Electrofused giant protoplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a novel system for electrophysiological studies on membrane proteins

Giant protoplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae of 10-35 microm in diameter were generated by multi-cell electrofusion. Thereby two different preparation strategies were evaluated with a focus on size distribution and "patchability" of electrofused protoplasts. In general, parental protoplasts were suitable for electrofusion 1-12 h after isolation. The electrophysiological properties of electrofused giant protoplasts could be analyzed by the whole-cell patch clamp technique. The area-specific membrane capacitance (0.66+/-0.07 microF/cm(2)) and conductance (23-44 microS/cm(2)) of giant protoplasts were consistent with the corresponding data for parental protoplasts. Measurements with fluorescein-filled patch pipettes allowed to exclude any internal compartmentalisation of giant protoplasts by plasma membranes, since uniform (diffusion-controlled) dye uptake was only observed in the whole-cell configuration, but not in the cell-attached formation. The homogeneous structure of giant protoplasts was further confirmed by the observation that no plasma membrane associated fluorescence was seen in the interior of giant cells after electrofusion of protoplasts expressing the light-activated cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) linked to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Patch clamp analysis of the heterologously expressed ChR2-YFP showed typical blue light dependent, inwardly-directed currents for both electrofused giant and parental protoplasts. Most importantly, neither channel characteristics nor channel expression density was altered by electric field treatment. Summarising, multi-cell electrofusion increases considerably the absolute number of membrane proteins accessible in patch clamp experiments, thus presumably providing a convenient tool for the biophysical investigation of low-signal transporters and channels.     

The mechanisms of refilling of xylem conduits and bleeding of tall birch during spring

Seasonal variations in osmolality and components of xylem sap in tall birch trees were determined using several techniques. Xylem sap was extracted from branch and trunk sections of 58 trees using the very rapid gas bubble-based jet-discharge method. The 5-cm long wood pieces were taken at short intervals over the entire tree height. The data show that large biphasic osmolality gradients temporarily exist within the conducting xylem conduits during leaf emergence (up to 272 mosmol x kg(-1) at the apex). These gradients (arising mainly from glucose and fructose) were clearly held within the xylem conduit as demonstrated by (1)H NMR imaging of intact twigs. Refilling experiments with benzene, sucrose infusion, electron and light microscopy, as well as (1)H NMR chemical shift microimaging provided evidence that the xylem of birch represents a compartment confined by solute-reflecting barriers (radial: lipid linings/lipid bodies; axial: presumably air-filled spaces). These features allow transformation of osmolality gradients into osmotic pressure gradients. Refilling of the xylem occurs by a dual mechanism: from the base (by root pressure) and from the top (by hydrostatic pressure generated by xylem-bound osmotic pressure). The generation of osmotic pressure gradients was accompanied by bleeding. Bleeding could be observed at a height of up to 21 m. Bleeding rates measured at a given height decreased exponentially with time. Evidence is presented that the driving force for bleeding is the weight of the static water columns above the bleeding point. The pressure exerted by the water columns and the bleeding volume depend on the water-filling status of (communicating) vessels.     

Src-induced de-regulation of E-cadherin in colon cancer cells requires integrin signalling

Although Src expression and activity are often elevated in colon cancer, the precise consequences of overexpression of the non-catalytic Src homology (SH) domains, or enhanced catalytic activity, are unknown. We show that, in KM12C colon cancer cells, elevated Src activity causes the components of adherens junctions, including vinculin, to be redistributed to Src-induced integrin adhesion complexes. Specifically, elevated Src activity blocks proper assembly of cell cell contacts after cells are switched from media containing a low level of calcium to media containing a high level of calcium, and E-cadherin remains internalized. In contrast, although elevated expression of the non-catalytic domains of Src is sufficient to induce assembly of integrin adhesion complexes, it does not induce disorganization of E-cadherin-associated intercellular contacts. Surprisingly, Src-induced disruption of E-cadherin localization requires specific integrin signalling, because E-cadherin redistribution is blocked by loss of cell-matrix interaction, or by inhibitory antibodies to alpha(v) or beta(1) integrin subunits. Furthermore, phosphorylation of the integrin-regulated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) on Src-specific sites is required for Src-induced de-regulation of E-cadherin, demonstrating interdependence between integrin-induced signals and cadherin-associated adhesion changes induced by Src.     

Different lumen-targeting pathways for nuclear-encoded versus cyanobacterial/plastid-encoded Hcf136 proteins

Lumenal proteins are transported across the thylakoid membrane by two very different pathways: Sec-dependent or twin-arginine translocase (Tat)-dependent, where the substrate protein can be transported in a folded state. We present the first evidence that a given protein can be targeted by different pathways in different organisms. Arabidopsis Hcf136 is targeted exclusively by the Tat pathway in pea chloroplasts and no Sec-dependent transport is evident even when the twin-arginine is replaced by twin-lysine. However, twin-arginine motifs are absent from the presequences of Hcf136 proteins encoded by plastid or cyanobacterial genomes, strongly implying translocation by another pathway (presumably Sec). We suggest that the Hcf136 protein was transferred to the Tat pathway when the gene became incorporated into the nuclear genome, possibly due to the tighter folding associated with the more involved, post-translational targeting pathway.     

Evolution of C4 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in Flaveria, a conserved serine residue in the carboxyl-terminal part of the enzyme is a major determinant for C4-specific characteristics

C4 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylases have evolved from ancestral C3 isoforms during the evolution of angiosperms and gained distinct kinetic and regulatory properties compared with the C3 isozymes. To identify amino acid residues and/or domains responsible for these C4-specific properties the C4 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Flaveria trinervia (C4) was compared with its orthologue in the closely related C3 plant Flaveria pringlei. Reciprocal enzyme chimera were constructed and the kinetic constants, K(0.5) and k(cat), as well as the Hill coefficient, h, were determined for the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate both in the presence and absence of the activator glucose 6-phosphate. By this approach two regions were identified which determined most of the kinetic differences of the C4 and C3 ppcA phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylases with respect to the substrate PEP. In addition, the experiments suggest that the two regions do not act additively but interact with each other. The region between amino acids 296 and 437 is essential for activation by glucose 6-phosphate. The carboxyl-terminal segment between amino acids 645 and 966 contains a C4 conserved serine or a C3 invariant alanine at position 774 in the respective enzyme isoform. Site-directed mutagenesis shows that this position is a key determinant for the kinetic properties of the two isozymes.