Biased Brownian stepping rotation of FoF1-ATP synthase driven by proton motive force.

FoF1-ATP synthase (FoF1) produces most of the ATP in cells, uniquely, by converting the proton motive force (pmf) into ATP production via mechanical rotation of the inner rotor complex. Technical difficulties have hampered direct investigation of pmf-driven rotation, which are crucial to elucidating the chemomechanical coupling mechanism of FoF1. Here we develop a novel supported membrane system for direct observation of the rotation of FoF1 driven by pmf that was formed by photolysis of caged protons. Upon photolysis, FoF1 initiated rotation in the opposite direction to that of the ATP-driven rotation. The step size of pmf-driven rotation was 120°, suggesting that the kinetic bottleneck is a catalytic event on F1 with threefold symmetry. The reaction equilibrium was slightly biased to ATP synthesis like under physiological conditions, and FoF1 showed highly stochastic behaviour, frequently making a 120° backward step. This new experimental system would be applicable to single-molecule study of other membrane proteins.

A cytotoxic peptide from a marine sponge exhibits ion channel activity through vectorial-insertion into the membrane.

A cytotoxic peptide, polytheonamide B (pTB), from marine sponge was examined for cytotoxic spectrum and specific activity to mammalian cells was demonstrated. pTB is composed of alternative D- and L-amino acid residues throughout the 48-mer peptide. This suggests the formation of a ß-helix similar to gramicidin channels. Planar bilayer experiments revealed that pTB forms monovalent cation-selective channels, being compatible with the inner pore diameter of ∼4Å for a ß-helical structure. pTB penetrated vectorially into the membrane, formed a channel by means of a single molecule, and remained in the membrane. These functional properties may account for specific cytotoxic activity.

Surface structure and its dynamic rearrangements of the KcsA potassium channel upon gating and tetrabutylammonium blocking.

KcsA is the first potassium channel for which the molecular structure was revealed. However, the high resolution structural information is limited to the transmembrane domain, and the dynamic picture of the full KcsA channel remains unsolved. We have developed a new approach to investigate the surface structure of proteins, and we applied this method to investigate the full length of the KcsA channel. Single-cysteine substitution was introduced into 25 sites, and specific reaction of these mutated channels to a bare surface of a flat gold plate was evaluated by surface plasmon resonance measurements. The surface plasmon resonance signals revealed the highest exposure for the mutant of the C-terminal end. When the gate of the KcsA channel is kept closed at pH 7.5, the extent of exposure showed periodic patterns for the consecutive sites located in the cytoplasmic (CP) and N-terminal domain. This suggests that these stretches take the alpha-helical structure. When the channel was actively gated at pH 4.0, many sites in the CP domain became exposed. Compared with the rigid structure in pH 7.5, these results indicate that the CP domain became loosely packed upon active gating. The C-terminal end of the M2 helix is a moving part of the gate, and it is exposed to the outer surface slightly at pH 4.0. By adding a channel blocker, tetrabutylammonium, the gate is further exposed. This suggests that in the active gating tetrabutylammonium keeps the gate open rather than being trapped in the central cavity.

Transient movement of helix F revealed by photo-induced inactivation by reaction of a bulky SH-reagent to cysteine-introduced pharaonis phoborhodopsin (sensory rhodopsin II).

Pharaonis phoborhodopsin (ppR) is a photosensor of negative phototaxis in Natronomonas (Natronobacterium) pharaonis, an alkalophilic halophile. This protein has seven transmembrane helices into which a chromophore, all-trans retinal, binds to a specific lysine residue (located in helix G)via a protonated Schiff base. Various mutants were engineered to have a single cysteine in the F-helix. In the presence of a bulky fluorescent SH-reagent, MIANS, (2-(4'-maleimidylanilino)naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid, illumination decreased the photoreactivity or flash-yield (absorbance deflection immediately after the flash) of the L163C ppR mutant (in which Leu-163 was replaced with Cys) without changing the photocycling rate. The fluorescence of the isolated protein increased with increasing illumination. These observations suggest that during photocycling, the space around Cys-163 in the F-helix might open, permitting reaction with the relatively large molecule. This reaction occurred only at the M-state and not at the O-state. The implications are discussed.