Conversion of biomembrane-produced energy into electric form. V. Membrane particles of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and pea chloroplasts

Reactive oxygen species in programmed death of pea guard cells

Hydrogen peroxide potentiates CN(-)-induced apoptosis of guard cells recorded as destruction of cell nuclei in the epidermis from pea leaves. A still stronger effect was exerted by the addition of H2O2 and NADH, which are the substrates of the plant cell wall peroxidase producing O2*- coupled to the oxidation of NADH. The CN(-)-or (CN(-) + H2O2)-induced destruction of guard cell nuclei was completely removed by nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) oxidizing O2*- and preventing there-by the subsequent generation of H2O2. The reduced NBT was deposited in the cells as formazan crystals. Cyanide-induced apoptosis was diminished by mannitol and ethanol, which are OH* traps. The dyes Rose Bengal (RB) and tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) photosensitizing singlet oxygen production suppressed the CN(-)-induced destruction of the cell nuclei in the light. This suppression was removed by exogenous NADH, which reacts with 1O2 yielding O2*-. Incubation of leaf slices with RB in the light lowered the photosynthetic O2 evolution rate and induced the permeability of guard cells for propidium iodide, which cannot pass across intact membranes. Inhibition of photosynthetic O2 evolution by 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea or bromoxynil prevented CN(-)-induced apoptosis of guard cells in the light but not in the dark. RB in combination with exogenous NADH caused H2O2 production that was sensitive to NBT and estimated from dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence. Data on NBT reduction and DCF and TMRE fluorescence obtained using a confocal microscope and data on the NADH-dependent H2O2 production are indicative of generation of reactive oxygen species in the chloroplasts, mitochondria, and nuclear region of guard cells as well as with participation of apoplastic peroxidase. Cyanide inhibited generation of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria and induced their generation in chloroplasts. The results show that H2O2, OH*, and O2*- resources utilized for H2O2 production are involved in apoptosis of guard cells. It is likely that singlet oxygen generated by RB in the light, judging from the permeability of the plasmatic membrane for propidium iodide, makes Photosystem II of chloroplasts inoperative and induces necrosis of the guard cells.

Isolation and partial characterization of the cytochrome c oxidase of Micrococcus luteus (lysodeikticus)

The cell membrane of Micrococcus luteus (lysodeikticus) contains a respiratory chain composed of hemes a, b, and c, which contain 171, 457, and 407 pmol/mg protein, respectively. Cytochrome c oxidase, the heme a containing component, has been purified after solubilization in Triton X-100, by gel filtration on Sepharose 4B-CL ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion-exchange and affinity chromatographies on a yeast cytochrome c-Sepharose 4B column. The purified complex, which contains three polypeptides of apparent Mr 47,000, 31,000, and 19,000, has CN-sensitive ferrocytochrome c oxidase activity (Ki = 0.35 microM) and a characteristic absorption spectrum with maxima in the oxidized form at 595 and 426 nm and in the reduced form at 601 and 444 nm. The purified enzyme contains 17.4 nmol/mg protein and its copper content is 23.2 nmol/mg protein. The enzyme was purified about 100-fold with respect to its content in crude membranes. The total heme a yield, also with respect to crude membranes content, was 6.8%.

Effect of triethyltin on Escherichia coli K-12

Triethyltin (TET) stimulated the basal respiration of Escherichia coli K-12 membrane vesicles in chloride (Cl-) medium but it had little effect on respiration in sulphate (SO4(2-)) medium. Since this uncoupling activity was Cl- dependent it was attributed to the Cl-/hydroxide (OH-) exchange reaction known to be mediated by TET [1,2]. TET inhibited the oxidation of succinate by intact E. coli in both Cl- and SO4(2-) medium, but at the same concentration of TET, inhibition was always more extensive in Cl- than SO4(2-) medium. In Cl- medium uncoupling in membrane vesicles and inhibition of succinate oxidation in intact bacteria occurred over the same concentration range and it appeared that the same mechanism, i.e. Cl-/OH- exchange, was responsible for both effects. Inhibition of succinate oxidation in SO4(2-) medium was not substantial until the concentration of TET was greater than 10(-5) M. Although the nature of this inhibition could not be determined by experiments with membrane vesicles indirect evidence from growth experiments indicated that it was due to impairment of oxidative phosphorylation. The relationship between these biochemical findings and the bacteriocidal action of TET was examined by using various concentrations of anion and substrate in the growth medium. Growth was inhibited in media containing either Cl- or SO4(2-) as the main anion but at a particular concentration of TET, inhibition was greater in Cl- medium. Growth was also inhibited to a greater extent in succinate than glucose medium. Furthermore in either Cl- or SO4(2-) glucose medium, lactic acid production increased as the concentration of TET was increased. These findings imply that the bacteriocidal action of TET is related to its effect(s) on oxidative phosphorylation.

Membrane-reversible H+-ATPase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus

Treatment of phosphorylating fragments of bacterial membrane from Micrococcus lysodeikticus with trypsin leads to increase ATPase activity. As a result of this treatment, the membrane fragments acquire the ability to transform the ATP energy into transmembrane difference in potential. Dithiothreitol has a similar effect to that of trypsin on the membrane fragments from M. lysodeikticus. Dicyclohexylcarbodimide inhibits ATPase of the membrane fragments of M. lysodeikticus, and also the ATPase-reaction-coupled generation of membrane potential. It has been suggested that the increased ATPase activity of membranes from M. lysodeikticus during treatment with trypsin and dithiothreitol is connected with the effect of these agents on the protein inhibitor of ATPase.

Respiration-department uncoupler-stimulated ATPase activity in castor bean endosperm mitochondria and submitochondrial particles

1. The uncoupler-stimulated ATPase activity of castor bean endosperm mitochondria and submitchondrial particles has been studied. The rate of ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by intact mitochondria was slow and little enhanced by addition of uncouplers at the concentration required for uncoupling the oxidative phosphorylation. ATP-ase activity was stimulated at higher concentrations of uncouplers. 2. 1-Anilinonaphthalene 8-sulfonate fluorescence was decreased when the mitochondria were oxidizing succinate. Carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone and antimycin reversed the succinate-induced fluorescence diminution. ATP did not induce the fluorescence response. 3. The addition of succinate, NADH or ascorbate/N,N,N'-N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine as electron donor induced high ATPase activity in the presence of low concentrations of uncouplers. Stimulating effect of uncouplers was completely abolished by further addition of antimycin. 4. Submitochondrial particles were prepared by sonication. The particles catalyzed a rapid hydrolysis of ATP and carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone at 10-8 M did not stimulate the ATPase activity. Addition of succinate induced uncoupler-stimulated ATPase activity. The effect of succinate was completely abolished by further addition of antimycin. 5. The treatment of submitochondrial particles by trypsin or high pH also induced uncoupler-stimulated ATPase activity. 6. The above results were interpreted to indicate that ATPase inhibitor regulated the back-flow reaction of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.

Conversion of Escherichia coli cell-produced metabolic energy into electric form

The formation of membrane potential in energized E. coli cells has been investigated by means of ionic penetrants. The fluxes of anions and cations in opposite directions have been observed: anions moved out and cations moved into the cells. The energy-linked uptake of cations was stoichiometrically coupled with the outflow of H+ ions from the cells. The value of a membrane potential in the energized cells calculated from a distribution of permanent cations was in the range of -140 mV (inside minus). The uptake of penetrating cations by deenergized cells has been observed following the non-enzymatic generation of a membrane potential. The influx of synthetic and natural (lactose) penetrants collapsed the non-enzymatic membrane potential. The effect of lactose was sensitive to N-ethyl maleimide. These results are in favour of the conception that in the energized E. coli cells an energy-linked H+-pump generates a membrane potential which is a driving force for the transport of synthetic and some natural penetrants.

Orientation of membrane vesicles from Escherichia coli as detected by freeze-cleave electron microscopy

The application of freeze-cleave electron microscopy to whole cells of Escherichia coli revealed that the particles exposed on the resulting two inner membrane faces are asymmetrically distributed. This method can therefore be used to determine the orientation of membrane vesicles from E. coli. Membrane vesicles freshly prepared in potassium phosphate buffer (K(+)-vesicles) by osmotic lysis of spheroplasts consisted almost entirely of right-side-out vesicles. Their size suggested that each cell gives rise to one vesicle. When the membrane vesicles were subjected to one cycle of freezing and thawing, the number of inside-out vesicles rose to about 25%. However, due to the small size of most of the inside-out vesicles, these contribute only 2 to 3% of the total membrane surface area of the preparation. The inside-out vesicles appear to arise from infoldings of the membrane of right-side-out vesicles. They also accumulate within the latter, thus producing multivesicular membrane sacs. Na(+)-vesicles (vesicles prepared in sodium phosphate buffer) subjected to freezing and thawing appeared to lose structural rigidity more than did K(+)-vesicles. In contrast to the membrane vesicles prepared by the osmotic lysis of spheroplasts, those obtained by breaking intact cells by a single passage through a French pressure cell were uniformly very small (only 40 to 110 nm in diameter); approximately 60 to 80% were inside-out. To reconcile the polarity of the membrane vesicles with the enzymic activities of such preparations, we propose that "dislocation" of membrane proteins occurs during osmotic lysis of spheroplasts.