Characterization of a P-type Na+-ATPase of a facultatively anaerobic alkaliphile, Exiguobacterium aurantiacum.

A facultatively anaerobic alkaliphile, Exiguobacterium aurantiacum, possesses a P-type Na(+)-stimulated ATPase in the membrane (Koyama, N. (1999) Curr. Microbiol. 39, 27-30). In this study, we attempted to purify and characterize the enzyme. The ATPase appears to consist of a single polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 100 kDa. The enzyme exhibited an optimum pH for activity at around 9. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by vanadate (50% inhibition observed at 3 microm) and forms an acylphosphate intermediate, suggesting a P-type ATPase. The enzyme, when reconstituted into soybean phospholipid vesicles, exhibited ATP-dependent (22)Na(+) uptake, which was completely inhibited by gramicidin. The reconstituted vesicles exhibited a generation of membrane potential (positive, inside). The enzyme is likely to be involved in an electrogenic transport of Na(+).

Presence of Na(+)-stimulated V-type ATPase in the membrane of a facultatively anaerobic and halophilic alkaliphile.

It was found that a facultatively anaerobic and halophilic alkaliphile, M-12 (Amphibacillus sp.), possesses a Na(+)-stimulated ATPase in the membrane. The ATPase activity was inhibited by NO3- and SCN- which are the inhibitors of V-type ATPase, but not by azide and vanadate, inhibitors of F-type ATPase and P-type ATPase, respectively. Upon the incubation of the membrane in buffer containing ATP and MgCl2, several polypeptides were released from the membrane. Among them, two major polypeptides with apparent molecular masses of 79 and 55 kDa crossreacted with an antiserum against the catalytic units (subunits A and B) of V-type ATPase from Enterococcus hirae. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the 79 and 55 kDa polypeptides showed high similarity to those of subunits A and B of V-type ATPase from Enterococcus hirae, respectively. M-12 is likely to possess a V-type Na(+)-ATPase.