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O Fröhlich

Publications and source records attributed to O Fröhlich.

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Kinetic independence between red cell anion exchange and urea transport.

Urea equilibrium exchange fluxes were measured in human red cells under conditions which recruit the anion transporter into an outward-facing or an inward-facing state (with respect to the anion transport site). Regardless of these conditions, urea transport always occurred at the same rate: 41 +/- 2 mol.(kg cell solids.min)-1 with 1.5 M urea at 0 degrees C. These data suggest that the pathway on the band-3 protein which mediates anion transport is kinetically uncoupled from urea transport and is probably not involved in the transport of urea across the red cell membrane.

Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte↗

Denaturation of a membrane transport protein by urea: the erythrocyte anion exchanger.

Chloride equilibrium exchange was measured in the presence of intracellular and extracellular urea, several different alkylureas and thiourea. Urea half-inhibited Cl exchange at about 2.5 M, but the other, less polar analogs had significantly higher potencies; e.g., butylurea half-inhibited at about 60 mM. Onset and reversal of inhibition occurred within less than 2 sec. The inhibition exhibited no obvious sigmoidal dependence on urea concentration, and at low concentrations dimethylurea was a noncompetitive inhibitor of Cl exchange. However, at higher concentrations the Dixon plots were curved upward and a Hill analysis of the dimethylurea data yielded a Hill coefficient of at least 1.5. When present on only one side of the membrane, the slowly penetrating thiourea inhibited Cl exchange with a higher potency from the outside of the cell. Cl/Br exchange was inhibited less under conditions of self-inhibition of anion exchange than in the absence of self-inhibition. These data indicate that the ureas inactivate the anion transporter by a reversible denaturation process, and that the function of the anion transport mechanism may be more sensitive to small perturbations of protein structure than are spectroscopically derived structural parameters.

Anion Transport Proteins↗

Interactions of inhibitors on anion transporter of human erythrocyte.

Chloride tracer efflux was measured from intact human erythrocytes into media containing different chloride concentrations and different concentrations of the inhibitors 4,4'-dinitrostilbene-2-2'-disulfonate (DNDS), N-(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)-2-aminoethylsulfonate (NAP-taurine), phloretin, and sulfate. The data were analyzed to test whether these inhibitors were mutually exclusive with each other or whether they could bind at the same time. Under the assumption that mutual exclusiveness is due to steric interference, the data can be used to map out the protein surface near the outward-facing anion binding-transport site. It is concluded that there are separate domains for NAP taurine and phloretin that do not overlap with each other or with the chloride binding site. These two domains do, however, overlap with the binding domain for DNDS that, in addition, excludes the binding of chloride and sulfate.

Anions↗

Relative contributions of the slippage and tunneling mechanisms to anion net efflux from human erythrocytes.

The rates of anion net efflux from gramicidin-treated erythrocytes in the presence of a K gradient were measured at 25 degrees C, pH 7.8, as rates of loss of Ki. The experiments served to estimate the relative contributions of two hypothetical mechanisms to Cl net efflux at low extracellular Cl concentrations. Cl, Br, and NO3 net effluxes were measured into media of different Cl, Br, or NO3 concentrations, respectively, to determine and compare the relative rates of the extracellular anion-inhibitable components. They were 48, 160, and 230 mmol/(kg Hb X min), respectively, at a membrane potential of about -90 mV. This indicates that the anion-inhibitable efflux is not due solely to the return translocation of the empty transport site ("slippage") because slippage should be independent of the chemical nature of the anion. Cl net efflux was also measured as a function of the intracellular Cl concentration into media containing either 0 or 50 mM Cl. Under both conditions, net efflux was linearly dependent on Cli between 30 and 300 mM Cli and was 0 when back-extrapolated to 0 Cli. This observation is not compatible with the slippage process, which under these conditions would have been expected to be independent of Cli above 15 mM Cli. It was concluded that slippage contributes negligibly to Cl net efflux even at low extracellular anion concentrations and that the alternative process of "tunneling"--that is, movement of the anion through the anion transporter without a conformational change in a channel-type behavior--is the major, if not the sole, mechanism underlying Cl conductance.

Bromine↗

Chloride net efflux from intact erythrocytes under slippage conditions. Evidence for a positive charge on the anion binding/transport site.

Tracer chloride and potassium net efflux from valinomycin-treated human erythrocytes were measured into media of different chloride concentrations, Clo, at 25 degrees C and pH 7.8. Net efflux was maximal [45-50 mmol (kg cell solids)-1 min-1] at Clo = 0. It decreased hyperbolically with increasing Clo to 14-16 mmol (kg cell solids)-1 min-1. Half-maximal inhibition occurred at Clo = 3 mM. In the presence of the anion exchange inhibitor DNDS, net efflux was reduced to 5 mmol (kg cell solids)-1 min-1, independent of Clo. Of the three phenomenological components of net efflux, the Clo-inhibitable (DNDS-inhibitable) component was tentatively attributed to "slippage," that is, net transport mediated by the occasional return of the empty transporter. The Clo-independent (DNDS-inhibitable) component was tentatively attributed to movement of chloride through the anion transporter without the usual conformational change of the transport site on the protein ("tunneling"). These concepts of slippage and tunneling are shown to be compatible with a model that describes the anion transporter as a specialized single-site, two-barrier channel that can undergo conformational changes between two states. Net chloride efflux when the slippage component dominated (Clo = 0.7 mM) was accelerated by a more negative (inside) membrane potential. It appears that the single anion binding-and-transport site on each transporter has one net positive charge and that is neutralized when a chloride ion is bound.

Anions↗

The external anion binding site of the human erythrocyte anion transporter: DNDS binding and competition with chloride.

The interaction between chloride and the anion transport inhibitor DNDS (4,4'-dinitro stilbene-2,2'-disulfonate) at the external anion binding site of the human erythrocyte anion transporter was examined by two techniques: a) chloride tracer flux experiments in the presence of varying concentrations of DNDS, and b) DNDS equilibrium binding experiments in the presence of varying concentrations of intracellular and extracellular chloride, Cli and Clo. DNDS inhibited competitively the Clo-stimulated chloride efflux from intact red cells at 0 degree C and pH 7.8 with an inhibitor constant of 90 nM. Under the same conditions DNDS bound reversibly to one class of binding sites on intact cells with a capacity of 8.5 X 10(5) molecules/cell. Clo competitively inhibited DNDS binding with an inhibitor constant of 6 mM. In the absence of Clo the DNDS binding constant was 84 mM. The competition between chloride and DNDS was also tested in nystatintreated cells in which Clo always equaled Cli. Under these conditions the values of the DNDS binding constant and the chloride inhibitor constant were significantly larger. All these data were in quantitative agreement with a single-site, alternating access kinetic scheme with ping-pong-type kinetics that we have previously developed for modeling chloride exchange transport. The data also served to rule out special cases of an alternative two-sited sequential-type kinetic scheme. DNDS binding experiments were also performed at 10 and 20 degree C. We found that neither the DNDS binding constant nor the Clo inhibitor constant were significantly changed compared to 0 degree C.

Anion Transport Proteins↗

Asymmetry of the gramicidin channel in bilayers of asymmetric lipid composition: I. Single channel conductance.

Gramacidin-doped asymmetric bilayers made by the Montal-Mueller method exhibited an asymmetric current-voltage relationship. The asymmetric conductance was shown to be the product of two components, a rectifying single-channel conductance and an asymmetric voltage dependence of the reaction which leads to the conducting channel. The single-channel conductance was asymmetric in both asymmetric bilayers made of charged lipids and asymmetric bilayers made only of neutral lipids. The single-channel asymmetry decreased with increasing ion concentration. From the comparison of the single-channel conductance in symmetric and asymmetric bilayers and the dependence of the asymmetry on the solution ion concentrations, it was concluded that (1) the rate of ion entry into the channel is dependent on the lipid composition of the membrane and is asymmetric in asymmetric bilayers; (2) the entry step is rate determining at low ion concentrations; and (3) at higher ion concentrations the rate-determining step is the translocation across the main barrier in the membrane; and this translocation appears insensitive to lipid asymmetry.

Electrochemistry↗

Asymmetry of the gramicidin channel in bilayers of asymmetric lipid composition: II. Voltage dependence of dimerization.

The asymmetric current-voltage relationship of gramicidin-doped asymmetric bilayers made by the Montal-Mueller technique was investigated in current relaxation experiments. It was shown that, in addition to the contribution of the asymmetric single channel conductance to the asymmetry of the steady-state current-voltage relationship, there is an asymmetric voltage dependence of the step which leads to the formation of the conducting channel. This asymmetric voltage dependence could be simulated in a model assuming a membrane-internal electrical potential drop or an equivalent potential, called asymmetry potential, which could be compensated by externally applying an offset potential. Significant asymmetry potentials were found in asymmetric bilayers made of charged lipids or only of neutral lipids. The asymmetry potential was dependent on the salt composition in the aqueous phase. The factors responsible for the asymmetry potential do not appear to be of electrostatic origin. Several lines of evidence suggest that the dimerization step which leads to the conducting ion channel may be a complex series of reactions which are influenced by one or more membrane structural properties not yet characterized, in addition to the effects of the externally applied electric field.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Asymmetry in the mechanism for anion exchange in human red blood cell membranes. Evidence for reciprocating sites that react with one transported anion at a time.

The kinetics of chloride and bromide transport were examined in intact human red blood cells and resealed ghosts. Because the influx and efflux of halide ions are almost equal (less than 0.01% difference), the stimulation of the exchange flux by external halides could be determined by measuring 36Cl or 82Br efflux. When the external halide concentration was increased by replacement of isoionic, isotonic solutions of sucrose and the nontransported anion citrate, the stimulation of the exchange flux was hyperbolic and was maximum at 20 mM halide externally. The K 1/2-out, the external concentration of chloride or bromide which stimulated the efflux to half of its maximum value, was 3 and 1 mM respectively, 15-fold smaller than K 1/2-in which we found to be about equal to the K 1/2 of halide self-exchange with nearly equal internal and external concentrations. Thus, the transport mechanism behaves asymmetrically with respect to these transported halides. Bromide flux was two-fold greater in bromide-chloride heteroexchange than in bromide-bromide self-exchange but it was still much smaller than the chloride self-exchange flux. The maximum influx and efflux of bromide in exchange for chloride were roughly eqal. Thus, since the maximum transport rates in the two directions are nearly equal, the kinetics of bromide equilibrium exchange with equal concentrations on the two sides are controlled on the inside where K 1/2 is greatest. The K 1/2-out Cl was a hyperbolic function of internal chloride concentration and was proportional to the maximum flux at each internal chloride concentration. These results are evaluated in terms of two broad categories of models. We conclude that, in contrast to other ion transport systems which have been shown to have kinetics of a sequential mechanism, anion exchange is compatible with a ping-pong mechanism in which a single site reciprocates between inside- and outside-facing orientations with asymmetric K 1/2 values.

Adult↗

Influence of membrane structure on the kinetics of carrier-mediated ion transport through lipid bilayers.

Charge-pulse relaxation experiments of valinomycin-mediated Rb+ transport have been carried out in order to study the influence of membrane structure on carrier kinetics. From the experiment data the rate constants of association (kR) and dissociation (kD) of the ion-carrier complex as well as the rate constants of translocation of the complex (kMS) and of the free carrier (kS) could be obtained. The composition of the planar bilayer membrane was varied in a wide range. In a first series of experiments, membranes made from glycerolmonooleate dissolved in different n-alkanes (n-decane to n-hexadecane), as well as solvent-free membranes made from the same lipid by the Montal-Mueller technique were studied. The translocation rate constants kS and kMS were found to differ by less than a factor of two in the membranes of different solvent content. Much larger changes of the rate constants were observed if the structure of the fatty acid residue was varied. For instance, an increase in the number of double bonds in the C20 fatty acid from one to four resulted in an increase of kS by a factor of seven and in an increase of kMS by a factor of twenty-four. The stability constant K = kR/kD of the ion-carrier complex as well as the translocation rate constants kS and kMS were found to depend strongly on the polar headgroup of the lipid. The incorporation of cholesterol into glycerolmonooleate membranes reduced kR, kMS and kS up to seven-fold.

Alkanes↗

Electrical capacity of black lipid films and of lipid bilayers made from monolayers.

Planar bilayer membranes were formed from monolayers of a series of mono-unsaturated monoglycerides and lecithins. The hydrocarbon thickness of these membranes, as calculated from the electrical capacity, increases with the length of the fatty acid chain. The specific capacity of monoolein bilayers was found to be 0.745 muF/cm-2 which is nearly twice that of a monoolein black film made in the presence of decane, but is close to that obtained after freezing out the solvent from the black film. The hydrocarbon thickness of the bilayer, as calculated with a dielectric constant of 2.1, is considerably less than twice the length of the extended hydrocarbon chain of the monoglyceride. The specific capacity (Cm) of bilayers made from monoolein monolayers showed a negligible voltage dependence, whereas the Cm increased significantly at a voltage of 150 mV in the case of Mueller-Rudin-type monoolein films with n-decane as a solvent.

Alkanes↗

Multiple promoter and splicing mRNA variants of the epididymis-specific gene EP2.

The EP2 gene codes for a family of androgen-dependent, epididymis-specific secretory proteins. Using probes derived from human HE2 cDNA, a chimpanzee epididymal cDNA library was screened. Five variants of chimpanzee EP2 cDNA were identified. Variant 1 (EP2A) is the chimpanzee ortholog of HE2. Variant 2 (EP2B) has an alternative 5' end. Variant 3 (EP2C) has an alternative 3' end. Two additional variants were identified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Variant 4 (EP2D) and variant 5 (EP2E) appear to lack an exon, resulting in a shift in the open reading frame. Presumably, the 5 variants originate from the same gene and result from alternative promoters and alternative splicing. Each of the putative proteins encoded by these variant messages has a leader sequence characteristic for a secretory protein. After removal of the leader sequence, each of these proteins is predicted to consist of 1 or 2 out of 4 possible peptide modules. Two of these modules have no recognizable homology to known proteins. The other 2 modules have a distribution of cysteine residues characteristic for beta-defensins, a family of proteins with antimicrobial activity.

Alternative Splicing↗