ATP causes a structural change in retinal rod outer segments: disc swelling is not involved

Optical probes of intradiskal processes in rod photoreceptors. I: Light-scattering study of ATP-dependent dark reactions

ATP can cause dramatic structural changes in the outer segment of rod photoreceptors. These changes can be visualized by means of a concomitant light-scattering signal AD, a decrease in scattered light intensity of over 20%. The large size of the signal suggests that major structural changes occur. The underlying molecular events may reflect an important, yet still unknown, part of the photoreceptor machinery. AD signals reflect ATPase-driven transmembrane events which occur in and at the disk membrane. Their only structural prerequisite is the structural integrity of the disk compartment. The angular dependence of AD, which can be mimicked by an osmotically-induced disk-swelling, suggests that the disk compartment swells during the production of the AD signal. AD signals proceed with first-order kinetics (half-life = 1 min at 20 degrees C and ATP concentrations of greater than 100 microM) and are accompanied by the hydrolysis of approximately 4 mol ATP (mol rhodopsin)-1. The AD signal is inhibited by a number of transport ATPase inhibitors (quercetin, NBD.Cl, vanadate, DCCD), but not by oligomycin, azide and ouabain. The sensitivity to DCCD, together with the fact that except magnesium no other cation has to be present, points to a proton translocation. This proton transport appears to be electrogenic, since AD signals require the presence of a permeant anion. In physiological saline this is chloride, and the chloride flux is facilitated by a DIDS-sensitive anion transport unit in the disk membrane.

Mg2+-ATP induces filament growth from retinal rod outer segments with disrupted plasma membranes

Mg2+-ATP produces a large decrease in near-IR light scattering when added to suspensions of rod outer segments (ROS) when the plasma membranes have been disrupted by a gentle dialysis procedure. When this process is studied by light microscopy with video-enhanced image contrast, the Mg2+-ATP-dependent signal is seen to be associated with the formation of filaments which extend only from those ROS lacking plasma membranes. Both the IR light scattering signal and filament growth are inhibited by vanadate and DCCD but not by colchicine, colcemid or cytochalasins.

ATP can promote activation and deactivation of the rod cGMP-phosphodiesterase. Kinetic light scattering on intact rod outer segments

The AT (amplified transient) signal is a flash-induced increase of the near-infrared light scattering from isolated bovine rod outer segments and is interpreted as a monitor of cGMP-phosphodiesterase activation [(1985) FEBS Lett. 188, 15-20]. We have investigated the effects of ATP and cyclic GMP on this signal. It has been found that ATP enhances the AT signal, the relative effect being the largest for low photoexcitation (approximately 1 rhodopsin per disc membrane). At a high rhodopsin turnover, which saturates the AT amplitude, the effect of ATP is to accelerate the rise of the signal. ATP can also accelerate the falling phase of the signal. This deactivating effect depends on the simultaneous presence of cyclic GMP. The results indicate that ATP acts on the phosphodiesterase activation cycle, promoting activation as well as deactivation, dependent on cGMP as a cofactor.

A functional link between the dark Mg-ATPase activity and the light-induced enzymatic cascade in rod outer segments

The characterization of a light-induced scattering change in suspensions of rod fragments, which requires previous swelling of the disks by the dark Mg-ATPase described by Uhl et al. [FEBS Lett. 107, 317-322 (1979)] is reported here. Reconstitution experiments demonstrate that this signal is dependent on the presence of G-protein, GTP and cGMP phosphodiesterase. Fast reversal associated with regenerability requires in addition the presence of some protein(s) of the cytoplasm (probably the rhodopsin kinase) and ATP. The amount of excited rhodopsin which saturates the signal is the same as that which saturates the previously described 'dissociation signal' [Kühn et al. (1981) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 78, 6873-6877] associated with the formation of the phosphodiesterase activator G alpha GTP (alpha subunit of the G-protein with GTP bound). The kinetics of the signal is slightly slower than that of the dissociation signal and its amplitude is proportional to the extent of swelling of the disks. These results suggest that the interaction between G alpha GTP and the phosphodiesterase modifies some structural feature of the disks and provide evidence for the existence of a functional link between the dark Mg-ATPase and the light-induced enzymatic cascade.

Light- and nucleotide-dependent binding of phosphodiesterase to rod disk membranes: correlation with light-scattering changes and vesicle aggregation

Under conditions in which large guanosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate (cGMP)- and phosphodiesterase (PDE)-dependent changes in near-infrared transmission and vesicle aggregation and disaggregation occur, we have observed a striking change in the binding of PDE to rod disk membranes. The change in PDE binding is nucleotide and light dependent as are the light-scattering changes. The cGMP- and PDE-dependent light-scattering signal can be produced by a 500-nm light flash which bleaches 1/(1 X 10(7] rhodopsin molecules. Mg ions are an essential cofactor for the nucleotide-dependent PDE binding and light-scattering changes. 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and other competitive inhibitors of PDE hydrolytic activity support increased PDE binding to the disk membrane, vesicle aggregation, and the light-scattering signal. However, treatments which block GTP-dependent activation of PDE hydrolytic activity (colchicine, GDP, or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) also block these phenomena. Thus, GTP-dependent activation of PDE rather than its hydrolytic activity appears to be correlated with the light-scattering signal.