The conserved histidine 295 does not contribute to proton cotransport by the glutamate transporter EAAC1

Mechanism and potential sites of potassium interaction with glutamate transporters

In the mammalian glutamate transporters, countertransported intracellular K⁺ is essential for relocating the glutamate binding site to the extracellular side of the membrane. This K⁺-dependent process is believed to be rate limiting for the transport cycle. In contrast, extracellular K⁺ induces glutamate release upon transporter reversal. Here, we analyzed potential K⁺ binding sites using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and site-directed mutagenesis. Two candidate sites were identified by spontaneous K⁺ binding in MD simulations, one site (K1 site) overlapping with the Na1 Na⁺ binding site and the K2 site being localized under hairpin loop 2 (HP2). Mutations to conserved amino acid residues in these sites resulted in several transporters that were defective in K⁺-induced reverse transport and which bound K⁺ with reduced apparent affinity compared with the wild-type transporter. However, external K⁺ interaction was abolished in only one mutant transporter EAAC1_D454A in the K1 site. Our results, for the first time, directly demonstrate effects of K1-site mutations on K⁺ binding, in contrast to previous reports on K⁺ binding sites based on indirect evidence. We propose that K⁺ binding to the K1 site is responsible for catalyzing the relocation step, whereas binding to the K2 site may have an as-of-yet unidentified regulatory function.

Allosteric gate modulation confers K+ coupling in glutamate transporters

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) mediate glial and neuronal glutamate uptake to terminate synaptic transmission and to ensure low resting glutamate concentrations. Effective glutamate uptake is achieved by cotransport with 3 Na⁺ and 1 H⁺, in exchange with 1 K⁺. The underlying principles of this complex transport stoichiometry remain poorly understood. We use molecular dynamics simulations and electrophysiological experiments to elucidate how mammalian EAATs harness K⁺ gradients, unlike their K⁺‐independent prokaryotic homologues. Glutamate transport is achieved via elevator‐like translocation of the transport domain. In EAATs, glutamate‐free re‐translocation is prevented by an external gate remaining open until K⁺ binding closes and locks the gate. Prokaryotic Glt_Ph contains the same K⁺‐binding site, but the gate can close without K⁺. Our study provides a comprehensive description of K⁺‐dependent glutamate transport and reveals a hitherto unknown allosteric coupling mechanism that permits adaptions of the transport stoichiometry without affecting ion or substrate binding.

Molecular dynamics simulations elucidate the mechanism of proton transport in the glutamate transporter EAAT3

The uptake of glutamate in nerve synapses is carried out by the excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), involving the cotransport of a proton and three Na(+) ions and the countertransport of a K(+) ion. In this study, we use an EAAT3 homology model to calculate the pKa of several titratable residues around the glutamate binding site to locate the proton carrier site involved in the translocation of the substrate. After identifying E374 as the main candidate for carrying the proton, we calculate the protonation state of this residue in different conformations of EAAT3 and with different ligands bound. We find that E374 is protonated in the fully bound state, but removing the Na2 ion and the substrate reduces the pKa of this residue and favors the release of the proton to solution. Removing the remaining Na(+) ions again favors the protonation of E374 in both the outward- and inward-facing states, hence the proton is not released in the empty transporter. By calculating the pKa of E374 with a K(+) ion bound in three possible sites, we show that binding of the K(+) ion is necessary for the release of the proton in the inward-facing state. This suggests a mechanism in which a K(+) ion replaces one of the ligands bound to the transporter, which may explain the faster transport rates of the EAATs compared to its archaeal homologs.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the mammalian glutamate transporter EAAT3

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are membrane proteins that enable sodium-coupled uptake of glutamate and other amino acids into neurons. Crystal structures of the archaeal homolog GltPh have been recently determined both in the inward- and outward-facing conformations. Here we construct homology models for the mammalian glutamate transporter EAAT3 in both conformations and perform molecular dynamics simulations to investigate its similarities and differences from GltPh. In particular, we study the coordination of the different ligands, the gating mechanism and the location of the proton and potassium binding sites in EAAT3. We show that the protonation of the E374 residue is essential for binding of glutamate to EAAT3, otherwise glutamate becomes unstable in the binding site. The gating mechanism in the inward-facing state of EAAT3 is found to be different from that of GltPh, which is traced to the relocation of an arginine residue from the HP1 segment in GltPh to the TM8 segment in EAAT3. Finally, we perform free energy calculations to locate the potassium binding site in EAAT3, and find a high-affinity site that overlaps with the Na1 and Na3 sites in GltPh.

Yeast nutrient transceptors provide novel insight in the functionality of membrane transporters

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae several nutrient transporters have been identified that possess an additional function as nutrient receptor. These transporters are induced when yeast cells are starved for their substrate, which triggers entry into stationary phase and acquirement of a low protein kinase A (PKA) phenotype. Re-addition of the lacking nutrient triggers exit from stationary phase and sudden activation of the PKA pathway, the latter being mediated by the nutrient transceptors. At the same time, the transceptors are ubiquitinated, endocytosed and sorted to the vacuole for breakdown. Investigation of the signaling function of the transceptors has provided a new read-out and new tools for gaining insight into the functionality of transporters. Identification of amino acid residues that bind co-transported ions in symporters has been challenging because the inactivation of transport by site-directed mutagenesis is not conclusive with respect to the cause of the inactivation. The discovery of nontransported agonists of the signaling function in transceptors has shown that transport is not required for signaling. Inactivation of transport with maintenance of signaling in transceptors supports that a true proton-binding residue was mutagenised. Determining the relationship between transport and induction of endocytosis has also been challenging, since inactivation of transport by mutagenesis easily causes loss of all affinity for the substrate. The use of analogues with different combinations of transport and signaling capacities has revealed that transport, ubiquitination and endocytosis can be uncoupled in several unexpected ways. The results obtained are consistent with transporters undergoing multiple substrate-induced conformational changes, which allow interaction with different accessory proteins to trigger specific downstream events.

Electrophysiological characterization of membrane transport proteins

Active transport in biological membranes has been traditionally studied using a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques, including electrophysiology. This review focuses on aspects of electrophysiological methods that make them particularly suited for the investigation of transporter function. Two major approaches to electrical recording of transporter activity are discussed: (a) artificial planar lipid membranes, such as the black lipid membrane and solid supported membrane, which are useful for studies on bacterial transporters and transporters of intracellular compartments, and (b) patch clamp and voltage clamp techniques, which investigate transporters in native cellular membranes. The analytical power of these methods is highlighted by several examples of mechanistic studies of specific membrane proteins, including cytochrome c oxidase, NhaA Na(+)/H(+) exchanger, ClC-7 H(+)/Cl(-) exchanger, glutamate transporters, and neutral amino acid transporters. These examples reveal the wealth of mechanistic information that can be obtained when electrophysiological methods are used in combination with rapid perturbation approaches.

Evidence that highly conserved residues of transmembrane segment 6 of Escherichia coli MntH are important for transport activity

Nramp (natural resistance-associated macrophage protein) family members have been characterized in mammals, yeast, and bacteria as divalent metal ion/H(+) symporters. In previous work, a bioinformatic approach was used for the identification of residues that are conserved within the Nramp family [Haemig, H. A., and Brooker, R. J. (2004) J. Membr. Biol. 201 (2), 97-107]. On the basis of site-directed mutagenesis of highly conserved negatively charged residues, a model was proposed for the metal binding site of the Escherichia coli homologue, MntH. In this study, we have focused on the highly conserved residues, including two histidines, of transmembrane segment 6 (TMS-6). Multiple mutants were made at the eight conserved sites (i.e., Gly-205, Ala-206, Met-209, Pro-210, His-211, Leu-215, His-216, and Ser-217) in TMS-6 of E. coli MntH. Double mutants involving His-211 and His-216 were also created. The results indicate the side chain volume of these residues is critically important for function. In most cases, only substitutions that are closest in side chain volume still permit transport. In addition, the K(m) for metal binding is largely unaffected by mutations in TMS-6, whereas V(max) values were decreased in all mutants characterized kinetically. Thus, these residues do not appear to play a role in metal binding. Instead, they may comprise an important face on TMS-6 that is critical for protein conformational changes during transport. Also, in contrast to other studies, our data do not strongly indicate that the conserved histidine residues play a role in the pH regulation of metal transport.

The functional roles of the His247 and His281 residues in folate and proton translocation mediated by the human proton-coupled folate transporter SLC46A1

This report addresses the functional role of His residues in the proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT; SLC46A1), which mediates intestinal folate absorption. Of ten His residues, only H247A and H281A mutations altered function. The folic acid influx Kt at pH 5.5 for H247A was downward arrow 8.4-fold. Although wild type (WT)-PCFT Ki values varied among the folates, Ki values were much lower and comparable for H247-A, -R, -Q, or -E mutants. Homology modeling localized His247 to the large loop separating transmembrane domains 6 and 7 at the cytoplasmic entrance of the translocation pathway in hydrogen-bond distance to Ser172. The folic acid influx Kt for S172A-PCFT was decreased similar to H247A. His281 faces the extracellular region in the seventh transmembrane domain. H281A-PCFT results in loss-of-function due to approximately 12-fold upward arrow in the folic acid influx Kt. When the pH was decreased from 5.5 to 4.5, the WT-PCFT folic acid influx Kt was unchanged, but the Kt decreased 4-fold for H281A. In electrophysiological studies in Xenopus oocytes, both WT-PCFT- and H281A-PCFT-mediated folic acid uptake produced current and acidification, and both exhibited a low level of folate-independent proton transport (slippage). Slippage was markedly increased for the H247A-PCFT mutant. The data suggest that disruption of the His247 to Ser172 interaction results in a PCFT conformational alteration causing a loss of selectivity, increased substrate access to a high affinity binding pocket, and proton transport in the absence of a folate gradient. The His281 residue is not essential for proton coupling but plays an important role in PCFT protonation, which, in turn, augments folate binding to the carrier.

Two conformational changes are associated with glutamate translocation by the glutamate transporter EAAC1

Glutamate is transported across membranes by means of a carrier mechanism that is thought to require conformational changes of the transport protein. In this work, we have determined the thermodynamic parameters of glutamate and the Na+ binding steps to their extracellular binding sites along with the activation parameters of rapid, glutamate-induced processes in the transport cycle by analyzing the temperature dependence of glutamate transport at steady state and pre-steady state. Our results suggest that glutamate binding to the transporter is driven by a negative reaction enthalpy (DeltaH0 = -33 kJ/mol), whereas the tighter binding of the non-transportable inhibitor TBOA is caused by an additional increase in entropy. Processes linked to the binding of glutamate and Na+ to the transporter are associated with low activation barriers, indicative of diffusion-controlled reactions. The activation enthalpies of two processes in the glutamate translocation branch of the transport cycle were DeltaH++ = 95 kJ/mol and DeltaH++ = 120 kJ/mol, respectively. Such large values of DeltaH++ suggest that these processes are rate-limited by conformational changes of the transporter. We also found a large activation barrier for steady-state glutamate transport, which is rate-limited by the K+-dependent relocation of the empty transporter. Together, these results suggest that two conformational changes accompany glutamate translocation and at least one conformational change accompanies the relocation of the empty transporter. We interpret the data with an alternating access model that includes the closing and opening of an extracellular and an intracellular gate, respectively, in analogy to a hypothetical model proposed previously on the basis of the crystal structure of the bacterial glutamate transporter GltPh.

Evidence for allosteric regulation of pH-sensitive System A (SNAT2) and System N (SNAT5) amino acid transporter activity involving a conserved histidine residue

System A and N amino acid transporters are key effectors of movement of amino acids across the plasma membrane of mammalian cells. These Na+-dependent transporters of the SLC38 gene family are highly sensitive to changes in pH within the physiological range, with transport markedly depressed at pH 7.0. We have investigated the possible role of histidine residues in the transporter proteins in determining this pH-sensitivity. The histidine-modifying agent DEPC (diethyl pyrocarbonate) markedly reduces the pH-sensitivity of SNAT2 and SNAT5 transporters (representative isoforms of System A and N respectively, overexpressed in Xenopus oocytes) in a concentration-dependent manner but does not completely inactivate transport activity. These effects of DEPC were reversed by hydroxylamine and partially blocked in the presence of excess amino acid substrate. DEPC treatment also blocked a reduction in apparent affinity for Na+ (K0.5Na+) of the SNAT2 transporter at low external pH. Mutation of the highly conserved C-terminal histidine residue to alanine in either SNAT2 (H504A) or SNAT5 (H471A) produced a transport phenotype exhibiting reduced, DEPC-resistant pH-sensitivity with no change in K0.5Na+ at low external pH. We suggest that the pH-sensitivity of these structurally related transporters results at least partly from a common allosteric mechanism influencing Na+ binding, which involves an H+-modifier site associated with C-terminal histidine residues.

Neutralization of the aspartic acid residue Asp-367, but not Asp-454, inhibits binding of Na+ to the glutamate-free form and cycling of the glutamate transporter EAAC1

Substrate transport by the plasma membrane glutamate transporter EAAC1 is coupled to cotransport of three sodium ions. One of these Na(+) ions binds to the transporter already in the absence of glutamate. Here, we have investigated the possible involvement of two conserved aspartic acid residues in transmembrane segments 7 and 8 of EAAC1, Asp-367 and Asp-454, in Na(+) cotransport. To test the effect of charge neutralization mutations in these positions on Na(+) binding to the glutamate-free transporter, we recorded the Na(+)-induced anion leak current to determine the K(m) of EAAC1 for Na(+). For EAAC1(WT), this K(m) was determined as 120 mm. When the negative charge of Asp-367 was neutralized by mutagenesis to asparagine, Na(+) activated the anion leak current with a K(m) of about 2 m, indicating dramatically impaired Na(+) binding to the mutant transporter. In contrast, the Na(+) affinity of EAAC1(D454N) was virtually unchanged compared with the wild type transporter (K(m) = 90 mm). The reduced occupancy of the Na(+) binding site of EAAC1(D367N) resulted in a dramatic reduction in glutamate affinity (K(m) = 3.6 mm, 140 mm [Na(+)]), which could be partially overcome by increasing extracellular [Na(+)]. In addition to impairing Na(+) binding, the D367N mutation slowed glutamate transport, as shown by pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of transport currents, by strongly decreasing the rate of a reaction step associated with glutamate translocation. Our data are consistent with a model in which Asp-367, but not Asp-454, is involved in coordinating the bound Na(+) in the glutamate-free transporter form.

Individual subunits of the glutamate transporter EAAC1 homotrimer function independently of each other

Glutamate transporters are thought to be assembled as trimers of identical subunits that line a central hole, possibly the permeation pathway for anions. Here, we have tested the effect of multimerization on the transporter function. To do so, we coexpressed EAAC1(WT) with the mutant transporter EAAC1(R446Q), which transports glutamine but not glutamate. Application of 50 microM glutamate or 50 microM glutamine to cells coexpressing similar numbers of both transporters resulted in anion currents of 165 and 130 pA, respectively. Application of both substrates at the same time generated an anion current of 297 pA, demonstrating that the currents catalyzed by the wild-type and mutant transporter subunits are purely additive. This result is unexpected for anion permeation through a central pore but could be explained by anion permeation through independently functioning subunits. To further test the subunit independence, we coexpressed EAAC1(WT) and EAAC1(H295K), a transporter with a 90-fold reduced glutamate affinity as compared to EAAC1(WT), and determined the glutamate concentration dependence of currents of the mixed transporter population. The data were consistent with two independent populations of transporters with apparent glutamate affinities similar to those of EAAC1(H295K) and EAAC1(WT), respectively. Finally, we coexpressed EAAC1(WT) with the pH-independent mutant transporter EAAC1(E373Q), showing two independent populations of transporters, one being pH-dependent and the other being pH-independent. In conclusion, we propose that EAAC1 assembles as trimers of identical subunits but that the individual subunits in the trimer function independently of each other.