Mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel. Immunochemical and immunohistochemical characterization in rat brain

The purified mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor (mBzR) is a complex comprising the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), adenine nucleotide carrier, and an 18-kDa protein that binds isoquinoline carboxamide ligands (McEnery, M. W., Snowman, A. M., Trifiletti, R. R., and Snyder, S. H. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 3170-3174). An antiserum raised against the mBzR complex reacts selectively with VDAC and is used, along with purification, electrophysiological and immunohistochemical techniques, to characterize the properties and distribution of rat brain VDAC. Although purified VDAC displays biochemical and electrical conductance properties similar to VDAC from other sources, the immunohistochemical distribution of VDAC in rat brain is heterogeneous with pronounced regional variations; the pontine nuclei, the supraoptic nucleus, Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, and the caudate putamen evidence the highest density. The distribution of VDAC is inclusive of the more discretely localized 18-kDa mBzR protein, suggesting that only a portion of the total VDAC participates in the mBzR. The histochemical localizations of the mitochondrial marker enzymes glutamate dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase also indicate marked regional variability in both mitochondrial content and composition. The discrete expression of VDAC reflects a striking heterogeneity of rat brain mitochondria and underlying differences in the utilization of mitochondrial outer membrane ion channels.

The outer mitochondrial membrane channel, VDAC, is modulated by a protein localized in the intermembrane space

The mitochondrial outer membrane channel, VDAC, provides a pathway for the flux of metabolites between the cytoplasm and mitochondrion. VDAC is voltage-dependent and occupies states of differing conductivity and ion selectivity that are dependent on transmembrane potential. A protein, derived from preparations of mitochondria, has been shown to increase the voltage dependence of VDAC and is called the VDAC modulator. Both VDAC and the VDAC modulator have been extensively characterized by reconstitution into planar lipid bilayers. In order for the VDAC modulator to have physiological significance it must have physical access to VDAC in the cell. This constraint dictates that the modulator be an extrinsic outer mitochondrial membrane protein, occupy the mitochondrial intermembrane space, or be a cytoplasmic constituent. To address the question of subcellular localization, purified mitochondria were selectively lysed with digitonin or treated with trypsin while resuspended in hypo-osmotic or iso-osmotic medium. Marker enzymes and modulator activity were monitored during the various treatments. Results indicate that the integrity of the outer membrane was necessary to prevent modulator release or protection from trypsin digestion. Outer membrane lysis, under conditions where the inner membrane remained intact, resulted in modulator release or inactivation by trypsin. These results suggest an intermembrane space location for the VDAC modulator in the mitochondrion.

Zero-current potentials in a large membrane channel: a simple theory accounts for complex behavior

Flow of ions through large channels is complex because both cations and anions can penetrate and multiple ions can be in the channel at the same time. A modification of the fixed-charge membrane theory of Teorell was reported (Peng, S., E. Blachly-Dyson, M. Forte, and M. Colombini. 1992. Biophys. J. 62:123-135) in which the channel is divided into two compartments: a relatively charged cylindrical shell of solution adjacent to the wall of the pore and a relatively neutral central cylinder of solution. The zero-current (reversal) potential results in current flow in opposite directions in these two compartments. This description accounted rather well for the observed reversal potential changes following site-directed mutations. Here we report the results of systematic tests of this simple theory with the mitochondrial channel, VDAC (isolated from Neurospora crassa), reconstituted into planar phospholipid membranes. The variation of the observed reversal potential with transmembrane activity ratio, ionic strength, ion mobility ratio, and net charge on the wall of the pore are accounted for reasonably well. The Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz theory fails to account for the observations.

Mapping of residues forming the voltage sensor of the voltage-dependent anion-selective channel

Voltage-gated ion-channel proteins contain "voltage-sensing" domains that drive the conformational transitions between open and closed states in response to changes in transmembrane voltage. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to identify residues affecting the voltage sensitivity of a mitochondrial channel, the voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC). Although charge changes at many sites had no effect, at other sites substitutions that increased positive charge also increased the steepness of voltage dependence and substitutions that decreased positive charge decreased voltage dependence by an appropriate amount. In contrast to the plasma membrane K+ and Na+ channels, these residues are distributed over large parts of the VDAC protein. These results have been used to define the conformational transitions that accompany voltage gating of an ion channel. This gating mechanism requires the movement of large portions of the VDAC protein through the membrane.

Purification and Characterization of the Voltage-Dependent Anion-Selective Channel Protein from Wheat Mitochondrial Membranes

An approximately 29-kD protein was purified from the membrane fraction of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv Dganit) mitochondria by the utilization of standard liquid chromatography techniques. The protein, designated MmP29 for mitochondrial membrane protein having a molecular mass of approximately 29 kD, exhibited cationic properties in a buffering solution, adjusted to pH 7.5. This positive charge enabled its passage through a diethylaminoethyl column, without interaction with the positively charged matrix. Subsequently, this protein was separated from the remaining polypeptides by a preferential elution from a hydroxylapatite/celite mixed column. Reconstituted liposomes containing this protein were characterized as being permeable to 8-amino-naphthalene 1,3,6-trisulfonic acid disodium salt (Mr 445) but non-permeable to dextran fluorescein (Mr 40,000). Additionally, MmP29 was inserted into planar phospholipid membranes, and anion-selective, voltage-dependent channels were demonstrated. All of the MmP29 properties mentioned highly resemble voltagedependent, anion-selective channel (VDAC) proteins, suggesting that MmP29 is the mitochondrial outer membrane VDAC protein of wheat.

Cloning and functional expression in yeast of two human isoforms of the outer mitochondrial membrane channel, the voltage-dependent anion channel

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) of the outer mitochondrial membrane is a small abundant protein found in all eukaryotic kingdoms which forms a voltage-gated pore when incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. VDAC is also the site of binding of the metabolic enzymes hexokinase and glycerol kinase to the mitochondrion in what may be a significant metabolic regulatory interaction. Recently, there has been speculation that there may be multiple forms of VDAC in mammals which differ in their localization in the outer mitochondrial membrane and in their physiological function. In this report, we describe the identification and characterization of two human cDNAs encoding VDAC homologs (HVDAC1 and HVDAC2). To confirm VDAC function, each human protein has been expressed in yeast lacking the endogenous VDAC gene. Human proteins isolated from yeast mitochondria formed channels with the characteristics expected of VDAC when incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. In addition, expression of the human proteins in such strains can complement phenotypic defects associated with elimination of the endogenous yeast VDAC gene. Since VDAC is the site of binding of hexokinase to the outer mitochondrial membrane, the binding capacity of each VDAC isoform expressed in yeast mitochondria was assessed. When compared with the binding of hexokinase to mitochondria lacking VDAC, the results show that mitochondria expressing HVDAC1 are capable of specifically binding hexokinase, whereas mitochondria expressing HVDAC2 only bind hexokinase at background levels. The expression of each human cDNA has been assessed by Northern blot and polymerase chain reaction techniques. With one exception, each is expressed in all human cell lines and tissues examined.

Isolation and cloning of a voltage-dependent anion channel-like Mr 36,000 polypeptide from mammalian brain

A polypeptide of M(r) 36,000 (36 kDa) was isolated from detergent-solubilized membrane fractions of mammalian brain on a benzodiazepine affinity column utilized for the purification of the gamma-aminobutyric acid/benzodiazepine receptor protein, followed by preparative gel electrophoresis. Partial protein sequence for two fragments of the 36-kDa polypeptide allowed the isolation of cDNA clones from a rat hippocampal library. An open reading frame coding a sequence of 295 amino acid residues containing the two probe peptide sequences with minor differences, and a putative N-terminal signal peptide of 25 residues was found. Hydropathy index revealed no regions of alpha-helix suitable for membrane spanning, but several areas of alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues consistent with beta-strands. The sequence of this brain protein was 24% identical to that of a yeast mitochondrial protein, the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), and over 70% identical with the VDAC from human B lymphocytes. The gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor/36-kDa preparation purified on benzodiazepine affinity column has channel-forming activity in lipid bilayer membranes that is virtually identical to VDAC isolated from mitochondria of various sources, indicating that the 36-kDa protein is a new member of the VDAC family of proteins. An antiserum raised against the purified 36-kDa polypeptide was able to precipitate [3H]muscimol binding activity, indicating a tight association with the GABAA receptor protein in vitro and copurification on the benzodiazepine affinity column due to this association. Further studies are needed to determine whether such an association occurs in vivo.

Large scale rearrangement of protein domains is associated with voltage gating of the VDAC channel

The VDAC channel of the mitochondrial outer membrane is voltage-gated like the larger, more complex voltage-gated channels of the plasma membrane. However, VDAC is a low molecular weight (30 kDa), abundant protein, which is readily purified and reconstituted, making it an ideal system for analyzing the molecular basis for ion selectivity and voltage-gating. We have probed the VDAC channel by subjecting the cloned yeast (S. cerevisiae) VDAC gene to site-directed mutagenesis and introducing the resulting mutant channels into planar bilayers to detect the effects of specific sequence changes on channel properties. This approach has allowed us to formulate and test a model of the open state structure of the VDAC channel. Now we have applied the same approach to analyzing the structure of the channel's low-conducting "closed state" (essentially closed to important metabolites). We have identified protein domains forming the wall of the closed conformation and domains that seem to be removed from the wall of the pore during channel closure. The latter can explain the reduction in pore diameter and volume and the dramatically altered channel selectivity resulting from the channel closure. This process would make a natural coupling between motion of the sensor and channel gating.

A soluble mitochondrial protein increases the voltage dependence of the mitochondrial channel, VDAC

A soluble protein isolated from mitochondria has been found to modulate the voltage-dependent properties of the mitochondrial outer membrane channel, VDAC. This protein, called the VDAC modulator, was first found in Neurospora crassa and then discovered in species from other eukaryotic kingdoms. The modulator-containing fraction (at a crude protein concentration of 20 micrograms/ml) increases the voltage dependence of VDAC channels over 2-3-fold. At higher protein concentrations (50-100 micrograms/ml), some channels seem to remain in a closed state or be blocked while others display the higher voltage dependence and are able to close at low membrane potentials. By increasing the steepness of the voltage-dependent properties of VDAC channels, this modulator may serve as an amplifier in vivo to increase the sensitivity of the channels in response to changes in the cell's microenvironment, and consequently, regulate the metabolic flux across the outer mitochondrial membrane by controlling the gating of VDAC channels.

Determination of the number of polypeptide subunits in a functional VDAC channel from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genes encoding VDAC proteins containing specific site-directed amino acid alterations were introduced into wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mutant VDAC proteins form channels with ion selectivities very different from that of the wild-type channel. Therefore, the resulting yeast strains express two different genes capable of coding for functional, yet distinct, VDAC channels. If VDAC were an oligomeric channel, analysis of VDAC from these strains should have revealed not only the presence of channels with wild-type or mutant selectivity but also channels with intermediate selectivities. While channels with wild-type and mutant selectivities were observed with approximately equal frequency, no channels with intermediate selectivity were observed. Sufficient observations were performed with two different mutant genes K61E.K65E and K19E.K61E) that the likelihood of having missed hybrid channels was less than 1 in 10(7). These findings favor the hypothesis that each functional VDAC channel is composed of a single 30-kDa polypeptide chain.

Toward the molecular structure of the mitochondrial channel, VDAC

A summary is presented of the most recent information about the structure and mechanism of closure of the mitochondrial channel, VDAC. Considerable information has come from studies involving electron microscopy of two-dimensional crystals and from electrophysiological studies of wild-type channels and site-directed mutants. Available evidence points to a beta-barrel as the basic structural model for VDAC. Two models for voltage- or effector- induced closure have been proposed, the first involving removal of strands from the wall of the pore, the second invoking movement of protein domains into the lumen. Experimental strategies to resolve the actual mechanism are presented.

Regulation of mitochondrial respiration by controlling the permeability of the outer membrane through the mitochondrial channel, VDAC

Mitochondrial functions depend not only on the properties of the particular enzyme systems, but also on the continual flux of metabolites between the cytoplasm and mitochondrial spaces. We report the results of experiments that strongly indicate that a soluble mitochondrial protein can regulate mitochondrial respiration by reducing the permeability of the outer membrane. This protein is known as the VDAC modulator because it induces the outer mitochondrial membrane channel, VDAC, to close. When added to intact mitochondria, the modulator reduces the ADP-stimulated respiration. This inhibition can be prevented by damaging the outer membrane prior to modulator addition. Another mitochondrial activity, adenylate kinase, is reduced by 40% by the addition of the VDAC modulator to intact mitochondria. Again, damaging the outer membrane removed the modulator effect. Dextran sulfate, an artificial polyanion that acts on VDAC channels in a similar way to the VDAC modulator, has the same effects on intact mitochondria. The findings correlate well with observations of the actions of the VDAC modulator on reconstituted VDAC channels, in which the modulator induces the channel to enter a very low conductive state. The ability of a mitochondrial protein to regulate mitochondrial activities by reducing the permeability of the outer membrane further fuels the hypothesis that this membrane participates in the overall regulation of mitochondrial functions.

Effect of simvastatin in CAPD patients with hypercholesterolemia

The effect of simvastatin on serum total and HDL cholesterol and total triglyceride levels in 20 hypercholesterolemic patients on CAPD treatment was studied. The drug was given at the initial dose of 10 mg/day which was doubled up to 40 mg/day. Two non-compliant patients stopped the drug in the first week of treatment. One patient had vomiting and stopped simvastatin. One patients reduced the dose from 20 to 10 mg/day because of increase in CPK level. The study was completed in 16 patients. Serum cholesterol decreased from 318 +/- 39 to 208 +/- 34 mg/dl (p < 0.001), triglyceride from 317 +/- 129 to 278 +/- 160 mg/dl and HDL cholesterol from 43 +/- 13 to 35 +/- 11 mg/dl. The effective does was 10 mg/day in 4 cases, 20 mg/dl in 7 and 40 mg/dl in 5. In CAPD patients, simvastatin is safe and effective in lowering serum cholesterol. The clinical significance of the decrease in HDL cholesterol and its possible effect on clinical outcome are still unknown.

Patch clamping VDAC in liposomes containing whole mitochondrial membranes

Whole mitochondrial membranes isolated from Neurospora crassa were reconstituted into liposomes and patch clamped. Clear activity characteristic of the mitochondrial channel VDAC was found, namely: open state conductance of 650 pS (in 150 mM KCl, 1 mM CaCl2, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.2), voltage-dependent closure at both positive and negative potentials, change in conductance upon channel closure of about 450 pS in response to negative and positive potentials, and increased voltage dependence in the presence of König's polyanion. This is the first clear demonstration of VDAC single channels using the patch-clamp technique, even though others used this method before to study whole mitochondrial membranes and liposomes containing mitochondrial proteins. We also found one other channel with a conductance change of about 120 pS.

Surface topography and molecular stoichiometry of the mitochondrial channel, VDAC, in crystalline arrays

The mitochondrial outer membrane contains a protein, called VDAC, that forms large aqueous pores. In Neurospora crassa outer membranes, VDAC forms two-dimensional crystalline arrays whose size and frequency can be greatly augmented by lipase treatment of these membranes (C. Mannella, Science 224, 165, 1984). Fourier filtration and surface reconstruction of freeze-dried/shadowed (45 degrees) arrays produced detailed images of two populations of crystals, whose lattices are mirror images of each other. Most likely, this technique has revealed both surfaces of the same two-dimensional crystal with lattice parameters: a = 12.3 +/- 0.1 nm, b = 11.2 +/- 0.1 nm, and theta = 109 +/- 1 degree. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the surface reliefs on both sides of the crystal show them to be very similar. The majority of the protein forming the channel appears to be at or below the level of the membrane. To address the issue of the number of 30-kDa polypeptides that form a VDAC channel, measurements of mass per unit area were carried out by analyzing scanning transmission electron micrographs of unstained, freeze-dried arrays. The crystal form used for mass analysis contained the same motif of six stain-accumulating centers per unit cell, with p2 symmetry as in the oblique configuration, but it had a different orientation relative to the lattice lines. These data yielded a surface density of 1.9 +/- 0.2 kDa/nm2, indicating that there is a one-to-one ratio between VDAC polypeptides and the channels visualized in filtered electron micrographs, and that VDAC membrane crystals contain 68% protein and 32% lipid by mass.

Voltage gating of the mitochondrial outer membrane channel VDAC is regulated by a very conserved protein

Soluble protein preparations obtained from the mitochondrial fractions of three very different organisms, Neurospora crassa, rat, and potato, were discovered to greatly enhance the voltage sensitivity of the mitochondrial outer membrane channel, VDAC. The active ingredient, referred to as the VDAC modulator, increased the rate of voltage-dependent channel closure by approximately 10-fold. The modulator from one species increased the closing rate of VDAC channels from all three species. The activity is pronase sensitive and not mimicked by another negatively charged protein, BSA. The highly conserved property of this modulator suggests an important physiological role in regulating mitochondrial function.

Group IIIA-metal hydroxides indirectly neutralize the voltage sensor of the voltage-dependent mitochondrial channel, VDAC, by interacting with a dynamic binding site

The voltage-dependent, anion-selective mitochondrial channel, VDAC, undergoes two different conformational changes from the open to a closed state under positive and negative applied electric fields. Micromolar quantities of aluminum hydroxide and other metal trihydroxides have recently been shown to be able to inhibit this voltage-dependent closure (Dill et al. (1987) J. Membr. Biol. 99, 187-196; Zhang and Colombini (1989) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 991, 68-78). It was suggested that the inhibition results from the neutralization of the positively charged voltage sensors by the metal species. In the present study, the dynamics of the metal-binding site accompanying channel closure was investigated by adding In(OH)3 to only one side of the membrane and examining its effect on the channel's gating processes. Indium added to open channels inhibited channel closure only when the metal-containing side was on the lower potential side of the applied field. If indium was added only to the higher-potential side, the channels closed and tended to remain closed after the field was abolished. The addition of metal hydroxide after closing the channels with a negative potential on the metal side did not result in channel re-opening as would be expected for sensor neutralization. Inhibition occurred immediately, however, if the channels were first allowed to open briefly. The closed-state selectivity seemed to be very similar in the absence or presence of the metal, indicating that the metal-binding sites are not located within the pore of the channel in the closed conformation. The results are consistent with a voltage-dependent translocation across the membrane of each of two metal-binding sites on VDAC. This translocation is tightly coupled with channel opening and closing.

Selectivity changes in site-directed mutants of the VDAC ion channel: structural implications

The gene encoding the yeast mitochondrial outer membrane channel VDAC was subjected to site-directed mutagenesis to change amino acids at 29 positions to residues differing in charge from the wild-type sequence. The mutant genes were then expressed in yeast, and the physiological consequences of single and multiple amino acid changes were assessed after isolation and insertion of mutant channels into phospholipid bilayers. Selectivity changes were observed at 14 sites distributed throughout the length of the molecule. These sites are likely to define the position of the protein walls lining the aqueous pore and hence, the transmembrane segments. These results have been used to develop a model of the open state of the channel in which each polypeptide contributes 12 beta strands and one alpha helix to form the aqueous transmembrane pathway.

Probing the structure of the mitochondrial channel, VDAC, by site-directed mutagenesis: a progress report

The voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) of the mitochondrial outer membrane is formed by a small (approximately 30 kDa) polypeptide, but shares with more complex channels the properties of voltage-dependent gating and ion selectivity. Thus, it is a useful model for studying these properties. The molecular biology techniques available in yeast allow us to construct mutant versions of the cloned yeast VDAC gene in vitro, using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, and to express the mutant genes in yeast cells in the absence of wild-type VDAC. We find that one substitution mutation (lys 61 to glu) alters the selectivity of VDAC.

Inhibition by aluminum hydroxide of the voltage-dependent closure of the mitochondrial channel, VDAC

Micromolar quantities of aluminum have been found (Dill et al. (1987) J. Membrane Biol. 99, 187-196) to reduce the voltage dependence of the mitochondrial outer membrane channel, VDAC, from Neurospora crassa. In the present study, various metallic and organic ions were tested for possible aluminum-like effect, and only the trivalent metals exhibited a similar ability to reduce the channels voltage dependence. However, trivalency alone was not sufficient because lanthanum (III) had no effect. Quantitative analyses with three group IIIA metals (A1, Ga, and In) showed that, of the structural characteristics examined, the ability to form sufficient M(OH)3 at experimental pH was the primary property shared by all the effective metals. While providing new insight into the nature of VDAC's sensor, these results also indicate that aluminum-cell interaction may result from the presence of AI(OH)3 in solution in addition to the widely accepted AI3+-mediated interactions. While the [AI3+] is vanishingly low at neutral pH, the trihydroxide is the major form and should be considered as an important candidate for aluminum-induced cellular effects.

The mitochondrial outer membrane channel, VDAC, is modulated by a soluble protein

The mitochondrial outer membrane channel, VDAC, serves as the primary permeability pathway for metabolite flux between cytoplasmic and mitochondrial compartments. VDAC can occupy several conformational states differing in ion conductivity. Small transmembrane potentials cause transitions from open- to closed-channel conformations. A soluble mitochondrial protein enhances the channel's response to voltage by increasing the rate of channel closing; inducing the occupation of lower conductance states; and decreasing the rate of channel reopening. This protein modulator acts at very low concentrations and its role in the cell may be to regulate the permeability of the mitochondrial outer membrane by inducing channel closure.