Interaction and stoichiometry of the peripheral stalk subunits NtpE and NtpF and the N-terminal hydrophilic domain of NtpI of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase

J Biol Chem. 2008 Jul 11;283(28):19422-31. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M801772200. Epub 2008 May 6.

Abstract

The vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) is composed of a soluble catalytic domain and an integral membrane domain connected by a central stalk and a few peripheral stalks. The number and arrangement of the peripheral stalk subunits remain controversial. The peripheral stalk of Na+-translocating V-ATPase from Enterococcus hirae is likely to be composed of NtpE and NtpF (corresponding to subunit G of eukaryotic V-ATPase) subunits together with the N-terminal hydrophilic domain of NtpI (corresponding to subunit a of eukaryotic V-ATPase). Here we purified NtpE, NtpF, and the N-terminal hydrophilic domain of NtpI (NtpI(Nterm)) as separate recombinant His-tagged proteins and examined interactions between these three subunits by pulldown assay using one tagged subunit, CD spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and analytical ultracentrifugation. NtpI(Nterm) directly bound NtpF, but not NtpE. NtpE bound NtpF tightly. NtpI(Nterm) bound the NtpE-F complex stronger than NtpF only, suggesting that NtpE increases the binding affinity between NtpI(Nterm) and NtpF. Purified NtpE-F-I(Nterm) complex appeared to be monodisperse, and the molecular masses estimated from analytical ultracentrifugation and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) indicated that the ternary complex is formed with a 1:1:1 stoichiometry. A low resolution structure model of the complex produced from the SAXS data showed an elongated "L" shape.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Enterococcus / enzymology*
  • Enterococcus / genetics
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Protein Binding / physiology
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary / physiology
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary / physiology
  • Protein Subunits / chemistry
  • Protein Subunits / genetics
  • Protein Subunits / metabolism
  • Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases / chemistry
  • Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases / genetics
  • Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Protein Subunits
  • Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases