Proton-Translocating Inorganic Pyrophosphatase in Red Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Tonoplast Vesicles

The substrate and ionic requirements of ATP and inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) hydrolysis by tonoplast vesicles isolated from storage tissue of red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) were compared with the requirements of ATP-and PPi-dependent proton translocation by the same material. Both ATP hydrolysis and ATP-dependent proton translocation are most stimulated by Cl⁻ and inhibited by NO₃⁻. NaCl and KCl support similar rates of ATP hydrolysis and ATP-dependent proton translocation while K₂SO₄ supports lesser rates for both. PPi hydrolysis and PPi-dependent proton translocation are most stimulated by K⁺. KCl and K₂SO₄ support similar rates of PPi hydrolysis and PPi-dependent proton translocation but NaCl has only a small stimulatory effect on both. Since PPi does not inhibit ATP hydrolysis and ATP does not interfere with PPi hydrolysis, it is inferred that the two phosphohydrolase and proton translocation activities are mediated by different tonoplast-associated enzymes. The results indicate the presence of an energy-conserving proton-translocating pyrophosphatase in the tonoplast of red beet.     

Two Proton Pumps Operate in Parallel Across the Tonoplast of Vacuoles Isolated from Suspension Cells of Chenopodium rubrum L.*

The kinetics of vacuolar acidification upon addition of ATP and/or pyrophosphate (PPi) has been assayed on single immobilized vacuoles by computer-aided microfluorimetry of 9-aminoacridine, and by acridine orange absorption photometry on vacuole suspensions isolated from green suspension cells of Chenopodium rubrum L. Two proton pumps at the tonoplast, an ATPase and a pyrophosphatase (PPase), operate in parallel to acidify the vacuole with different contributions adding up to a transtonoplast Δ pH of 2.6 pH units at external pH 7.2. The saturable components of proton pumping reach half maximal velocity with 0.32 ± 0.06 mM ATP and 23 ± 2.5 μM PPi, respectively. At saturating substrate concentrations, ATPase and PPase hydrolyse ATP and PPi, respectively, at a ratio of 2.3. The same ratio holds for the corresponding proton fluxes maintaining a given steady-state vacuolar pH. We conclude that both pumps operate at the same stoichiometry.     

Isolation of a Golgi apparatus-rich fraction from rat liver. IV. Thiamine pyrophosphatase

The thiamine pyrophosphatase (the enzyme [s] catalyzing the release of inorganic phosphate with thiamine pyrophosphate as the substrate) activities of Golgi apparatus-, plasma membrane-, endoplasmic reticulum-, and mitochondria-rich fractions from rat liver were compared at pH 8. Activity was concentrated in the Golgi apparatus fractions, which, on a protein basis, had a specific activity six to eight times that of the total homogenates or purified endoplasmic reticulum fractions. However, only 1–3% of the total activity was recovered in the Golgi apparatus fractions under conditions where 30–50% of the UDPgalactose:N-acetylglucosamine-galactosyl transferase activity was recovered. Considering both recovery of galactosyl transferase and fraction purity, we estimate that approximately 10% of the total thiamine pyrophosphatase activity of the liver was localized within the Golgi apparatus, with a specific activity of about ten times that of the total homogenate. Cytochemically, reaction product was found in the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum as well as in the Golgi apparatus. This is in contrast to results obtained in most other tissues, where reaction product was restricted to the Golgi apparatus. Thus, enzymes of rat liver catalyzing the hydrolysis of thiamine pyrophosphate, although concentrated in the Golgi apparatus, are widely distributed among other cell components in this tissue.     

Dictyosome-like structures from guinea-pig testes lack galactosyltransferase,a Golgi apparatus marker

Summary More than twenty different enzyme activities of fractions containing dictyosome-like structures (DLS) as a dominant cell component were monitored. Plasma membrane vesicles were a major contaminant of the DLS fractions, which, presumably as a consequence, were enriched somewhat in plasma membrane markers. The lysosomal enzymes arylsulfatase and latent acid phosphatase were present in the DLS fractions as were the Golgi apparatus activities thiamine pyrophosphatase and nucleoside diphosphatase. The presence of the latter two enzymes in DLS, plus NADH-ferricyanide reductase, has been verified from cytochemistry. On the other hand, the Golgi apparatus marker, galactosyltransferase, was not enriched in DLS fractions and appeared to be absent. This latter finding, verified from cytochemistry with isolated DLS fractions and, in situ, from [³H]galactose incorporation by testis tubules with analysis by autoradiography, provides the first clear biochemical characteristic that serves unequivocally to distinguish DLS from conventional Golgi apparatus.Work supported in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health HD 11508     

Uptake of Phenylalanine into Isolated Barley Vacuoles Is Driven by Both Tonoplast Adenosine Triphosphatase and Pyrophosphatase : Evidence for a Hydrophobic l-Amino Acid Carrier System

The uptake of phenylalanine was studied with vacuole isolated from barley mesophyll protoplasts. The phenylalanine transport exhibited saturation kinetics with apparent K_m-values of 1.2 to 1.4 millimolar for ATP- or PPi-driven uptake; V_{max app} was 120 to 140 nanomoles Phe per milligram of chlorophyll per hour (1 milligram of chlorophyll corresponds to 5 × 10⁶ vacuoles). Half-maximal transport rates driven with ATP or PPi were reached at 0.5 millimolar ATP or 0.25 millimolar PPi. ATP-driven transport showed a distinct pH optimum at 7.3 while PPi-driven transport reached maximum rates at pH 7.8. Direct measurement of the H⁺-translocating enzyme activities revealed K_{m app} values of 0.45 millimolar for ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) and 23 micromolar for pyrophosphatase (PPase) (EC 3.6.1.1). In contrast to the coupled amino acid transport, ATPase and PPase activities had relative broad pH optima between 7 to 8 for ATPase and 8 to 9 for PPase. ATPase as well as ATP-driven transport was markedly inhibited by nitrate while PPase and PPi-coupled transport was not affected. The addition of ionophores inhibited phenylalanine transport suggesting the destruction of the electrochemical proton potential difference Δ μH⁺ while the rate of ATP and PPi hydrolysis was stimulated. The uptake of other lipophilic amino acids like l-Trp, l-Leu, and l-Tyr was also stimulated by ATP. They seem to compete for the same carrier system. l-Ala, l-Val, d-Phe, and d-Leu did not influence phenylalanine transport suggesting a stereospecificity of the carrier system for l-amino acids having a relatively high hydrophobicity.     

Functional size analysis of pyrophosphatase from Rhodospirillum rubrum determined by radiation inactivation.

A radiation inactivation technique was employed to determine the functional size of pyrophosphatase (PPase) from the chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum. The activities of hydrolysis and synthesis reactions of pyrophosphatase and its coupled proton translocation decayed in a simple exponential function with the increase of radiation dosages. D37 values of 5.2 +/- 0.7 and 5.8 +/- 0.8 Mrads were obtained for pyrophosphate hydrolysis and its associated proton translocation yielding molecular masses of 167.7 +/- 30.7 and 156.3 +/- 26.6 kDa, respectively. Similarly, a D37 value of 4.4 +/- 0.6 Mrads was measured for the acid-base induced pyrophosphate synthesis resulting in a radiation sensitive size of 196.3 +/- 31.9 kDa.     

Purification and properties of vacuolar membrane proton-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase from mung bean

Inorganic pyrophosphatase was purified from the vacuolar membrane of mung bean hypocotyl tissue by solubilization with lysophosphatidylcholine and QAE-Toyopearl chromatography. The molecular mass on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 73,000 daltons. Among the amino-terminal first 30 amino acids are 25 nonpolar hydrophobic residues. For maximum activity, the purified pyrophosphatase required 1 mM Mg2+ and 50 mM K+. The enzyme reaction was stimulated by exogenous phospholipid in the presence of detergent. Excess pyrophosphate as well as excess magnesium inhibited the pyrophosphatase. The enzyme reaction was strongly inhibited by ATP, GTP, and CTP at 2 mM, and the inhibition was reversed by increasing the Mg2+ concentration. An antibody preparation raised in a rabbit against the purified enzyme inhibited both the reactions of pyrophosphate hydrolysis of the purified preparation and the pyrophosphate-dependent H+ translocation in the tonoplast vesicles. N,N'-Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide became bound to the purified pyrophosphatase and inhibited the reaction of pyrophosphate hydrolysis. It is concluded that the 73-kDa protein in vacuolar membrane functions as an H+-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase.     

Effects of pH on proton transport by vacuolar pumps from maize roots

Protons pumps of the tonoplast may be involved in the regulation of cytosolic pH, but the effects of pH on the coupled activities of these transporters are poorly understood. The effects of pH on the activities of the H⁺-translocating pyrophosphatase (PP_iase) and vacuolar-type H⁺-translocating adenosine triphosphatase (H⁺-ATPase) from maize ( Zea mays L. cv. FRB 73) root membranes were assessed by model that simultaneously considers proton transport by the pump and those processes that reduce net transport. The addition of either pyrophosphate or ATP to either microsomal or tonoplast membranes generated a pH gradient. The pH gradient generated in the presence of both substrates was not the sum of the gradients produced by the two substrates added separately. When membranes were separated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, pyrophosphate (PP_i)-dependent proton transport was associated with light density membranes having tonoplast H⁺-ATPase activity. These results indicate that some portion of the PP_iase was located on the same membrane system as the tonoplast ATPase; however, tonoplast vesicles may be heterogeneous, differing slightly in the ratio of ATP- to PP_i-dependent transport. Proton transport by both the PP_iase and ATPase had maximal activity at pH 7.0 to 8.0 Decreases in proton transport by the ATPase at pH above the optimum were associated with increases in the processes that reduce net transport. Such an association was not observed at pH values below the optimum. These results are discussed in terms of in situ regulation of cytoplasmic pH by the two pumps.     

Differentiation between Several Types of Phosphohydrolases in Light Microsomes of Corn Roots

The phosphohydrolase activity of a light microsomal fraction isolated from corn roots (Zea mays L. cv LG 55) was investigated. The fraction, which appears to be enriched in endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi membranes, has ATPase and pyrophosphatase activities that hydrolyze ATP and pyrophosphate at an optimum pH of 7.0, with K_m values of about 160 and 240 micromolar and with V_max values of about 200 and 50 nanomoles substrate hydrolyzed per milligram protein per minute, respectively. These enzymes differ in their sensitivity to anions and inhibitors. The ATPase is stimulated by sulfate anions, whereas pyrophosphatase is inhibited by molybdate. Furthermore, the simultaneous addition of ATP and pyrophosphate to the reaction medium increases phosphohydrolysis, suggesting that separate enzymes are operating in the membranes. We also observed that pyrophosphate competitively inhibits the ATPase, whereas ATP has no significant effect on the pyrophosphatase. On the other hand, we observed a detergent-stimulated, molybdate-insensitive inosine diphosphatase activity which, in the native state, hydrolyzes inosine diphosphate with a K_m of about 700 micromolar and a V_max of about 450 nanomoles inosine diphosphate hydrolyzed per milligram protein per minute. In the solubilized form, the enzyme appears to be fully active, exhibiting lower K_m values to hydrolyze inosine diphosphate. Furthermore, we found that native inosine diphosphatase is inhibited either by ATP or pyrophosphate, whereas inosine diphosphate inhibits the ATPase, but has no significant effect on the pyrophosphatase. It appears that inosine diphosphate is a positive modulator of the inosine diphosphatase, whereas ATP and pyrophosphate act as negative modulators of this enzyme.     

Comparative studies on the electrical properties of the H+ translocating ATPase and pyrophosphatase of the vacuolar-lysosomal compartment.

The electrical properties of the vacuolar-lysosomal H+ pumps were studied by direct measurement of the pump currents using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Both pumps, the proton-translocating ATPase and pyrophosphatase, when activated by MgATP or inorganic Mg pyrophosphate (MgPP(i)), transport protons into the vacuole and polarize the membrane potential (positive inside the vacuole). Accumulation of protons in the lumen of vacuole vesicles was monitored by absorbance changes of the pH probe, acridine orange. The electrochemical gradient provided by both the ATPase and pyrophosphatase stimulates effectively the uptake of various metabolites such as malate, citrate and sucrose. The maximal current density produced by the ATPase was about 2.5 microA/cm2 and about 0.5 microA/cm2 for the pyrophosphatase. K(m)ATP was 0.6 mM; K(m)PPi was 15-20 microM with progressive inhibition above 150 microM. At a cytoplasmic pH of 7.5 both enzymes were capable of pumping protons against a 10,000-fold concentration gradient (pH 3.5 inside the vacuole). Proton current produced by the ATPase was blocked reversibly by extravacuolar NO(3)- only.     

Proton pumping inorganic pyrophosphatase of endoplasmic reticulum-enriched vesicles from etiolated mung bean seedlings

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-enriched vesicles from etiolated hypocotyls of mung bean seedlings (Vigna radiata) were successfully isolated using Ficoll gradient and two-phase (polyethylene glycol-dextran) partition. The ER-enriched vesicles contained inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) hydrolysis and its associated proton translocating activities. Antiserum prepared against vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase (V-PPase, EC 3.6.1.1) did not inhibit this novel pyrophosphatase-dependent proton translocation, excluding the possible contamination of tonoplast vesicles in the ER-enriched membrane preparation. The optimal ratios of Mg2+/PPi (inorganic pyrophosphate) for enzymatic activity and PPi-dependent proton translocation of ER-enriched vesicles were higher than those of vacuolar membranes. The PPi-dependent proton translocation of ER-enriched vesicles absolutely required the presence of monovalent cations with preference for K+, but could be inhibited by a common PPase inhibitor, F-. Furthermore, ER H+-pyrophosphatase exhibited some similarities and differences to vacuolar H+-PPases in cofactor/substrate ratios, pH profile, and concentration dependence of F-, imidodiphosphate (a PPi analogue), and various chemical modifiers. These results suggest that ER-enriched vesicles contain a novel type of proton-translocating PPase distinct from that of tonoplast from higher plants.     

Inorganic pyrophosphatase activity in cell-free extracts of Ureaplasma urealyticum

Cell-free extracts of Ureaplasma urealyticum strains Pi and T960 (CX8) (serovars 6 and 8, respectively) metabolized inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi). The inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) activity was greatest with Mg2+ as cofactor, but Mn2+ acted as a poor substitute. The PPases of the two serovars differed electrophoretically. Although the highest PPase activity was obtained using PPi as substrate, the enzyme could also utilize to a lesser degree both tripolyphosphate and trimetaphosphate. No activity was observed against beta-glycerophosphate, naphthyl phosphates, glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, thiamin pyrophosphate, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, ADP or ATP. Acid- and alkaline-phosphatase activities were observed with naphthyl phosphates as substrates, but they did not have the same electrophoretic mobility on gels as the PPase activity. U. urealyticum PPase was inhibited by oxidized glutathione, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide, phenylglyoxal, p-chloromercuribenzoic acid, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Ca2+. Neither reduced glutathione, L-cysteine nor Co2+ enhanced activity. PPi can act as a substrate or regulator of certain metabolic reactions, and PPi metabolism can function in bacterial bioenergetics; its role in ureaplasmas is presently unclear.     

Subfractionation of rat liver Golgi apparatus by free-flow electrophoresis

Using the technique of preparative free-flow electrophoresis, cisternae of unstacked rat liver Golgi apparatus were separated into a series of fractions of increasing content of sialic acid, thiamine pyrophosphatase and 5'-nucleotidase, markers regarded as being concentrated toward the mature Golgi apparatus face. These same fractions showed a decreasing content of nucleoside diphosphatase, an endoplasmic reticulum marker. Fractions enriched in sialic acid also were enriched in cisternae from the mature or trans face of the Golgi apparatus as deduced from cytochemical criteria. Those fractions least enriched in sialic acid contained cisternae that accumulated deposits of reduced osmium under standard conditions, a test used to mark the opposite, forming or cis-face. Thus subfractionation along the functional polarity axis of the Golgi apparatus with separation of cis and trans face cisternae has been achieved.     

Catalytic properties of the inorganic pyrophosphatase in rat liver mitochondria.

Intact rat liver mitochondria have very low hydrolytic activity, if any, toward exogenous pyrophosphate. The activity can be unmasked by making mitochondria permeable to PPi by toluene treatment or disrupting them with detergents or ultrasound, indicating that the active site of pyrophosphatase is located in the matrix. Initial rates of PPi hydrolysis by toluene-permeabilized mitochondria and purified pyrophosphatase were found to depend in a similar manner on PPi and Mg2+ concentrations. The simplest model consistent with the data in both cases implies that the reaction proceeds through two pathways and requires MgPPi as the substrate and, at least, one Mg2+ ion as the activator. In the presence of 0.4 mM Mg2+ (physiological concentration), the inhibition constant for Ca2+ is 12 microM and the enzyme activity is, at least, 50% maximal. The results suggest that the activity of pyrophosphatase in mitochondria is high enough to keep free PPi concentration at a level close to that at equilibrium.     

Catalytic properties of inorganic pyrophosphatase in rat liver mitochondria]

Intact rat liver mitochondria possess a very low hydrolytic activity, if any, towards exogenous pyrophosphate. This activity can be unmasked by making mitochondria permeable to PPi by toluene treatment or by disrupting them with detergents or ultrasound, thus indicating that the active site of pyrophosphatase is localized in the matrix. The initial rates of PPi hydrolysis of toluene-permeabilized mitochondria and purified pyrophosphatase were found to depend, in a similar manner, on PPi and Mg2+ concentrations. The simplest model consistent with these data in both cases implies that the reaction proceeds via two pathways and requires MgPPi as substrate and at least one Mg2+ ion as activator. In the presence of 0.4 mM Mg2+ (physiological concentration) the inhibition constant for Ca2+ is 12 microM and the enzyme activity is no less than 50% of the maximal one. The data obtained suggest that the activity of pyrophosphatase in mitochondria is high enough to keep free PPi concentration at a level close to the equilibrium one.     

Thiamine pyrophosphatase (nucleoside diphosphatase) in the Golgi apparatus is distinct from microsomal nucleoside diphosphatase

The properties of thiamine pyrophosphatase in the Golgi apparatus of rat liver were studied. Thiamine pyrophosphatase in an extract of the Golgi apparatus was separated into 6 bands of between pH 5.4 and 6.3 by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel. On the gels all these subforms catalyzed the hydrolyses of GDP, IDP, UDP, and CDP as well as that of thiamine pyrophosphate. The characteristics resembled those of Type B nucleoside diphosphatase of rat brain, though the enzyme did not have 3 subforms of Type B nucleoside diphosphatase in the higher pH region on isoelectric focusing. Thiamine pyrophosphatase of the Golgi apparatus was separated from microsomal nucleoside diphosphatase by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The properties of the enzyme were quite similar to those of Type B nucleoside diphosphatase with respect to its substrate specificity, optimum pH for activity, and inhibition by ATP. These findings suggest that thiamine pyrophosphatase in the Golgi apparatus is different from microsomal nucleoside diphosphatase and that it might be basically the same enzyme as Type B nucleoside diphosphatase except for different extents of modification.     

Hydrolysis of Adenosine Triphosphate by Crystalline Yeast Pyrophosphatase : Effect of zinc and magnesium ions

Schlesinger and Coon's report that crystalline yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase, in addition to its known ability to hydrolyze inorganic pyrophosphate in the presence of Mg ions, is also able to catalyze the hydrolysis of ATP and ADP in the presence of Zn ions was confirmed. A systematic study showed that the ratio of 370 of PPase-Mg over ATPase-Zn activities per milligram protein in various preparations of pyrophosphatase obtained in the course of isolation of crystalline pyrophosphatase from baker's yeast was nearly identical in all the preparations, independent of their purity. The course of hydrolysis of ATP by crystalline pyrophosphatase in the presence of Zn was carried out with the aid of ion exchange on Dowex 1. The finding of Schlesinger and Coon that the hydrolysis proceeds from ATP to ADP and then slowly to AMP was confirmed. The kinetics of the first phase of the reaction was found to depend on the molar ratio of Zn/ATP in the reaction mixture. Mg ions in the presence of Zn ions have an accelerating effect on the rate of hydrolysis of ATP. This suggests strongly that both activities—ATPase and PPase—are manifestations of the same active group in the protein molecule of crystalline pyrophosphatase.     

The chaotropic anions thiocyanate and nitrate inhibit the electric current through the tonoplast ATPase of isolated vacuoles from suspension cells of Chenopodium rubrum

Using the whole-vacuolar mode of the patch clamp technique, we studied the effect of the chaotropic anions thiocyanate and nitrate on the electric currents generated by the proton pumping tonoplast ATPase and pyrophosphatase (PPiase), respectively, in vacuoles from suspension cells of Chenopodium rubrum L. Addition of KNO₃ (150–250 m M ) or KSCN (70–150 m M ), and ATP (5 m M , obligatory) irreversibly inhibited the subsequent electric current through the tonoplast ATPase driven by 1 m M ATP, whereas PPiase-activity by 50 μ M PPi remained unaffected. The kinetics of inhibition, indicative of ATPase disintegration by the chaotropic anions, follows a single exponential (τ= 3.44 min). However, apparent ATPase disintegration did not measurably increase the tonoplast conductance. We conclude that, by contrast to organellar F-ATPases, upon disintegration the transmembrane proteolipid of the V-ATPase does not act as a proton conductor which, in the presence of chaotropic anions, like chloride or nitrate, would severely perturb solute compartmentation in the plant cell.     

Adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis in rat dental tissues. A histochemical study to differentiate the enzymes involved.

The purpose of this study was to try to differentiate histochemically between the various enzymes which may catalyze the hydrolysis of ATP in developing rat dental tissues. Freeze cut and freeze dried sections of molar and incisor teeth were incubated in lead capture-based media at pH 5.0, 7.2 or 9.4 with one of the following substrates: beta-glycerophosphate, AMP, ADP, ATP, AMP-PNP and tetrasodium pyrophosphate. To establish the enzymatic nature of the hydrolysis parallel sections were incubated after prior fixation in either formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde. By comparing the enzymatic stainings obtained with the various substrates and at the different pH:s, it was concluded that ATP can be visibly hydrolyzed in rat dental tissues by alkaline phosphatase (stratum intermedium, apical part of maturation ameloblasts, basal part of all ameloblasts, odontoblasts and subodontoblastic layer), specific ATPase (apical and basal parts of secretory ameloblasts) and ATP pyrophosphatase and/or adenylate cyclase (stratum intermedium, odontoblasts). Acid phosphatase, specific ADPase, 5'-nucleotidase, inorganic pyrophosphatase, 3':5'-cyclic-AMP-phosphodiesterase and adenylate kinase on the other hand, seem not to be engaged in the ATP hydrolysis to such a degree as to complicate the interpretation of the histochemical staining. The alkaline phosphatase part of the ATP hydrolysis appeared to be rather insensitive to aldehyde fixation, while the hydrolysis effected by specific ATPase and ATP pyrophosphatase and/or adenylate cyclase was extinguished after fixation with formaldehyde for 4 h or glutaraldehyde for 10 min.