Assays for activation of opsin by all-trans-retinal

The data collected with the techniques discussed in this chapter suggest significant differences between the active conformation(s) of the opsin/atr complex, which are reversibly formed in the dark, and the active conformation (R*) of the meta-II photoproduct. First, there is good evidence for noncovalent opsin/atr complexes with considerable activity (although covalent binding of atr is found in mutant opsins. Even more intriguing, all-trans-retinal in an amount that saturates the activity of the opsin/atr complex toward Gt does not measurably inhibit the access of 11-cis-retinal to the light-sensitive binding site during regeneration (Fig. 2C). On the other hand, forced protonation at or near Glu-134 appears to be an integral mechanism for both the meta-II and the opsin-like activities (Fig. 4). Thus, it is not inconceivable that these two activities of the receptor arise from two fundamentally different conformations, one meta-II-like and one opsin-like. They would be similar with respect to the Gt (or RK) protein-protein interaction but different in their mode of retinal-protein interaction.

Diffusible ligand all-trans-retinal activates opsin via a palmitoylation-dependent mechanism

In rhodopsin's function as a photoreceptor, 11-cis-retinal is covalently bound to Lys(296) via a protonated Schiff base. 11-cis/all-trans photoisomerization and relaxation through intermediates lead to the metarhodopsin II photoproduct, which couples to transducin (G(t)). Here we have analyzed a different signaling state that arises from noncovalent binding of all-trans-retinal (atr) to the aporeceptor opsin and enhances the very low opsin activity by several orders of magnitude. Like with metarhodopsin II, coupling of G(t) to opsin-atr is sensitive to competition by synthetic peptides from the COOH termini of both G(t)alpha and G(t)gamma. However, atr does not compete with 11-cis-retinal incorporation into the Lys(296) binding site and formation of the light-sensitive pigment. Blue light illumination fails to photorevert opsin-atr to the ground state. Thus noncovalently bound atr has no access to the light-dependent binding site and reaction pathway. Moreover, in contrast to light-dependent signaling, removal of the palmitoyl anchors at Cys(322) and Cys(323) in the rhodopsin COOH terminus impairs the atr-stimulated activity. Repalmitoylation by autoacylation with palmitoyl-coenzyme A restores most of the original activity. We hypothesize that the palmitoyl moieties are part of a second binding pocket for the chromophore, mediating hydrophobic interactions that can activate a large part of the catalytic receptor/G-protein interface.

Interaction of pulmonary surfactant protein A with phospholipid liposomes: a kinetic study on head group and fatty acid specificity

Recent work on surfactant protein A (SP-A) has shown that Ca(2+) induces an active conformation, SP-A, which binds rapidly to liposomes and mediates their aggregation. Employing sensitive real time assays, we have now studied the lipid binding characteristics of the SP-A liposome interaction. From the final equilibrium level of the resonant mirror binding signal, an apparent dissociation constant of ca. K(d)=5 microM is obtained for the complex between SP-A and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes. At nanomolar SP-A concentrations, this complex is formed with a subsecond (0.3 s) reaction time, as measured by light-scattering signals evoked by photolysis of caged Ca(2+). With palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), the complex formation proceeds at half the rate, compared to DPPC, leading to a lower final equilibrium level of SP-A lipid interaction. Distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) shows a stronger interaction than DPPC. Regarding the phospholipid headgroups, phosphatidylinositol (PI) and sphingomyelin (SM) interact comparable to DPPC, while less interaction is seen with phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) or with phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Thus both headgroup and fatty acid composition determine SP-A phospholipid interaction. However, the protein does not exhibit high specificity for either the polar or the apolar moiety of phospholipids.

Palmitoylation of rhodopsin with S-protein acyltransferase: enzyme catalyzed reaction versus autocatalytic acylation

Protein palmitoylation in vitro was studied using bovine rhodopsin as the substrate and a partially purified acylating enzymatic activity (PAT) from placental membranes. PAT incorporates fatty acid into rhodopsin with higher efficiency (10 times higher initial rate), as compared to autoacylation. The activity is sensitive to heat and trypsin, indicating a protein-mediated enzymatic process and requires the native conformation of rhodopsin. The presence of deacylated, free cysteine residues in dark-adapted rhodopsin increases palmitoylation via PAT. The sites for non-enzymatic and enzymatic palmitoylation could not be distinguished by peptide mapping. The reversible palmitoylation described here will provide a tool for the study of the role of palmitoylation in photoreceptor function.

Functional differences in the interaction of arrestin and its splice variant, p44, with rhodopsin

Arrestin quenches signal transduction in rod photoreceptors by blocking the catalytic activity of photoactivated phosphorylated rhodopsin toward the G protein, transducin (Gt). Rod cells also express a splice variant of arrestin, termed p44, in which the last 35 amino acids are replaced by a single Ala. In contrast to arrestin, this protein has been reported to bind to both the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms of the activated receptor. In this study, we analyzed formation of the rhodopsin-p44 complex in vitro. Like arrestin, p44 stabilized the meta II (MII) photoproduct relative to forms MI and MIII and did not interact measurably with the apoprotein opsin. However, several differences between p44 and its parent protein were found: (i) p44 binds to nonphosphorylated MII with a much lower affinity (KD = 0.24 microM) than to phosphorylated MII (P-MII) (KD = 12 nM); arrestin binds only to P-MII (KD = 20 nM); (ii) p44 interacted also with truncated MII (329G-Rho MII), which lacked the sites of phosphorylation; (iii) with both MII and P-MII, the activation energy of complex formation with p44 was lower than that found for arrestin (70 kJ/mol instead of 140 kJ/mol); and (iv) InsP6 inhibited poorly the interaction between p44 and P-MII, but it strongly inhibited the interaction between arrestin and P-MII. Extrapolation of the measured on-rates to physiological conditions yielded reaction times for the binding of p44 to activated rhodopsin. The data suggest that the splice variant, p44, and its parent protein, arrestin, play different roles in phototransduction. The physiological significance of these differences remains to be determined.

Reversible calcium-dependent interaction of liposomes with pulmonary surfactant protein A. Analysis by resonant mirror technique and near-infrared light scattering

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is crucial for lung function, including tubular myelin formation and lipid uptake by type II pneumocytes. Known properties of SP-A in vitro are its Ca2+-dependent interaction with phospholipids and its role in the aggregation of liposomes. To dissect and to analyze these processes, we have immobilized SP-A and measured binding of liposomes by the resonant mirror technique. Liposome aggregation was followed separately by kinetic light scattering in suspensions. It was found that SP-A-mediated binding and aggregation of liposomes have a common K0.5 of 20 microM for free Ca2+, independent of the species (sheep, rat, or cow) and of the phospholipid composition, and that both reactions exhibit the same high cooperativity (Hill coefficients of 6-9) for Ca2+ ions. However, binding of liposomes to SP-A is >10-fold faster than aggregation. Both processes are completely reversed by low Ca2+ concentrations, but liposomes dissociate from SP-A in <0.3 s, whereas disaggregation of the liposomes takes approximately 30 s. At equilibrium, the level of aggregation depends on the concentration of free SP-A. We interpret these results to be a rapid and reversible sequence of three reactions: (i) a cooperative Ca2+-dependent conformational change in SP-A, (ii) binding of Ca2+-bound SP-A to liposomes, and (iii) aggregation of the Ca2+/SP-A-bound liposomes.

Erythrocyte band 3 protein strongly interacts with phosphoinositides

85% of the phosphorus coisolated with band 3 protein during separation of the intrinsic proteins of the human erythrocyte membrane by zonal electrophoresis in high concentrations of acetic acid was found to be derived from phosphoinositides, mainly phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. When native band 3 protein and pyrene-labelled phospholipids were present in micelles of the nonionic detergent nonaethyleneglycol lauryl ether, strong resonance energy transfer was observed between the tryptophan residues and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and, to a smaller degree, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate. We conclude that band 3 protein strongly interacts with phosphoinositides, in particular with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate.

A tightly membrane-associated subpopulation of spectrin is 3H-palmitoylated

A tightly membrane-associated form of spectrin (TMA-spectrin) was labeled when human red blood cells were incubated with [3H]palmitic acid. About 90% of spectrin was not fatty acid-acylated and was extracted from membranes by low salt buffers. The 3H-palmitoylated TMA-spectrin, however, resisted low and even high salt extraction and remained associated with inside-out vesicles that were generated in the process of spectrin-actin extraction from membranes. TMA-spectrin was preferentially extracted from KCl-stripped vesicles by 5 M urea at low ionic strength. TMA-spectrin was purified by gel filtration and by ion exchange chromatography in the presence of urea and a non-ionic detergent. Purified TMA-spectrin was 3H-palmitoylated exclusively in the beta subunit to 0.28 mol/mol after a 12-h incubation of red cells. The labeled palmitate may be bound as an ester or thioester, since hydroxylamine (1 M, pH 7.5) released the label completely. Peptide maps of 3H-palmitoylated TMA-spectrin showed three or two labeled peptides from the beta subunit, when generated by V8 protease and trypsin, respectively. Two types of antibodies to spectrin reacted with purified TMA-spectrin, and TMA-spectrin contained the same antigenic peptides as low salt-extractable spectrin. Rabbit anti-ankyrin antibodies did not bind to TMA-spectrin. The substoichiometric incorporation of [3H]palmitic acid into TMA-spectrin could result from the slow turnover of endogenously bound fatty acids. Generation of the tightly membrane-associated and 3H-palmitoylated subpopulation of spectrin cannot be due to entrapment of an unmodified residual fraction of spectrin in right-side-out vesicles. Instead, the data suggest the existence of a subpopulation of spectrin molecules that undergo a covalent fatty acid modification and thereby alter their binding properties. This may offer a new, metabolically dependent mechanism for dynamic interactions between spectrin and the membrane lipid bilayer.

Fatty acid acylation of membrane skeletal proteins in human erythrocytes

Fatty acid acylation of membrane proteins was studied on human erythrocytes by measuring incorporation of [3H]palmitate at different specific radioactivities. A 55 kDa polypeptide within the band 4.5 region was the main acceptor protein for acylation by fatty acids (palmitate, stearate, oleate), while other polypeptides (80, 65, 48, 30 kDa) incorporated [3H]palmitate slowly, in substoichiometric amounts. Integral membrane proteins were preferentially fatty acid acylated. Skeletal membrane proteins were, however, poorly labeled. Neither purified ankyrin nor band 4.1 protein were fatty acid acylated in human erythrocytes. On the other hand, label associated with high molecular weight skeletal proteins resisted low and high ionic strength extractions, and was extracted selectively by urea [corrected] along with a small subpopulation of spectrin which was also tightly associated with the membrane.

A reappraisal of the binding of cytosolic enzymes to erythrocyte membranes

Several cytosolic proteins have been shown to be associated with hypotonic erythrocyte ghosts via electrostatic interactions with the anion transport band 3 protein. This article considers the problems of demonstrating binding under physiological conditions and reviews the evidence for the relevance of enzyme binding to the membrane for the regulation of glycolysis. The hypotheses for the existence of topological and sequential multienzyme complexes of the glycolytic enzymes in erythrocytes are also discussed.

Activation and desensitization of glycolysis by stimulation of adenylate cyclase in rat reticulocytes

Isoproterenol or forskolin induce a 10-15-fold increase in concentration of cyclic AMP in rat reticulocytes as compared with the basal level of 2.3 +/- 0.3 microM. Glycolysis is stimulated by both compounds transiently more than 2-fold with a peak after 7.5 min followed by an exponential decline. The glycolytic rate in the presence of 10 microM isoproterenol or 10 microM forskolin did not return to basal levels within 60 min of incubation, but was depressed by as much as 50% under the influence of 100 microM forskolin. This phenomenon is designated as metabolic desensitization. The stimulation of glycolysis is probably due to activation of phosphofructokinase as well as to stimulation of Na+,K+-ATPase. The diminished glycolytic flux during the period of metabolic desensitization is accompanied by a decline of glucose 6-phosphate and in the presence of high concentrations of forskolin also by a decrease in glucose 1,6-bisphosphate. A lower rate of influx of glucose is postulated.

Calmodulin inhibits the phosphorylation of spectrin in vitro

In vitro phosphorylation of purified spectrin dimer was studied in the presence of Ca2+-calmodulin (CaM). CaM inhibited autophosphorylation of the beta subunit of spectrin. The inhibitory effect (65% at a 32-fold molar excess) appeared to be due to a weak interaction of CaM with spectrin. CaM was similarly effective in a phosphatase-stimulated autothiophosphorylation of the beta subunit with [gamma-35S]ATP. Hence, its inhibitory effect was not due to stimulation of a spectrin-associated phosphatase activity. Phosphorylation of spectrin by the catalytic subunit of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase occurred in both subunits (1984, FEBS Lett. 169, 323). CaM selectively inhibited a cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of spectrin to 30% at two CaM per spectrin. It was ineffective on the cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the beta subunit up to a 32-fold molar excess. These results yield functional evidence for a CaM-spectrin interaction. They further suggest that CaM can regulate the extent of a cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of spectrin.

Red cell spectrin phosphorylation and cytoskeletal anchorage

A cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of spectrin occurred in intact human red blood cells supplemented with cAMP. A cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of spectrin altered its binding properties. Spectrin was resistant to low ionic strength extraction and remained associated with inside-out vesicles (IOV). A cAMP-dependent phosphoform of spectrin contained label in both subunits, when generated in vitro. In vivo, the labeling of spectrin band 1 increased with red cell age. The low extent of spectrin band 1 phosphorylation in young cells could be due to a Ca2+-calmodulin-spectrin interaction, because Ca2+-calmodulin selectively inhibited a cAMP-dependent labeling of spectrin band 1, when tested on purified spectrin dimer.

ATP utilizing reactions of human erythrocyte membranes and the influence of modulator proteins

The ATP production of human erythrocytes in the steady state (approximately 2 mmoles . 1 cells-1 . h-1, 37 degrees C, pHi 7.2) is maintained by glycolysis and the ATP consumption is essentially limited to the cell membrane. About 25% of the ATP consumption is used for ion transport ATPases. The bulk of the ATP consuming processes in intact erythrocytes remains poorly understood. "Isotonic" erythrocyte membranes prepared under approximate intracellular conditions after freeze-thaw hemolysis have high (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase activities (80% of the total membrane ATPase activity). There is a great discrepancy between the high capacity of the (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase in isotonic membranes and the actual activity in the intact cell. The (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase of isotonic membranes has a "high" Ca2+-affinity (Ka less than 0.5 microM) and a "low" Mg-ATP affinity (Km approximately 760 microM). This state of (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase is caused by the association of calmodulin and 30000 Dalton polypeptides (ATP affinity modulator protein). Hypotonic washings of isotonic membranes result in a loss of the 30 kD polypeptides. EGTA (0.5 mM) extracts derived from isotonic membranes contain the 30 kD modulator protein and restore the properties of the (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase of hypotonic membrane preparations to the isotonic characteristics. The Mg-ATP affinity modulator protein is assumed to form a complex with calmodulin and (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase.