SummaryThe induction of luminescence in Vibrio harveyi at the later stages of growth is controlled by a quorum-sensing mechanism in addition to nutritional signals. However, the mechanism of transmission of these signals directly to the lux promoters is unknown and only one regulatory protein, LuxR, has been shown to bind directly to lux promoter DNA. In this report, we have cloned and sequenced two genes, crp and metR , coding for the nutritional regulators, CRP (cAMP receptor protein) and MetR (a LysR homologue), involved in catabolite repression and methionine biosynthesis respectively. The metR gene was cloned based on a general strategy to detect lux DNA-binding proteins expressed from a genomic library, whereas the crp gene was cloned based on its complementation of an Escherichia coli crp mutant. Both CRP and MetR were shown to bind to lux promoter DNA, with CRP being dependent on the presence of cAMP. Expression studies indicated that the two regulators had opposite effects on luminescence: CRP was an activator and MetR a repressor . Disruption of crp decreased luminescence by about 1000-fold showing that CRP is a major activator of luminescence the same as LuxR, whereas disruption of MetR resulted in activation of luminescence over 10-fold, confirming its function as a repressor. Comparison of the levels of the autoinducers involved in quorum sensing excreted by V. harveyi, and the crp and metR mutants, showed that autoinducer production was not significantly different, thus indicating that the nutritional signals do not affect luminescence by changing the levels of the signals required for quorum sensing. Indeed, the large effects of these nutritional sensors show that luminescence is controlled by multiple signals related to the environment and the cell density which must be integrated at the molecular level to control expression at the lux promoters.

The enzymatic activity of the Na,K-ATPase, or sodium pump, is modulated by members of the so-called FXYD family of transmembrane proteins. The best characterized member, FXYD2, also referred to as the ␥ subunit, has been shown to decrease the apparent Na ؉ affinity and increase the apparent ATP affinity of the pump. The effect on ATP affinity had been ascribed to the cytoplasmic C-terminal end of the protein, whereas recent observations suggest that the transmembrane (TM) segment of ␥ mediates the Na ؉ affinity effect. Here we use a novel approach involving synthetic transmembrane mimetic peptides to demonstrate unequivocally that the TM domain of ␥ effects the shift in apparent Na ؉ affinity. Specifically, we show that incubation of these peptides with membranes containing ␣␤ pumps modulates Na ؉ affinity in a manner similar to transfected full-length ␥ subunit. Using mutated ␥ peptides and transfected proteins, we also show that a specific glycine residue, Gly-41, which is associated with a form of familial renal hypomagnesemia when mutated to Arg, is important for this kinetic effect, whereas Gly-35, located on an alternate face of the transmembrane helix, is not. The peptide approach allows for the analysis of mutants that fail to be expressed in a transfected system. The Na,K-ATPase or sodium pump is an integral membrane protein found in the cells of virtually all higher eukaryotes and is one of the most important systems involved in cellular energy transduction (1, 2). It catalyzes the electrogenic exchange of three intracellular Na ϩ for two extracellular K ϩ ions energized by the hydrolysis of one molecule of ATP. The transporter plays a major role in ion homeostasis, and, in epithelia, the sodium gradient created by the pump also plays an important role in secondary active transport mechanisms that are necessary for Na ϩ -dependent reabsorption of a variety of solutes including sugars and amino acids.There is an increasing body of evidence that members of a family of membrane proteins, the so-called FXYD family (3), associate with and modulate the kinetic behavior of the sodium pump (for a recent overview, see Ref 4). Members of this family of proteins are small, single transmembrane (TM) 1 proteins characterized by an N-terminal PFXYD motif that remains invariant in all mammals. There are at least seven known family members, of which several appear to modulate the kinetic behavior of the pump in a tissue-specific manner (5-8). To date, the ␥ "subunit" of the renal Na,K-ATPase is the best characterized member (reviewed in Refs. 9 and 10). Gamma, or FXYD2, exists as two main splice variants, ␥a and ␥b, with distinct as well as overlapping localization along the nephron (11). Mass spectrometry of ␥a and ␥b indicate that they differ only in the N terminus; in rat ␥a, TELSANH is replaced by Ac-MDRWYL in ␥b (12). Previous studies using membrane fragments isolated from ␥-transfected rat ␣1-HeLa cells have shown that ␥ serves at least two distinct functions in regulating the pump, and the effects are similar f...

Copper (Cu) is an essential nutrient, but a harmful metal in excess. As part of the North American Dietary Reference Intakes, the Recommended Dietary Allowance for Cu was set using a combination of biomarkers of Cu deficiency, including plasma Cu and ceruloplasmin concentrations, erythrocyte Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase activity, and platelet Cu concentration. Liver damage was the sole indicator used in setting the Tolerable Upper Intake Level. Some studies suggest that these conventional biomarkers may not be sensitive enough to detect marginal reductions or excesses of Cu that could pose a health risk. The insensitivity of conventional biomarkers casts uncertainty as to the prevalence of Cu deficiency or overload in the population and in the accuracy of current nutritional reference values for Cu. Numerous biochemical changes have been associated with alterations in Cu status, and many potential biomarkers of Cu nutriture have been proposed; yet, conventional biomarkers are still the most frequently used, underscoring the need for research efforts to substantiate the use of novel biomarkers. In this report, biomarkers of Cu status are reviewed and practical considerations in the development of novel biomarkers are discussed as diagnostic tools for assessing Cu status in humans.

This study concerns the modulatory effects of the gamma modulator of the Na/K pump, in particular whether the effects seen in previous experiments with isolated membranes are relevant to Na/K pump behavior in intact mammalian cells. For this purpose, HeLa cells previously transfected with the rat Na/K catalytic subunit were used. The results show that both variants of the regulator, gammaa and gammab, decrease the apparent affinity of the pump for Na(+) and cause a modest increase in apparent ATP affinity as seen in measurements of ouabain-sensitive (86)Rb(K(+)) influx into cells in which ATP was varied using antimycin A and glucose. Equivalent results had been obtained previously in our analyses of Na,K-ATPase activity of membrane fragments, i.e., an increase in K(0.5(Na)) at high K(+) concentration and a decrease in K'(ATP). Comparison of clones of gamma-transfected and mock-transfected cells (with similar V(max) values) indicated that gamma causes a modest approximately 30% increase in the steady-state concentration of intracellular Na(+). Furthermore, for both gammaa and gammab, values of intracellular Na(+) were similar to those predicted from the kinetic constants, K(0.5(Na)) and V(max). Finally, there was a gamma-mediated increase in apparent affinity for extracellular K(+), which had not been detected in assays of permeabilized membranes.

The Na,K-ATPase gamma subunit is present primarily in kidney as two splice variants, gammaa and gammab, which differ only at their extracellular N-termini. Two distinct effects of gamma are seen in biochemical Na,K-ATPase assays of mammalian (HeLa) cells transfected with gammaa or gammab, namely, (i) a decrease in K'(ATP) probably secondary to a shift in steady-state E(1) <--> E(2) poise in favor of E(1) and (ii) an increase in cytoplasmic K(+)/Na(+) antagonism seen as an increase in K'(Na) at high K(+) concentration. Mutagenesis experiments involving alterations in extramembranous regions of gamma indicate that different regions mediate the aforementioned distinct effects and that the effects appear to be long range. Studies of ouabain-sensitive fluxes with intact cells confirm the gamma effects seen with membranes and also suggest an additional effect (increase) in apparent affinity for extracellular K(+). Alteration in gamma function was also evidenced in the behavior of a G41 -->R mutation within the transmembrane domain of gamma. G41R is associated with autosomal dominant renal magnesium wasting. Our studies show that this mutation in the gammab variant retards trafficking of gamma, but not alphabeta pumps, to the cell surface and abolishes functional effects of gamma, consistent with the conclusion that the Mg(2+) transport defect is secondary to loss of gamma modulation of Na,K-ATPase function.