Oligomycin-sensitive ATPase Activity Research Articles

Clorgyline Analogs Synergize with Azoles against Drug Efflux in Candida auris

Concern about the global emergence of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens led us to explore the use of combination therapy to combat azole resistance in Candida auris. Clorgyline had previously been shown to be a multi-target inhibitor of Cdr1 and Mdr1 efflux pumps of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. A screen for antifungal sensitizers among synthetic analogs of Clorgyline detected interactions with the C. auris efflux pump azole substrates Posaconazole and Voriconazole. Of six Clorgyline analogs, M19 and M25 were identified as potential sensitizers of azole resistance. M19 and M25 were found to act synergistically with azoles against resistant C. auris clade I isolates and recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains overexpressing C. auris efflux pumps. Nile Red assays with the recombinant strains showed M19 and M25 inhibited the activity of Cdr1 and Mdr1 efflux pumps that are known to play key roles in azole resistance in C. auris clades I, III, and IV. While Clorgyline, M19 and M25 uncoupled the Oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity of Cdr1 from C. albicans and C. auris, their mode of action is yet to be fully elucidated. The experimental combinations described herein provides a starting point to combat azole resistance dominated by overexpression of CauCdr1 in C. auris clades I and IV and CauMdr1 in C. auris clade III.

Inhibition of azole-resistant Candida albicans ATPase and oxidoreductase activity by a flavonoid from Dalea elegans

Background. The flavonoid 2′, 4′-dihydroxy-5′-(1′′′, 1′′′-dimethylallyl)-8-prenylpinocembrin (8PP) obtained from Dalea elegans roots inhibits cell growth and cdr pumps, in addition to reversing fluconazole (FCZ) resistance in Candida albicans.Aims. To study the effects of 8PP and FCZ on cdr-associated ATPase and cell energy generation in azole-resistant C. albicans planktonic cultures.Materials and methods. ATPase activity was measured as oligomycin-sensitive release of inorganic phosphate in fractions containing plasmatic membranes. Cell oxidoreductase activity was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction in C. albicans cells.Results. FCZ, 8PP and their combination at a concentration of 125 µM of each compound inhibit ATPase activity by 61; 58 and 70, respectively. Inhibitory concentration 50 % (IC50) of 8PP was 78.59 ± 1.45 and 104.70 ± 1.25 µM for FCZ. In combination with 125 µM 8PP, FCZ IC50 was reduced by 3 times. Km was 0.96 ± 0.35 mM and Vmax 43.58 ± 5.49 picomoles/mg protein.min. At 125 µM, 8PP shifts the ATP saturation plot to right. A Dixon study using 2 and 5 mM ATP suggests a competitive interaction of 8PP and ATP for the hydrolysis enzymatic site. FCZ, 8PP or their combination at 125 µM does not produce cytotoxicity dependent on oxidoreductase activity. At higher concentrations, toxic effects are observed with both drugs at the MTT assay. IC50 (µM) was 355 ± 6 and 789 ± 11, for 8PP and FCZ, respectively.Conclusions. The flavonoid 8PP inhibits competitively oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity associated to cdr transporters and decreases oxidoreductase-dependent cell viability in azole-resistant Candida albicans.

Characterization of the mitochondrial ATP synthase from yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae

The mitochondrial ATP synthase from yeast S. cerevisiae has been genetically modified, purified in a functional form, and characterized with regard to lipid requirement, compatibility with a variety of detergents, and the steric limit with rotation of the central stalk has been assessed. The ATP synthase has been modified on the N-terminus of the β-subunit to include a His(6) tag for Ni-chelate affinity purification. The enzyme is purified by a two-step procedure from submitochondrial particles and the resulting enzyme demonstrates lipid dependent oligomycin sensitive ATPase activity of 50 units/mg. The yeast ATP synthase shows a strong lipid selectivity, with cardiolipin (CL) being the most effective activating lipid and there are 30 moles CL bound per mole enzyme at saturation. Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has also been fused to the C-terminus of the ε-subunit to create a steric block for rotation of the central stalk. The ε-GFP fusion peptide is imported into the mitochondrion, assembled with the ATP synthase, and inhibits ATP synthetic and hydrolytic activity of the enzyme. F(1)F(o) ATP synthase with ε-GFP was purified to homogeneity and serves as an excellent enzyme for two- and three-dimensional crystallization studies.

Mitochondrial ATP synthase deficiency due to a mutation in the ATP5E gene for the F1 subunit

F1Fo-ATP synthase is a key enzyme of mitochondrial energy provision producing most of cellular ATP. So far, mitochondrial diseases caused by isolated disorders of the ATP synthase have been shown to result from mutations in mtDNA genes for the subunits ATP6 and ATP8 or in nuclear genes encoding the biogenesis factors TMEM70 and ATPAF2. Here, we describe a patient with a homozygous p.Tyr12Cys mutation in the epsilon subunit encoded by the nuclear gene ATP5E. The 22-year-old woman presented with neonatal onset, lactic acidosis, 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, mild mental retardation and developed peripheral neuropathy. Patient fibroblasts showed 60-70% decrease in both oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity and mitochondrial ATP synthesis. The mitochondrial content of the ATP synthase complex was equally reduced, but its size was normal and it contained the mutated epsilon subunit. A similar reduction was found in all investigated F1 and Fo subunits with the exception of Fo subunit c, which was found to accumulate in a detergent-insoluble form. This is the first case of a mitochondrial disease due to a mutation in a nuclear encoded structural subunit of the ATP synthase. Our results indicate an essential role of the epsilon subunit in the biosynthesis and assembly of the F1 part of the ATP synthase. Furthermore, the epsilon subunit seems to be involved in the incorporation of subunit c to the rotor structure of the mammalian enzyme.

The fully-active and structurally-stable form of the mitochondrial ATP synthase of Polytomella sp. is dimeric

Mitochondrial F(1)F(O)-ATP synthase of chlorophycean algae is a stable dimeric complex of 1,600 kDa. It lacks the classic subunits that constitute the peripheral stator-stalk and the orthodox polypeptides involved in the dimerization of the complex. Instead, it contains nine polypeptides of unknown evolutionary origin named ASA1 to ASA9. The isolated enzyme exhibited a very low ATPase activity (0.03 Units/mg), that increased upon heat treatment, due to the release of the F(1) sector. Oligomycin was found to stabilize the dimeric structure of the enzyme, providing partial resistance to heat dissociation. Incubation in the presence of low concentrations of several non-ionic detergents increased the oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity up to 7.0-9.0 Units/mg. Incubation with 3% (w/v) taurodeoxycholate monomerized the enzyme. The monomeric form of the enzyme exhibited diminished activity in the presence of detergents and diminished oligomycin sensitivity. Cross-linking experiments carried out with the dimeric and monomeric forms of the ATP synthase suggested the participation of the ASA6 subunit in the dimerization of the enzyme. The dimeric enzyme was more resistant to heat treatment, high hydrostatic pressures, and protease digestion than the monomeric enzyme, which was readily disrupted by these treatments. We conclude that the fully-active algal mitochondrial ATP synthase is a stable catalytically active dimer; the monomeric form is less active and less stable. Monomer-monomer interactions could be mediated by the membrane-bound subunits ASA6 and ASA9, and may be further stabilized by other polypeptides such as ASA1 and ASA5.

Supercomplexes and subcomplexes of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation

Dimerization or oligomerization of ATP synthase has been proposed to play an important role for mitochondrial cristae formation and to be involved in regulating ATP synthase activity. We found comparable oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity for monomeric and oligomeric ATP synthase suggesting that oligomerization/monomerization dynamics are not directly involved in regulating ATP synthase activity. Binding of the natural IF 1 inhibitor protein has been shown to induce dimerization of F 1-subcomplexes. This suggested that binding of IF 1 might also dimerize holo ATP synthase, and possibly link dimerization and inhibition. Analyzing mitochondria of human rho zero cells that contain mitochondria but lack mitochondrial DNA, we identified three subcomplexes of ATP synthase: (i) F 1 catalytic domain, (ii) F 1-domain with bound IF 1, and (iii) F 1-c subcomplex with bound IF 1 and a ring of subunits c. Since both IF 1 containing subcomplexes were present in monomeric state and exhibited considerably reduced ATPase activity as compared to the third subcomplex lacking IF 1, we postulate that inhibition and induction of dimerization of F 1-subcomplexes by IF 1 are independent events. F 1-subcomplexes were also found in mitochondria of patients with specific mitochondrial disorders, and turned out to be useful for the clinical differentiation between various types of mitochondrial biosynthesis disorders. Supramolecular associations of respiratory complexes, the “respirasomes”, seem not to be the largest assemblies in the structural organization of the respiratory chain, as suggested by differential solubilization of mitochondria and electron microscopic analyses of whole mitochondria. We present a model for a higher supramolecular association of respirasomes into a “respiratory string”.

Characterization of Cdr1p, A Major Multidrug Efflux Protein of Candida albicans: Purified Protein Is Amenable to Intrinsic Fluorescence Analysis

Candida drug resistance protein 1 (Cdr1p), an ATP-dependent drug efflux pump, confers multidrug resistance in immunocompromised and debilitated patients. A member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of membrane transporters, Cdr1p contains two nucleotide binding/utilization sites (NBDs) and two transmembrane domains (TMDs). We had earlier characterized Cdr1p by its overexpression as a GFP-tagged fusion protein that elicits oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity and is linked to drug extrusion. However, it is essential to have highly purified Cdr1p to understand the detailed molecular basis of structure and functions of this protein. In this study, we have developed a two-step purification protocol using stably overexpressed His-tagged Cdr1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Purified Cdr1p exhibited divalent cation-dependent ATPase activity [approximately 1.2 micromol (mg of protein)(-)(1) min(-)(1)] with an apparent K(M) in the range of 1.8 to 2.1 mM and V(max) between 1.0 and 1.4 micromol (mg of protein)(-)(1) min(-)(1). Unlike its close homologue human P-gp/MDR1, purified Cdr1p only moderately displayed drug stimulated ATPase activity. By exploiting intrinsic fluorescence intensity of purified Cdr1p, which contains 24 tryptophan residues, we could monitor defined conformational changes upon substrate drug and ATP binding. It is observed that ATP binding to Cdr1p (K(d) = approximately 1.7 mM) is not a prerequisite for drug binding, and both the mechanisms of drug as well as ATP binding, which induce specific conformational changes, occur independent of each other. Our study for the first time provides a catalytically active purified ABC transporter from a fungal pathogen, which is amenable to fluorescence measurements and thus would be useful in understanding the molecular basis of antifungal transport.

Phosphorylation of Candida glabrata ATP-binding Cassette Transporter Cdr1p Regulates Drug Efflux Activity and ATPase Stability

Fungal ATP-binding cassette transporter regulation was investigated using Candida glabrata Cdr1p and Pdh1p expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Rephosphorylation of Pdh1p and Cdr1p was protein kinase A inhibitor-sensitive but responded differentially to Tpk isoforms, stressors, and glucose concentration. Cdr1p Ser(307), which borders the nucleotide binding domain 1 ABC signature motif, and Ser(484), near the membrane, were dephosphorylated on glucose depletion and independently rephosphorylated during glucose exposure or under stress. The S484A enzyme retained half the wild type ATPase activity without affecting azole resistance, but the S307A enzyme was unstable to plasma membrane isolation. Studies of pump function suggested conformational interaction between Ser(484) and Ser(307). An S307A/S484A double mutant, which failed to efflux the Cdr1p substrate rhodamine 6G, had a fluconazole susceptibility 4-fold greater than the Cdr1p expressing strain, twice that of the S307A mutant, but 64-fold less than the control null strain. Stable intragenic suppressors indicative of homodimer nucleotide binding domain 1-nucleotide binding domain 1 interactions partially restored rhodamine 6G pumping and increased fluconazole and rhodamine 6G resistance in the S307A/S484A mutant. Nucleotide binding domain 1 of Cdr1p is a sensor of important physiological stimuli.

Disulfiram is a potent modulator of multidrug transporter Cdr1p of Candida albicans

To find novel drugs for effective antifungal therapy in candidiasis, we examined disulfiram, a drug used for the treatment of alcoholism, for its role as a potential modulator of Candida multidrug transporter Cdr1p. We show that disulfiram inhibits the oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity of Cdr1p and 2.5mM dithiothreitol reverses this inhibition. Disulfiram inhibited the binding of photoaffinity analogs of both ATP ([α-32P]8-azidoATP; IC50=0.76μM) and drug-substrates ([3H]azidopine and [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin; IC50∼12μM) to Cdr1p in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that it can interact with both ATP and substrate-binding site(s) of Cdr1p. Furthermore, a non-toxic concentration of disulfiram (1μM) increased the sensitivity of Cdr1p expressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to antifungal agents (fluconazole, miconazole, nystatin, and cycloheximide). Collectively these results demonstrate that disulfiram reverses Cdr1p-mediated drug resistance by interaction with both ATP and substrate-binding sites of the transporter and may be useful for antifungal therapy.

Aep3p Stabilizes the Mitochondrial Bicistronic mRNA Encoding Subunits 6 and 8 of the H+-translocating ATP Synthase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Subunits 6 and 8 of the mitochondrial ATPase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are encoded by the mitochondrial genome and translated from bicistronic mRNAs containing both reading frames. The stability of the two major species of ATP8/6 mRNA, which differ in the length of the 5'-untranslated region, depends on the expression of several nuclear-encoded factors. In the present study, the product of the gene designated AEP3 (open reading frame YPL005W) is shown to be required for stabilization and/or processing of both ATP8/6 mRNA species. In an aep3-disruptant strain, the shorter ATP8/6 mRNA was undetectable, and the level of the longer mRNA was reduced to approximately 35% that of wild type. Localization of a hemagglutinin-tagged version of Aep3p showed that the protein is an extrinsic constituent of the mitochondrial inner membrane facing the matrix.

Chemosensitization of fluconazole resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and pathogenic fungi by a D-octapeptide derivative.

Hyperexpression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae multidrug ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter Pdr5p was driven by the pdr1-3 mutation in the Pdr1p transcriptional regulator in a strain (AD/PDR5(+)) with deletions of five other ABC-type multidrug efflux pumps. The strain had high-level fluconazole (FLC) resistance (MIC, 600 microg ml(-1)), and plasma membrane fractions showed oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity up to fivefold higher than that shown by fractions from an isogenic PDR5-null mutant (FLC MIC, 0.94 microg ml(-1)). In vitro inhibition of the Pdr5p ATPase activity and chemosensitization of cells to FLC allowed the systematic screening of a 1.8-million-member designer D-octapeptide combinatorial library for surface-active Pdr5p antagonists with modest toxicity against yeast cells. Library deconvolution identified the 4-methoxy-2,3,6-trimethylbenzensulfonyl-substituted D-octapeptide KN20 as a potent Pdr5p ATPase inhibitor (concentration of drug causing 50% inhibition of enzyme activity [IC(50)], 4 microM) which chemosensitized AD/PDR5(+) to FLC, itraconazole, and ketoconazole. It also inhibited the ATPase activity of other ABC transporters, such as Candida albicans Cdr1p (IC(50), 30 microM) and Cdr2p (IC(50), 2 microM), and chemosensitized clinical isolates of pathogenic Candida species and S. cerevisiae strains that heterologously hyperexpressed either ABC-type multidrug efflux pumps, the C. albicans major facilitator superfamily-type drug transporter Ben(R)p, or the FLC drug target lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (Erg11p). Although KN20 also inhibited the S. cerevisiae plasma membrane proton pump Pma1p (IC(50), 1 microM), the peptide concentrations required for chemosensitization made yeast cells permeable to rhodamine 6G. KN20 therefore appears to indirectly chemosensitize cells to FLC by a nonlethal permeabilization of the fungal plasma membrane.

Absence of the Mitochondrial AAA Protease Yme1p Restores F0-ATPase Subunit Accumulation in an oxa1 Deletion Mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The nuclear gene OXA1 encodes a protein located within the mitochondrial inner membrane that is required for the biogenesis of both cytochrome c oxidase (Cox) and ATPase. In the absence of Oxa1p, the translocation of the mitochondrially encoded subunit Cox2p to the intermembrane space (also referred to as export) is prevented, and it has been proposed that Oxa1p could be a component of a general mitochondrial export machinery. We have examined the role of Oxa1p in light of its relationships with two mitochondrial proteases, the matrix protease Afg3p-Rca1p and the intermembrane space protease Yme1p, by analyzing the assembly and activity of the Cox and ATPase complexes in Deltaoxa1, Deltaoxa1Deltaafg3, and Deltaoxa1Deltayme1 mutants. We show that membrane subunits of both complexes are specifically degraded in the absence of Oxa1p. Neither Afg3p nor Yme1p is responsible for the degradation of Cox subunits. However, the F(0) subunits Atp4p, Atp6p, and Atp17p are stabilized in the Deltaoxa1Deltayme1 double mutant, and oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity is restored, showing that the increased stability of the ATPase subunits allows significant translocation and assembly to occur even in the absence of Oxa1p. These results suggest that Oxa1p is not essential for the export of ATPase subunits. In addition, although respiratory function is dispensable in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we show that the simultaneous inactivation of AFG3 and YME1 is lethal and that the essential function does not reside in their protease activity.

ATP Synthase of Yeast Mitochondria: ISOLATION OF SUBUNIT j AND DISRUPTION OF THE ATP18GENE

The subunit composition of the mitochondrial ATP synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was analyzed using blue native gel electrophoresis and high resolution SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We report here the identification of a novel subunit of molecular mass of 6,687 Da, termed subunit j (Su j). An open reading frame of 127 base pairs (ATP18), which encodes for Su j, was identified on chromosome XIII. Su j does not display sequence similarity to ATP synthase subunits from other organisms. Data base searches, however, identified a potential homolog from Schizosaccharomyces pombe with 51% identity to Su j of S. cerevisiae. Su j, a small protein of 59 amino acid residues, has the characteristics of an integral inner membrane protein with a single transmembrane segment. Deletion of the ATP18 gene encoding Su j led to a strain (Deltasu j) completely deficient in oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity and unable to grow on nonfermentable carbon sources. The presence of Su j is required for the stable expression of subunits 6 and f of the F0 membrane sector. In the absence of Su j, spontaneously arising rho- cells were observed that lacked also ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome c oxidase activities. We conclude that Su j is a novel and essential subunit of yeast ATP synthase.

Subunit f of the yeast mitochondrial ATP synthase: topological and functional studies.

Modified versions of subunit f were produced by mutagenesis of the ATP17 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A version of subunit f devoid of the last 28 amino acid residues including the unique transmembranous domain complemented the oxidative phosphorylation of the null mutant. However, a two-fold decrease in the specific ATP synthase activity was measured and attributed to a decrease in the stability of the mutant ATP synthase complex as shown by the low oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity at alkaline pH. The modification or not by nonpermeant maleimide reagents of cysteine residues introduced at the N and C termini of subunit f indicated a Nin-Cout orientation. From the C terminus of subunit f it was possible to cross-link subunit 4 (also called subunit b), which is another component of the F0 sector and which also displays a short hydrophilic segment exposed to the intermembrane space.

Evidence of a subunit 4 (subunit b) dimer in favor of the proximity of ATP synthase complexes in yeast inner mitochondrial membrane

Yeast mitochondria having either the D54C or E55C mutations in subunit 4 (subunit b), which is a component of the ATP synthase stator, displayed a spontaneous disulfide bridge between two subunits 4. This dimer was not soluble upon Triton X-100 extraction either at concentrations which extract the yeast ATP synthase or at higher concentrations. Increasing detergent concentrations led to a lack of the oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity, thus showing an uncoupling between the two sectors of the mutated enzymes due to the dissociation of the subunit 4 dimer from the mutant enzyme. There is only one subunit 4 (subunit b) per eukaryotic ATP synthase. As a consequence, the results are interpreted as the proximity of ATP synthase complexes within the inner mitochondrial membrane.

The oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein of rat liver mitochondrial ATP synthase: arginine 94 is important for the binding of OSCP to F1.

The oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein (OSCP) is an essential subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase (F0F1) long regarded as being directly involved in the energetic coupling of proton transport to ATP synthesis. To gain insight into the function of OSCP, mutations were made in a highly conserved central region of the subunit, and the recombinant proteins were studied using several biochemical assays. Rat liver OSCP was expressed to high levels in Escherichia coli, solubilized from inclusion bodies, renatured, and purified to homogeneity. The recombinant protein was able to reconstitute oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity to inner membrane vesicles depleted of F1 and OSCP, and bound to F1 with a stoichiometry of 1:1. A novel fluorescence anisotropy assay was developed to study the affinity of binding of F1 to OSCP, providing a Kd value of 51 +/- 11 nM. Two highly conserved, charged residues (E91 and R94) which lie within the central region of OSCP were mutated, and the recombinant proteins (E91Q, R94Q, and R94A) were purified to homogeneity and judged by CD spectroscopy to have structures similar to that of the wild-type protein. Both R94 mutants demonstrated little or no binding to F1, while the E91Q bound in a manner identical to that of wild-type OSCP. Significantly, all three mutant proteins were able to reconstitute F1 with membranes and to confer oligomycin sensitivity to the same extent as wild-type OSCP. These results demonstrate that a single tight binding site exists on isolated rat liver F1 for OSCP, and implicate arginine 94 as playing a critical role in this site. In addition, these results indicate that this tight binding site is not required for conferral of oligomycin sensitivity to the reconstituted F0F1 complex.

ATP Synthase of Yeast Mitochondria: ISOLATION OF THE SUBUNIT h AND DISRUPTION OF THE ATP14 GENE

A new subunit of the yeast ATP synthase (termed subunit h) has been isolated. Amino acid composition and N-terminal sequencing were determined by chemical methods. These data were in agreement with the sequence of the hypothetical protein L8003.20 whose primary structure was deduced from DNA sequencing of the yeast chromosome XII. The amino acid sequence encoded by ATP14 gene is 32 amino acids longer than the mature protein, which contains 92 amino acids corresponding to a calculated mass of 10,408 Da. The protein is hydrophilic and acidic with a calculated pHi of 4.08. It is not apparently related to any subunit described in other ATP synthases. A null mutant was constructed. The mutation was recessive and the mutant strain was unable to grow on glycerol medium. A high percentage of rho- cells arose spontaneously. The mutant mitochondria had no detectable oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity, but still contained ATPase activity with a catalytic sector dissociated from the membranous components. The mutant mitochondria did not contain subunit h, and the mitochondrially encoded hydrophobic subunit 6 was not present.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae OXA1 gene is required for the correct assembly of cytochrome c oxidase and oligomycin-sensitive ATP synthase

The nuclear gene OXA1 was first isolated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and found to be required at a post-translational step in cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis, probably at the level of assembly. Mutations in OXA1 lead to a complete respiratory deficiency. The protein Oxa1p is conserved through evolution and a human homolog has been isolated by functional complementation of a yeast oxa1 − mutant. In order to further our understanding of the role of Oxa1p, we have constructed two yeast strains in which the OXA1 open reading frame was almost totally deleted. Cytochrome spectra and enzymatic activity measurements show the absence of heme aa 3 and of a cytochrome c oxido-reductase activity and dramatic decrease of the oligomycin sensitive ATPase activity. Analysis of the respiratory complexes in non-denaturing gels reveals that Oxa1p is necessary for the correct assembly of the cytochrome c oxidase and the ATP synthase complex.

Oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein of mitochondrial ATP synthase: deletions in the N-terminal end cause defects in interactions with F1, while deletions in the C-terminal end cause defects in interactions with F0.

The structure/function relationships of oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein (OSCP) of bovine mitochondrial ATP synthase were studied by nested deletion mutagenesis, followed by analyses of the resultant OSCPs for their ability to restore partial reactions of ATP synthesis in OSCP-depleted F1-F0 complexes. Our results indicate that, from the N-terminus of OSCP, up to 13 amino acid residues could be deleted without any effect on OSCP coupling activity. However, deletion of 16 or more residues led to a slow decline in the ability of resultant mutant forms to restore ATP synthesis. Compared to the wild-type form of OSCP, deletion mutant ND-28 (deletion of residues 1-28) is 50% as active in its ability to reconstitute ATP-Pi exchange activity. Detailed analyses of mutant ND-28 revealed that it was able to bind to the membrane segment (F0) of ATP synthase and restore oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity in OSCP-depleted F1-F0 complexes. However, it did not bind to soluble segment F1, nor did it confer cold stability to either soluble F1 or reconstituted F1-F0 complex. On the other hand, studies on nested deletions on the C-terminal end indicate that three residues could be deleted without compromising the energy-coupling activity of OSCP. However, truncations of five or more residues caused an impairment in the ability of resultant mutant forms to restore ATP-Pi exchange activity in OSCP-depleted complexes. Mutant CD-10 (deletion of amino acids 181-190) was completely ineffective as a coupling factor. Detailed analyses of this mutant revealed that the subunit was able to bind to soluble F1 segment and confer cold stability to the enzyme but was neither able to associate with the membrane segment (F0) nor able to reconstitute high oligomycin sensitivity in depleted F1-F0 complexes. We take these data to suggest that the N-terminal end of OSCP corresponding to residues G16-N28 is essential for binding of the coupling factor to soluble F1 but not for coupling the energy of proton translocation to the synthesis of ATP; on the other hand, the carboxyl-terminal end of OSCP containing amino acids K181-M186 is important for F0-OSCP interactions as well as for the coupling of the energy of delta microH+ during the synthesis of ATP. These results suggest a model for OSCP in which the N-terminus is associated with the F1 segment and the C-terminus is associated with the F0 segment, while the central part of the polypeptide forms three or more helices constituting the stalk in the intact F1F0 enzyme.

Diafenthiuron Action: Carbodiimide Formation and ATPase Inhibition

Diafenthiuron (a thiourea insecticide/acaricide) is proposed by scientists at Ciba-Geigy to act in insects as a mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) inhibitor following metabolic activation to the corresponding carbodiimide. The present research establishes methods for thin-layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography analyses of diafenthiuron and its carbodiimide and urea derivatives in enzyme preparations and tissues without artifacts from abiotic decomposition. The carbodiimide, but not the urea, is detected and quantitated as a diafenthiuron metabolite in mouse and housefly microsomal oxidase systems and in the liver, lung, and brain of intraperitoneally (ip)-treated mice. Carbodiimide formation by microsomes in vitro is dependent on the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate and inhibited by piperonyl butoxide (PB). Another microsomal oxidase metabolite of [ 3H]diafenthiuron cochromatographs with a major reaction product of hydrogen peroxide with diafenthiuron. This compound, proposed to be diafenthiuron sulfoxide, decomposes abiotically to the corresponding formamidine identified by X-ray crystallography. The carbodiimide, but not the thiourea itself, inhibits mouse liver mitochondrial oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity in vitro with an IC 50 of 0.18 μ M. Diafenthiuron, its carbodiimide, and two classical ATPase inhibitors (dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and oligomycin A) at lethal ip doses strongly inhibit mouse liver mitochondrial oligomycin-sensitive ATPase in vivo at 1-6 hr after treatment. Although PB inhibits metabolism of the thiourea in vitro, it acts in vivo to increase the rate of poisoning and toxicity of diafenthiuron to mice by 2-fold consistent with the observed elevation in carbodiimide levels in liver, lung, and brain by 2- to 14-fold. Diafenthiuron and its carbodiimide act slowly in ip-treated mice with LD 50 values of 15 and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively, and death 3-7 days after treatment; this delayed toxicity (also observed with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide but not oligomycin A) is not correlated with prolonged inhibition of liver ATPase activity.