Plant Physiol. (1998) 118: 315-322
Distinct Biochemical and Topological Properties of the 31- and
27-Kilodalton Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Protein Subgroups from Red
Beet1
Lucille M. Barone,
Helen He Mu,
Connie J. Shih,
Kenan B. Kashlan, and
Bruce P. Wasserman*
Department of Food Science, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment
Station, Cook College, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley Road, New
Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-8520
 |
ABSTRACT |
Plasma membrane vesicles from red
beet (Beta vulgaris L.) storage tissue contain two
prominent major intrinsic protein species of 31 and 27 kD (X. Qi, C.Y
Tai, B.P. Wasserman [1995] Plant Physiol 108: 387-392). In this
study affinity-purified antibodies were used to investigate their
localization and biochemical properties. Both plasma membrane intrinsic
protein (PMIP) subgroups partitioned identically in sucrose gradients;
however, each exhibited distinct properties when probed for multimer
formation, and by limited proteolysis. The tendency of each PMIP
species to form disulfide-linked aggregates was studied by inclusion of
various sulfhydryl agents during tissue homogenization and vesicle
isolation. In the absence of dithiothreitol and sulfhydryl reagents,
PMIP27 yielded a mixture of monomeric and aggregated species. In
contrast, generation of a monomeric species of PMIP31 required the
addition of dithiothreitol, iodoacetic acid, or
N-ethylmaleimide. Mixed disulfide-linked heterodimers between the PMIP31 and PMIP27 subgroups were not detected. Based on
vectorial proteolysis of right-side-out vesicles with trypsin and
hydropathy analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence derived from
the gene encoding PMIP27, a topological model for a PMIP27 was
established. Two exposed tryptic cleavage sites were identified from
proteolysis of PMIP27, and each was distinct from the single exposed
site previously identified in surface loop C of a PMIP31. Although the
PMIP31 and PMIP27 species both contain integral proteins that appear to
occur within a single vesicle population, these results demonstrate
that each PMIP subgroup responds differently to perturbations of the
membrane.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
The PM of higher plants has been the subject of extensive research
focusing on the areas of recognition, water and ion transport, signal
transduction, and cell wall polymer biosynthesis (Chrispeels and
Maurel, 1994
; Sussman, 1994
; Delmer and Amor, 1995
; Maurel, 1997
;
Schaffner, 1998
). However, the PM remains one of the least-understood membrane systems in higher plants. Although PM vesicles are relatively simple to isolate and characterize, the hydrophobicity and low abundance of plant PM polypeptides have complicated purification and
characterization efforts. Thus, only a limited number of plant PM
proteins have been definitively identified. These include the H+-ATPase (Anthon and Spanswick, 1986
; Katz and
Sussman, 1987
; Schaller and Sussman, 1988
), a
Ca2+-ATPase (Bonza et al., 1998
), a Suc-binding
polypeptide (Overvoorde and Grimes, 1994
), and a group of PMIPs.
Many of the PMIPs studied in plants have been shown to function as
aquaporins, channels that permit the bidirectional passage of water
through cellular membranes (Daniels et al., 1994
; Kammerloher et al.,
1994
; Qi et al., 1995
; Johansson et al., 1996
; Schaffner, 1998
).
Molecular models based on deduced amino acid sequences suggest that
PMIPs share a common membrane topology, with six hydrophobic
membrane-spanning domains, connected by five hydrophilic loops
(Chrispeels and Maurel, 1994
; Nielsen and Agre, 1995
; Lee et al., 1997
;
Maurel, 1997
; Agre et al., 1998
; Schaffner, 1998
). The molecular
structure of the mammalian aquaporin-1 from erythrocyte membranes has
been described as a tilted hourglass, with a narrow pathway through the
center of oligomerized tetrameric CHIP subunits (Jung et al., 1994
; Cheng et al., 1997
; Walz et al., 1997
; Agre et al., 1998
).
PM vesicle fractions isolated from storage tissue of red beet
(Beta vulgaris L.) contain two highly abundant bands
migrating at 31 and 27 kD. Both bands were identified to contain one or more MIPs by comparison of tryptic peptides with known MIP/aquaporin sequences (Qi et al., 1995
). More recently, cDNA clones encoding storage tissue PMIPs were obtained (Qi et al., 1996
). Collectively, these data show that the PMIP species of 31 and 27 kD both contain polypeptides sharing a high degree of sequence similarity with known PM
aquaporins, such as tomato pTOM75 (Fray et al., 1994
), pea clone 7a
(Guerrero et al., 1990
), and the Arabidopsis PIP proteins (Kammerloher
et al., 1994
). From a biochemical perspective, our laboratory has shown
that the PMIP species of 31 and 27 kD are resistant to extraction with
salts or chaotropic agents, largely insoluble in Triton X-100, and
partially soluble in the detergents 3-[(cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonic
acid, digitonin, and octylglucoside (Wasserman et al.,
1992
). Each PMIP subgroup is highly prone to
aggregation, and reducing agents are required to minimize
disulfide-linked aggregation (Qi et al., 1995
). In PMIP31 addition of
exogenous Hg2+ leads to a conformational change
characterized by exposure of a previously inaccessible proteolytic site
immediately preceding the highly conserved
Gly-Gly-Gly-Ala-Asn-X-X-X-X-Gly-Tyr motif. Based on this information,
the topological orientation of surface loop C in PMIP31 was directly
established (Barone et al., 1997
).
The existence of two structurally related PMIPs, PMIP31 and PMIP27,
within a single PM vesicle fraction presented a unique opportunity to
directly compare their biochemical and topological properties. To
explore the comparative properties of PMIP31 and PMIP27,
affinity-purified antibodies specifically recognizing each PMIP species
were generated. In this study the antibodies were used to assess the
differential responses of PMIP31 and PMIP27 to proteolysis, detergent
extraction, and exposure to sulfhydryl modification reagents. We also
sought to determine if PMIP31 and PMIP27 were able to form mixed
disulfide-linked heterodimers within the PM vesicle system. Our results
show that PMIP31 and PMIP27 are topologically similar, but each
responds differently to various perturbations placed upon the PM.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
RNA Gel-Blot Analysis
Twenty micrograms of total RNA isolated from various tissues was
denatured and separated in a 1% agarose gel (Chang et al., 1993
). The
RNA was transferred to nylon membranes (Hybond N, Amersham), and
hybridization was conducted in 50% formamide with
-32P-labeled full-length cDNAs of BPM2 or
BPM3. Washes were conducted in 5× SSC and 0.1% SDS at 42°C.
Membrane Isolation
Microsomal membranes were isolated from red beet (Beta
vulgaris L.) storage tissue by differential centrifugation
(Wasserman et al., 1989
, 1996
). Aqueous two-phase partitioning was used
to prepare a PM vesicle fraction in the right-side-out orientation (Wu
et al., 1991
; Wu and Wasserman, 1993
). Protein content of the vesicle
fractions was determined by dye binding using BSA as a standard
(Bradford, 1976
).
Carboxymethylated microsomal membranes were prepared by substitution of
5 mM I-Ac for DTT in homogenization buffers as described previously (Umbach and Siedow, 1996
). All other steps remained unchanged.
Electrophoresis and Immunoblotting
SDS-PAGE was performed using 9% to 18% gradient gels (Laemmli,
1970
; Porzio and Pearson, 1976
). Sample loading buffers contained 8 M urea, 4% SDS, 20% glycerol, 100 mM DTT
(freshly added), and 100 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0. To prevent
heat-induced aggregation of membrane proteins, samples were not heated
before electrophoresis.
Affinity-purified antibodies to PMIP31 and PMIP27 were prepared as
described previously (Barone and Wasserman, 1996
; Barone et al., 1997
).
Immunoblotting with development by enhanced chemiluminescence was
conducted as described previously (Wasserman et al., 1996
; Barone et
al., 1997
). Mouse monoclonal antibodies that recognized the 60-kD
subunit B of the vacuolar H+-ATPase (Ward et al.,
1992
) were provided by Heven Sze (University of Maryland, College
Park). Unless otherwise indicated, each antibody was used at a dilution
of 1:2000.
Suc Gradient Centrifugation
For subcellular distribution studies, microsomal fractions (3.4 mg
of protein) were loaded onto a 15% to 45% (w/w) linear Suc gradient
and centrifuged overnight at 80,000g in a SW28.1 rotor
(Beckman). Fractions were assayed for callose synthase activity (Wu and
Wasserman, 1993
), and screened for PMIP31, PMIP27, and the 60-kD
subunit B of the vacuolar H+-ATPase by
immunoblotting.
Protease Treatment of PM Vesicles
Protease treatment was performed essentially as described
previously (Wu and Wasserman, 1993
; Wasserman et al., 1996
). Unless indicated otherwise, standard reaction mixtures of 120 µL contained PM vesicles (18 µg), Pronase E (40 µg mL
1)
or trypsin (40 µg mL
1), and 50 mM
Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, in the absence or presence of 0.01% or 0.1%
digitonin, as indicated. Mixtures were held for 20 min at room
temperature and were terminated with PMSF or soybean trypsin inhibitor
on ice. Mixtures were diluted to 2 mL with 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, and centrifuged at 40,000g for 40 min. This wash was
repeated to ensure removal of proteases and protease inhibitors that
migrate in the range of 20 to 22 kD. Membrane pellets were suspended in 100 µL of 250 mM Suc, 1 mM DTT, 1 mM EDTA, and 10 mM Hepes-NaOH, pH 7.2 (buffer
A). Aliquots of 24 µL were then brought to 100 mM DTT,
incubated for 15 min, and combined with an equal volume of SDS-PAGE
sample buffer. Samples were directly applied to SDS-PAGE gels without
heating.
Sequence Analysis of Proteolytic Fragments
The 25- and 22-kD proteolytic fragments were excised from
Coomassie blue-stained gels and the protein was electroeluted from the
gel slices. Electroeluted proteins were then re-electrophoresed (with
100 mM DTT) and transferred onto PVDF membranes (Bio-Rad) using 10 mM 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propane-sulfonic acid and
0.05% SDS in 30% methanol, pH 11. Blots were stained with 0.5%
Ponceau S in 1% acetic acid for 10 s and destained with 1%
acetic acid. The 25- and 22-kD species were each excised and subjected
to N-terminal sequence analysis.
 |
RESULTS |
PMIP27 Is the Gene Product of BPM3
Direct amino acid sequence analysis of the N-terminal and internal
sequences from electropurified PMIP31 and PMIP27 were used to correlate
each species with at least one respective gene. Previous work has
demonstrated that the PMIP31 band contains the product of BPM2 (Barone
et al., 1997
). Direct sequence analysis of PMIP27 demonstrates that it
corresponds to the predicted BPM3 gene product. A 22-amino acid
internal tryptic fragment
Phe-Gln-Pro-Thr-Pro-Tyr-Met-Thr-Ala-Gly-Gly-Gly-Ala-Asn-Tyr-Val-His-His-Gly-Tyr-Thr-Lys exhibited complete identity with the BPM3 deduced amino acid sequence beginning at position 152. This tryptic fragment contains the Gly-Gly-Gly-Ala-Asn-X-X-X-X-Gly-Tyr motif characteristic of plant PM
aquaporins (Barone et al., 1997
). The hydropathy plot of the BPM3 gene
product predicts six transmembrane segments, which is similar to
numerous MIPs with demonstrated water-channel activity (Daniels et al.,
1996
). BPM3 was shown to facilitate water uptake in a water
permeability assay using Xenopus oocytes (data not shown),
thereby indicating that it functions as an aquaporin.
Tissue Distribution of the BPM Transcripts
RNA gel-blot analysis demonstrated tissue-specific differences in
expression patterns of the BPM2 and BPM3 genes (Fig.
1). A single 1.2-kb BPM2 transcript was
strongly detected in storage tissue, with barely detectable levels in
leaf and stem tissue. Similarly, the 1.3-kb BPM3 transcript was most
strongly expressed in storage tissue; however, moderate levels were
also present in stem tissue. These observations demonstrate that BPM2
and BPM3 exhibit differential expression patterns.
Membrane Distribution of PMIP31 and PMIP27
Polyclonal antibodies were generated using electropurified PMIP31
and PMIP27 obtained from PM preparations isolated by aqueous two-phase
partitioning. Both sets of affinity-purified antibodies were highly
specific and did not cross-react with other PM proteins. To maximize
the dissociation of PMIP aggregates into monomeric species, 100 mM DTT was added to membrane vesicles before protein extraction with SDS sample buffer (Qi et al., 1995
). Freshly prepared vesicles were generally 90% latent for the PM marker enzyme callose synthase, and were therefore mainly in the right-side-out orientation.
Microsomal membranes were applied to a continuous gradient of 15% to
45% (w/w) Suc. Fractions were collected and analyzed for PM and
tonoplast marker enzymes. The PM marker callose synthase (Fig.
2, top) was localized as a well-defined
peak at 35% to 42% Suc. However, the majority of the 60-kD subunit of
the tonoplast H+-ATPase was located in
lower-density fractions (Fig. 2, middle). These results are consistent
with previous work, in which PM vesicles partitioned at 38% to 40%
Suc, whereas tonoplast vesicles are found at 25% to 28% Suc (Poole et
al., 1984
; Wasserman et al., 1985
).

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| Figure 2.
Suc-gradient centrifugation of a microsomal
vesicle fraction. A microsomal membrane fraction (3.4 mg of protein)
was centrifuged overnight at 80,000g on a continuous
gradient of Suc (15%-45%, w/w). Top, Distribution of the PM marker
callose synthase and Suc. Middle, Immunoblot probed with a monoclonal
antibody to the 60-kD vacuolar H+-ATPase (1:1,000
dilution). Bottom, Immunoblot dually probed with affinity-purified
polyclonal antibodies specific for the PMIP31 and PMIP27 species
(1:2,000 dilution). Each lane contained 20 µL from each gradient
fraction and was prepared for SDS-PAGE in 100 mM DTT.
|
|
To demonstrate the association of PMIP31 and PMIP27 with the PM,
gradient fractions were probed with each respective affinity-purified antibody. Both PMIP species distributed with the PM marker (Fig. 2,
bottom) and neither correlated with the distribution of the tonoplast
H+-ATPase subunit. Moreover, PMIP31 and PMIP27
were distributed similarly within the gradient, suggesting that the two
PMIP subgroups are associated with the same population of membrane
vesicles.
Effects of Sulfhydryl-Modification Reagents on PMIP Aggregation
State
Our earlier study established that PMIP31 and PMIP27 are each
highly prone to forming disulfide-linked oligomeric species. In the
absence of sufficient reducing agent, the PMIPs appear as a
disulfide-linked species spanning the molecular mass range of 47 to 42 kD (Qi et al., 1995
). Dose-dependent conversion of the disulfide-linked
oligomers to the corresponding monomeric forms occurs upon addition of
DTT to membrane-isolation buffers and to individual membrane fractions
immediately preceding protein extraction for SDS-PAGE.
To determine the importance of sulfhydryl-modification agents during
membrane preparation with respect to PMIP aggregation states, PM
vesicles were prepared in tissue homogenization buffer containing I-Ac
or NEM, with control membranes prepared in the absence of these
reducing agents. The effect of diamide, which promotes sulfhydryl-group
oxidation, was also examined (Umbach and Siedow, 1996
).
PMIP31 and PMIP27 were differently affected by each of these
treatments. With PMIP27, the disulfide-linked 43-kD species was dominant; however, the monomeric form of PMIP27 was clearly present (Fig. 3A, lanes 1, 3, and 5). Consistent
with the formation of disulfide-linked species, addition of diamide
promoted the oxidation of the monomeric form of PMIP27 to the 43-kD
disulfide-linked species (Fig. 3A, lanes 2, 4, and 6). In contrast to
PMIP27, the monomeric form of PMIP31 was markedly less visible when
membranes were prepared in the absence of reducing agent. In the
absence of DTT, only the anomalously migrating 45-kD aggregated
species was observed (Fig. 3B).

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| Figure 3.
Effects of Cys modification reagents. PM vesicles
were isolated in the presence (+) and absence ( ) of I-Ac (5 mM) and NEM (5 mM). Samples were treated with
(+) or without ( ) diamide (3 mM) before SDS-PAGE.
Immunoblotting was performed using anti-PMIP27 (1:2500, A) and
anti-PMIP31 (1:2000, B).
|
|
To determine if disulfide-linked aggregation results from oxidation
reactions during homogenization and subsequent centrifugation steps,
free sulfhydryl groups were blocked immediately upon tissue disruption
by inclusion of I-Ac (Fig. 3, A and B, lanes 3 and 4) or NEM (Fig. 3, A
and B, lanes 5 and 6) in homogenization buffers. Neither sulfhydryl
reagent significantly enhanced monomer formation. Assuming that the
reaction of free thiol groups with I-Ac or NEM is rapid, these results
imply that the 27- and 31-kD monomers are already linked by disulfide
bonds before tissue disruption.
Homodimeric Nature of the Aggregated Species
Before antibodies became available, it had not been possible to
ascertain the monomeric makeup of the 45- and 43-kD disulfide-linked species observed previously (Qi et al., 1995
). Therefore, we sought to
distinguish between self-aggregation and the formation of mixed aggregates consisting of the 31- and 27-kD monomeric species. If mixed
aggregates were present, the antibodies would recognize both the 45- and 43-kD species. However, such cross-reactivity was not observed
(Fig. 3). The PMIP31 antibody recognized the 45-kD disulfide-linked
species only, whereas the PMIP27 antibody was specific for the 43-kD
disulfide-linked species. This demonstrates that members of the 31- and
27-kD PMIP subgroups do not covalently associate with each other to
form heterodimeric species. The 45- and 43-kD species, therefore, must
be self-aggregates of each respective PMIP subgroup. However, the
possibility that these could also be dimeric species formed between
each monomer and a nonimmunogenic PM protein cannot be excluded.
Proteolytic Fragmentation Patterns
To further probe PMIP topology, PM vesicles were subjected to
proteolysis by trypsin and Pronase E, and fragmentation patterns of the
PMIP31 and PMIP27 species were compared. The rationale for this
experiment was to determine if PMIP31 and PMIP27 possess similar sets
of exposed proteolytic cleavage sites. The PM vesicle fractions used
for this study were freshly prepared. Latency was determined by
assaying for callose synthase in the absence and presence of 0.1%
digitonin (Wu et al., 1991
). The calculated latency value of 94%
indicates that the vesicles were sealed and in the right-side-out
orientation.
Figure 4 shows that each PMIP species
responded uniquely to proteolysis. In the absence of added detergent,
PMIP31 was completely refractory to proteolysis by either trypsin or
Pronase E (Fig. 4, lanes 2 and 5). Addition of 0.01% digitonin caused
a dose-dependent decrease of PMIP31, with its complete disappearance at
40 µg mL
1 Pronase E (Fig. 4, lane 3) and
partial disappearance with 112 µg mL
1 trypsin
(Fig. 4, lane 6). No distinct intermediary proteolytic fragments were
produced when digitonin was present.

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| Figure 4.
Different fragmentation patterns of PMIP31 and
PMIP27. Limited proteolysis was conducted with PM vesicles treated with
0.01% digitonin. Proteases used were Pronase E (left) and trypsin
(right). Membrane-bound proteolytic products were extracted,
electrophoresed, and blotted with anti-PMIP27 and anti-PMIP31, as
indicated.
|
|
In contrast to PMIP31, PMIP27 yielded two proteolytic fragments in the
absence of added detergent. Immunoreactive fragments of 25 and 21 kD
were generated by Pronase E, and to a greater degree by trypsin (Fig.
4, lanes 5 and 6). The addition of digitonin did not greatly enhance
proteolytic degradation of PMIP27. Thus, PMIP31 and PMIP27 each
responded uniquely to limited proteolysis of PM vesicles.
Effect of Hg2+ and Placement of the Proteolytic Sites
Unlike PMIP31, PMIP27 did not produce unique, divalent
cation-induced proteolytic fragments (Barone et al., 1997
). However, while screening the effect of divalent cations on proteolytic fragmentation patterns to determine possible conformational changes, we
noted that Hg2+ led to a concentration-dependent
decline of trypsin-generated p21 (Fig.
5A). This was accompanied by the
concomitant accumulation of a proteolytic intermediate of p25.

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| Figure 5.
Occlusion of tryptic site II in the presence of
HgCl2. A, PM vesicles were incubated with increasing levels
of HgCl2 and 0.01% digitonin before treatment with trypsin
(40 µg mL 1). B, Right-side-out vesicles were treated
with trypsin in the absence ( ) and presence (+) of 3 mM
HgCl2 and digitonin, as indicated. The immunoblots were
probed with anti-PMIP27.
|
|
A topological model based on the hydropathy plot of BPM3 is depicted in
Figure 6. Tryptic sites I and II are
defined as the cleavage sites giving rise to p25 and p21, respectively.
The location of tryptic site I within the BPM3 gene product was
directly established by N-terminal sequence analysis of p25 obtained
from a carboxymethylated membrane preparation (Barone et al., 1997
).
The amount of protein recovered was low, but p25 yielded the N-terminal
sequence Asp-Tyr-Val-Glu-Pro-Val-Gly-Ala-Asp-Leu-Phe. Although not a
perfect match, this sequence generally corresponds to the predicted
BPM3 sequence of Asp-Tyr-Lys-Glu-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Ala-Pro-Leu-Phe beginning at residue 29. This sequence immediately follows an Arg
residue, a well-known recognition site for trypsin, and demonstrates that tryptic cleavage site I is located within the N-terminal domain of
PMIP27.

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| Figure 6.
Topological model of a PMIP27. This model is based
on a hydropathy plot (Kyte and Doolittle, 1982 ) of BPM3 (Qi et al.,
1996 ) and the topological data provided here. The conserved domains
located at surface loops C and E are shown. The locations of tryptic
cleavage sites I and II are indicated. Conserved Cys residues and the
two NPA domains of BPM3 are also shown.
|
|
Despite several attempts, it was not possible to obtain the N-terminal
sequence from p21; therefore it was not possible to directly ascertain
the location. However, if we make the assumption that the proteolytic
cleavage site on PMIP27 giving rise to p21 is located at a similar
position to the Hg2+-induced cleavage site on
PMIP31, which generates a 22-kD fragment (Barone et al., 1997
), this
would place tryptic cleavage site II of PMIP27 near the interface of
transmembrane segment 3 and surface loop C (Fig. 6). The assignment of
this location is supported by the fact that occlusion of tryptic
cleavage site II is observed when added Hg2+
binds in close proximity to the four conserved Cys residues.
To establish the orientation of the tryptic cleavage sites we probed
the effects of Hg2+ and digitonin on a highly
latent (94%) right-side-out vesicle fraction (Fig. 5). In the absence
of Hg2+ and digitonin, p21 was the favored
product, with lesser amounts of p25 formed (Figs. 4 and 5B, lane
7).
Hg2+ suppressed formation of p21, but
simultaneously enhanced the formation of p25 in this vesicle fraction
consisting of primarily right-side-out vesicles (Fig. 5). This
experiment suggests that the formation of p25 and p21 are
conformationally linked. In the absence of Hg2+,
the buildup of p21 with increasing levels of digitonin (Fig. 5B, lane
4) indicates that tryptic site II is the preferred site of attack. When
Hg2+ was present, however, there was a marked
buildup of p25 at 0.1% digitonin (Fig. 5B, lane 7). Suppression of p21
formation is consistent with occlusion of tryptic site II attributable
to the binding of Hg2+ near the four conserved
Cys residues. Simultaneously, tryptic site I showed increased
susceptibility to tryptic attack in the presence of
Hg2+. This would suggest a
Hg2+-induced conformational change that renders
tryptic site I more accessible to proteolytic attack. Because the
formation of p21 was significantly enhanced by the addition of
digitonin (Figs. 4 and 5), this indicates that tryptic cleavage site II
may lie at the interface between surface loop C and transmembrane
segment 3.
In summary, tryptic site II of the PMIP27 subgroup exhibits greater
sensitivity to proteolytic attack than tryptic site I in a
predominantly right-side-out vesicle system when detergent is not
present. The ready formation of p21 in the absence of detergent is
indicative of an apoplastic orientation for tryptic site II. Conversely, the relatively low levels of p25 formed in the absence of
detergent is consistent with a cytosolic orientation for tryptic site
I. The formation of p25 could reflect a limited population of unsealed
or inside-out vesicles. It is interesting that the PMIP27 and PMIP31
subgroups exhibited very different responses when exogenous proteases
were applied. The resultant topological findings for both PMIP27 and
PMIP31, however, are generally consistent with the models predicted by
hydropathy analysis for plant PMIPs.
 |
DISCUSSION |
Previous studies have unequivocally demonstrated that the broad
protein bands of 31 and 27 kD from PM vesicles of red beet storage
tissue contain MIPs with extensive sequence homologies to known PM
aquaporins (Wu and Wasserman, 1993
; Qi et al., 1995
; Barone et al.,
1997
). Other than the fact that antibodies prepared against the two
species did not cross-react, the degree of similarity between the two
PMIP species was unclear. One possibility was that PMIP27 was merely a
proteolytic fragment derived from PMIP31. If this were true, one would
expect to observe similar proteolytic fragmentation patterns. However,
the current evidence indicates that PMIP31 and PMIP27 are topologically
similar but contain subtle differences in their structure and
biochemistry. These differences are noted by (a) the
non-cross-reactivity of the polyclonal antibodies, (b) the distinct
proteolytic fragmentation patterns in the absence and presence of
Hg2+, (c) the different responses to sulfhydryl
modification reagents, (d) the inability to form heterodimeric species,
(e) the refractory nature of PMIP27 to proteolysis in the presence of
detergent, and (d) the presence of a unique tryptic cleavage site in
PMIP27 located in proximity to transmembrane segment 1. PMIP31 does not contain an analogous tryptic cleavage site at this position (Barone et
al., 1997
).
Although PMIP31 and PMIP27 partition similarly in Suc gradients (Fig.
2), the inability of these PMIPs to form heterodimeric species could
imply that each PMIP species is associated with a distinct subdomain of
the PM. The existence of microdomains within the plant PM provides a
possible explanation for the distinct topological properties of PMIP31
and PMIP27. In plants PIP1 from Arabidopsis was found to be localized
within the plasmalemmasome (Robinson et al., 1996
). These structures
protrude into the vacuole and may provide a means for rapid exchange of
water with the apoplast. Two kinds of vacuolar subcompartments have
been revealed by immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies raised
against two sources of tonoplast intrinsic protein (Paris et al., 1996
;
Swanson et al., 1998
). Small invaginations of the PM known as caveolae
exist in mammalian cells (Parton and Simons, 1995
; Kurzchalia and
Parton, 1996
). Caveolin, an integral membrane protein, co-purifies in
low-density, detergent-insoluble fractions with proteins involved in
signal transduction. It was recently suggested that detergent-insoluble complexes can exist in the absence of caveolae, leading to the idea of
the existence of distinct microdomains in the PM. A putative role for
these microdomains is to integrate signaling with membrane transport
(Schnitzer et al., 1995
). The yeast PM also contains low-density Triton
X-100-insoluble domains (Kubler et al., 1996
) containing proteins
involved in signal transduction. However, the PM marker enzyme
H+-ATPase was excluded from low-density Triton
X-100-insoluble domains (Kubler et al., 1996
), indicating the presence
of multiple PM subdomains. To our knowledge, the existence of
microdomains in the plant PM has not yet been documented. The distinct
topological characteristics and different responses to
sulfhydryl-modifying reagents by PMIP31 and PMIP27 could signify the
presence of distinct microcompartments within the plant PM.
It is generally accepted that MIPs are strongly hydrophobic, and it is
now becoming apparent that the outer surface loops of plant MIPs
contain a limited number of exposed proteolytic sites. Assuming that
none of the proteolytic fragments escape detection, PMIP31 contains one
tryptic site that is accessible only in the presence of
Hg2+ (Barone et al., 1997
). However, PMIP27
yields two tryptic sites. Based mainly on the relative abundance of p25
and p21, we believe that tryptic cleavage site II is partially exposed
to the apoplastic face of the PM, and that tryptic site I lies at the
cytosolic face (Fig. 6). This would be consistent with predicted
orientations. These results could also be reconciled if segment 1 does
not fully traverse the PM. Instead, it may form a loop that causes the
N-terminal domain to emerge from the PM at the apoplastic face.
However, this would run counter to recent crystallographic studies with aquaporin-1 (Cheng et al., 1997
; Walz et al., 1997
).
There appears to be a conformational linkage between proteolytic sites
I and II in PMIP27. The addition of Hg2+ led to a
concentration-dependent decline of trypsin-generated p21, which was
accompanied by the concomitant accumulation of a proteolytic
intermediate of 25 kD (Fig. 5). Our interpretation of this result is
that the putative Hg2+-binding site is located
proximal to the Cys residues in transmembrane segments 2 and 3 (Fig.
6). Increasing levels of Hg2+ would result in the
occlusion of tryptic site II. The concomitant conformational change
would then lead to greater tryptic accessibility of site I, resulting
in elevated levels of p25.
With at least 23 MIP isoforms occurring in Arabidopsis (Weig et al.,
1997
), the complexities of biochemical analysis of plant MIPs becomes
apparent. The occurrence of two MIP subgroups in beet storage tissue
and the availability of the corresponding antibodies have provided a
first step toward understanding the membrane topology of this complex
group of proteins. This study demonstrates that the PMIP31 and PMIP27
subgroups both display distinct membrane topologies, and do not form
mixed heterodimeric species. Moreover, the possibility that each PMIP
class is distributed within distinct microdomains of the PM must be
further investigated. Specific physiological functions of the PMIP31
and PMIP27 subgroups, as well as regulatory factors, remain to be
determined.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
1
This research was supported by the National
Science Foundation (MCB-95-07766), with a Research Experience for
Undergraduates supplement (to K.B.K.).
*
Corresponding author; e-mail wasserman{at}aesop.rutgers.edu; fax
1-732-932-6776.
Received April 9, 1998;
accepted June 19, 1998.
 |
ABBREVIATIONS |
Abbreviations:
I-Ac, iodoacetic acid.
MIP, major intrinsic
protein.
NEM, N-ethylmaleimide.
PM, plasma membrane.
PMIP, PM intrinsic protein.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENT |
We thank Dr. Heven Sze for the kind gift of monoclonal
antibodies recognizing the 60-kD vacuolar
H+-ATPase subunit.
 |
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