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H Sze

Publications and source records attributed to H Sze.

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Properties of the partially purified tonoplast H+-pumping ATPase from oat roots.

Higher plant cells have one or more vacuoles important for maintaining cell turgor and for the transport and storage of ions and metabolites. One driving force for solute transport across the vacuolar membrane (tonoplast) is provided by an ATP-dependent electrogenic H+ pump. The tonoplast H+-pumping ATPase from oat roots has been solubilized with Triton X-100 and purified 16-fold by Sepharose 4B chromatography. The partially purified enzyme was sensitive to the same inhibitors (N-ethylmaleimide, N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole, 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid, and NO-3) as the native membrane-bound enzyme. The partially purified enzyme was stimulated by Cl- (Km(app) = 1.0 mM) and hydrolyzed ATP with a Km(app) of 0.25 mM. Thus, the partially purified tonoplast ATPase has retained the properties of the native membrane-bound enzyme. [14C]DCCD labeled a single polypeptide (14-18 kDa) in the purified tonoplast ATPase preparation. Two major polypeptides, 72 and 60 kDa, that copurified with the ATPase activity and the 14-18-kDa DCCD-binding peptide are postulated to be subunits of a holoenzyme of 300-600 kDa (estimated by gel filtration). Despite several catalytic similarities with the mitochondrial H+-ATPase, the major polypeptides of the tonoplast ATPase differed in mass from the alpha and beta subunits (58 and 55 kDa) and the [14C] DCCD-binding proteolipid (8 kDa) of the oat F1F0-ATPase.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Calcium transport in tonoplast and endoplasmic reticulum vesicles isolated from cultured carrot cells.

Two active calcium (Ca(2+)) transport systems have been identified and partially characterized in membrane vesicles isolated from cultured carrot cells (Daucus carota Danvers). Both transport systems required MgATP for activity and were enhanced by 10 millimolar oxalate. Ca(2+) transport in membrane vesicles derived from isolated vacuoles equilibrated at 1.10 grams per cubic centimeter and comigrated with Cl(-)-stimulated, NO(3) (-)-inhibited ATPase activity on sucrose density gradients. Ca(2+) transport in this system was insensitive to vanadate, but was inhibited by nitrate, carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), and 4,4-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid (DIDS). The K(m) for MgATP and Ca(2+) were 0.1 mm and 21 micromolar, respectively. The predominant Ca(2+) transport system detectable in microsomal membrane preparations equilibrated at a density of 1.13 grams per cubic centimeter and comigrated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) marker, antimycin A-insensitive NADH-dependent cytochrome c reductase. Ca(2+) transport activity and the ER marker also shifted in parallel in ER shifting experiments. This transport system was inhibited by vanadate (I(50) = 12 micromolar) and was insensitive to nitrate, CCCP, DCCD, and DIDS. Transport exhibited cooperative MgATP dependent kinetics. Ca(2+) dependent kinetics were complex with an apparent K(m) ranging from 0.7 to 2 micromolar. We conclude that the vacuolar-derived system is a Ca(2+)/H(+) antiport located on the tonoplast and that the microsomal transport system is a Ca,Mg-ATPase enriched on the ER. These two Ca(2+) transport systems are proposed to restore and maintain cytoplasmic Ca(2+) homeostasis under changing cellular and environmental conditions.

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Electrogenic h-pumping pyrophosphatase in tonoplast vesicles of oat roots.

A H(+)-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatase (H(+)-PPase) was associated with low density membranes enriched in tonoplast vesicles of oat roots. The H(+)-PPase catalyzed the electrogenic transport of H(+) into the vesicles, generating a pH gradient, inside acid (quinacrine fluorescence quenching), and a membrane potential, inside positive (Oxonol V fluorescence quenching). Transport activity was dependent on cations with a selectivity sequence of Rb(+) = K(+) > Cs(+); but it was inhibited by Na(+) or Li(+). Maximum rates of transport required at least 20 millimolar K(+) and the K(m) for this ion was 4 millimolar. Fluoride inhibited both DeltapH formation and K(+)-dependent PPase activity with an I(50) of 1 to 2 millimolar. Inhibitors of the anion-sensitive, tonoplast-type H(+)-ATPase (e.g. a disulfonic stilbene or NO(3) (-)) had no effect on the PPase activity. Vanadate and azide were also ineffective. H(+)-pumping PPase was inhibited by 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and N-ethylmaleimide, but its sensitivity to N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide was variable. The sensitivity to ions and inhibitors suggests that the tonoplast H(+)-PPase and the H(+)-ATPase are distinct activities and this was confirmed when they were physically separated after Triton X-100 solubilization and Sepharose CL-6B chromatography. H(+) pumping activity was strongly affected by Mg(2+) and pyrophosphate (PPi) concentrations. At 5 millimolar Mg(2+), H(+) pumping showed a K(m(aPP) ) for PPi of 15 micromolar. The rate of H(+) pumping at 60 micromolar PPi was often equivalent to that at 1.5 millimolar ATP. The results suggest PPi hydrolysis could provide another source of a proton motive force used for solute transport and other energy-requiring processes across the tonoplast and other membranes with H(+)-PPase.

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Similarities and differences between the tonoplast-type and the mitochondrial H+-ATPases of oat roots.

The native tonoplast and the mitochondrial H+-ATPase from oat roots were compared to determine whether the two enzymes have similar mechanisms. H+ pumping in low-density microsomal vesicles reflected activity from the tonoplast-type ATPase, as ATPase activity and ATP-dependent H+ pumping (quinacrine fluorescence quenching) showed similar sensitivities to inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide, N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonate, nitrate, quercetin, or 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole. The tonoplast-type ATPase was stimulated by C1-,Br- greater than HCO3- whereas the mitochondrial ATPase was stimulated by HCO3- much greater than C1-,Br-. Both enzymes hydrolyzed ATP preferentially and were inhibited competitively by AMP or ADP. Apart from resistance to azide, the tonoplast-type ATPase was strikingly similar in its inhibitor sensitivities to the mitochondrial ATPase. The insensitivity to vanadate of both enzymes suggests the reaction mechanisms do not involve a covalent phosphoenzyme. Inhibition by 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and N-ethylmaleimide and protection by ATP suggests tyrosine and cysteine residues are in the catalytic site of the tonoplast ATPase. The mitochondrial ATPase was 100 times more sensitive to N,N'-dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide inhibition than the tonoplast H+-ATPase. These results suggest the tonoplast and the mitochondrial H+-ATPases share common steps in their catalytic and vectorial reaction mechanisms, yet sufficient differences exist to indicate they are two distinct ATPases.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

A Ca/H Antiport System Driven by the Proton Electrochemical Gradient of a Tonoplast H-ATPase from Oat Roots.

Two types of ATP-dependent calcium (Ca(2+)) transport systems were detected in sealed microsomal vesicles from oat roots. Approximately 80% of the total Ca(2+) uptake was associated with vesicles of 1.11 grams per cubic centimeter and was insensitive to vanadate or azide, but inhibited by NO(3) (-). The remaining 20% was vanadate-sensitive and mostly associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, as the transport activity comigrated with an endoplasmic reticulum marker (antimycin A-insensitive NADH cytochrome c reductase), which was shifted from 1.11 to 1.20 grams per cubic centimeter by Mg(2+).Like the tonoplast H(+)-ATPase activity, vanadate-insensitive Ca(2+) accumulation was stimulated by 20 millimolar Cl(-) and inhibited by 10 micromolar 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid or 50 micromolar N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. This Ca(2+) transport system had an apparent K(m) for Mg-ATP of 0.24 millimolar similar to the tonoplast ATPase. The vanadate-insensitive Ca(2+) transport was abolished by compounds that eliminated a pH gradient and Ca(2+) dissipated a pH gradient (acid inside) generated by the tonoplast-type H(+)-ATPase. These results provide compelling evidence that a pH gradient generated by the H(+)-ATPase drives Ca(2+) accumulation into right-side-out tonoplast vesicles via a Ca(2+)/H(+) antiport. This transport system was saturable with respect to Ca(2+) (K(m) apparent = 14 micromolar). The Ca(2+)/H(+) antiport operated independently of the H(+)-ATPase since an artifically imposed pH gradient (acid inside) could also drive Ca(2+) accumulation. Ca(2+) transport by this system may be one major way in which vacuoles function in Ca(2+) homeostasis in the cytoplasm of plant cells.

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Purification and Characterization of the Soluble F(1)-ATPase of Oat Root Mitochondria.

The properties of the soluble moiety (F(1)) of the mitochondrial H(+)-ATPase from oat roots were examined and compared to those of the native mitochondrial membrane-bound enzyme. The chloroform soluble preparation was purified by Sephadex G-200 and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The purified F(1) preparation contained major polypeptides corresponding to alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon of apparent molecular mass 58, 55, 35, 22, and 14 kilodaltons, respectively. The purified F(1)-ATPase, like the native enzyme, was inhibited by azide (I(50) = 10 micromolar), nitrate (I(50) = 7-10 millimolar), 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid (I(50) = 1-3 micromolar), and 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (I(50) = 3 micromolar). F(1)-ATPase activity was stimulated by bicarbonate but not by chloride. In both the native and the F(1)-form of the ATPase, ATP was hydrolyzed in preference to GTP. The results indicate that these properties of the native membrane-bound mitochondrial ATPase have been conserved in the purified F(1). In contrast to the membrane-bound enzyme, the F(1)-ATPase was not inhibited by oligomycin or by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The mitochondrial F(1)-ATPase from oat roots is analogous to other known F(1)F(0)-ATPases.

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Helminthosporium maydis T Toxin Decreased Calcium Transport into Mitochondria of Susceptible Corn.

The effects of purified Helminthosporium maydis T (HmT) toxin on active Ca(2+) transport into isolated mitochondria and microsomal vesicles were compared for a susceptible (T) and a resistant (N) strain of corn (Zea mays). ATP, malate, NADH, or succinate could drive (45)Ca(2+) transport into mitochondria of corn roots. Ca(2+) uptake was dependent on the proton electrochemical gradient generated by the redox substrates or the reversible ATP synthetase, as oligomycin inhibited ATP-driven Ca(2+) uptake while KCN inhibited transport driven by the redox substrates. Purified native HmT toxin completely inhibited Ca(2+) transport into T mitochondria at 5 to 10 nanograms per milliliter while transport into N mitochondria was decreased slightly by 100 nanograms per milliliter toxin. Malate-driven Ca(2+) transport in T mitochondria was frequently more inhibited by 5 nanograms per milliliter toxin than succinate or ATP-driven Ca(2+) uptake. However, ATP-dependent Ca(2+) uptake into microsomal vesicles from either N or T corn was not inhibited by 100 nanograms per milliliter toxin. Similarly, toxin had no effect on proton gradient formation ([(14)C]methylamine accumulation) in microsomal vesicles. These results show that mitochondrial and not microsomal membrane is a primary site of HmT toxin action. HmT toxin may inhibit formation of or dissipate the electrochemical proton gradient generated by substrate-driven electron transport or the mitochondrial ATPase, after interacting with a component(s) of the mitochondrial membrane in susceptible corn.

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Helminthosporium maydis T Toxin Increased Membrane Permeability to Ca in Susceptible Corn Mitochondria.

Though Helminthosporium maydis race T (HmT) toxin decreased active Ca(2+) uptake into mitochondria isolated from susceptible (T) but not resistant (N) corn (Kimber, Sze, 1984 Plant Physiol 74: 804-809 the mode of toxin action is not understood. This study shows that HmT toxin or A23187 (a Ca(2+) ionophore) dissipated a Ca(2+) gradient in T mitochondria. However, HmT toxin had no effect on Ca(2+) gradients in N mitochondria or microsomal vesicles from T or N corn. The results suggest that HmT toxin increased membrane permeability to Ca(2+) in mitochondria of T corn specifically.

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Anion-Sensitive, H-Pumping ATPase of Oat Roots : Direct Effects of Cl, NO(3), and a Disulfonic Stilbene.

To understand the mechanism and molecular properties of the tonoplast-type H(+)-translocating ATPase, we have studied the effect of Cl(-), NO(3) (-), and 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid (DIDS) on the activity of the electrogenic H(+)-ATPase associated with low-density microsomal vesicles from oat roots (Avena sativa cv Lang). The H(+)-pumping ATPase generates a membrane potential (Deltapsi) and a pH gradient (DeltapH) that make up two interconvertible components of the proton electrochemical gradient (Deltamuh(+)). A permeant anion (e.g. Cl(-)), unlike an impermeant anion (e.g. iminodiacetate), dissipated the membrane potential ([(14)C]thiocyanate distribution) and stimulated formation of a pH gradient ([(14)C]methylamine distribution). However, Cl(-)-stimulated ATPase activity was about 75% caused by a direct stimulation of the ATPase by Cl(-) independent of the proton electrochemical gradient. Unlike the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase, the Cl(-)-stimulated ATPase was inhibited by NO(3) (-) (a permeant anion) and by DIDS. In the absence of Cl(-), NO(3) (-) decreased membrane potential formation and did not stimulate pH gradient formation. The inhibition by NO(3) (-) of Cl(-)-stimulated pH gradient formation and Cl(-)-stimulated ATPase activity was noncompetitive. In the absence of Cl(-), DIDS inhibited the basal Mg,ATPase activity and membrane potential formation. DIDS also inhibited the Cl(-)-stimulated ATPase activity and pH gradient formation. Direct inhibition of the electrogenic H(+)-ATPase by NO(3) (-) or DIDS suggest that the vanadate-insensitive H(+)-pumping ATPase has anion-sensitive site(s) that regulate the catalytic and vectorial activity. Whether the anion-sensitive H(+)-ATPase has channels that conduct anions is yet to be established.

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Anion-sensitive, h-pumping ATPase in membrane vesicles from oat roots.

H(+)-pumping ATPases were detected in microsomal vesicles of oat (Avena sativa L. var Lang) roots using [(14)C]methylamine distribution or quinacrine fluorescent quenching. Methylamine (MeA) accumulation into vesicles and quinacrine quench were specifically dependent on Mg,ATP. Both activities reflected formation of a proton gradient (DeltapH) (acid inside) as carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, nigericin (in the presence of K(+)), or gramicidin decreased MeA uptake or increased quinacrine fluorescence. The properties of H(+) pumping as measured by MeA uptake were characterized. The K(m) (app) for ATP was about 0.1 millimolar. Mg,GTP and Mg, pyrophosphate were 19% and 30% as effective as Mg,ATP. MeA uptake was inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and was mostly insensitive to oligomycin, vanadate, or copper. ATP-dependent MeA was stimulated by anions with decreasing order of potency of Cl(-) > Br(-) > NO(3) (-) > SO(4) (2-), iminodiacetate, benzene sulfonate. Anion stimulation of H(+) pumping was caused in part by the ability of permeant anions to dissipate the electrical potential and in part by a specific requirement of Cl(-) by a H(+) -pumping ATPase. A pH gradient, probably caused by a Donnan potential, could be dissipated by K(+) in the presence or absence of ATP. MeA uptake was enriched in vesicles of relatively low density and showed a parallel distribution with vanadate-insensitive ATPase activity on a continuous dextran gradient. DeltapH as measured by quinacrine quench was partially vanadate-sensitive. These results show that plant membranes have at least two types of H(+) -pumping ATPases. One is vanadate-sensitive and probably enriched in the plasma membrane. One is vanadate-resistant, anion-sensitive and has many properties characteristic of a vacuolar ATPase. These results are consistent with the presence of electrogenic H(+) pumps at the plasma membrane and tonoplast of higher plant cells.

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Separation of two types of electrogenic h-pumping ATPases from oat roots.

Microsomal vesicles of oat roots (Avena sativa var Lang) were separated with a linear dextran (0.5-10%, w/w) or sucrose (25-45%, w/w) gradient to determine the types and membrane identity of proton-pumping ATPases associated with plant membranes. ATPase activity stimulated by the H(+)/K(+) exchange ionophore nigericin exhibited two peaks of activity on a linear dextran gradient. ATPase activities or ATP-generated membrane potential (inside positive), monitored by SCN(-) distribution, included a vanadate-insensitive and a vanadate-sensitive component. In a previous communication, we reported that ATP-dependent pH gradient formation (acid inside), monitored by quinacrine fluorescence quenching, was also partially inhibited by vanadate (Churchill and Sze 1983 Plant Physiol 71: 610-617). Here we show that the vanadate-insensitive, electrogenic ATPase activity was enriched in the low density vesicles (1-4% dextran or 25-32% sucrose) while the vanadate-sensitive activity was enriched at 4% to 7% dextran or 32% to 37% sucrose. The low-density ATPase was stimulated by Cl(-) and inhibited by NO(-) (3) or 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulfonic acid (DIDS). The distribution of Cl(-)-stimulated ATPase activity in a linear dextran gradient correlated with the distribution of H(+) pumping into vesicles as monitored by [(14)C]methylamine accumulation. The vanadate-inhibited ATPase was mostly insensitive to anions or DIDS and stimulated by K(+). These results show that microsomal vesicles of plant tissues have at least two types of electrogenic, proton-pumping ATPases. The vanadate-insensitive and Cl(-)-stimulated, H(+)-pumping ATPase may be enriched in vacuolar-type membranes; the H(+)-pumping ATPase that is stimulated by K(+) and inhibited by vanadate is most likely associated with plasma membrane-type vesicles.

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Characterization of nigericin-stimulated ATPase from sealed microsomal vesicles of tobacco callus.

To understand the function and membrane origin of ionophore-stimulated ATPases, the activity of nigericin-stimulated ATPase was characterized from a low-density microsomal fraction containing sealed vesicles of autonomous tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum Linnaeous cv. Wisconsin no. 38) callus. The properties of KCl-stimulated, Mg-requiring ATPases (KCl-Mg,ATPase) were similar in the absence or presence of nigericin. Nigericin (or gramicidin) stimulation of a KCl-Mg,ATPase activity was optimum at pH 6.5 to 7.0. The enzyme was inhibited completely by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (10 mum), tributyltin (5 mum), and partially by vanadate (200 mum), but it was insensitive to fusicoccin and mitochondrial ATPase inhibitors, such as azide (1 mm) and oligomycin (5 mug/ml). The ATPase was more sensitive to anions than cations. Cations stimulated ATPase activity with a selectivity sequence of NH(4) (+) > K(+), Rb(+), Cs(+), Na(+), Li(+) > Tris(+). Anions stimulated Mg, ATPase activity with a decreasing sequence of Cl(-) = acetate > SO(4) (2-) > benzene sulfonate > NO(3) (-). The anion stimulation was caused partly by dissipation of the electrical potential (interior positive) by permeant anions and partly by a specific ionic effect. Plant membranes had at least two classes of nigericin-stimulated ATPases: one sensitive and one insensitive to vanadate. Many of the properties of the nigericin-sensitive, salt-stimulated Mg,ATPase were similar to a vanadate-sensitive plasma membrane ATPase of plant tissues, yet other properties (anion stimulation and vanadate insensitivity) resembled those of a tonoplast ATPase. These results support the idea that nigericin-stimulated ATPases are mainly electrogenic H(+) pumps originated in part from the plasma membrane and in part from other nonmitochondrial membranes, such as the tonoplast.

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Mg/KCl-ATPase of plant plasma membranes is an electrogenic pump.

The function of the Mg(2+)-requiring KCl-stimulated ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) of higher plants in active ion transport was investigated by using a purified microsomal fraction containing sealed plasma membrane vesicles. (Sze, H. (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 5904-5908). A transmembrane electrical potential (+30 to +44 mV), monitored by uptake of a permeant anion ((35)SCN(-)), was generated specifically by ATP in purified microsomal vesicles of tobacco callus. ATP-dependent (35)SCN(-) uptake required Mg(2+), was optimal at pH 6.75, and showed similar ATP concentration dependence as the Mg(2+)-requiring KCl-stimulated ATPase activity. Plasma membrane ATPase inhibitors (N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and vanadate) inhibited generation of the ATP-dependent electrical potential. A proton conductor (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone), but not a K(+) ionophore (valinomycin), completely collapsed the electrical potential. The results provide in vitro evidence that the Mg(2+)/KCl-ATPase of higher plants is an electrogenic pump. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that an electrogenic H(+) pump is catalyzed by the plasma membrane ATPase of plants.

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Nigericin-stimulated ATPase activity in microsomal vesicles of tobacco callus.

The effect of ionophores on K(+)-stimulated adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase; ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) activity of microsomal vesicles from tobacco callus was investigated. A nigericin-stimulated K(+)-ATPase activity was enriched in a purified microsomal fraction, which was obtained from the interphase of a dextran density gradient between 1.03 and 1.06 g/ml. The purified microsomal fraction was free of mitochondrial membranes and was composed partly of tightly sealed vesicles as indicated by the low K(+) permeability coefficient. The K(+)-dependent ATPase of this fraction was stimulated slightly by either carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) (29%) or valinomycin (31%) alone; this ATPase was significantly stimulated by a combination of CCCP and valinomycin (73%) or by nigericin alone (80%). The K(+)-ATPase activity was stimulated by nigericin at pH 6.5 but not at pH 8.5. At pH 6.5, the K(+)-ATPase was inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide but not by oligomycin. Nigericin stimulated the ATPase activity in the absence of initial KCl or pH gradients across the vesicle membrane. These results suggest that nigericin stimulates the ATPase activity by dissipating the H(+) or K(+) gradient or both, and support the hypothesis that the K(+)-ATPase mediates a H(+)/K(+) transport.

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Calcium-induced potassium pathway in sided erythrocyte membrane vesicles.

We have characterized the asymmetric effect of Ca2+ on passive K+ permeability in erythrocyte membranes, using inside out and right-side out vesicles. Ca2+, but not Mg2+, can induce an increase in K+ uptake in inside out vesicles. The half-maximal concentration of Ca2+ required to induce the K+ uptake is 0.2 mM, and the permeability increase is not specific for K+. Thus, the Ca2+- induced permeation process in inside out vesicles is changed from that in the energy-depleted intact cell which requires only micromolar concentrations of Ca2+ and is specific for K+. Removal of spectrin had no effect on the vesicle permeability increase due to Ca2+. Studies with N-ethylmaleimide show that the vesicle channel openings is mediated by a protein and passage is controlled by sulfhydryl groups; furthermore, the Ca2+-induced vesicle pathway is distinct from the normal channel for passive K+ leak in the absence of Ca2+. The protein is sensitive to its phospholipid environment since removal of easily accessible phospholipid head groups on the cytoplasmic face of the vesicles inhibits the Ca2+ -stimulated channel opening.

Biological Transport↗

Permeability of human erythrocyte membrane vesicles to alkali cations.

The permeability of inside-out and right-side-out vesicles from erythrocyte membranes to inorganic cations was determined quantitatively. Using 86Rb as a K analog, we have measured the rate constant of 86Rb efflux from vesicles under equilibrium exchange conditions, using a dialysis procedure. The permeability coefficients of the vesicles to Rb are only about an order of magnitude greater than that of whole erythrocytes. Furthermore, we have measured many of the specialized transport systems known to exist in erythrocytes and have shown that glucose, sulfate, ATP-dependent Ca and ATP-dependent Na transport activities are retained by the vesicle membranes. These results suggest that inside-out and right-side-out vesicles can be used effectively to study transport properties of erythrocyte membranes.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Selectivity of alkali cation influx across the plasma membrane of oat roots: cation specificity of the plasma membrane ATPase.

Influx of alkali cations (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Rb(+), Cs(+)) across plasma membranes of cells of excised roots of Avena sativa cv. Goodfield was selective, but different, in the absence and in the presence of 1 mm CaSO(4). Ca(2+) reduced the influx rates of all of the alkali cations-especially Na(+) and Li(+). Transport selectivity changed as the external concentrations of the alkali cations increased.Plasma membrane ATPase, purified from Avena sativa roots, was differentially stimulated by alkali cations. This specificity, however, was not altered by Ca(2+) or the external cation concentrations. A close correspondence existed between the relative influx rates of K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) and the relative stimulation of the ATPase by these cations. A similar correspondence did not occur for Na(+) and Li(+).Selective cation transport in oat roots could result, in part, from the specificity of the plasma membrane ATPase, but other factors such as specific carriers or porters or differential diffusion rates must also be involved.

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Characterization of passive ion transport in plasma membrane vesicles of oat roots.

The passive influx and efflux of inorganic ions across plasma membrane vesicles purified from extracts of Avena sativa roots were investigated. Uptake was measured by incubating the vesicles in a radioisotope for various times. The "loaded" vesicles were separated from the external solution by gel filtration. Efflux was measured by dialyzing the preloaded vesicles.Ion transport was differentiated from superficial ion binding by (a) the time course of association of radioisotope with the vesicles; (b) the rate of loss of radioisotope from the vesicles; (c) the linear increase in isotope associated with the vesicles as the external concentration was increased; (d) the enhanced loss of radioisotope from the vesicles induced by Triton X-100; and (e) the low amount of isotope associated with the vesicles at low temperatures.The plasma membrane vesicles were differentially permeable to the alkali cations with the order of decreasing permeation being K(+) > Rb(+) > Cs(+) > Na(+) > Li(+). The relative transport of Rb(+), Na(+), and Cl(-) across the plasma membrane vesicles was about 1.0:0.50:0.18. The permeability coefficient (P) for Rb(+) was estimated to be 0.29 +/- 0.15 x 10(-8) cm/sec.ATP (and ADP) decreased the passive uptake of Rb(+) into the vesicles, however, this effect did not appear to be related to the ATPase of the plasma membrane.

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