Functional characterization of the uncoupler-insensitive Na+ pump of the halotolerant bacterium, Ba1

Potassium resistance of halotolerant and alkaliphilic Halomonas sp. Y2 by a Na+-induced K+ extrusion mechanism

In most halophiles, K⁺ generally acts as a major osmotic solute for osmotic adjustment and pH homeostasis. However, strains also need to extrude excessive intracellular K⁺ to avoid its toxicity. In the halotolerant and alkaliphilic Halomonas sp. Y2, an Na⁺-induced K⁺ extrusion process was observed when the cells were confronted with high extracellular K⁺ pressure and supplementation by millimolar Na⁺ ions. Among three mechanosensitive channels (KefA) and two K⁺/H⁺ antiporters founded in the genome of the strain, ke1 displayed around 3-5-fold upregulation to ion stress at pH 8.0, while much higher upregulation of Ha-mrp was observed at pH 10.0. Compared to the growth of wild-type Halomonas sp. Y2, deletion of these genes from the strain resulted in different growth phenotypes in response to the osmotic pressure of potassium. In combination with the transcriptional response of these genes, we proposed that the KefA channel of Ke1 is the main contributor to the K⁺-extrusion process under weak alkalinity, while the Mrp system plays critical roles in alleviating K⁺ contents at high pH. The combination of these strategies allows Halomonas sp. Y2 to grow over a range of extracellular pH and ion concentrations, and thus protect cells under high osmotic stress conditions.

Recent progress in the Na(+)-translocating NADH-quinone reductase from the marine Vibrio alginolyticus

The respiratory chain of Gram-negative marine and halophilic bacteria has a Na(+)-dependent NADH-quinone reductase that functions as a primary Na(+) pump. The Na(+)-translocating NADH-quinone reductase (NQR) from the marine Vibrio alginolyticus is composed of six structural genes (nqrA to nqrF). The NqrF subunit has non-covalently bound FAD. There are conflicting results on the existence of other flavin cofactors. Recent studies revealed that the NqrB and NqrC subunits have a covalently bound flavin, possibly FMN, which is attached to a specified threonine residue. A novel antibiotic, korormicin, was found to specifically inhibit the NQR complex. From the homology search of the nqr operon, it was found that the Na(+)-pumping NQR complex is widely distributed among Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria.

Redundancy of aerobic respiratory chains in bacteria? Routes, reasons and regulation

Bacteria are the most remarkable organisms in the biosphere, surviving and growing in environments that support no other life forms. Underlying this ability is a flexible metabolism controlled by a multitude of environmental sensors and regulators of gene expression. It is not surprising, therefore, that bacterial respiration is complex and highly adaptable: virtually all bacteria have multiple, branched pathways for electron transfer from numerous low-potential reductants to several terminal electron acceptors. Such pathways, particularly those involved in anaerobic respiration, may involve periplasmic components, but the respiratory apparatus is largely membrane-bound and organized such that electron flow is coupled to proton (or sodium ion) transport, generating a protonmotive force. It has long been supposed that the multiplicity of pathways serves to provide flexibility in the face of environmental stresses, but the existence of apparently redundant pathways for electrons to a single acceptor, say dioxygen, is harder to explain. Clues have come from studying the expression of oxidases in response to growth conditions, the phenotypes of mutants lacking one or more oxidases, and biochemical characterization of individual oxidases. Terminal oxidases that share the essential properties of substrate (cytochrome c or quinol) oxidation, dioxygen reduction and, in some cases, proton translocation, differ in subunit architecture and complement of redox centres. Perhaps more significantly, they differ in their affinities for oxidant and reductant, mode of regulation, and inhibitor sensitivity; these differences to some extent rationalize the presence of multiple oxidases. However, intriguing requirements for particular functions in certain physiological functions remain unexplained. For example, a large body of evidence demonstrates that cytochrome bd is essential for growth and survival under certain conditions. In this review, the physiological basis of the many phenotypes of Cyd-mutants is explored, particularly the requirement for this oxidase in diazotrophy, growth at low protonmotive force, survival in the stationary phase, and resistance to oxidative stress and Fe(III) chelators.

Biology of moderately halophilic aerobic bacteria

The moderately halophilic heterotrophic aerobic bacteria form a diverse group of microorganisms. The property of halophilism is widespread within the bacterial domain. Bacterial halophiles are abundant in environments such as salt lakes, saline soils, and salted food products. Most species keep their intracellular ionic concentrations at low levels while synthesizing or accumulating organic solutes to provide osmotic equilibrium of the cytoplasm with the surrounding medium. Complex mechanisms of adjustment of the intracellular environments and the properties of the cytoplasmic membrane enable rapid adaptation to changes in the salt concentration of the environment. Approaches to the study of genetic processes have recently been developed for several moderate halophiles, opening the way toward an understanding of haloadaptation at the molecular level. The new information obtained is also expected to contribute to the development of novel biotechnological uses for these organisms.

Description of two new species of Halomonas: Halomonas israelensis sp.nov. and Halomonas canadensis sp.nov

Six well-known strains of halotolerant bacteria, including two strains previously identified only as NRCC 41227 and Ba1, have been compared using 125 phenotypic characters and DNA-DNA hybridization. Although these strains represent some of the most heavily studied salt-tolerant bacteria, they have never been taxonomically compared. The data presented show that these bacteria form a relatively homogeneous group related at the genus level. The taxonomic comparison showed that these six organisms represented four distinct species all related above the 65% Jaccard coefficient level. In addition to two previously identified bacterial species, Halomonas elongata (ATCC 33173T) and Halomonas halodurans (ATCC 29686T), the strains included in this study represent two previously unnamed Halomonas species. These two new taxa have been assigned the names Halomonas israelensis (ATCC 43985T) and Halomonas canadensis (NRCC 41227T = ATCC 43984). DNA-DNA hybridization show that these two species are related to the type species H. elongata at 54.9 and 48.9%, respectively.

Na(+)-translocating NADH-quinone reductase of marine and halophilic bacteria

The respiratory chain of marine and moderately halophilic bacteria requires Na+ for maximum activity, and the site of Na(+)-dependent activation is located in the NADH-quinone reductase segment. The Na(+)-dependent NADH-quinone reductase purified from marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus is composed of three subunits, alpha, beta, and gamma, with apparent M(r) of 52, 46, and 32 kDa, respectively. The FAD-containing beta-subunit reacts with NADH and reduces ubiquinone-1 (Q-1) by a one-electron transfer pathway to produce ubisemiquinones. In the presence of the FMN-containing alpha-subunit and the gamma-subunit, Q-1 is converted to ubiquinol-1 without the accumulation of free radicals. The reaction catalyzed by the alpha-subunit is strictly dependent on Na+ and is strongly inhibited by 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO), which is tightly coupled to the electrogenic extrusion of Na+. A similar type of Na(+)-translocating NADH-quinone reductase is widely distributed among marine and moderately halophilic bacteria. The respiratory chain of V. alginolyticus contains another NADH-quinone reductase which is Na+ independent and has no energy-transducing capacity. These two types of NADH-quinone reductase are quite different with respect to their mode of quinone reduction and their sensitivity toward NADH preincubation.

Energy transduction in the methanogen Methanococcus voltae is based on a sodium current

We provide experimental support for the proposal that ATP production in Methanococcus voltae, a methanogenic member of the archaea, is based on an energetic system in which sodium ions, not protons, are the coupling ions. We show that when grown at a pH of 6.0, 7.1, or 8.2, M. voltae cells maintain a membrane potential of approximately -150 mV. The cells maintain a transmembrane pH gradient (pH(in) - pH(out)) of -0.1, -0.2, and -0.2, respectively, values not favorable to the inward movement of protons. The cells maintain a transmembrane sodium concentration gradient (sodium(out)/sodium(in)) of 1.2, 3.4, and 11.6, respectively. While the protonophore 3,3',4',5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide inhibits ATP formation in cells grown at pH 6.5, neither ATP formation nor growth is inhibited in cells grown in medium at pH 8.2. We show that when grown at pH 8.2, cells synthesize ATP in the absence of a favorably oriented proton motive force. Whether grown at pH 6.5 or pH 8.2, M. voltae extrudes Na+ via a primary pump whose activity does not depend on a proton motive force. The addition of protons to the cells leads to a harmaline-sensitive efflux of Na+ and vice versa, indicating the presence of Na+/H+ antiporter activity and, thus, a second mechanism for the translocation of Na+ across the cell membrane. M. voltae contains a membrane component that is immunologically related to the H(+)-translocating ATP synthase of the archaeabacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Since we demonstrated that ATP production can be driven by an artificially imposed membrane potential only in the presence of sodium ions, we propose that ATP production in M. voltae is mediated by an Na+-translocating ATP synthase whose function is coupled to a sodium motive force that is generated through a primary Na+ pump.

A cytochrome that can pump sodium ion

Previous studies have shown that the bacterium, Vitreoscilla, generates a respiratory-driven delta psi Na+. Two major respiratory electron transport proteins, NADH dehydrogenase (NADH:Quinone oxidoreductase), and cytochrome o terminal oxidase are candidates for the electrogenic Na+ pumping that mediates the delta psi Na+ formation. The NADH oxidase activity of the membranes was enhanced more by Na+ than by Li+. The NADH:Quinone oxidoreductase activity in the respiratory chain was enhanced by Na+ and Li+, whereas the quinol oxidase activity of cytochrome o was enhanced specifically by Na+, and not by Li+, K+, or choline. Purified cytochrome o, reconstituted into Na(+)-loaded liposomes in the right-side-out orientation, catalyzed a net Na+ extrusion when energized with Q1H2(1). In nonloaded inside-out proteoliposomes, this cytochrome catalyzed a net uptake of 22Na+ when energized with ascorbate/TMPD. Both Na(+)-pumping activities were inhibited by CN-. These results are consistent with the Vitreoscilla cytochrome o being a redox-driven Na+ pump.

Respiratory Na+ pump and Na+-dependent energetics in Vibrio alginolyticus

The marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus was found to possess the respiratory Na+ pump that generates an electrochemical potential of Na+, which plays a central role in bioenergetics of V. alginolyticus, as a direct result of respiration. Mutants defective in the Na+ pump revealed that one of the two kinds of NADH: quinone oxidoreductase requires Na+ for activity and functions as the Na+ pump. The Na+ pump composed of three subunits was purified and reconstituted into liposomes. Generation of membrane potential by the reconstituted proteoliposomes required Na+. The respiratory Na+ pump coupled to the NADH: quinone oxidoreductase was found in wide varieties of Gram-negative marine bacteria belonging to the genera Alcaligenes, Alteromonas, and Vibrio, and showed a striking similarity in the mode of electron transfer and enzymic properties. Na+ extrusion seemed to be coupled to a dismutation reaction, which leads to the formation of quinol and quinone from semiquinone radical.

The sodium cycle: a novel type of bacterial energetics

The progress of bioenergetic studies on the role of Na+ in bacteria is reviewed. Experiments performed over the past decade on several bacterial species of quite different taxonomic positions show that Na+ can, under certain conditions, substitute for H+ as the coupling ion. Various primary Na+ pumps (delta mu Na+ generators) are described, i.e., Na+ -motive decarboxylases, NADH-quinone reductase, terminal oxidase, and ATPase. The delta mu Na+ formed is shown to be consumed by Na+ driven ATP-synthase, Na+ flagellar motor, numerous Na+, solute symporters, and the methanogenesis-linked reverse electron transfer system. In Vibrio alginolyticus, it was found that delta mu Na+, generated by NADH-quinone reductase, can be utilized to support all three types of membrane-linked work, i.e., chemical (ATP synthesis), osmotic (Na+, solute symports), and mechanical (rotation of the flagellum). In Propionigenum modestum, circulation of Na+ proved to be the only mechanism of energy coupling. In other species studied, the Na+ cycle seems to coexist with the H+ cycle. For instance, in V. alginolyticus the initial and terminal steps of the respiratory chain are Na+ - and H+ -motive, respectively, whereas ATP hydrolysis is competent in the uphill transfer of Na+ as well as of H+. In the alkalo- and halotolerant Bacillus FTU, there are H+ - and Na+ -motive terminal oxidases. Sometimes, the Na+ -translocating enzyme strongly differs from its H+ -translocating homolog. So, the Na+ -motive and H+ -motive NADH-quinone reductases are composed of different subunits and prosthetic groups. The H+ -motive and Na+ -motive terminal oxidases differ in that the former is of aa3-type and sensitive to micromolar cyanide whereas the latter is of another type and sensitive to millimolar cyanide. At the same time, both Na+ and H+ can be translocated by one and the same P. modestum ATPase which is of the F0F1-type and sensitive to DCCD. The sodium cycle, i.e., a system composed of primary delta mu Na+ generator(s) and delta mu Na+ consumer(s), is already described in many species of marine aerobic and anaerobic eubacteria and archaebacteria belonging to the following genera: Vibrio, Bacillus, Alcaligenes, Alteromonas, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Propionigenum, Clostridium, Veilonella, Acidaminococcus, Streptococcus, Peptococcus, Exiguobacterium, Fusobacterium, Methanobacterium, Methanococcus, Methanosarcina, etc. Thus, the "sodium world" seems to occupy a rather extensive area in the biosphere.

The Na+ cycle of extreme alkalophiles: a secondary Na+/H+ antiporter and Na+/solute symporters

Extremely alkalophilic bacteria that grow optimally at pH 10.5 and above are generally aerobic bacilli that grow at mesophilic temperatures and moderate salt levels. The adaptations to alkalophily in these organisms may be distinguished from responses to combined challenges of high pH together with other stresses such as salinity or anaerobiosis. These alkalophiles all possess a simple and physiologically crucial Na+ cycle that accomplishes the key task of pH homeostasis. An electrogenic, secondary Na+/H+ antiporter is energized by the electrochemical proton gradient formed by the proton-pumping respiratory chain. The antiporter facilitates maintenance of a pHin that is two or more pH units lower than pHout at optimal pH values for growth. It also largely converts the initial electrochemical proton gradient formed by respiration into an electrochemical sodium gradient that energizes motility as well as a plethora of Na+ solute symporters. These symporters catalyze solute accumulation and, importantly, reentry of Na+. The extreme nonmarine alkalophiles exhibit no primary sodium pumping dependent upon either respiration or ATP. ATP synthesis is not part of their Na+ cycle. Rather, the specific details of oxidative phosphorylation in these organisms are an interesting analogue of the same process in mitochondria, and may utilize some common features to optimize energy transduction.

Sodium-transport NADH-quinone reductase of a marine Vibrio alginolyticus

The respiratory chain of a marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus, required Na+ for maximum activity, and the site of Na+ -dependent activation was localized on the NADH-quinone reductase segment. The Na+ -dependent NADH-quinone reductase extruded Na+ as a direct result of redox reaction. It was composed of three subunits, alpha, beta, and gamma, with apparent Mr of 52, 46, and 32 KDa, respectively. The reduction of ubiquinone-1 to ubiquinol proceeded via ubisemiquinone radicals. The former reaction was catalyzed by the FAD-containing beta subunit. This reaction showed no specific requirement for Na+. For the formation of ubiquinol, the presence of the gamma subunit and the FMN-containing alpha subunit was essential. The latter reaction specifically required Na+ for activity and was strongly inhibited by 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide. It was assigned to the coupling site for Na+ transport. The mode of energy coupling of redox-driven Na+ pump was compared with those of decarboxylase- and ATP-driven Na+ pumps found in other bacteria.

Bacterial Na+ energetics

Novel observations related to the Na+-linked energy transduction in bacterial membranes are considered. It is concluded that besides the well-known systems based on the circulation of protons, there are those based on the circulation of Na+. In some cases, H+ and Na+ cycles co-exist in one and the same membrane. Representatives of the 'sodium world', i.e. cells possessing primary Na+ pumps (delta mu Na generators and consumers) are found in many genera of bacteria. Among the delta mu Na generators, one should mention Na+-NADH-quinone reductase and Na+-terminal oxidase of the respiratory chain, Na+-decarboxylases and Na+-ATPases. For delta mu Na consumers, there are Na+-ATP-synthases, Na+-metabolite symporters and Na+ motors. Sometimes, one and the same enzyme can transport H+ or, alternatively, Na+. For instance, an Na+-ATP-synthase of the F0F1 type translocates H+ when Na+ is absent. Employment of the Na+ cycle, apart from or instead of the H+ cycle, increases the resistance of bacteria to alkaline or protonophore-containing media and, apparently, to some other unfavourable conditions.

A primary respiratory Na+ pump of an anaerobic bacterium: the Na+-dependent NADH:quinone oxidoreductase of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Membranes of Klebsiella pneumoniae, grown anaerobically on citrate, contain a NADH oxidase activity that is activated specifically by Na+ or Li+ ions and effectively inhibited by 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide (HQNO). Cytochromes b and d were present in the membranes, and the steady state reduction level of cytochrome b increased on NaCl addition. Inverted bacterial membrane vesicles accumulated Na+ ions upon NADH oxidation. Na+ uptake was completely inhibited by monensin and by HQNO and slightly stimulated by carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxy phenylhydrazone (FCCP), thus indicating the operation of a primary Na+ pump. A Triton extract of the bacterial membranes did not catalyze NADH oxidation by O2, but by ferricyanide or menadione in a Na+-independent manner. The Na+-dependent NADH oxidation by O2 was restored by adding ubiquinone-1 in micromolar concentrations. After inhibition of the terminal oxidase with KCN, ubiquinol was formed from ubiquinone-1 and NADH. The reaction was stimulated about 6-fold by 10 mM NaCl and was severely inhibited by low amounts of HQNO. Superoxide radicals were formed during electron transfer from NADH to ubiquinone-1. These radicals disappeared by adding NaCl, but not with NaCl and HQNO. It is suggested that the superoxide radicals arise from semiquinone radicals which are formed by one electron reduction of quinone in a Na+-independent reaction sequence and then dismutase in a Na+ and HQNO sensitive reaction to quinone and quinol. The mechanism of the respiratory Na+ pump of K. pneumoniae appears to be quite similar to that of Vibrio alginolyticus.

Sensitivity of some marine bacteria, a moderate halophile, and Escherichia coli to uncouplers at alkaline pH

The inhibitory effects of uncouplers on amino acid transport into three marine bacteria, Vibrio alginolyticus 118, Vibrio parahaemolyticus 113, and Alteromonas haloplanktis 214, into a moderate halophile, Vibrio costicola NRC 37001, and into Escherichia coli K-12 were found to vary depending upon the uncoupler tested, its concentration, and the pH. Higher concentrations of all of the uncouplers were required to inhibit transport at pH 8.5 than at pH 7.0. The protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone showed the greatest reduction in inhibitory capacity as the pH was increased, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone showed less reduction, and 3,3',4',5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide was almost as effective as an inhibitor of amino acid transport at pH 8.5 as at pH 7.0 for all of the organisms except A. haloplanktis 214. Differences between the protonophores in their relative activities at pHs 7.0 and 8.5 were attributed to differences in their pK values. 3,3',4',5-Tetrachlorosalicylanilide, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide, and NaCN all inhibited Na+ extrusion from Na+-loaded cells of V. alginolyticus 118 at pH 8.5. The results support the conclusion that Na+ extrusion from this organism at pH 8.5 occurs as a result of Na+/H+ antiport activity. Data are presented indicating the presence in V. alginolyticus 118 of an NADH oxidase which is stimulated by Na+ at pH 8.5.

The bioenergetics of alkalophilic bacilli

A summary, cum speculation, of the major bioenergetic characteristics of alkalophilic bacilli is presented in Figure 5. Further progress will depend heavily on the purification and characterization of the relevant proteins that catalyze the ion fluxes and on the development of much more potent genetic approaches to the outstanding issues of this interesting group of bacteria.

Sodium ion transport decarboxylases and other aspects of sodium ion cycling in bacteria

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