Amino acid uptake by Saccharomyces cerevisiae plasma membrane vesicles

Use of resistant mutants to characterize the target of mycobacillin in Aspergillus niger membranes

The mycobacillin-sensitive Aspergillus niger strain G3Br and resistant mutants of it did not show any differences in their total lipid content, although the amounts of phospholipids and sterols, particularly phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, were lower in resistant cells. Mycobacillin resistance was accompanied by an increase in the phase-transition temperature of plasma membrane preparations. When exposed to mycobacillin, resistant and sensitive cells did not differ qualitatively with respect to most released materials (lysine, proline, Pi, Na+, K+, Ca2+); however, the release of ATP was completely inhibited in resistant cells unless they were exposed to concentrations of mycobacillin exceeding their respective MIC value. Resistant cells, under steady-state conditions, displayed greater uptake and release of the same specific materials--except ATP--as sensitive cells did under similar conditions. Thus release and uptake of those materials except ATP are not implicated in the mode of action of mycobacillin. The inhibiting action of mycobacillin (at concentrations higher than the MIC) on sensitive or resistant cells was completely antagonized by ATP (which did not form any complex with mycobacillin) but not by any of the releasable components, either alone or in combination. This observation, coupled with the authors' recent findings on ATP release, indicates that the fungistatic action of mycobacillin is due to excessive ATP release, leading to energy starvation. Interestingly, ATP release during the first 2 h of incubation with mycobacillin was minimal, but increased to over 96% during the next 48 h. Release and uptake of ATP via liposomes, prepared with lipid and protein isolated from membranes of the mycobacillin-sensitive parent and resistant mutants, showed that mycobacillin action could be inhibited either by resistant protein or by resistant lipid. The mycobacillin target appears to be a lipid-protein site on the membrane of sensitive A. niger G3Br.

Isolation and properties of an ATP transporter from a strain of Aspergillus niger

A purified ATP transporter from Aspergillus niger did not show release or uptake for any of the nucleotides (ADP or UTP) except ATP. The release and uptake did not result from non-specific binding, but appeared to be concentration-dependent processes. ATP was shown by a double-isotopic technique to be transported across membrane vesicles without degradation. The ATP-transport protein was purified to near homogeneity from the membrane vesicles of a strain of A. niger and its apparent Mr was approximately 60000. The purified protein showed the properties of a membrane-bound protein in that the carrier protein was shown, during the liposome-preparative process, to translocate from the aqueous phase into the lipid bilayer of the liposome, unlike the cytosolic protein glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which remained confined to the aqueous compartment. Mycobacillin, a lipid-reactive antibiotic, was bound to the transport protein at a site other than the ATP-binding site, leading to its enhanced release or uptake, which was very feeble in absence of the antibiotic.

Mechanism of spontaneous inside-out vesiculation of red cell membranes

In certain conditions, human red cell membranes spontaneously form inside out vesicles within 20 min after hypotonic lysis. Study of the geometry of this process now reveals that, contrary to earlier views of vesiculation by endocytosis or by the mechanical shearing of cytoskeleton-depleted membrane, lysis generates a persistent membrane edge which spontaneously curls, cuts, and splices the membrane surface to form single or concentric vesicles. Analysis of the processes by which proteins may stabilize a free membrane edge led us to formulate a novel zip-type mechanism for membrane cutting-splicing and fusion even in the absence of free edges. Such protein-led membrane fusion represents an alternative to mechanisms of membrane fusion based on phospholipid interactions, and may prove relevant to processes of secretion, endocytosis, phagocytosis, and membrane recycling in many cell types.

Repetitive DNA of Candida albicans: nuclear and mitochondrial components

We report the isolation and analysis of the rapidly reassociating DNA of the pathogenic, dimorphic fungus Candida albicans. Minicot analysis of whole-cell repetitive DNA suggested that a significant portion of this component was mitochondrial DNA. Genomic blot hybridizations in which radioactive whole-cell repetitive DNA was used as a probe revealed eight major EcoRI bands in the molecular weight range resolved by the gel system used. Isolation and analysis of high-purity mitochondrial DNA have shown that five of these bands are of mitochondrial origin. The remaining three bands are of nuclear origin and represent repetitive sequences that are found in the nuclear genome. Attempts to isolate nuclear DNA that was completely free of mitochondrial DNA contamination were unsuccessful.

Sterol synergism in yeast

Sterol synergism as previously observed [Dahl, C.E., Dahl, J.S. & Bloch, K. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 1462-1467] and defined as a greater-than-additive growth response to pairs of sterols by Mycoplasma capricolum [Dahl, J.S., Dahl, C.E. & Bloch, K. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 87-91] is now demonstrated in the yeast mutant GL7, which is auxotrophic for sterol and unsaturated fatty acid. Mutant cells growing poorly when provided with cholesterol and oleic acid respond to ergosterol supplements (ergosterol-to-cholesterol ratio, 1:3) by a pronounced increase in growth rates and cell yields. Stigmasterol also elicits a significant synergistic effect, and 7-dehydrocholesterol, a smaller one. Evidence for a metabolic role of ergosterol in yeast membranes is presented. Cells raised on a 1:3 mixture of ergosterol to cholesterol up to midlogarithmic phase subsequently incorporate [1-14C]oleic acid at significantly faster rates into phospholipids than do cells grown on cholesterol alone.

Effect of phophatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine enrichment on the structure and function of yeast membrane

The phospholipid composition of yeast plasma membrane was manipulated by two different methods: (i) by using two auxotrophic strains KA101 (cho1) and MC13 (Cho+) which required phospholipid bases for growth and (ii) by supplementing Saccharomyces cerevisiae (3059) cells with high concentration of choline or ethanolamine. It was possible to enrich the plasma membrane with phosphatidylcholine (PC) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) by both methods. The uptake of amino acids, e.g., glycine, glutamic acid, leucine, lysine methionine, phenylalanine, proline and serine, was significantly reduced in PC- or PE-enriched cells. However, the extent of reduction in transport was variable among different strains. A fluorescent probe, 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS), was used to monitor the structural changes induced by altered phospholipid composition. It was observed that the relative fluorescence intensity of bound ANS was decreased as a consequence of PC or PE enrichment. The decrease in fluorescence was probably associated with reduced number of available binding sites (n) and increased apparent dissociation constant (Kd). Furthermore, our results also suggest that a critical level of PE or PC is required for proper functioning of yeast membrane.

The plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular structure and asymmetry

The molecular structure of the plasma membrane of the haploid strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae X-2180 1 A has been studied by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Protein and glycoprotein components have been identified and their apparent Mr determined. A glycoprotein showing an apparent Mr of 27500 has been shown to be the main structural component. Treatment of the cells with cycloheximide prior to plasma membrane isolation resulted in a redistribution of the relative amounts of each protein band and a drastic reduction in the number of Schiff positive bands. It is postulated that treatment with this drug rids the plasma membrane of glycoprotein secretory components which are in the process of being secreted to the periplasmic space, thus allowing the study of the basic structural components of the organelle. The electrophoretic pattern of the internal membranes revealed close similarities with that of the plasma membrane and though two-dimensional electrophoresis might disclose greater differences, these similarities suggest a common origin for most of the components of both membranous systems. Finally, radioiodination techniques, have been used in studying the asymmetric disposition of some of the components of the plasma membrane. At least five polypeptides were identified as located to the outer layer of the plasma membrane and two more glycopeptides were shown to span across the bilayer.