The Electrochemical Gradient of Protons and Its Relationship to Active Transport in Escherichia Coli Membrane Vesicles
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 73, No. 6, pp. 1892-1896, June 1976 Biochemistry The electrochemical gradient of protons and its relationship to active transport in Escherichia coli membrane vesicles (flow dialysis/membrane potential/energy transduction/lipophilic cations/weak acids) SOFIA RAMOS, SHIMON SCHULDINER*, AND H. RONALD KABACK The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, New Jersey 07110 Communicated by B. L. Horecker, March 17, 1976 ABSTRACT Membrane vesicles isolated from E. coli gen- presence of valinomycin), a respiration-dependent membrane erate a trans-membrane proton gradient of 2 pH units under potential (AI, interior negative) of approximately -75 mV in appropriate conditions when assayed by flow dialysis. Using E. coli membrane vesicles has been documented (6, 13, 14). the distribution of weak acids to measure the proton gradient (ApH) and the distribution of the lipophilic cation triphenyl- Moreover it has been shown that the potential causes the ap- methylphosphonium to measure the electrical potential across pearance of high affinity binding sites for dansyl- and azido- the membrane (AI), the vesicles are shown to generate an phenylgalactosides on the outer surface of the membrane (4, electrochemical proton gradient (AiH+) of approximately -180 15) and that the potential is partially dissipated as a result of mV at pH 5.5 in the presence of ascorbate and phenazine lactose accumulation (6). Although these findings provide ev- methosulfate, the major component of which is a ApH of about idence for the chemiosmotic hypothesis, it has also been dem- -110 mV. As external pH is increased, ApH decreases, reaching o at pH 7.5 and above, while AI remains at about -75 mV and onstrated (6, 16) that vesicles are able to accumulate lactose and internal pH remains at pH 7.5.
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