostasis.     

A pH-sensitive luminal His-cluster promotes interaction of PAM with V-ATPase along the secretory and endocytic pathways of peptidergic cells

The biosynthetic and endocytic pathways of secretory cells are characterized by progressive luminal acidification, a process which is crucial for posttranslational modifications and membrane trafficking. This progressive fall in luminal pH is mainly achieved by the vacuolar-type-H⁺ ATPase (V-ATPase). V-ATPases are large, evolutionarily ancient rotary proton pumps that consist of a peripheral V1 complex, which hydrolyzes ATP, and an integral membrane V0 complex, which transports protons from the cytosol into the lumen. Upon sensing the desired luminal pH, V-ATPase activity is regulated by reversible dissociation of the complex into its V1 and V0 components. Molecular details of how intraluminal pH is sensed and transmitted to the cytosol are not fully understood. Peptidylglycine α-amidating mono-oxygenase (PAM; EC 1.14.17.3), a secretory pathway membrane enzyme which shares similar topology with two V-ATPase accessory proteins (Ac45 and prorenin receptor), has a pH-sensitive luminal linker region. Immunofluorescence and sucrose gradient analysis of peptidergic cells (AtT-20) identified distinct subcellular compartments exhibiting spatial co-occurrence of PAM and V-ATPase. In vitro binding assays demonstrated direct binding of the cytosolic domain of PAM to V1H. Blue native PAGE identified heterogeneous high-molecular weight complexes of PAM and V-ATPase. A PAM-1 mutant (PAM-1/H3A) with altered pH sensitivity had diminished ability to form high-molecular weight complexes. In addition, V-ATPase assembly status was altered in PAM-1/H3A expressing cells. Our analysis of the secretory and endocytic pathways of peptidergic cells supports the hypothesis that PAM serves as a luminal pH-sensor, regulating V-ATPase action by altering its assembly status.     

The vacuolar H+-ATPase of lemon fruits is regulated by variable H+/ATP coupling and slip

Lemon fruit tonoplasts, unlike those of seedling epicotyls, contain nitrate-insensitive H+-ATPase activity (Müller, M. L., Irkens-Kiesecker, U., Rubinstein, B., and Taiz, L. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 1916-1924). However, the degree of nitrate-insensitivity fluctuates during the course of the year with a seasonal frequency. Nitrate uncouples H+ pumping from ATP hydrolysis both in epicotyls and in nitrate-sensitive fruit V-ATPases. Neither bafilomycin nor oxidation cause uncoupling. The initial rate H+/ATP coupling ratios of epicotyl and the nitrate-sensitive fruit proton pumping activities are the same. However, the H+/ATP coupling ratio of the nitrate-insensitive fruit H+ pumping activity is lower than that of nitrate-sensitive and epicotyl V-ATPases. Several properties of the nitrate-insensitive H+-ATPase of the fruit indicate that it is a modified V-ATPase rather than a P-ATPase: 1) insensitivity to low concentrations of vanadate; 2) it is initially strongly uncoupled by nitrate, but regains coupling as catalysis proceeds; 3) both the nitrate-sensitive and nitrate-insensitive fruit H+-pumps have identical Km values for MgATP, and show similar pH-dependent slip and proton leakage rates. We conclude that the ability of the juice sac V-ATPase to build up steep pH gradients involves three factors: variable coupling, i.e. the ability to regain coupling under conditions that initially induce uncoupling; a low pH-dependent slip rate; the low proton permeability of the membrane.     

Bicarbonate-regulated adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is a sensor that regulates pH-dependent V-ATPase recycling

Modulation of environmental pH is critical for the function of many biological systems. However, the molecular identity of the pH sensor and its interaction with downstream effector proteins remain poorly understood. Using the male reproductive tract as a model system in which luminal acidification is critical for sperm maturation and storage, we now report a novel pathway for pH regulation linking the bicarbonate activated soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) to the vacuolar H+ATPase (V-ATPase). Clear cells of the epididymis and vas deferens contain abundant V-ATPase in their apical pole and are responsible for acidifying the lumen. Proton secretion is regulated via active recycling of V-ATPase. Here we demonstrate that this recycling is regulated by luminal pH and bicarbonate. sAC is highly expressed in clear cells, and apical membrane accumulation of V-ATPase is triggered by a sAC-dependent rise in cAMP in response to alkaline luminal pH. As sAC is expressed in other acid/base transporting epithelia, including kidney and choroid plexus, this cAMP-dependent signal transduction pathway may be a widespread mechanism that allows cells to sense and modulate extracellular pH.     

Receptor-mediated targeting of fluorescent probes in living cells

A strategy was developed to label specified sites in living cells with a wide selection of fluorescent or other probes and applied to study pH regulation in Golgi. cDNA transfection was used to target a single-chain antibody to a specified site such as an organelle lumen. The targeted antibody functioned as a high affinity receptor to trap cell-permeable hapten-fluorophore conjugates. Synthesized conjugates of a hapten (4-ethoxymethylene-2-phenyl-2-oxazolin-5-one, phOx) and fluorescent probes (Bodipy Fl, tetramethylrhodamine, fluorescein) were bound with high affinity (approximately 5 nM) and specific localization to the single-chain antibody expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, and plasma membrane of living Chinese hamster ovary cells. Using the pH-sensitive phOx-fluorescein conjugate and ratio imaging microscopy, pH was measured in the lumen of Golgi (pH 6.25 +/- 0.06). Measurements of pH-dependent vacuolar H+/ATPase pump activity and H+ leak in Golgi provided direct evidence that resting Golgi pH is determined by balanced leak-pump kinetics rather than the inability of the H+/ATPase to pump against an electrochemical gradient. Like expression of the green fluorescent protein, the receptor-mediated fluorophore targeting approach permits specific intracellular fluorescence labeling. A significant advantage of the new approach is the ability to target chemical probes with custom-designed spectral and indicator properties.     

Activation and significance of vacuolar H+-ATPase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae adaptation and resistance to the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

The stimulation of the activity of the H(+)-ATPase present in the vacuolar membrane (V-ATPase) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is here described in response to a moderate stress induced by 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). This in vivo activation (up to 5-fold) took place essentially during the adaptation period, preceding cell division under herbicide stress, in coordination with a marked activation of plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (PM-ATPase) (up to 30-fold) and the decrease of intracellular and vacuolar pH values, suggesting that activation may be triggered by acidification. Single deletion of VMA1 and genes encoding other V-ATPase subunits led to a more extended period of adaptation and to slower growth under 2,4-D stress. Results suggest that a functional V-ATPase is required to counteract, more rapidly and efficiently, the dissipation of the physiological H(+)-gradient across vacuolar membrane registered during 2,4-D adaptation.     

Elucidation of the stator organization in the V-ATPase of Neurospora crassa

V-ATPases are membrane protein complexes that pump protons in the lumen of various subcellular compartments at the expense of ATP. Proton pumping is done by a rotary mechanism that requires a static connection between the membrane pumping domain (V(0)) and the extrinsic catalytic head (V(1)). This static connection is composed of several known subunits of the V-ATPase, but their location and topological relationships are still a matter of controversy. Here, we propose a model for the V-ATPase of Neurospora crassa on the basis of single-particle analysis by electron microscopy. Comparison of the resulting map to that of the A-ATPase from Thermus thermophilus allows the positioning of two subunits in the static connecting region that are unique to eukaryotic V-ATPases (C and H). These two subunits seem to be located on opposite sides of a semicircular arrangement of the peripheral connecting elements, suggesting a role in stabilizing the stator in V-ATPases.     

Altered distribution of the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase as a feature of vacuolar H+-ATPase null mutants

The effect of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) null mutations on the targeting of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (Pma1p) through the secretory pathway was analyzed. Gas1p, which is another plasma membrane component, was used as a control for the experiments with Pma1p. Contrary to Gas1p, which is not affected by the deletion of the V-ATPase complex in the V-ATPase null mutants, the amount of Pma1p in the plasma membrane is markedly reduced, and there is a large accumulation of the protein in the endoplasmic reticulum. Kex2p and Gef1p, which are considered to reside in the post-Golgi vesicles, were suggested as required for the V-ATPase function; hence, their null mutant phenotype should have been similar to the V-ATPase null mutants. We show that, in addition to the known differences between those yeast phenotypes, deletions of KEX2 or GEF1 in yeast do not affect the distribution of Pma1p as the V-ATPase null mutant does. The possible location of the vital site of acidification by V-ATPase along the secretory pathway is discussed.     

Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking Btn1p modulate vacuolar ATPase activity to regulate pH imbalance in the vacuole

The vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) along with ion channels and transporters maintains vacuolar pH. V-ATPase ATP hydrolysis is coupled with proton transport and establishes an electrochemical gradient between the cytosol and vacuolar lumen for coupled transport of metabolites. Btn1p, the yeast homolog to human CLN3 that is defective in Batten disease, localizes to the vacuole. We previously reported that Btn1p is required for vacuolar pH maintenance and ATP-dependent vacuolar arginine transport. We report that extracellular pH alters both V-ATPase activity and proton transport into the vacuole of wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. V-ATPase activity is modulated through the assembly and disassembly of the V(0) and V(1) V-ATPase subunits located in the vacuolar membrane and on the cytosolic side of the vacuolar membrane, respectively. V-ATPase assembly is increased in yeast cells grown in high extracellular pH. In addition, at elevated extracellular pH, S. cerevisiae lacking BTN1 (btn1-Delta), have decreased V-ATPase activity while proton transport into the vacuole remains similar to that for wild type. Thus, coupling of V-ATPase activity and proton transport in btn1-Delta is altered. We show that down-regulation of V-ATPase activity compensates the vacuolar pH imbalance for btn1-Delta at early growth phases. We therefore propose that Btn1p is required for tight regulation of vacuolar pH to maintain the vacuolar luminal content and optimal activity of this organelle and that disruption in Btn1p function leads to a modulation of V-ATPase activity to maintain cellular pH homeostasis and vacuolar luminal content.     

Role of the V-ATPase in regulation of the vacuolar fission-fusion equilibrium

Like numerous other eukaryotic organelles, the vacuole of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes coordinated cycles of membrane fission and fusion in the course of the cell cycle and in adaptation to environmental conditions. Organelle fission and fusion processes must be balanced to ensure organelle integrity. Coordination of vacuole fission and fusion depends on the interactions of vacuolar SNARE proteins and the dynamin-like GTPase Vps1p. Here, we identify a novel factor that impinges on the fusion-fission equilibrium: the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) performs two distinct roles in vacuole fission and fusion. Fusion requires the physical presence of the membrane sector of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase sector, but not its pump activity. Vacuole fission, in contrast, depends on proton translocation by the V-ATPase. Eliminating proton pumping by the V-ATPase either pharmacologically or by conditional or constitutive V-ATPase mutations blocked salt-induced vacuole fragmentation in vivo. In living cells, fission defects are epistatic to fusion defects. Therefore, mutants lacking the V-ATPase display large single vacuoles instead of multiple smaller vacuoles, the phenotype that is generally seen in mutants having defects only in vacuolar fusion. Its dual involvement in vacuole fission and fusion suggests the V-ATPase as a potential regulator of vacuolar morphology and membrane dynamics.