p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity of plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase from yeast. Implications for the regulation of the catalytic cycle by H+

The promiscuous phosphomonoestearase activity of Archaeoglobus fulgidus CopA, a thermophilic Cu+ transport ATPase

Membrane transport P-type ATPases display two characteristic enzymatic activities: a principal ATPase activity provides the driving force for ion transport across biological membranes, whereas a promiscuous secondary activity catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters. This last activity is usually denoted as the phosphatase activity of P-ATPases. In the present study, we characterize the phosphatase activity of the Cu(+)-transport ATPase from Archaeglobus fulgidus (Af-CopA) and compare it with the principal ATPase activity. Our results show that the phosphatase turnover number was 20 times higher than that corresponding to the ATPase activity, but it is compensated by a high value of Km, producing a less efficient catalysis for pNPP. This secondary activity is enhanced by Mg(2+) (essential activator) and phospholipids (non-essential activator), and inhibited by salts and Cu(+). Transition state analysis of the catalyzed and noncatalyzed hydrolysis of pNPP indicates that Af-CopA enhances the reaction rates by a factor of 10(5) (ΔΔG(‡)=38 kJ/mol) mainly by reducing the enthalpy of activation (ΔΔH(‡)=30 kJ/mol), whereas the entropy of activation is less negative on the enzyme than in solution. For the ATPase activity, the decrease in the enthalpic component of the barrier is higher (ΔΔH(‡)=39 kJ/mol) and the entropic component is small on both the enzyme and in solution. These results suggest that different mechanisms are involved in the transference of the phosphoryl group of p-nitrophenyl phosphate and ATP.

Histatin 5 uptake by Candida albicans utilizes polyamine transporters Dur3 and Dur31 proteins

Histatin 5 (Hst 5) is a salivary gland-secreted cationic peptide with potent fungicidal activity against Candida albicans. Hst 5 kills fungal cells following intracellular translocation, although its selective transport mechanism is unknown. C. albicans cells grown in the presence of polyamines were resistant to Hst 5 due to reduced intracellular uptake, suggesting that this cationic peptide may enter candidal cells through native yeast polyamine transporters. Based upon homology to known Saccharomyces cerevisiae polyamine permeases, we identified six C. albicans Dur polyamine transporter family members and propose a new nomenclature. Gene deletion mutants were constructed for C. albicans polyamine transporters Dur3, Dur31, Dur33, Dur34, and were tested for Hst 5 sensitivity and uptake of spermidine. We found spermidine uptake and Hst 5 mediated killing were decreased significantly in Δdur3, Δdur31, and Δdur3/Δdur31 strains; whereas a DUR3 overexpression strain increased Hst 5 sensitivity and higher spermidine uptake. Treatment of cells with a spermidine synthase inhibitor increased spermidine uptake and Hst 5 killing, whereas protonophores and cold treatment reduced spermidine uptake. Inhibition assays showed that Hst 5 is a competitive analog of spermidine for uptake into C. albicans cells, and that Hst 5 Ki values were increased by 80-fold in Δdur3/Δdur31 cells. Thus, Dur3p and Dur31p are preferential spermidine transporters used by Hst 5 for its entry into candidal cells. Understanding of polyamine transporter-mediated internalization of Hst 5 provides new insights into the uptake mechanism for C. albicans toxicity, and further suggests design for targeted fungal therapeutic agents.

Testing the versatility of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase reaction cycle when p-nitrophenyl phosphate is the substrate

A detailed characterization of p-nitrophenyl phosphate as energy-donor substrate for the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase was undertaken in this study. The fact that p-nitrophenyl phosphate can be hydrolyzed in the presence or absence of Ca(2+) by the purified enzyme is consistent with the observed phenomenon of intramolecular uncoupling. Under the most favorable conditions, which include neutral pH, intact microsomal vesicles, and low free Ca(2+) in the lumen, the Ca(2+)/P(i) coupling ratio was 0.6. A rise or decrease in pH, high free Ca(2+) in the lumenal space, or the addition of dimethyl sulfoxide increase the intramolecular uncoupling. Alkaline pH and/or high free Ca(2+) in the lumen potentiate the accumulation of enzyme conformations with high Ca(2+) affinity. Acidic pH and/or dimethyl sulfoxide favor the accumulation of enzyme conformations with low Ca(2+) affinity. Under standard assay conditions, two uncoupled routes, together with a coupled route, are operative during the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate in the presence of Ca(2+). The prevalence of any one of the uncoupled catalytic cycles is dependent on the working conditions. The proposed reaction scheme constitutes a general model for understanding the mechanism of intramolecular energy uncoupling.

Mechanistic basis for catalytic activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 3 by extracellular signal-regulated kinase

The dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase MKP3 has been shown to down-regulate mitogenic signaling through dephosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Camps et al. (Camps, M., Nichols, A., Gillieron, C., Antonsson, B., Muda, M., Chabert, C., Boschert, U., and Arkinstall, S. (1998) Science 280, 1262-1265) had demonstrated that ERK binding to the noncatalytic amino-terminal domain of MKP3 can dramatically activate the phosphatase catalytic domain. The physical basis for this activation has not been established. Here, we provide detailed biochemical evidence that ERK activates MKP3 through the stabilization of the active phosphatase conformation, inducing closure of the catalytic "general acid" loop. In the closed conformation, this loop structure can participate efficiently in general acid/base catalysis, substrate binding, and transition-state stabilization. The pH activity profiles of ERK-activated MKP3 clearly indicated the involvement of general acid catalysis, a hallmark of protein-tyrosine phosphatase catalysis. In contrast, unactivated MKP3 did not display this enzymatic group as critical for the low activity form of the enzyme. Using a combination of Brönsted analyses, pre-steady-state and steady-state kinetics, we have isolated all catalytic steps in the reaction and have quantified the specific rate enhancement. Through protonation of the leaving group and transition-state stabilization, activated MKP3 catalyzes formation of the phosphoenzyme intermediate approximately 100-fold faster than unactivated enzyme. In addition, ERK-activated MKP3 catalyzes intermediate hydrolysis 5-6-fold more efficiently and binds ligands up to 19-fold more tightly. Consistent with ERK stabilizing the active conformation of MKP3, the chemical chaperone dimethyl sulfoxide was able to mimic this activation. A general protein-tyrosine phosphatase regulatory mechanism involving the flexible general acid loop is discussed.

Protection against thermal denaturation by trehalose on the plasma membrane H+-ATPase from yeast. Synergetic effect between trehalose and phospholipid environment

Yeast cells have had to develop mechanisms in order to protect themselves from chemical and physical agents of the environment to which they are exposed. One of these physical agents is thermal variation. Some yeast cells are known to accumulate high concentrations of trehalose when submitted to heat shock. In this work, we have studied the effect of trehalose on the protection against thermal inactivation of purified plasma membrane H+-ATPase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, in the solubilized and in the reconstituted state. We observed that after 1 min of incubation at 51 degrees C in the presence of 1 M trehalose, about 50% of soluble enzyme remains active. In the same conditions, but in the absence of trehalose, the activity was completely abolished. The t0.5 for the enzyme inactivation increased from 10 to 50 s after reconstitution into asolectin liposomes. Curiously, in the presence of 1 M trehalose, the t0.5 for inactivation of the reconstituted enzyme was further increased to higher than 300 s, regardless of whether trehalose was added inside or outside the liposome. Additionally, the concentration that confers 50% for the protection by trehalose (K0.5) decreased from 0.5 M, in the solubilized state, to 0.04 M in the reconstituted state, suggesting a synergetic effect between sugar and lipids. Gel electrophoresis revealed that the pattern of H+-ATPase cleavage by trypsin changed when 1 M trehalose was present in the buffer. It is suggested that both in a soluble and in a phospholipid environment, accumulation of trehalose leads to a more heat-stable conformation of the enzyme, probably an E2-like form.

Probing energy coupling in the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase with acetyl phosphate

The energy-rich compound acetyl phosphate (ACP) was examined as a substrate for energy-linked reactions by the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase. The hydrolysis of ACP was sensitive to inhibition by vanadate with an IC50 approximately 1 microM, which is comparable to the level obtained in the presence of ATP. A Km of 8.29 +/- 0.65 mM for the hydrolysis of ACP was approximately 10-fold higher than that obtained for ATP, while Vmax values of 8.66 +/- 0.29 and 7.23 +/- 0.34 micromol Pi mg(-1) min(-1) were obtained with ATP and ACP, respectively. ACP formed a phosphorylated intermediate that was efficiently chased with hydroxylamine. Both ACP and ATP effectively protected the enzyme from trypsin-induced inactivation and formed identical tryptic digestion patterns, suggesting that ACP mimics the formation of conformational intermediates induced by ATP. However, unlike ATP, ACP was unable to drive proton transport by H+-ATPase. In addition, a pma1-S368F mutant enzyme that is highly insensitive to inhibition by vanadate in the presence of ATP was largely sensitive to vanadate in the presence of ACP. These results are interpreted in terms of a reverse, short-circuit pathway of the normal P-type ATPase kinetic pathway, in which the formation of E2P by-passes the E1P high-energy intermediate. In this pathway, ACP favors the formation of an E2P conformational state, which can interact with classical inhibitors like vanadate, but possesses insufficient free energy to drive proton transport by the H+-ATPase.

Alteration in membrane fluidity and lipid composition, and modulation of H(+)-ATPase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae caused by decanoic acid

Decanoic acid, a lipophilic agent, inhibited in vitro the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in YPD medium. Conversely, when decanoic acid (35 microM) was present in the growth medium, the measured H(+)-ATPase activity was four times higher than that of control cells. Km, and pH and orthovanadate sensitivity were the same for the two growth conditions, which indicated that H(+)-ATPase activation was not due to conformational changes in the enzyme. The activation process was not entirely reversible which showed that plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activation is due to several mechanisms. 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene anisotropy performed on protoplasts from cells grown in YPD revealed that as decanoic acid concentration was increased, anisotropy significantly decreased, i.e. membrance fluidity increased. Cells grown in media containing decanoic acid exhibited greater membrane fluidity compared with control cells. Furthermore, these cells did not show any fluidifying effect when increased concentrations of decanoic acid were added. Chemical analysis of cell membrane lipid composition revealed a modification in the distribution of the phospholipid fatty acids and sterols in cells grown in the presence of 35 microM decanoic acid compared with control cells. Our results support the view that the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activation induced by decanoic acid is correlated with an alteration in membrane lipid constituents.