scholarly journals Stimulation of Menaquinone-Dependent Electron Transfer in the Respiratory Chain of Bacillus subtilis by Membrane Energization

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (19) ◽  
pp. 5339-5347 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Azarkina ◽  
A. A. Konstantinov

ABSTRACT At a pH of ≤7, respiration of Bacillus subtilis cells on endogenous substrates shut down almost completely upon addition of an uncoupler (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone [CCCP]) and a K+-ionophore (valinomycin). The same effect was observed with cell spheroplasts lacking the cell wall. The concentration of CCCP required for 50% inhibition of the endogenous respiration in the presence of K+-valinomycin was below 100 nM. Either CCCP or valinomycin alone was much less efficient than the combination of the two. The inhibitory effect was easily reversible and depended specifically on the H+ and K+ concentrations in the medium. Similar inhibition was observed with respect to the reduction of the artificial electron acceptors 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine cation (TMPD+), which intercept reducing equivalents at the level of menaquinol. Oxidation of the reduced DCPIP or TMPD in the bacterial cells was not sensitive to uncoupling. The same loss of the electron transfer activities as induced by the uncoupling was observed upon disruption of the cells during isolation of the membranes; the residual activities were not further inhibited by the uncoupler and ionophores. We conclude that the menaquinone-dependent electron transfer in the B. subtilis respiratory chain is facilitated, thermodynamically or kinetically, by membrane energization. A requirement for an energized state of the membrane is not a specific feature of succinate oxidation, as proposed in the literature, since it was also observed in a mutant of B. subtilis lacking succinate:quinone reductase as well as for substrates other than succinate. Possible mechanisms of the energy-dependent regulation of menaquinone-dependent respiration in B. subtilis are discussed.

Biologija ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria M. Dudikova ◽  
Nina O. Vrynchanu ◽  
Valentyna I. Nosar

Derivatives of 4-(1-adamantyl)-phenol are a promising class of antimicrobials affecting the structural integrity and functions of the bacterial cell membrane. The functioning of Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory chain and related system of oxidative phosphorylation was investigated before and after treatment with a derivative of 4-(1-adamantyl)-phenol (compound KVM-97). Oxygen consumption was measured polarographically with a Clark-type oxygen electrode. KVM-97 was tested at 0.5× and 1.0× MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration). Specific substrates of the respiratory chain (either 3.0 mM glutamate with 2.0 mM malonate or 3.0 mM succinate with 5.0 μM rotenone) were used. All reactions were stimulated by addition of ADP (0.2 mmol). It was found that at tested concentrations, KVM-97 inhibited the endogenous respiration and substrate oxidation in P. aeruginosa cells. The inhibiting effect was dose-dependent and more pronounced with succinate oxidation rather than glutamate oxidation. The respiratory control index value (RCI) in compound-treated cells was in average 1.5 times lower compared to the intact cells. The decrease in the RCI was related to changing the oxygen uptake rates in state 3 and state 4, which indicate the uncoupling of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. The data obtained showed that 4-(1-adamantyl)-phenol derivative inhibits oxygen consumption and has uncoupling effects in P. aeruginosa cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13565
Author(s):  
Kristin Oepen ◽  
Hüseyin Özbek ◽  
Anja Schüffler ◽  
Johannes C. Liermann ◽  
Eckhard Thines ◽  
...  

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are conserved in all kingdoms of life, where they transport substrates against a concentration gradient across membranes. Some ABC transporters are known to cause multidrug resistances in humans and are able to transport chemotherapeutics across cellular membranes. Similarly, BmrA, the ABC transporter of Bacillus subtilis, is involved in excretion of certain antibiotics out of bacterial cells. Screening of extract libraries isolated from fungi revealed that the C14 fatty acid myristic acid has an inhibitory effect on the BmrA ATPase as well as the transport activity. Thus, a natural membrane constituent inhibits the BmrA activity, a finding with physiological consequences as to the activity and regulation of ABC transporter activities in biological membranes.


Author(s):  
Iago A. Modenez ◽  
Lucyano J.A. Macedo ◽  
Antonio F.A.A. Melo ◽  
Andressa R. Pereira ◽  
Osvaldo N. Oliveira Jr ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 348 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. OWEN ◽  
Elena DORAN ◽  
Andrew P. HALESTRAP

Although metformin is widely used for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes, its mode of action remains unclear. Here we provide evidence that its primary site of action is through a direct inhibition of complex 1 of the respiratory chain. Metformin (50 μM) inhibited mitochondrial oxidation of glutamate+malate in hepatoma cells by 13 and 30% after 24 and 60 h exposure respectively, but succinate oxidation was unaffected. Metformin also caused time-dependent inhibition of complex 1 in isolated mitochondria, whereas in sub-mitochondrial particles inhibition was immediate but required very high metformin concentrations (K0.5, 79 mM). These data are compatible with the slow membrane-potential-driven accumulation of the positively charged drug within the mitochondrial matrix leading to inhibition of complex 1. Metformin inhibition of gluconeogenesis from L-lactate in isolated rat hepatocytes was also time- and concentration-dependent, and accompanied by changes in metabolite levels similar to those induced by other inhibitors of gluconeogenesis acting on complex 1. Freeze-clamped livers from metformin-treated rats exhibited similar changes in metabolite concentrations. We conclude that the drug's pharmacological effects are mediated, at least in part, through a time-dependent, self-limiting inhibition of the respiratory chain that restrains hepatic gluconeogenesis while increasing glucose utilization in peripheral tissues. Lactic acidosis, an occasional side effect, can also be explained in this way.


1977 ◽  
Vol 164 (3) ◽  
pp. 617-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
W J Ingledew ◽  
T Ohnishi

1. It is shown that the electron-transfer inhibitor thenoyltrifluoroacetone abolishes a respiratory-chain electron-paramagnetic-resonance absorbance due to spin-spin interactions of ubisemiquinones at concentrations similar to those required for inhibition of succinate oxidation. 2. A specific site of interaction of thenoyltrifluoroacetone with the respiratory chain is proposed to be on the ubisemiquinone with which succinate dehydrogenase reacts. 3. Our results further demonstrate the close association of the HiPIP (high-potential iron-sulphur) centre of succinate dehydrogenase with ubisemiquinone.


1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Podile ◽  
A. P. Prakash

A biocontrol rhizobacterial strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1 grown for 6 h was coinoculated with Aspergillus niger at different time intervals and microscopic observations revealed adherence of bacterial cells to the fungal mycelium. Bacterial cells multiplied in situ and colonized the mycelial surface. Growth of AF 1 resulted in damage to the cell wall, followed by lysis. AF 1 inoculation into media containing A. niger at 0, 6, and 12 h suppressed >90% fungal growth, while in 18- and 24-h cultures fungal growth inhibition was 70 and 56%, respectively, in terms of dry weight. In dual culture the fungal growth was not accompanied by formation of spores. The mycelial preparation of A. niger as principal carbon source supported the growth of B. subtilis, as much as chitin. Extracellular protein precipitate from B. subtilis culture filtrate had a significant growth-retarding effect on A. niger. Groundnut seeds bacterized with B. subtilis showed a reduced incidence of crown rot in A. niger infested soil, suggesting a possible role of B. subtilis in biological control of A. niger.Key words: mycolytic bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, biological control.


2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1330-1335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamrul Hasan ◽  
Sunil A. Patil ◽  
Dónal Leech ◽  
Cecilia Hägerhäll ◽  
Lo Gorton

Electrochemical communication between micro-organisms and electrodes is the integral and fundamental part of BESs (bioelectrochemical systems). The immobilization of bacterial cells on the electrode and ensuring efficient electron transfer to the electrode via a mediator are decisive features of mediated electrochemical biosensors. Notably, mediator-based systems are essential to extract electrons from the non-exoelectrogens, a major group of microbes in Nature. The advantage of using polymeric mediators over diffusible mediators led to the design of osmium redox polymers. Their successful use in enzyme-based biosensors and BFCs (biofuel cells) paved the way for exploring their use in microbial BESs. The present mini-review focuses on osmium-bound redox systems used to date in microbial BESs and their role in shuttling electrons from viable microbial cells to electrodes.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2771
Author(s):  
Tobias Wieland ◽  
Julia Assmann ◽  
Astrid Bethe ◽  
Christian Fidelak ◽  
Helena Gmoser ◽  
...  

The increasing rate of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pathogenic bacteria is a global threat to human and veterinary medicine. Beyond antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) might be an alternative to inhibit the growth of bacteria, including AMR pathogens, on different surfaces. Biofilm formation, which starts out as bacterial adhesion, poses additional challenges for antibiotics targeting bacterial cells. The objective of this study was to establish a real-time method for the monitoring of the inhibition of (a) bacterial adhesion to a defined substrate and (b) biofilm formation by AMPs using an innovative thermal sensor. We provide evidence that the thermal sensor enables continuous monitoring of the effect of two potent AMPs, protamine and OH-CATH-30, on surface colonization of bovine mastitis-associated Escherichia (E.) coli and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus. The bacteria were grown under static conditions on the surface of the sensor membrane, on which temperature oscillations generated by a heater structure were detected by an amorphous germanium thermistor. Bacterial adhesion, which was confirmed by white light interferometry, caused a detectable amplitude change and phase shift. To our knowledge, the thermal measurement system has never been used to assess the effect of AMPs on bacterial adhesion in real time before. The system could be used to screen and evaluate bacterial adhesion inhibition of both known and novel AMPs.


1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Diederich ◽  
M Quinkler ◽  
K Miller ◽  
P Heilmann ◽  
M Schöneshöfer ◽  
...  

Diederich S, Quinkler M, Miller K, Heilmann P, Schöneshöfer M, Oelkers W. Human kidney 11βhydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: regulation by adrenocorticotropin? Eur J Endocrinol 1996;134:301–7. ISSN 0804–4643 In ectopic adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) syndrome (EAS) with higher ACTH levels than in pituitary Cushing's syndrome and during ACTH infusion, the ratio of cortisol to cortisone in plasma and urine is increased, suggesting inhibition of renal 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) by ACTH or by ACTH-dependent steroids. Measuring the conversion of cortisol to cortisone by human kidney slices under different conditions, we tested the possibility of 11β-HSD regulation by ACTH and corticosteroids. Slices prepared from unaffected parts of kidneys removed because of renal cell carcinoma were incubated with unlabeled or labeled cortisol, and cortisol and cortisone were quantitated after HPLC separation by UV or radioactive detection. The 11β-HSD activity was not influenced by incubation with increasing concentrations (10−12–10−9 mol/l) of ACTH (1–24 or 1–39) for 1 h. Among 12 ACTH-dependent steroids tested (10−9–10−6 mol/l), only corticosterone (IC50 = 2 × 10−7 mol/l), 18-OH-corticosterone and 11βOH-androstenedione showed a significant dose-dependent inhibition of 11β-HSD activity. The percentage conversion rate of cortisol to cortisone was concentration dependent over the whole range of cortisol concentrations tested (10−8–10−5 mol/l). A direct inhibitory effect of ACTH on 11β-HSD is, therefore, unlikely. The only steroids inhibiting the conversion of cortisol to cortisone are natural substrates for 11β-HSD Kinetic studies show a saturation of the enzyme at high cortisol concentrations. Thus, the reduced percentage renal cortisol inactivation in EAS seems to be due mainly to overload of the enzyme with endogenous substrates (cortisol, corticosterone and others) rather than to direct inhibition of 11β-HSD by ACTH or ACTHdependent steroids, not being substrates of 11β-HSD. S Diederich, Department of Endocrinology, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 975-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danny P. Singh ◽  
Hérb. B. LéJohn

Transport of amino acids in the water-mould Achlya is an energy-dependent process. Based on competition kinetics and studies involving the influence of pH and temperature on the initial transport rates, it was concluded that the 20 amino acids (L-isomers) commonly found in proteins were transported by more than one, possibly nine, uptake systems. This is similar to the pattern elucidated for some bacteria but unlike those uncovered for all fungi studied to date. The nine different transport systems elucidated are: (i) methionine, (ii) cysteine, (iii) proline, (iv) serine–threonine, (v) aspartic and glutamic acids, (vi) glutamine and asparagine, (vii) glycine and alanine, (viii) histidine, lysine, and arginine, and (ix) phenylalanine–tyrosine–tryptophan and leucine–isoleucine–valine as two overlapping groups. Transport of all of these amino acids was inhibited by azide, cyanide, and its derivatives and 2,4-dinitrophenol. These agents normally interfere with metabolism at the level of the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation. Osmotic shock treatment of the cells released, into the shock fluid, a glycopeptide that binds calcium as well as tryptophan but no other amino acid. The shocked cells are incapable of concentrating amino acids, but remain viable and reacquire this capacity when the glycopeptide is resynthesized.Calcium played more than a secondary role in the transport of the amino acids. When bound to the membrane-localized glycopeptide, it permits concentrative transport to take place. However, excess calcium can inhibit transport which can be overcome by chelating with citrate. Calculations show that the concentration of free citrate is most important. At low citrate concentrations (less than 1 mM) in the absence of exogenously supplied calcium, enhancement of amino acid transport occurs. At high concentrations (greater than 5 mM), citrate inhibits but this effect can be reversed by titrating with calcium. Evidently, the glycopeptide acts as a calcium sink to regulate the concentration of calcium made available to the cell for its membrane activities.N6-(Δ2-isopentenyl) adenine (a plant growth 'hormone') and analogues mimic the inhibitory effect of citrate and bind to the glycopeptide as well. Replot data for citrate and N6-(Δ2-isopentyl) adenine inhibition indicate that both agents have no more than one binding constant. These results implicate calcium, glycopeptide, and energy-dependent transport of solutes in some, as yet undefinable, way.


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