Biomedical subjects

E Turk

Publications and source records attributed to E Turk.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Functional expression of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus Na+/galactose (vSGLT) cotransporter in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

We have successfully expressed a bacterial cotransporter in a functional form in the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system. The goals were to compare the kinetics and selectivity of the cotransporter expressed in oocytes with those obtained in bacteria and in proteoliposomes, and to determine if it is possible to measure the electrical properties of the bacterial cotransporter expressed in oocytes. The Vibrio parahaemolyticus Na+/galactose cotransporter (vSGLT) expressed in oocytes has functional properties that are similar to those expressed in bacteria and those of the purified cotransporter reconstituted into liposomes. vSGLT is a Na+-dependent transporter that is saturable with Na+ (K(0.5)=17 mM) and D-galactose (K(0.5)=237 microM) and is sensitive to both D-fucose and phlorizin. In addition, vSGLT in oocytes shows a sugar specificity in the order of D-galactose >D-fucose > D-glucose, distinguishing it from the animal members of the Na+/glucose cotransporter family. The level of transport by vSGLT in oocytes is lower overall (V(max) approximately 10 pmol/oocyte/hour) compared to other plant and animal cotransporters (V(max) approximately 1000 pmol/oocyte/hour). The low level of expression does not permit us to carry out electrophysiological studies of the bacterial cotransporter. This study shows the potential and unique advantages of utilizing a eukaryotic oocyte expression system to study bacterial cotransporters.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

A ligand-dependent conformational change of the Na+/galactose cotransporter of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, monitored by tryptophan fluorescence.

Purification and reconstitution of the active Vibrio parahaemolyticus Na+/galactose transporter (vSGLT) enables us to do protein chemistry studies on a representative member of this class of membrane transporters. By measuring intrinsic tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence, conformational changes on the binding of substrates could be investigated. Trp fluorescence increased by 6% on the addition of saturating levels of both Na+ and D-galactose, with a K0.5 for D-galactose of 0.6 mM. No change was seen on the addition of Na+ alone or by adding D-galactose in the presence of K+. The Trp fluorescence could be quenched by acrylamide, but not by Cs+or I?. In the presence of Na+ or K+ alone, of Na+ or K+ and D-galactose, of Na+ and L-glucose, or in the absence of ligands, the fluorescence quenches by acrylamide were similar. This indicated that the tryptophan exposure to acrylamide was unchanged in the presence or absence of ligands. No shifts in lem maximum were observed. To find the Trp responsible for the change in fluorescence, Trp 448 in transmembrane helix 11 in the putative sugar-binding pocket was mutated. It was found that W448F showed a similar change in Trp fluorescence upon the addition of D-galactose in the presence of Na+. We conclude that the Trp fluorescence properties of the purified and reconstituted Na+/galactose cotransporter are selectively changed by the transported substrates Na+ and D-galactose, but it is not the Trp (W448) in the sugar translocation pathway that is involved.

Calcium-Binding Proteins↗

PubMed2000

Characterization of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus Na+/Glucose cotransporter. A bacterial member of the sodium/glucose transporter (SGLT) family.

The Vibrio parahaemolyticus sodium/glucose transporter (vSGLT) is a bacterial member of the SGLT gene family. Wild-type and mutant vSGLT proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli, and transport activity was measured in intact cells and plasma membrane vesicles. Two cysteine-less vSGLT proteins exhibited sugar transport rates comparable with that of the wild-type protein. Six residues in two regions of vSGLT known to be of functional importance in SGLT1 were replaced individually with cysteine in the cysteine-less protein. Characterization of these single cysteine-substituted vSGLTs showed that two residues (Gly-151 and Gln-428) are essential for transport function, whereas the other four residues (Leu-147, Leu-149, Ala-423, and Gln-425) are not. 2-Aminoethylmethanethiosulfonate (MTSEA) blocked Na(+)/glucose transport by only the transporter bearing a cysteine at position 425 (Q425C). MTSEA inhibition was reversed by dithiothreitol and blocked by the presence of both Na(+) and d-glucose, indicating that conformational changes of the vSGLT protein are involved in Na(+)/glucose transport. A split version of vSGLT was generated by co-expression of the N-terminal (N(7)) and C-terminal (C(7)) halves of the transporter. The split vSGLT maintained Na(+)-dependent glucose transport activity. Chemical cross-linking of split vSGLT, with a cysteine in each N(7) and C(7) fragment, suggested that hydrophilic loops between helices 4 and 5 and between helices 10 and 11 are within 8 A of each other. We conclude that the mechanism of Na(+)/glucose transport by vSGLT is similar to mammalian SGLTs and that further studies on vSGLT will provide novel insight to the structure and function of this class of cotransporters.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2000

Molecular characterization of Vibrio parahaemolyticus vSGLT: a model for sodium-coupled sugar cotransporters.

The Na(+)/galactose cotransporter (vSGLT) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, tagged with C-terminal hexahistidine, has been purified to apparent homogeneity by Ni(2+) affinity chromatography and gel filtration. Resequencing the vSGLT gene identified an important correction: the N terminus constitutes an additional 13 functionally essential residues. The mass of His-tagged vSGLT expressed under its native promoter, as determined by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), verifies these 13 residues in wild-type vSGLT. A fusion protein of vSGLT and green fluorescent protein, comprising a mass of over 90 kDa, was also successfully analyzed by ESI-MS. Reconstitution of purified vSGLT yields proteoliposomes active in Na(+)-dependent galactose uptake, with sugar preferences (galactose > glucose > fucose) reflecting those of wild-type vSGLT in vivo. Substrates are transported with apparent 1:1 stoichiometry and apparent K(m) values of 129 mm (Na(+)) and 158 microm (galactose). Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of functional proteoliposomes shows intramembrane particles of a size consistent with vSGLT existing as a monomer. We conclude that vSGLT is a suitable model for the study of sugar cotransporter mechanisms and structure, with potential applicability to the larger SGLT family of important sodium:solute cotransporters. It is further demonstrated that ESI-MS is a powerful tool for the study of proteomics of membrane transporters.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Proteomics on full-length membrane proteins using mass spectrometry.

A general technique has been developed that allows rapid mass spectrometric analysis of full-length membrane proteins [Whitelegge, J. P., le Coutre, J., et al. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96, 10695-10698]. Using in-line HPLC electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-MS), different native and recombinant bacterial membrane proteins of up to 61 kDa are characterized. Mass spectrometric data of four entirely different membrane proteins from three bacterial organisms, two transporters, a channel, and a porin protein are presented. In addition to determination of the molecular mass with an accuracy of +/-0.01%, the technique monitors alkylation or oxidation of single Cys residues and errors in deduced amino acid sequences. Finally, using in-line LC-MS, unknown proteins can be identified from solubilized Escherichia coli membranes without prior purification.

Alkylation↗

PubMed2000

Regulation of the human Na(+)-glucose cotransporter gene, SGLT1, by HNF-1 and Sp1.

The Na(+)-glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) is expressed primarily by small intestinal epithelial cells and transports the monosaccharides glucose and galactose across the apical membrane. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of 5.3 kb of the 5'-flanking region of the SGLT1 gene by transiently transfecting reporter constructs into a variety of epithelial cell lines. A fragment (nt -235 to +22) of the promoter showed strong activity in the intestinal cell line Caco-2 but was inactive in a nonintestinal epithelial cell line (Chinese hamster ovary). Within this region, three cis-elements, a hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 (HNF-1) and two GC box sites are critical for maintaining the gene's basal level of expression. The two GC boxes bind to several members of the Sp1 family of transcription factors and, in the presence of HNF-1, synergistically upregulate transactivation of the promoter. A novel 16-bp element just downstream of one GC box was also shown to influence the interaction of Sp1 to its binding site. In summary, we report the identification and characterization of the human SGLT1 minimal promoter and the critical role that HNF-1 and Sp1-multigene members have in enhancing the basal level of its transcription in Caco-2 cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Missense mutations in SGLT1 cause glucose-galactose malabsorption by trafficking defects.

Glucose-galactose malabsorption (GGM) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by defects in the Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1). Neonates present with severe diarrhea while on any diet containing glucose and/or galactose [1]. This study focuses on a patient of Swiss and Dominican descent. All 15 exons of SGLT1 were screened using single stranded conformational polymorphism analyses, and aberrant PCR products were sequenced. Two missense mutations, Gly318Arg and Ala468Val, were identified. SGLT1 mutants were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes for radiotracer uptake, electrophysiological experiments, and Western blotting. Uptakes of [14C]alpha-methyl-d-glucoside by the mutants were 5% or less than that of wild-type. Two-electrode voltage-clamp experiments confirmed the transport defects, as no noticeable sugar-induced current could be elicited from either mutant [2]. Western blots of cell protein showed levels of each SGLT1 mutant protein comparable to that of wild-type, and that both were core-glycosylated. Presteady-state current measurements indicated an absence of SGLT1 in the plasma membrane. We suggest that the compound heterozygote missense mutations G318R and A468V lead to GGM in this patient by defective trafficking of mutant proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane.

Cell Membrane↗

PubMed1998

Conformational changes couple Na+ and glucose transport.

The mechanism by which cotransport proteins couple their substrates across cell membranes is not known. A commonly proposed model is that cotransport results from ligand-induced conformational transitions that change the accessibility of ligand-binding sites from one side of the membrane to the other. To test this model, we have measured the accessibility of covalent probes to a cysteine residue (Q457C) placed in the putative sugar-translocation domain of the Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1). The mutant protein Q457C was able to transport sugar, but transport was abolished after alkylation by methanethiosulfonate reagents. Alkylation blocked sugar translocation but not sugar binding. Accessibility of Q457C to alkylating reagents required external Na+ and was blocked by external sugar and phlorizin. The voltage dependence of accessibility was directly correlated with the presteady-state charge movement of SGLT1. Voltage-jump experiments with rhodamine-6-maleimide-labeled Q457C showed that the time course and level of changes in fluorescence closely followed the presteady-state charge movement. We conclude that conformational changes are responsible for the coupling of Na+ and sugar transport and that Q457 plays a critical role in sugar translocation by SGLT1.

Alkylation↗

PubMed1998

Root-growth behavior of the Arabidopsis mutant rgr1. Roles of gravitropism and circumnutation in the waving/coiling phenomenon.

In this study we investigated the kinetics of the gravitropic response of the Arabidopsis mutant rgr1 (reduced root gravitropism). Although the rate of curvature in rgr1, which is allelic to axr4, was smaller than in the wild type (ecotype Wassilewskija), curvature was initiated in the same region of the root, the distal elongation zone. The time lag for the response was unaffected in the mutant; however, the gravitropic response of rgr1 contained a feature not found in the wild type: when roots growing along the surface of an agar plate were gravistimulated, there was often an upward curvature that initiated in the central elongation zone. Because this response was dependent on the tactile environment of the root, it most likely resulted from the superposition of the waving/coiling phenomenon onto the gravitropic response. We found that the frequency of the waving pattern and circumnutation, a cyclic endogenous pattern of root growth, was the same in rgr1 and in the wild type, so the waving/coiling phenomenon is likely governed by circumnutation patterns. The amplitudes of these oscillations may then be selectively amplified by tactile stimulation to provide a directional preference to the slanting.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed1998

Structure and function of the Na+/glucose cotransporter.

Cotransporters are a major class of membrane transport proteins that are responsible for the accumulation of nutrients, neurotransmitters, osmolytes and ions in cells from bacteria to man. The energy for solute accumulation comes from the proton and/or sodium electrochemical gradients that exist across cell membranes. A major problem in biology is how transport is coupled to these electrochemical potential gradients. The primary example of this class of membrane proteins is the intestinal brush border Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1), first described by Bob Crane in 1960. Over 35 members of the SGLT1 gene family have been identified in animal cells, yeast and bacteria, and all share a common core structure of 13 transmembrane (TM) helices. Electrophysiological techniques have been used to examine the function of several family members, chimeras and mutants expressed in heterologous systems such as Xenopus laevis oocytes. These have revealed that cotransporters are multi-functional proteins: they are responsible for 1). uncoupled passive Na+ transport (Na+ uniport); 2). down-hill water transport in the absence of substrate; 3). Na+/substrate cotransport; and 4). Na+/substrate/water cotransport. The sugar binding and translocation pathway is formed by 4 TM helices near the C-terminal of the protein, helices 10-13. We propose that the N-terminal domains of SGLT1 are responsible for Na+ binding and/or translocation, and that Na+/glucose cotransport results from interactions between the N- and C-terminal domains of the protein.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Membrane topology motifs in the SGLT cotransporter family.

Homologues of the Na+/glucose cotransporter, the SGLT family, include sequences of mammalian, eubacterial, yeast, insect and nematode origin. The cotransported substrates are sugars, inositol, proline, pantothenate, iodide, urea and undetermined solutes. It is reasonable to expect that the SGLT family members share a similar or identical topology of membrane spanning elements, by virtue of their common ancestry and similar coupling of solute transport to downhill sodium flux. Here we examine their membrane topologies as deduced from diverse analyses of their primary sequences, and from their sequence correlations with the experimentally determined topology of the human Na+/ glucose contransporter SGLT1. Our analyses indicate that all family members share a common core of 13 transmembrane helices, but that some, like SGLT1 itself, have one additional span appended to the C-terminus, and still others, two. One bacterial member incorporates an additional span at the N-terminus. Sequence comparisons indicative of common ancestry of the SGLT and the [Na+ + Cl-] transporter families are introduced, and evaluated in light of their topologies. New evidence concerning the previously asserted common ancestry of SGLT1 and an N-acetylglucosamine permease of the bacterial phosphotransferase system is considered. Finally, we analyze observations which lead us to conjecture that the experimental strategy most commonly employed to reveal the topology of bacterial transporters (i.e., the fusion of reporter enzymes such as phoA alkaline phosphatase, beta-lactamase or beta-galactosidase, to progressively C-truncated fragments of the transporter) has often instead so perturbed local topology as to have entirely missed pairs of adjacent membrane spans.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Five transmembrane helices form the sugar pathway through the Na+/glucose cotransporter.

To test the hypothesis that the C-terminal half of the Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) contains the sugar permeation pathway, a cDNA construct (C5) coding for rabbit SGLT1 amino acids 407-662, helices 10-14, was expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Expression and function of C5 was followed by Western blotting, electron microscopy, radioactive tracer, and electrophysiological methods. The C5 protein was synthesized in 20-fold higher levels than SGLT1. The particle density in the protoplasmic face of the oocyte plasma membrane increased 2-fold after C5-cRNA injection compared with noninjected oocytes. The diameters of the C5 particles were heterogeneous (4.8 +/- 0.3, 7.1 +/- 1.2, and 10.3 +/- 0.8 nm) in contrast to the endogenous particles (7.6 +/- 1.2 nm). C5 increased the alpha-methyl-D-glucopyranoside (alphaMDG) uptake up to 20-fold above that of noninjected oocytes and showed an apparent K0.5alphaMDG of 50 mM and a turnover of approximately 660 s-1. Influx was independent of Na+ with transport characteristics similar to those of SGLT1 in the absence of Na+: 1) selective (alphaMDG > D-glucose > D-galactose >> L-glucose approximately D-mannose), 2) inhibited by phloretin, KiPT = approximately 500 microM, and 3) insensitive to phlorizin. These results indicate that C5 behaves as a specific low affinity glucose uniporter. Preliminary studies with three additional constructs, hC5 (the human equivalent of C5), hC4 (human SGLT1 amino acids 407-648, helices 10-13), and hN13 (amino acids 1-648, helices 1-13), further suggest that helices 10-13 form the sugar permeation pathway for SGLT1.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Compound missense mutations in the sodium/D-glucose cotransporter result in trafficking defects.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Defects in the Na+-dependent glucose transporter (SGLT1) are associated with the disorder glucose-galactose malabsorption, characterized by severe diarrhea. This study focused on a unique proband with glucose-galactose malabsorption who was investigated 30 years ago, and the aims of the study were to identify mutations in the SGLT1 gene and to determine the defect in sugar transport. METHODS: Mutations were identified by sequencing, and each mutant protein was then studied using a Xenopus oocyte heterologous expression system. Analysis included Western, freeze fracture, radiotracer uptake, and electrophysiological assays. RESULTS: Two heterozygous missense mutations (Cys355Ser and Leu147Arg) were identified that entirely eliminated Na+/sugar cotransport activity. Western blot analysis showed that the levels of both mutant proteins in the oocyte were comparable to wild-type SGLT1, but no complex glycosylation was detected. No SGLT1 charge movements were observed with the mutant proteins, and freeze fracture data showed that neither mutant protein reached the plasma membrane. CONCLUSIONS: The Cys355Ser and Leu147Arg mutations eliminate the Na+/sugar cotransport by blocking the transfer of SGLT1 protein from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane. This is consistent with earlier studies on phlorizin binding to the brush border membrane of duodenal biopsy specimens from this patient.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Membrane topology of the human Na+/glucose cotransporter SGLT1.

The membrane topology of the human Na+/glucose cotransporter SGLT1 has been probed using N-glycosylation scanning mutants and nested truncations. Functional analysis proved essential for establishment of signal-anchor topology. The resultant model diverges significantly from previously held suppositions of structure based primarily on hydropathy analysis. SGLT1 incorporates 14 membrane spans. The N terminus resides extracellularly, and two hydrophobic regions form newly recognized membrane spans 4 and 12; the large charged domain near the C terminus is cytoplasmic. This model was evaluated further using two advanced empirically-based algorithms predictive of transmembrane helices. Helix ends were predicted using thermo-dynamically-based algorithms known to predict x-ray crystallographically determined transmembrane helix ends. Several considerations suggest the hydrophobic C terminus forms a 14th transmembrane helix, differentiating the eukaryotic members of the SGLT1 family from bacterial homologues. Our data inferentially indicate that these bacterial homologues incorporate 13 spans, with an extracellular N terminus. The model of SGLT1 secondary structure and the predicted helix ends signify information prerequisite for the rational design of further experiments on structure/function relationships.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Prenatal identification of a heterozygous status in two fetuses at risk for glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Glucose-galactose malabsorption (GGM) is an autosomal recessive disorder which presents with severe osmotic diarrhoea shortly after birth. Two proband siblings with GGM were previously demonstrated to contain a missense mutation (D28N) in the Na(+)-dependent glucose/galactose cotransporter (SGLT1) that accounts for the defect in sugar absorption. Prenatal screening for GGM was performed in two subsequent pregnancies in this large consanguineous family. The first exon of the SGLT1 gene was PCR-amplified from genomic DNA and screened for the presence of the D28N mutation by EcoRV restriction digestion. The proband's sibling was heterozygous and a cousin was not a carrier of the D28N mutation. Both children at 2-years of age remain healthy and have had no diarrhoeal symptoms. Molecular biology techniques will allow a prospective determination of the presence of an abnormal SGLT1 allete and potentially decrease the postnatal morbidity.

Amniocentesis↗

PubMed1996

Sodium cotransporters.

Recent studies of cloned mammalian sodium cotransporters in heterologous systems have revealed that these integral membrane proteins serve multiple functions as cotransporters, uniporters, channels and water transporters. Some progress has been gained in understanding their secondary structure, but information on helical bundling and tertiary structure is lacking. Site-directed mutagenesis and the construction of chimeras have resulted in the identification of residues and domains involved in ligand binding, and natural mutations have also been found that are responsible for human genetic diseases. Major factors in the short-term regulations of cotransporter function by protein kinases are exocytosis and endocytosis.

Biological Transport↗

PubMed1996

Defects in Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) trafficking and function cause glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Cotransporters harness ion gradients to drive 'active' transport of substrates into cells, for example, the Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) couples sugar transport to Na+ gradients across the intestinal brush border. Glucose-Galactose Malabsorption (GGM) is caused by a defect in SGLT1. The phenotype is neonatal onset of diarrhea that results in death unless these sugars are removed from the diet. Previously we showed that two sisters with GGM had a missense mutation in the SGLT1 gene. The gene has now been screened in 30 new patients, and a heterologous expression system has been used to link the mutations to the phenotype.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Kinetic and specificity differences between rat, human, and rabbit Na+-glucose cotransporters (SGLT-1).

The Na+ activation and substrate specificity of human, rabbit, and rat Na+-glucose cotransporter (SGLT-1) isoforms were characterized using the Xenopus oocyte expression system and the two-electrode voltageclamp method. We find that there are differences, major and minor, in both the kinetics and substrate specificities between these isoforms; the substrate concentration at half-maximal current (K0.5) for hexoses varies from 0.2 to > 40 mM, depending on the species and sugar; the affinity constant (Ki) for phlorizin, the classic competitive inhibitor of SGLT-1, varies lover two orders of magnitude (rat Ki = 0.03 microM vs. rabbit Ki = 1.4 microM); and some glucoside inhibitors of the rabbit isoform, p-nitrophenyl glucose and beta-naphthyl glucose, are transported by the human and rat transporters. Na+ activation is more sensitive to membrane potential in the human and rat isoforms compared with rabbit. The rabbit isoform has a higher apparent affinity for alpha-methylglucose and 3-O-methylglucose by a factor of two than either human or rat. These results can be quantitatively fitted by our six-state kinetic model of SGLT-1, providing insight into the processes involved in these changes. For example, the model predicts that Na+ binding (rate constant, k12) in human and rat SGLT-1 is similar but is fourfold larger than in rabbit, whereas sugar binding (k23) in rabbit and rat is similar but double the value in human SGLT-1. The differences in the primary amino acid sequences between these three homologous proteins must account for the kinetic and substrate specificity differences, and comparisons of the functional properties and amino acid sequences of SGLT-1 isoforms provide useful information about structure/function relationships.

3-O-Methylglucose↗