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Chromaffin granule membrane vesicles accumulate large amounts of catecholamines against their concentration gradients. This process is ATP-dependent, reserpine, FCCP and nigericin sensitive. Carrier-mediated, reserpine-sensitive accumulation has also been demonstrated in the absence of ATP when a pH gradient (delta pH) is artificially generated across the membrane. Crude preparation of 5-hydroxytryptamine storage vesicles from rat brain or from pig platelets showed similar requirement of a transmembrane pH gradient for accumulation of the amine. The catecholamine transporter from chromaffin granules has been solubilized by the use of detergents in the presence of phospholipids. Removal of the detergent either by Sephadex filtration or by dialysis results in the formation of proteoliposomes which catalyze delta pH-dependent, reserpine-sensitive catecholamine accumulation. Under proper conditions, the solubilized H+-translocating ATPase has been incorporated into the same proteoliposomes with the catecholamine transporter, and ATP-dependent transport has been measured. The reconstituted protein shows specificity and affinity towards catecholamines similar to the native one.

By introduction of deletions and/or insertions, we have defined a small DNA fragment (1.58 kilobase pairs) which contains the ant gene. Thus, transformants of all plasmid constructs containing this segment exhibit Antup phenotype, i.e. growth is Li+-resistant and Na+/H+ antiporter activity is increased in isolated everted membrane vesicles. Utilizing the T7 promoter expression system, we also found that this fragment encodes for a single protein of 35 kDa. The DNA fragment has been sequenced and found to contain an open reading frame of 1085 base pairs. Analysis of the sequence of the predicted protein suggests the presence of 10 putative transmembrane segments in the protein.

We have partially purified the amine transporter from bovine adrenal chromaffin granules in a single step utilizing affinity chromatography. A 5-hydroxytryptamine moiety has been coupled to a Sepharose 4B matrix in a position ortho to the hydroxyl group. When membranes solubilized with sodium cholate are chromatographed on the above matrix a 45,000 Mr polypeptide is highly enriched. The enrichment is dependent on the presence of the proper ligand on the matrix and is inhibited if the column is previously equilibrated with a soluble ligand. Enrichment of the above polypeptide is accompanied by an increase in the specific activity of the transporter as measured by its labeling by 4-azido-3-nitrophenylazo(5-hydroxytryptamine). The ability of reserpine, a competitive inhibitor of binding and transport, to inhibit labeling of the purified transporter correlates well with its known kinetic constants in the native membranes. The polypeptide purified is identical to the one previously identified as the putative transporter based on specific labeling by a photoaffinity label (Gabizon, R., Yetinzon, T., and Schuldiner, S. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 15145-15150). The results clearly support the contention that the 45,000 Mr peptide is the amine transporter or one of its subunits.

Alkalinization of intracellular pH (pHi) causes an increase in UV resistance in wild-type and pH-sensitive mutant (DZ3) cells of Escherichia coli. Utilizing cells transformed with a plasmid (pA7) which bears the uvrA promoter fused to galK galactokinase structural gene, it was shown that alkaline pHi leads to an increase in the specific activity of galactokinase. This effect was not displayed in a mutant bearing a recA-insensitive lexA gene, nor in cells harboring a plasmid (pA8) in which the galK is fused to a lexA-insensitive uvrA promoter. Hence, the effects of pHi on cells functions may involve the lexA product of the SOS system.

Fluorescent beta-galactosides (1-(N-dansyl)amino-beta-D-galactopyranoside (DG0), 2'-(N-dansyl)aminoethyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (DG2), 2'-(N-dansyl)aminoethyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (oxy-DG2), and 6'-(N-dansyl)aminohexyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (DG6)) competitively inhibit lactose transport by membrane vesicles from Escherichia coli ML 309-225, but are not actively transported. An increase in the fluorescence of these dansylgalactosides is observed upon addition of D-lactate, imposition of a membrane diffusion potential (positive outside), or dilution-induced, carrier-mediated lactose efflux. The increase is not observed with 2'-(N-dansyl)aminoethyl-beta-D-thioglucopyranoside nor with membrane vesicles lacking the beta-galactoside transport system. Moreover, the D-lactate-induced fluorescence increase is blocked or rapidly reversed by addition of beta-galactosides, sulfhydryl reagents, inhibitors of D-lactate oxidation, or uncoupling agents. The fluorescence increase exhibits an emission maximum at 500 nm and excitation maxima at 345 nm and at 292 nm. The latter excitation maximum is absent unless D-lactate is added, indicating that the bound dansylgalactoside molecules are excited by energy transfer from the membrane proteins. Titration of vesicles with dansylgalactosides in the presence of D-lactate demonstrates that the lac carrier protein constitutes 3 to 4% oof the total membrane protein, and that the affinity of the carrier for substrate is directly related to the length of the alkyl chain between the galactosidic and the dansyl moieties of the dansylgalactosides. In addition, there is excellent agreement between the affinity constants of the various dansylgalactosides as determined by fluorimetric titration and their apparent Kis for lactose transport (KDs and/or apparent Kis are approximately 550, 3o, 40, and 5 muM FOR DG0, DG2, oxy-DG2, and DG6, respectively). Polarization of fluorescence measurements with DG2 and DG6 demonstrate a dramatic increase in polarization on addition of D-lactate which is reversed by addition of lactose or anaerobiosis. These findings provide strong evidence for the contention that the fluorescence changes observed on "energization" of the membrane are due to binding of the dansylgalactosides per se, rather than binding followed by transfer into the hydrophobic interior of the membrane

A mutant of Escherichia coli with increased Na+/H+ antiport activity was isolated and found by other workers to harbor two mutations [Niiya, S., Yamasaki, K., Wilson, T.H. & Tsuchiya, T. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 8902-8906]. The mutation that leads to increased Na+/H+ antiport (antup) has now been separated and mapped. antup maps in the vicinity of 0.5 min on the E. coli map, and the presence of this mutation alone in an isogenic pair raises antiport activity (Vmax) by approximately 4-fold. We also characterized cells hearing plasmids containing fragments of a 15-kilobase-pair segment of DNA between carA and dnaJ. A wild-type gene located within 2 kilobase pairs counterclockwise of rpsT increases the Na+/H+ antiport activity when present in multiple copies.

Swelling of Mycoplasma gallisepticum cells when incubated in a glucose-free isoosmotic NaCl buffer was shown to be due to the entrance of NaCl into the cell. Volume regulation therefore depends on Na+ extrusion. The mechanism of Na+ extrusion in cells and proteoliposomes, prepared from M. gallisepticum membrane fragments, was investigated by following both 22Na+ efflux and pH changes. Our results indicate that Na+ is expelled from cells via two separate mechanisms, an Na+/cation exchange mechanism and an Na+-ATPase. The possible association of these mechanisms with K+ accumulation is suggested.