V0 Sector Research Articles

Reconstitution in Vitro of the V1 Complex from the Yeast Vacuolar Proton-translocating ATPase: ASSEMBLY RECAPITULATES MECHANISM

Oligomeric assembly is a fundamental aspect of many complex enzymes. Using our native gel technique for examining subcomplexes of the V-ATPase V1 sector, we have developed an in vitro reconstitution assay for assembly of this complex. Assembly of complex II, the soluble V1 complex observed in native gels, is dependent upon the presence of divalent cations and physiological temperatures. Assembly of soluble V1 can occur in a stepwise fashion from smaller subcomplexes found in some strains deleted for V-ATPase subunits. Specifically, V1 can be assembled directly from complex III (subunits E and G) with complex IV (subunits A, B, D, and F) without prior disassembly of complex IV. The formation of complex III in vivo is also shown to be essential and could not be achieved in vitro. Assembly from simpler precursors is possible and is enhanced by added ATP. Assembly can be blocked by N-ethylmaleimide in a Vma1p (subunit A)-specific manner. From these data, we extend our previous model to consider an assembly pathway whose steps reflect the catalytic mechanism of the Boyer binding-change model.

Temporal and spatial distribution of V-ATPase and its mRNA in the midgut of moulting Manduca sexta.

The spatial and temporal distribution of the plasma membrane V-ATPase and its encoding mRNA in the midgut of Manduca sexta were investigated during the moult from the fourth to the fifth larval instar. Digoxigenin-labelled RNA probes were used for in situ hybridization of V-ATPase mRNA of both peripheral and integrated subunits; monoclonal antibodies to subunits of the peripheral sector of the purified plasma membrane V-ATPase were used for immunocytochemistry. Extensive mRNA labelling was found in both mature columnar and goblet cells of intermoult and moulting larvae. Hybridization screening in several tissues suggested that only cells with increased V-ATPase biosynthesis were labelled by our hybridization method. Mature goblet cells contain a large amount of V-ATPase in the apical plasma membrane and were therefore expected to contain V-ATPase mRNA. The intense mRNA signal found in mature columnar cells was unexpected. However, after refining the techniques of tissue preparation, immunolabelling in apical blebs of columnar cells was demonstrated. Since this immunoreactivity did not appear to be membrane-associated, it suggested a cytosolic localization of peripheral V1 subunits. The mRNA encoding subunit A of the peripheral V1 sector was distributed unevenly in columnar cells with a strong apical preference, whereas the mRNA for the proteolipid of the integral V0 sector was evenly distributed in the cytosol. This spatial pattern reflected the distribution of free ribosomes and rough endoplasmic reticulum in the cell, supporting the view that V1 subunits are synthesized at free ribosomes, whereas the V0 subunits are synthesized at the rough endoplasmic reticulum. All undifferentiated cells exhibited intense mRNA signals for V-ATPase subunits of both holoenzyme sectors from the start of proliferation and thus precursors of columnar and goblet cells could not be distinguished.

The Vo Sector of the V-ATPase, Synaptobrevin, and Synaptophysin Are Associated on Synaptic Vesicles in a Triton X-100-resistant, Freeze-thawing Sensitive, Complex

Anti-synaptobrevin 2 immunoprecipitates obtained from freshly prepared Triton X-100 extracts of rat synaptosomes contained, in addition to synaptophysin, a 10-kDa band, which we identified by peptide sequencing and Western blotting as the c subunit of the vacuolar proton pump (V-ATPase) also called ductin or mediatophore. Ac39 and Ac116, two other transmembrane subunits of the V0 sector of the V-ATPase, were also found by Western blotting to be enriched in the immunoprecipitates. None of these V-ATPase subunits, or synaptophysin, was present in anti-synaptobrevin 2 immunoprecipitates obtained from frozen-thawed Triton X-100 extracts, which were greatly enriched, instead, in SNAP-25 and syntaxin 1. Accordingly, V-ATPase subunit c was found in anti-synaptophysin immunoprecipitates. Thus, the two complexes appear to be mutually exclusive. Subcellular fractionation of rat brain demonstrated that V-ATPase subunit c is localized with synaptobrevin 2 and synaptophysin in synaptic vesicles. The coprecipitation of V-ATPase subunit c with the synaptobrevin-synaptophysin complex suggests that this interaction may play a role in recruiting the proton pump into synaptic vesicles. Freeze-thawing, which involves a mild denaturing step, may produce a conformational change which dissociates the complex and mimics a change which occurs in vivo as a prerequisite to SNARE complex formation.

Regulation of Plasma Membrane V-ATPase Activity by Dissociation of Peripheral Subunits

The plasma membrane V-ATPase of Manduca sexta larval midgut is an electrogenic proton pump located in goblet cell apical membranes (GCAM); it energizes, by the voltage component of its proton motive force, an electrophoretic K+/nH+ antiport and thus K+ secretion (Wieczorek, H., Putzenlechner, M., Zeiske, W., and Klein, U. (1991) J. Biol Chem. 266, 15340-15347). Midgut transepithelial voltage, indicating net active K+ transport, was found to be more than 100 mV during intermoult stages but was abolished during moulting. Simultaneously, ATP hydrolysis and ATP-dependent proton transport in GCAM vesicles were found to be reduced to 10-15% of the intermoult level. Immunocytochemistry of midgut cryosections as well as SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblots of GCAM demonstrated that loss of ATPase activity paralleled the disappearance of specific subunits. The subunits missing were those considered to compose the peripheral V1 sector, whereas the membrane integral V0 subunits remained in the GCAM of moulting larvae. The results provide, for the first time, evidence that a V-ATPase activity can be controlled in vivo by the loss of the peripheral V1 domain.

Vacuolar-Type H+ -ATPases Are Associated with the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Provacuoles of Root Tip Cells.

To understand the origin of vacuolar H+ -ATPases (V-ATPases) and their cellular functions, the subcellular location of V-H+ -ATPases was examined immunologically in root cells of oat seedlings. A V-ATPase complex from oat roots consists of a large peripheral sector (V1) that includes the 70-kD (A) catalytic and the 60-kD (B) regulatory subunits. The soluble V1 complex, thought to be synthesized in the cytoplasm, is assembled with the membrane integral sector (V0) at a yet undefined location. In mature cells, V-ATPase subunits A and B, detected in immunoblots with monoclonal antibodies (Mab) (7A5 and 2E7), were associated mainly with vacuolar membranes (20-22% sucrose) fractionated with an isopycnic sucrose gradient. However, in immature root tip cells, which lack large vacuoles, most of the V-ATPase was localized with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) at 28 to 31% sucrose where a major ER-resident binding protein equilibrated. The peripheral subunits were also associated with membranes at 22% sucrose, at 31 to 34% sucrose (Golgi), and in plasma membranes at 38% sucrose. Immunogold labeling of root tip cells with Mab 2E7 against subunit B showed gold particles decorating the ER as well as numerous small vesicles (0.1-0.3 [mu]m diameter), presumably pro-vacuoles. The immunological detection of the peripheral subunit B on the ER supports a model in which the V1 sector is assembled with the V0 on the ER. These results support the model in which the central vacuolar membrane originates ultimately from the ER. The presence of V-ATPases on several endomembranes indicates that this pump could participate in diverse functional roles.

Activity and in vitro reassembly of the coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase requires the 50-kDa subunit of the clathrin assembly complex AP-2.

We have previously shown that the 50-kDa subunit of the clathrin assembly complex AP-2 (AP50) stoichiometrically binds to and is immunoprecipitated with the vacuolar (H+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) from clathrin-coated vesicles (Myers, M., and Forgac, M. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 9184-9186). We now report that treatment of stripped coated vesicles with cystine results in a purified V-ATPase complex lacking the AP50 polypeptide. Removal of AP50 can be reversed upon treatment of the vesicles with dithiothreitol. Removal of AP50 reduces the ATPase activity of the purified V-ATPase by 90% relative to the enzyme containing AP50. This inhibition is not reversed upon treatment of the AP50-depleted enzyme with dithiothreitol in the absence of AP50. The reconstituted V-ATPase depleted of AP50 is devoid of ATP-dependent proton transport activity. We observe further that the peripheral V1 subunits are unable to reassemble onto the integral V0 domain in the absence of AP50. The addition of purified AP-2 containing the AP50 polypeptide restores the ability of the V1 subunits to assemble with the V0 sector to give a V-ATPase complex that is functional in ATP-dependent proton transport. These results indicate that the AP50 polypeptide is necessary for both activity and in vitro reassembly of the V-ATPase complex.

Partial assembly of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase in mutants lacking one subunit of the enzyme

Partial assembly of the peripheral and integral membrane sectors of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase has been detected in mutants lacking one subunit of the enzyme. Assembled complexes of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase could be immunoprecipitated from biosynthetically labeled wild-type cells using monoclonal antibodies specific for the 69- and 60-kDa subunits of the enzyme, and assembled membrane (V0) sectors could be immunoprecipitated using a monoclonal antibody against the 100-kDa subunits. Parallel immunoprecipitations from mutant cells lacking one subunit of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase revealed different degrees of assembly depending on the subunit that was missing. Partially assembled complexes of the peripheral subunits could also be detected in a soluble, cytoplasmic fraction from wild-type and mutant cells following glycerol gradient fractionation. The results indicate that the peripheral (V1) sector and integral membrane (V0) sectors of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase can assemble independently. The 69-, 60-, and 27-kDa subunits all appear to be necessary for any assembly of the V1 sector to occur, but these subunits and the 32-kDa subunit can assemble into a complex in the absence of the 42-kDa peripheral subunit. The implications of the results for the structure and assembly of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase are discussed.

Isolation of vacuolar membrane H(+)-ATPase-deficient yeast mutants; the VMA5 and VMA4 genes are essential for assembly and activity of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase.

The vacuolar membrane H(+)-ATPase of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a multisubunit enzyme complex composed of an integral membrane V0 sector, and a peripherally associated V1 sector. Deletion of one of several structural genes for vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunits was previously demonstrated to prevent proper assembly of the remaining V1 subunits onto the vacuolar membrane (Kane, P.M., Kuehn, M.C., Howald-Stevenson, I., and Stevens, T.H. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 447-454). A genetic screen was designed to identify new genes whose products were essential for the synthesis, assembly, and/or function of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. Mutants were identified based on phenotypes associated with vacuolar membrane H(+)-ATPase loss of function (vma), including an inability to grow on media buffered at neutral pH. Representatives in five complementation groups were identified, including four novel mutant vma5, vma21, vma22, and vma23, all of which were defective in vacuolar ATPase enzyme activity. We report here the characterization of two genes, VMA4 and VMA5, that encode peripheral subunits of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. We determined that VMA5 encodes the 42-kDa subunit of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. The VMA4 gene, originally described by Foury (Foury, F. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 18554-18560), was determined to encode the 27-kDa subunit of the purified yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. Characterization of the vma5 and vma4 mutants revealed that the 42- and 27-kDa subunits are essential for the assembly of the peripheral membrane portion of the H(+)-ATPase onto the vacuolar membrane.

Biogenesis of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase.

Achieving an understanding of the biosynthesis, assembly and intracellular targeting of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase is critical for understanding the distribution of acidic compartments and the regulation of organelle acidification. The assembly of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase requires the attachment of several cytoplasmically oriented, peripheral subunits (the V1 sector) to a complex of integral membrane subunits (the Vo sector) and thus is not easily described by the established mechanisms for transport of soluble or vacuolar membrane proteins to the vacuole. In order to examine the assembly of the enzyme complex, yeast mutants lacking one of the subunit genes have been constructed and the synthesis and assembly of the other subunits have been examined. In mutants lacking one subunit, the remaining ATPase subunits seem to be synthesized, but in many cases are either not assembled or not targeted to the vacuole. Immunofluorescence and subcellular fractionation experiments have revealed that deletion of one peripheral subunit prevents the other peripheral subunits, but not the integral membrane subunits, from reaching the vacuole. In contrast, the absence of one of the integral membrane subunits appears to prevent both the peripheral subunits and another integral subunit from reaching the vacuole and also results in reduced cellular levels of the other integral membrane subunit. These data suggest that transport of integral and peripheral membrane subunits to the vacuole may employ somewhat independent mechanisms and that some assembly of the V1 and Vo sectors may occur before the two sectors are joined. Current models for the assembly process and the implications for organelle acidification are discussed.