Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “facilitated diffusion”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

Presence of fructose transporter GLUT5 in the S3 proximal tubules in the rat kidney.

BACKGROUND: Fructose is a nutrient as well as a potent agent for the formation of advanced glycation end product in diabetes. GLUT5 is a facilitated-diffusion fructose transporter expressed in the small intestine and kidney. Previous reports on the localization of GLUT5 by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were controversial. METHODS: The expression of GLUT5 was checked by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting and immunoblotting analyses. Localization of GLUT5 was visualized by high-resolution immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy. RESULTS: We were able to confirm the expression of GLUT5 in the kidney. GLUT5 was predominantly present in the outer stripe of the outer medulla, where it was localized in the S3 proximal tubule cells. Double labeling with phalloidin showed that GLUT5 was localized in the brush border of the S3 proximal tubule cells. Ultrastructural examination revealed that GLUT5 was present along the plasma membrane of the apical microvilli. CONCLUSION: GLUT5 is present at the apical plasma membrane of S3 proximal tubule cells and may serve as the transporter of fructose.

Animals↗

Glucose production by the human placenta in vivo.

The human placenta transports glucose by facilitated diffusion down a concentration gradient from mother to fetus. It has previously been considered incapable of glucose synthesis. However, recent work has demonstrated the presence in placental tissue of glucose-6-phosphatase, which is required for the final step in the synthesis of glucose. Following continuous intravenous infusion into the maternal circulation of the stable isotope, 6,6-(2)H(2)glucose, during elective caesarean section, we have observed isotope dilution in the umbilical vein, without further dilution in the umbilical artery. Using a mathematical model containing maternal, placental and fetal compartments, the data were compatible with the release of glucose by the placenta. We conclude that the human placenta at term can produce glucose.

Adult↗

Glucose transporters in the human placenta.

The availability of antibodies and cDNA probes specific for the various members of the facilitated-diffusion glucose transporter (GLUT) family has enabled researchers to obtain a much clearer picture of the mechanisms for placental uptake and transplacental transport of glucose. This review examines studies of human placental glucose transport with the aim of providing a model which describes the transporter isoforms present in the placenta, their cellular localization and functional significance. The GLUT1 glucose transporter, present on both the microvillous and basal membranes of the syncytial barrier, is the primary isoform involved in the transplacental movement of glucose. Although GLUT3 mRNA is widely distributed, GLUT3 protein is localized to the arterial component of the vascular endothelium, where it may play a role in enhancing transplacental glucose transport. This data is in contrast to the situation in other mammalian species, such as the mouse, rat and sheep, where GLUT3 protein is not only present in those epithelial cells which carry out transplacental transport but becomes an increasingly prominent isoform as gestation progresses. The asymmetric distribution of GLUT1 in the human syncytiotrophoblast (microvillous>basal) means that basal GLUT1 acts as the rate limiting step in transplacental transfer. Changes in basal GLUT1 therefore have the potential to cause alterations in transplacental transport of glucose. Although there appear to be no changes in syncytial GLUT1 expression in intrauterine growth retardation, in diabetic pregnancies increases in basal GLUT1 expression and activity have been observed, with significant consequences for the maternal-fetal flux of glucose. Little is known of glucose transporter regulation in the placenta save for the effects of hyper- and hypoglycemia. GLUT1 expression and activity appear to be inversely related to extracellular glucose concentration, however within the physiological range, GLUT1 expression is relatively refractory to glucose concentration. Information is still needed on gestational development, on the expression and activity in well-defined conditions of intrauterine growth retardation, on the mechanisms and consequences of the changes observed in diabetic pregnancy and on the role of external agents other than glucose in regulating placental glucose transport.

Animals↗

Cellular transport of anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol and palmitoylethanolamide--targets for drug development?

The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) is transported into cells by a temperature-sensitive process of facilitated diffusion. This uptake process has been characterised both biochemically and pharmacologically, and shown to be regulated at least in part by the intracellular metabolism of the accumulated AEA by fatty acid amide hydrolase. In this review, the properties of this transport process are briefly reviewed together with the corresponding transport mechanisms for the related endogenous compounds 2-arachidonoylglycerol and palmitoylethanolamide. In addition, the possibility that these transport mechanisms can be targets for therapeutic strategies aimed at prolonging the effects of the endocannabinoids is discussed.

Amides↗

Transport and metabolism of adenosine in diabetic human placenta.

Pregnancy complicated by diabetes is a relatively frequent event and may result in fetal embriopathy. However, little is known regarding whether placental transport functions are altered. In this study, we have compared the activity of the nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR)-sensitive adenosine transporter and adenosine metabolism in human placental brush-border- and basal-membrane vesicles from placentas of normal and diabetic pregnancies. Neither [3H]NBMPR binding, a marker of the facilitative-diffusion nucleoside transporter in the human placenta, nor adenosine metabolism exhibited a significant difference in either the brush-border- or the basal-membrane vesicles between the normal and diabetic group, except for an increased affinity in [3H]NBMPR binding at the basal side in diabetic placenta. This result contrasts with an earlier finding using the same group of patients that adenosine transport is downregulated in umbilical vein endothelial cells from diabetic pregnancies. It is concluded that adenosine transport is modulated selectively in different tissues in diabetic pregnancies.

Adenosine↗

Long-term and homogeneous regulation of the Escherichia coli araBAD promoter by use of a lactose transporter of relaxed specificity.

Expression systems based on the Escherichia coli arabinose operon P(BAD) promoter exhibit the all-or-nothing (autocatalytic) induction of expression that was first documented in the lac operon. Under conditions of subsaturating levels of inducer, some of the cells of the population are fully induced, whereas other cells remain uninduced. Recently, a new AraE transporter system was reported to have circumvented the problem of autocatalytic expression in the pBAD expression vectors and to provide graded and homogeneous cell-to-cell expression in the presence of variable inducer concentrations [Khlebnikov, A., Risa, O., Skaug, T., Carrier, T. A. & Keasling, J. D. (2000) J. Bacteriol. 182, 7029-7034]. However, we report that nonuniform gene expression in the AraE system was readily detectable by the use of mutant green fluorescent proteins that are rapidly degraded in E. coli. We report an approach to avoid all-or-nothing induction of the pBAD promoter; the use of a mutant LacY transporter in a strain deficient in both arabinose transport (araE araFGH) and degradation (araBAD). This mutant LacY protein performs facilitated diffusion of arabinose resulting in homogeneous expression of an unstable GFP that is maintained over extended incubation times at subsaturating levels of inducer. This approach is readily adapted to other sugar-regulated expression systems.

Arabinose↗

Sugar transport in normal and Rous sarcoma virus-transformed chick-embryo fibroblasts.

3-O-methylglucose (3-OMeG) is a nonmetabolizable glucose analog and is, therefore, suitable for transport studies. 3-OMeG and glucose compete for entry into normal and Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-transformed chick-embryo fibroblasts. Therefore, 3-OMeG can be used to study the transport of glucose in these cells. Chickembryo fibroblasts infected and transformed by RSV take up 3-OMeG at a faster rate than uninfected cells when both cell types are growing at the same rate. The rate of efflux of 3-OMeG also increases after transformation. When the uptake and the efflux reach a steady state, the intracellular concentration of 3-OMeG is equal to the concentration in the medium. This finding indicates that glucose is transported across the plasma membrane by facilitated diffusion. The V(max) of the transport system for 3-OMeG increases after transformation, while the affinity or K(m) of the system remains unchanged. We conclude that viral transformation causes a change in the plasma membrane of the infected cells by increasing either the number of molecules or the mobility of the glucose carrier.

Animals↗

Kinetic constants determined from membrane transport measurements: carbonic anhydrase activity at high concentrations.

Facilitated diffusion rates can be used to determine kinetic constants for rapid reactions occurring within membranes and thin fluid layers. We have applied this technique to the study of the reversible CO(2) hydration reactions catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase (EC 4.2.1.1; carbonate hydro-lyase). The experimental method entails the diffusion of tracer (14)CO(2) through Millipore filter membranes impregnated with aqueous bicarbonate solutions containing various concentrations of dissolved enzyme. A mathematical model of the simultaneous diffusion/reaction transport process is analyzed to predict the effective diffusion rate in terms of the relevant kinetic parameters. The solution to the mathematical model can be transformed to yield straight-line relations analogous to Lineweaver-Burk plots. The pseudo-first-order enzymatic rate constant for the hydration reaction can be determined from the slope or intercept of a plot of this straight-line relationship. Rate constants were accurately measured at high enzyme concentrations for reactions having half-times under a millisecond. The rate constants agree well with other reported kinetic constants for carbonic anhydrase, and the known pH-activity dependence and bicarbonate inhibition are quantitatively demonstrated. The specific activity is constant up to 4.0 mg/ml, which is believed to be the highest concentration at which the activity has been measured. The membrane transport technique has general applicability for other rapid reaction systems.

Bicarbonates↗

Requirement for a functional respiration-coupled D-fructose transport system for induction of phosphoenolypyruvate:D-fructose phosphotransferase activity.

Previous studies have shown that Arthrobacter pyridinolis can transport D-fructose or L-rhamnose using either a phosphoenolpyruvate:hexose phosphotransferase (phosphoenolpyruvate:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.3.9) system or a respiration-coupled transport system which requires the presence of exogenous L-malate. A mutant, AP4374, which is deficient in the D-fructose-specific component of the respiration-coupled system can grow on L-rhamnose using the phosphotransferase system, but cannot grow on D-fructose at all. AP4374 fails to produce the inducible D-fructose-specific phosphotransferase components (enzyme II and factor III) when grown in the presence of D-fructose. These results indicate a requirement for a functional respiration-coupled transport system for induction of the phosphotransferase system. The results further suggest that sufficient free D-fructose (or D-fructose 6-phosphate derived from it) must be present inside the cell in order for induction of the phosphotransferase system to occur. The entry of sufficient fructose to cause induction of the phosphotransferase system cannot occur by facilitated diffusion in the absence of energy coupling.

Arthrobacter↗

Effect of diethylpyrocarbonate on lactose/proton symport in Escherichia coli membrane vesicles.

Exposure of Escherichia coli ML 308-225 membrane vesicles to the histidine-specific reagent diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) led to concentration- and time-dependent inactivation of active lactose transport, and the sensitivity of the system to inactivation was enhanced when an electrochemical proton gradient (delta- muH+, interior negative and alkaline) was generated across the vesicle membrane. Although beta-D-galactopyranosyl 1-thio-beta-D-galactopyranoside blocked DEPC inactivation, binding of p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside was not significantly altered, indicating that DEPC does not react at the binding sites of the lac carrier protein. Strikingly, vesicles treated with DEPC exhibited an increased apparent Km for delta- muH+-driven lactose transport and counterflow but no change in the Vmax of these reactions and no change in the apparent Km or Vmax of facilitated diffusion. Moreover, DEPC treatment increased the apparent Km observed for delta- muH+-driven proline and D-lactate transport with no change in Vmax. Finally, the lactose counterflow activity of DEPC-treated vesicles was regenerated by subsequent exposure to hydroxylamine. It is suggested that a histidyl residue(s) in the lac carrier or another protein in the translocation complex is involved either in the binding and translocation of protons or in a conformational change that may occur upon protonation of the lac carrier protein.

Biological Transport, Active↗

Involvement of outside DNA sequences in the major kinetic path by which EcoRI endonuclease locates and leaves its recognition sequence.

We have examined the kinetics of the interaction between endodeoxyribonuclease EcoRI (EC 3.1.23.13) and nine linear DNA fragments that range in size between 34 and 6,200 base pairs and contain the EcoRI site of plasmid pBR322 in a central location. The kinetic parameters governing both formation and decay of specific endonuclease . DNA complexes increase 8-fold with increasing chain length over this size range. In contrast, equilibrium competition experiments demonstrated that the intrinsic affinity of endonuclease for its recognition sequence is independent of DNA chain length over this range. Thus, DNA sequences outside the recognition site enhance the rate at which EcoRI endonuclease locates or leaves its recognition site without affecting the intrinsic thermodynamic parameters of site-specific interaction. These results are consistent with a facilitated diffusion mechanism for specific DNA site location by this enzyme.

Base Sequence↗

Purified reconstituted lac carrier protein from Escherichia coli is fully functional.

Proteoliposomes reconstituted with lac carrier protein purified from the plasma membrane of Escherichia coli catalyze each of the translocation reactions typical of the beta-galactoside transport system (i.e., active transport, counterflow, facilitated influx and efflux) with turnover numbers and apparent Km values comparable to those observed in right-side-out membrane vesicles. Furthermore, detailed kinetic studies show that the reconstituted system exhibits properties analogous to those observed in membrane vesicles. Imposition of a membrane potential (delta psi, interior negative) causes a marked decrease in apparent Km (by a factor of 7 to 10) with a smaller increase in Vmax (approximately equal to 3-fold). At submaximal values of delta psi, the reconstituted carrier exhibits biphasic kinetics, with one component manifesting the kinetic parameters of active transport and the other exhibiting the characteristics of facilitated diffusion. Finally, at low lactose concentrations, the initial velocity of influx varies linearly with the square of the proton electro-chemical gradient. The results provide quantitative support for the contention that a single polypeptide species, the product of the lac y gene, is responsible for each of the transport reactions typical of the beta-galactoside transport system.

Diffusion↗

Myoglobin-mediated oxygen delivery to mitochondria of isolated cardiac myocytes.

Myoglobin-mediated oxygen delivery to intracellular mitochondria is demonstrated in cardiac myocytes isolated from the hearts of mature rats. Myocytes are held at high ambient oxygen pressure, 40-340 torr (5-45 kPa); sarcoplasmic myoglobin is fully oxygenated. In this condition oxygen availability does not limit respiratory rate; myoglobin-facilitated diffusion contributes no additional oxygen flux and, since oxygen consumption is measured in steady states, the storage function of myoglobin vanishes. Carbon monoxide, introduced stepwise, displaces oxygen from intracellular oxymyoglobin without altering the optical spectrum of the largely oxidized intracellular mitochondria. A large part, about one-third, of the steady-state oxygen uptake is abolished by carbon monoxide blockade of myoglobin oxygenation. The myoglobin-dependent component of the oxygen uptake decreases linearly with decreasing fraction of intracellular oxymyoglobin, with a slope near unity. Studies using inhibitors of mitochondrial electron transport indicate that myoglobin-delivered oxygen uptake depends on electron flow through the mitochondrial electron transport chain. We conclude that cardiac mitochondria accept two additive simultaneous flows of oxygen: a flow of dissolved oxygen to cytochrome oxidase and a flow of myoglobin-bound oxygen to a mitochondrial terminus. Myoglobin-mediated oxygen delivery supports ATP generation by heart cells at physiological ambient oxygen pressure.

Animals↗

Evidence for the presence of aquaporin-3 in human red blood cells.

A facilitated diffusion for glycerol is present in human erythrocytes. Glycerol transporters identified to date belong to the Major Intrinsic Protein (MIP) family of integral membrane proteins, and one of them, aquaporin-3 (AQP3), has been characterized in mammals. Using an antibody raised against a peptide corresponding to the rat AQP3 carboxyl terminus, we examined the presence of AQP3 in normal and Colton-null (aquaporin-1 (AQP1)-deficient) human erythrocytes. Three immunoreactive bands were detected on immunoblots of both normal and Colton-null red cells, very similar to the bands revealed in rat kidney, a material in which AQP3 has been extensively studied. By immunofluorescence, anti-AQP3 antibodies stained the plasma membranes of both normal and Colton-null erythrocytes. Glycerol transport was measured on intact erythrocytes by stopped-flow light scattering and on one-step pink ghosts by a rapid filtration technique. Glycerol permeability values, similar in both cell types, suggest that AQP1 does not represent the major path for glycerol movement across red blood cell membranes. Furthermore, pharmacological studies showed that Colton-null red cells remain sensitive to water and glycerol flux inhibitors, supporting the idea that another proteinaceous path, probably AQP3, mediates most of the glycerol movements across red cell membranes and represents part of the residual water transport activity found in AQP1-deficient red cells.

Animals↗

Effect of tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives on protein-nucleic acids interaction. Type II restriction endonucleases as a model system.

2-Methyl-4-carboxy,5-hydroxy-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyri- midine (THP(A) or hydroxyectoine) and 2-methyl,4-carboxy-3,4,5, 6-tetrahydropyrimidine (THP(B) or ectoine) are now recognized as ubiquitous bacterial osmoprotectants. To evaluate the impact of tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives (THPs) on protein-DNA interaction and on restriction-modification systems, we have examined their effect on the cleavage of plasmid DNA by 10 type II restriction endonucleases. THP(A) completely arrested the cleavage of plasmid and bacteriophage lambda DNA by EcoRI endonuclease at 0.4 mM and the oligonucleotide (d(CGCGAATTCGCG))2 at about 4.0 mM. THP(B) was 10-fold less effective than THP(A), whereas for betaine and proline, a notable inhibition was observed only at 100 mM. Similar effects of THP(A) were observed for all tested restriction endonucleases, except for SmaI and PvuII, which were inhibited only partially at 50 mM THP(A). No effect of THP(A) on the activity of DNase I, RNase A, and Taq DNA polymerase was noticed. Gel-shift assays showed that THP(A) inhibited the EcoRI-(d(CGCGAATTCGCG))2 complex formation, whereas facilitated diffusion of EcoRI along the DNA was not affected. Methylation of the carboxy group significantly decreased the activity of THPs, suggesting that their zwitterionic character is essential for the inhibition effect. Possible mechanisms of inhibition, the role of THPs in the modulation of the protein-DNA interaction, and the in vivo relevance of the observed phenomena are discussed.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗

Identification and functional characterization of a Na+-independent neutral amino acid transporter with broad substrate selectivity.

We have isolated a cDNA from rat small intestine that encodes a novel Na+-independent neutral amino acid transporter with distinctive characteristics in substrate selectivity and transport property. The encoded protein, designated L-type amino acid transporter-2 (LAT-2), shows amino acid sequence similarity to the system L Na+-independent neutral amino acid transporter LAT-1 (Kanai, Y., Segawa, H., Miyamoto, K., Uchino, H., Takeda, E., and Endou, H. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 23629-23632) (50% identity) and the system y+L transporters y+LAT-1 (47%) and KIAA0245/y+LAT-2 (45%) (Torrents, D., Estevez, R., Pineda, M., Fernandez, E., Lloberas, J., Shi, Y.-B., Zorzano, A., and Palacin, M. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 32437-32445). LAT-2 is a nonglycosylated membrane protein. It requires 4F2 heavy chain, a type II membrane glycoprotein, for its functional expression in Xenopus oocytes. LAT-2-mediated transport is not dependent on Na+ or Cl- and is inhibited by a system L-specific inhibitor, 2-aminobicyclo-(2,2,1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH), indicating that LAT-2 is a second isoform of the system L transporter. Compared with LAT-1, which prefers large neutral amino acids with branched or aromatic side chains, LAT-2 exhibits remarkably broad substrate selectivity. It transports all of the L-isomers of neutral alpha-amino acids. LAT-2 exhibits higher affinity (Km = 30-50 microM) to Tyr, Phe, Trp, Thr, Asn, Ile, Cys, Ser, Leu, Val, and Gln and relatively lower affinity (Km = 180-300 microM) to His, Ala, Met, and Gly. In addition, LAT-2 mediates facilitated diffusion of substrate amino acids, as distinct from LAT-1, which mediates amino acid exchange. LAT-2-mediated transport is increased by lowering the pH level, with peak activity at pH 6.25, because of the decrease in the Km value without changing the Vmax value. Because of these functional properties and a high level of expression of LAT-2 in the small intestine, kidney, placenta, and brain, it is suggested that the heterodimeric complex of LAT-2 and 4F2 heavy chain is involved in the trans-cellular transport of neutral amino acids in epithelia and blood-tissue barriers.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Energetics and topology of CzcA, a cation/proton antiporter of the resistance-nodulation-cell division protein family.

The membrane-bound CzcA protein, a member of the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) permease superfamily, is part of the CzcCB(2)A complex that mediates heavy metal resistance in Ralstonia sp. CH34 by an active cation efflux mechanism driven by cation/proton antiport. CzcA was purified to homogeneity after expression in Escherichia coli, reconstituted into proteoliposomes, and the kinetics of heavy metal transport by CzcA was determined. CzcA is composed of 12 transmembrane alpha-helices and two large periplasmic domains. Two conserved aspartate and a glutamate residue in one of these transmembrane spans are essential for heavy metal resistance and proton/cation antiport but not for facilitated diffusion of cations. Generalization of the resulting model for the function of CzcA as a two-channel pump might help to explain the functions of other RND proteins in bacteria and eukaryotes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Transport of sulfonium compounds. Characterization of the s-adenosylmethionine and s-methylmethionine permeases from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We report here the characterization and the molecular analysis of the two high affinity permeases that mediate the transport of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) and S-methylmethionine (SMM) across the plasma membrane of yeast cells. Mutant cells unable to use AdoMet as a sulfur source were first isolated and demonstrated to lack high affinity AdoMet transport capacities. Functional complementation cloning allowed us to identify the corresponding gene (SAM3), which encodes an integral membrane protein comprising 12 putative membrane spanning regions and belonging to the amino acid permease family. Among amino acid permease members, the closest relative of Sam3p is encoded by the YLL061w open reading frame. Disruption of YLL061w was shown to specifically lead to cells unable to use SMM as a sulfur source. Accordingly, transport assays demonstrated that YLL061w disruption mutation impaired the high affinity SMM permease, and YLL061w was therefore renamed MMP1. Further study of sam3Delta and mmp1Delta mutant cells showed that in addition to high affinity permeases, both sulfonium compounds are transported into yeast cells by low affinity transport systems that appear to be carrier-facilitated diffusion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗