Steady-state measurements of Escherichia coli sodium and proton potentials at alkaline pH support the hypothesis of electrogenic antiport

Respiratory complex I: A dual relation with H(+) and Na(+)?

Respiratory complex I couples NADH:quinone oxidoreduction to ion translocation across the membrane, contributing to the buildup of the transmembrane difference of electrochemical potential. H(+) is well recognized to be the coupling ion of this system but some studies suggested that this role could be also performed by Na(+). We have previously observed NADH-driven Na(+) transport opposite to H(+) translocation by menaquinone-reducing complexes I, which indicated a Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activity in these systems. Such activity was also observed for the ubiquinone-reducing mitochondrial complex I in its deactive form. The relation of Na(+) with complex I may not be surprising since the enzyme has three subunits structurally homologous to bona fide Na(+)/H(+) antiporters and translocation of H(+) and Na(+) ions has been described for members of most types of ion pumps and transporters. Moreover, no clearly distinguishable motifs for the binding of H(+) or Na(+) have been recognized yet. We noticed that in menaquinone-reducing complexes I, less energy is available for ion translocation, compared to ubiquinone-reducing complexes I. Therefore, we hypothesized that menaquinone-reducing complexes I perform Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activity in order to achieve the stoichiometry of 4H(+)/2e(-). In agreement, the organisms that use ubiquinone, a high potential quinone, would have kept such Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activity, only operative under determined conditions. This would imply a physiological role(s) of complex I besides a simple "coupling" of a redox reaction and ion transport, which could account for the sophistication of this enzyme. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Respiratory complex I, edited by Volker Zickermann and Ulrich Brandt.

The role of proton and sodium ions in energy transduction by respiratory complex I

Respiratory complex I plays a central role in energy transduction. It catalyzes the oxidation of NADH and the reduction of quinone, coupled to cation translocation across the membrane, thereby establishing an electrochemical potential. For more than half a century, data on complex I has been gathered, including recently determined crystal structures, yet complex I is the least understood complex of the respiratory chain. The mechanisms of quinone reduction, charge translocation and their coupling are still unknown. The H(+) is accepted to be the coupling ion of the system; however, Na(+) has also been suggested to perform such a role. In this article, we address the relation of those two ions with complex I and refer ion pump and Na(+)/H(+) antiporter as possible transport mechanisms of the system. We put forward a hypothesis to explain some apparently contradictory data on the nature of the coupling ion, and we revisit the role of H(+) and Na(+) cycles in the overall bioenergetics of the cell.

Sodium influence on energy transduction by complexes I from Escherichia coli and Paracoccus denitrificans

The nature of the ions that are translocated by Escherichia coli and Paracoccus denitrificans complexes I was investigated. We observed that E. coli complex I was capable of proton translocation in the same direction to the established deltapsi, showing that in the tested conditions, the coupling ion is the H(+). Furthermore, Na(+) transport to the opposite direction was also observed, and, although Na(+) was not necessary for the catalytic or proton transport activities, its presence increased the latter. We also observed H(+) translocation by P. denitrificans complex I, but in this case, H(+) transport was not influenced by Na(+) and also Na(+) transport was not observed. We concluded that E. coli complex I has two energy coupling sites (one Na(+) independent and the other Na(+) dependent), as previously observed for Rhodothermus marinus complex I, whereas the coupling mechanism of P. denitrificans enzyme is completely Na(+) independent. This work thus shows that complex I energy transduction by proton pumping and Na(+)/H(+) antiporting is not exclusive of the R. marinus enzyme. Nevertheless, the Na(+)/H(+) antiport activity seems not to be a general property of complex I, which may be correlated with the metabolic characteristics of the organisms.

Na+-induced transcription of nhaA, which encodes an Na+/H+ antiporter in Escherichia coli, is positively regulated by nhaR and affected by hns

nhaA encodes an Na+/H+ antiporter in Escherichia coli which is essential for adaptation to high salinity and alkaline pH in the presence of Na+. We used Northern (RNA) analysis to measure directly the cellular levels of nhaA mRNA. NhaR belongs to the LysR family of regulatory proteins. Consistent with our previous data with an nhaA'-'lacZ fusion, NhaR was found to be a positive regulator and Na+ was found to be a specific inducer of nhaA transcription. In the nhaA'-'lacZ fusion, maximal induction was observed at alkaline pH. In contrast, in the nhaA+ strain both the level of nhaA expression and the induction ratio were lower at alkaline pH. This difference may be due to the activity of NhaA in the wild-type strain as NhaA efficiently excreted Na+ at alkaline pH and reduced the intracellular concentration of Na+, the signal for induction. We also showed that although the global regulator rpoS was not involved in nhaA regulation, the global regulator hns played a role. Thus, the expression of nhaA'-'lacZ was derepressed in strains bearing hns mutations and transformation with a low-copy-number plasmid carrying hns repressed expression and restored Na+ induction. The derepression in hns strains was nhaR independent. Most interestingly, multicopy nhaR, which in an hns+ background acted only as an Na+-dependent positive regulator, acted as a repressor in an hns strain in the absence of Na+ but was activated in the presence of the ion. Hence, an interplay between nhaR and hns in the regulation of nhaA was suggested.

K+-dependent Na+ transport driven by respiration in Escherichia coli cells and membrane vesicles

Respiration-driven Na+ transport from Escherichia coli cells and right-side-out membrane vesicles is strictly dependent on K+. Cells from an E. colic mutant deficient in three major K+ transport systems were incapable of accumulating K+ or expelling Na+ unless valinomycin was added. Membrane vesicles from an E. coli mutant from which the genes encoding the two known electrogenic Na+/nH+ antiporters nhaA and nhaB were deleted transported Na+ as well as did vesicles from wild-type cells. Quantitative analysis of Delta psi and Delta pH showed a high driving force for electrogenic Na+/nH+ antiport whether K+ was present or not, although Na+ transport occurred only in its presence. These results suggest that an Na+/nH+ antiporter is not responsible for the Na+ transport. Respiration-driven efflux of Na+ from vesicles was found to be accompanied by primary uphill efflux of K+. Also, no respiration-dependent efflux of K+ was observed in the absence of Na+. Such coupling between Na+ and K+ fluxes may be explained by the operation of an Na+, K+/H+ antiporter previously described in E. coli membrane vesicles (Verkhovskay, M.L., Verkhovsky, M.I. and Wikström, M. (1995) FEBS Lett. 363, 46-48). Active Na+ transport is abolished when delta mu H+ is eliminated by a protonophore, but at low concentrations the protonophore actually accelerated Na+ transport. Such an effect may be expected if the Na+, K+/H+ antiporter normally operates in tight conjunction with respiratory chain complexes, thus exhibiting some phenomenological properties of a primary redox-linked sodium pump.

MH1, a second-site revertant of an Escherichia coli mutant lacking Na+/H+ antiporters (delta nhaA delta nhaB), regains Na+ resistance and a capacity to excrete Na+ in a delta microH(+)-independent fashion

The Escherichia coli mutant delta nhaA delta nhaB (EP432), which lacks the two specific Na+/H+ antiporter genes, is incapable of efficiently excreting Na+. Accordingly at low K+ (6 mM) medium, its intracellular Na+ concentration is only slightly lower (1.5-2x) than the extracellular concentration (50 mM), explaining the high sensitivity to Na+ (> or = 30 mM) of the mutant. This Na+ sensitivity is shown to be a powerful selection for spontaneous second-site suppressor mutations that allow growth on high Na+ (< or = 0.6 M) with a rate similar to that of the wild type. One such mutation, MH1, maps at 25.7 min on the E. coli chromosome. It confers Na+ but not Li+ resistance upon delta nhaA delta nhaB cells and exposes a Na(+)-excreting capacity, maintaining a Na+ gradient of about 8-10 (at 50 mM extracellular Na+), which is similar to that of the wild type. Although lower, Na+ excretion capacity is also observed in the delta nhaA delta nhaB mutant when grown in medium containing higher K+ (70 mM). This capacity is accompanied with a shift in the sensitivity of the mutant to higher Na+ concentrations (> or = 300 mM). Whereas Na+ excretion by a wild type carrying delta unc is uncoupler sensitive, that of MH1 delta unc is dependent on respiration in an uncoupler-insensitive fashion. It is concluded that under some conditions (high K+ in the medium or in MH1-like mutants), a primary pump driven by respiration is responsible for Na+ extrusion when the Na+/H+ antiporters are not active.

pH dependence and gene structure of inaA in Escherichia coli

The weak-acid-inducible locus inaA in Escherichia coli was mapped to 48.6 min by P1 cotransduction of inaA Mud lac fusions and linked Tn10 insertions. The inaA1::lac fusion tested negative for phenotypes characteristic of mutations in the nearby locus ubiG. Sequence analysis of a fragment amplified by polymerase chain reaction located the inaA1::lac fusion joint within an open reading frame 311 nucleotides downstream of nrdB, transcribed in the opposite direction, encoding a 168-amino-acid polypeptide. Constitutive mutant strains identified on lactose MacConkey revealed a novel regulatory locus unlinked to inaA, which mapped at 34 min (designated inaR). Expression of inaA1::lac increased slightly with external acidification; the presence of benzoate, a membrane-permeant weak acid, greatly increased the acid effect. The expression at various combinations of benzoate and external pH correlated with the decrease in intracellular pH. The uncouplers salicylate and dinitrophenol also caused acid-dependent induction of inaA, but substantial induction was seen at external pH values higher than the internal pH; this effect cannot be caused by internal acidification. Nondissociating analogs of benzoate and salicylate, benzyl alcohol and salicyl alcohol, did not induce inaA. Expression of inaA was inversely related to growth temperature over the range of 30 to 45 degrees C. The inaA1::lac fusion was transferred to a strain defective for K+ uptake (kdpABC trkA trkD) in which pH homeostasis was shown to depend on the external K+ concentration. In this construct, inaA1::lac retained pH-dependent induction by benzoate but was not induced at low K+ concentrations. Induction of inaA appears to involve several factors in addition to internal pH. inaR may be related to the nearby locus marA/soxQ, which is inducible by acidic benzyl derivatives.

The ATPase of Bacillus alcalophilus. Reconstitution of energy-transducing functions

The purified ATPase of Bacillus alcalophilus (F1F0) was reconstituted into proteoliposomes by gradual removal of the detergent Triton X-100 with Amberlite XAD-2. The reconstitution was apparently highly asymmetric with nearly 100% of the F1 portion of the ATPase becoming oriented to the outside. Similar to results obtained with the soluble enzyme, the membrane-bound ATPase required Mg2+ and methanol for maximum activity. With Ca2+ or Mg2+ without methanol, 25% and 1%, respectively, of the maximum activity were observed. The ATPase was unable to pump Na+ ions but catalyzed the translocation of protons into the reconstituted proteoliposomes. Optimum proton translocation required the presence of Mg2+, not Ca2+, as divalent metal ion. The proton pump was inhibited by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, venturicidin and NaN3. On incubation of the reconstituted ATPase with [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, subunit c of the enzyme complex became specifically labeled. The proteoliposomes catalyzed the Mg2(+)-dependent incorporation of [32P]phosphate into ATP by ATP/[32P]phosphate exchange. This exchange was little affected by monensin, but was completely abolished by the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Protons and not Na+ are thus the coupling ions of the ATPase of B. alcalophilus.