Dissection of discrete kinetic events in the binding of antibiotics and substrates to the galactose-H+ symport protein, GalP, of Escherichia coli

Structure and molecular mechanism of a nucleobase-cation-symport-1 family transporter

The nucleobase-cation-symport-1 (NCS1) transporters are essential components of salvage pathways for nucleobases and related metabolites. Here, we report the 2.85-angstrom resolution structure of the NCS1 benzyl-hydantoin transporter, Mhp1, from Microbacterium liquefaciens. Mhp1 contains 12 transmembrane helices, 10 of which are arranged in two inverted repeats of five helices. The structures of the outward-facing open and substrate-bound occluded conformations were solved, showing how the outward-facing cavity closes upon binding of substrate. Comparisons with the leucine transporter LeuT(Aa) and the galactose transporter vSGLT reveal that the outward- and inward-facing cavities are symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the membrane. The reciprocal opening and closing of these cavities is synchronized by the inverted repeat helices 3 and 8, providing the structural basis of the alternating access model for membrane transport.

Sugar transporters from bacteria, parasites and mammals: structure-activity relationships

Sugar transport across the plasma membrane is one of the most important transport processes. The cloning and expression of cDNAs from a superfamily of related sugar transporters that all adopt a 12-membrane-spanning-domain structure has opened new avenues of investigation, including presteady-state kinetic analysis. Structure-function analyses of mammalian and bacterial sugar transporters, and comparisons of these transporters with those of parasitic trypanosomatids, indicate that different environmental pressures have tailored the evolution of the various members of the sugar-transporter superfamily. Subtle distinctions in the function of these proteins can be related to particular amino acid residue substitutions.

Ascorbate recycling in human neutrophils: induction by bacteria

Ascorbate (vitamin C) recycling occurs when extracellular ascorbate is oxidized, transported as dehydroascorbic acid, and reduced intracellularly to ascorbate. We investigated microorganism induction of ascorbate recycling in human neutrophils and in microorganisms themselves. Ascorbate recycling was determined by measuring intracellular ascorbate accumulation. Ascorbate recycling in neutrophils was induced by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, and the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Induction of recycling resulted in as high as a 30-fold increase in intracellular ascorbate compared with neutrophils not exposed to microorganisms. Recycling occurred at physiologic concentrations of extracellular ascorbate within 20 min, occurred over a 100-fold range of effector/target ratios, and depended on oxidation of extracellular ascorbate to dehydroascorbic acid. Ascorbate recycling did not occur in bacteria nor in C. albicans. Ascorbate did not enter microorganisms, and dehydroascorbic acid entry was less than could be accounted for by diffusion. Because microorganism lysates reduced dehydroascorbic acid to ascorbate, ascorbate recycling was absent because of negligible entry of the substrate dehydroascorbic acid. Because ascorbate recycling occurs in human neutrophils but not in microorganisms, it may represent a eukaryotic defense mechanism against oxidants with possible clinical implications.

MEMBRANE TRANSPORT CARRIERS

▪ Abstract  Plant and fungal membrane proteins catalyzing the transmembrane translocation of small molecules without directly using ATP or acting as channels are discussed in this review. Facilitators, ion-cotransporters, and exchange translocators mainly for sugars, amino acids, and ions that have been cloned and characterized from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and from various plant sources have been tabulated. The membrane topology and structure of the most extensively studied carriers (lac permease of Escherichia coli, Glut1 of man, HUP1 of Chlorella) are discussed in detail as well as the kinetic analysis of specific Na+ and H+ cotransporters. Finally, the knowledge concerning regulatory phenomena of carriers—mainly of S. cerevisiae—is summarized.

Melibiose permease of Escherichia coli: substrate-induced conformational changes monitored by tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy

Tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to investigate the effects of sugars and coupling cations (H+, Na+, or Li+) on the conformational properties of purified melibiose permease after reconstitution in liposomes. Melibiose permease emission fluorescence is selectively enhanced by sugars, which serve as substrates for the symport reaction, alpha-galactosides producing larger variations (13-17%) than beta-galactosides (7%). Moreover, the sugar-dependent fluorescence increase is specifically potentiated by NaCl and LiCl (5-7 times), which are well-established activators of sugar binding and transport by the permease. The potentiation effect is greater in the presence of LiCl than NaCl. On their own, sodium and lithium ions produce quenching of the fluorescence signal (2%). Evidence suggesting that sugars and cations compete for their respective binding sites is also given. Both the sugar-induced fluorescence variation and the NaCl(or LiCl)-dependent potentiation effect exhibit saturation kinetics. In each ionic condition, the half-maximal fluorescence change is found at a sugar concentration corresponding to the sugar-binding constant. Also, half-maximal potentiation of the fluorescence change by sodium or lithium occurs at a concentration comparable to the activation constant of sugar binding by each ion. The sugar- and ion-dependent fluorescence variations still take place after selective inactivation of the permease substrate translocation capacity by N-ethylmaleimide. Taken together, the data suggest that the changes in permease fluorescence reflect conformational changes occurring upon the formation of ternary sugar/cation/permease complexes.