The kinetic mechanism of galactoside/H+ cotransport in Escherichia coli

Enhanced internal dynamics of a membrane transport protein during substrate translocation

Conformational changes are essential for the activity of many proteins. If, or how fast, internal fluctuations are related to slow conformational changes that mediate protein function is not understood. In this study, we measure internal fluctuations of the transport protein lactose permease in the presence and absence of substrate by tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy. We demonstrate that nanosecond fluctuations of alpha-helices are enhanced when the enzyme transports substrate. This correlates with previously published kinetic data from transport measurements showing that millisecond conformational transitions of the substrate-loaded carrier are faster than those in the absence of substrate. These findings corroborate the hypothesis of the hierarchical model of protein dynamics that predicts that slow conformational transitions are based on fast, thermally activated internal motions.

A nontransportable substrate for lactose permease

A substrate for lactose permease of Escherichia coli was synthesized that binds to the protein with a relatively high affinity, but is not transported to any detectable extent. This substrate, 6'-[(N-phenylalanylphenylalanyl)amino]hexyl 1-thio-beta-D-galactoside, is a peptide galactoside composed of a bulky aromatic dipeptide that is linked to galactose via an aminohexyl spacer. Binding of the peptide galactoside to lactose permease in cytoplasmic membranes was determined in a competition assay yielding a dissociation constant of 150 microM. Transport was measured by a counterflow assay using lipid vesicles with reconstituted lactose permease. An upper limit for the rate constant of transport was obtained as 0.02 s-1, 3 orders of magnitude smaller than the value for lactose.

Ordered binding model as a general mechanistic mechanism for secondary active transport systems

The mechanistic mechanism of secondary active transport processes has not been fully elucidated. Based on substrate binding studies dependent on coupling cation concentrations of the glutamate, melibiose, lactose and proline transport carriers in Escherichia coli, the ordered binding mechanism was proposed as the energy coupling mechanism of the transport systems. This ordered binding mechanism satisfactorily explained the properties of the secondary active transport systems. Thus, this mechanism as the general energy coupling mechanism for the transport systems is discussed.

Secondary transport of amino acids by membrane vesicles derived from lactic acid bacteria

Lactococci are fastidious bacteria which require an external source of amino acids and many other nutrients. These compounds have to pass the membrane. However, detailed analysis of transport processes in membrane vesicles has been hampered by the lack of a suitable protonmotive force (pmf)-generating system in these model systems. A membrane-fusion procedure has been developed by which pmf-generating systems can be functionally incorporated into the bacterial membrane. This improved model system has been used to analyze the properties of amino acid transport systems in lactococci. Detailed studies have been made of the specificity and kinetics of amino acid transport and also of the interaction of the transport systems with their lipid environment. The properties of a pmf-independent, arginine-catabolism specific transport system in lactococci will be discussed.

Selectivity in solute transport: binding sites and channel structure in maltoporin and other bacterial sugar transport proteins

A stereospecific binding site is not the only determinant governing the selectivity of transport proteins. An understanding of transport across cellular membranes requires a description of the different compartments within a transmembrane channel; evidence for the existence of these compartments comes from the selectivity properties of genetically modified maltoporin. Such compartments may also be of significance in determining the specificity of other transport proteins.

Transport of branched-chain amino acids in membrane vesicles of Streptococcus cremoris

The kinetics, specificity, and mechanism of branched-chain amino acid transport in Streptococcus cremoris were studied in a membrane system of S. cremoris in which beef heart mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase was incorporated as a proton motive force (delta p)-generating system. Influx of L-leucine, L-isoleucine, and L-valine can occur via a common transport system which is highly selective for the L-isomers of branched chain amino acids and analogs. The pH dependency of the kinetic constants of delta p-driven L-leucine transport and exchange (counterflow) was determined. The maximal rate of delta p-driven transport of L-leucine (Vmax) increased with increasing internal pH, whereas the affinity constant increased with increasing external pH. The affinity constant for exchange (counterflow) varied in a similar fashion with pH, whereas Vmax was pH independent. Further analysis of the pH dependency of various modes of facilitated diffusion, i.e., efflux, exchange, influx, and counterflow, suggests that H+ and L-leucine binding and release to and from the carrier proceed by an ordered mechanism. A kinetic scheme of the translocation cycle of H+-L-leucine cotransport is suggested.

Lactose permease of Escherichia coli: properties of mutants defective in substrate translocation

Mutants of lactose permease of Escherichia coli with amino acid changes (Gly-24----Glu; Gly-24----Arg; Pro-28---Ser; Gly-24, Pro-28----Glu-Ser and Gly-24, Pro-28----Arg-Ser) within a putative membrane-spanning alpha-helix (Phe-Gly-Leu-Phe-Phe-Phe-Phe-Tyr-Phe-Phe-Ile-Met-Gly- Ala-Tyr-Phe-Pro-Phe-Phe-Pro-Ile) are incorporated into the cytoplasmic membrane. The mutant proteins retain the ability to bind galactosides, and the affinity for several substrates is actually increased. However, the rate of active transport is decreased to 0.01% of the wild-type rate in the mutants carrying Arg-24 or Arg-24, Ser-28. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that the two mutants require 10 min to cause occupied binding sites for galactoside and H+ to change their exposure from the periplasm to the cytoplasm as compared to 50 ms in the wild type. The effect is less pronounced when these sites are unoccupied.

Galactoside-proton symport in a lacYUN mutant of Escherichia coli investigated by analysis of transport progress curves

The kinetics of galactoside-proton symport catalysed by a wild-type strain and one carrying a mutation, previously reported to cause uncoupling of the symport reaction, have been examined. The mutation does not affect the stoichiometry during the initial period of uptake, when the internal concentration of galactoside is low, but it does result in much greater competition from the galactoside as it is accumulated. Simple methods for the analysis of the uptake progress curves have been developed and used to estimate the initial rate of uptake and affinity for internal galactoside. The maximum rate of uptake is decreased by a factor of 2 at most whereas the affinity for internal galactoside is increased up to 50-fold by the mutation. The pH-dependence of the galactoside efflux reaction is changed in a manner which suggests that the defect is in the interaction between proton-binding and galactoside-binding sites rather than in the structure of either site.

The role of protons in the mechanism of galactoside transport via the lactose permease of Escherichia coli

The kinetic mechanism of lactose transport across the cytoplasmic membrane has been investigated and the results related to standard models for the lactose-H+ symport reaction using computer simulation. It is shown that the biphasic kinetics reported for lactose uptake (Kaczorowski, G.J. and Kaback, H.R. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 3691-3697) are consistent with random binding of lactose and protons and rapid subsequent translocation of the ternary lactose-H+-permease complex. Such a model is also shown to explain the observed dependence of the kinetic parameters on the magnitude of the protonmotive force. Both sugar and protons are shown to cause product inhibition of lactose flux and the ability of standard models to account for the pattern of inhibition is discussed. Three apparent dissociation constants have been determined for the protonation reactions in the external medium: two (pKa 6.3 and 9.6) control the activity of the permease, whilst the third (pKa 8.3) controls the affinity of the permease for galactosides. A similar set of dissociation constants has been determined for the internal reactions. Again two (pKa 6 and 9.8) control activity and a third (pKa 8.8) controls the affinity for galactosides. The dissociation reactions characterised by pKa 8.3, 8.8, 9.6 and 9.8 are attributed to the dissociation of the substrate (symported) proton from the binary proton-permease complexes (pKa 8.3 and 8.8) and the ternary proton-galactoside-permease complexes (pKa 9.6 and 9.8). The third pair (pKa 6.3 and 6.0) must be interpreted as describing a separate protonation reaction which may have a regulatory or auxiliary role in transport.