Response of an integral granule membrane protein to changes in pH

J Biol Chem. 2001 Aug 10;276(32):29854-63. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M103936200. Epub 2001 Jun 6.

Abstract

A key feature of the regulated secretory pathway in neuroendocrine cells is lumenal pH, which decreases between trans-Golgi network and mature secretory granules. Because peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) is one of the few membrane-spanning proteins concentrated in secretory granules and is a known effector of regulated secretion, we examined its sensitivity to pH. Based on antibody binding experiments, the noncatalytic linker regions between the two enzymatic domains of PAM show pH-dependent conformational changes; these changes occur in the presence or absence of a transmembrane domain. Integral membrane PAM-1 solubilized from rat anterior pituitary or from transfected AtT-20 cells aggregates reversibly at pH 5.5 while retaining enzyme activity. Over 35% of the PAM-1 in anterior pituitary extracts aggregates at pH 5.5, whereas only about 5% aggregates at pH 7.5. PAM-1 recovered from secretory granules and endosomes is highly responsive to low pH-induced aggregation, whereas PAM-1 recovered from a light, intracellular recycling compartment is not. Mutagenesis studies indicate that a transmembrane domain is necessary but not sufficient for low pH-induced aggregation and reveal a short lumenal, juxtamembrane segment that also contributes to pH-dependent aggregation. Taken together, these results demonstrate that several properties of membrane PAM serve as indicators of granule pH in neuroendocrine cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Catalysis
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • Cytosol / metabolism
  • Detergents / pharmacology
  • Endosomes / metabolism
  • Exons
  • Golgi Apparatus / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Male
  • Mixed Function Oxygenases / chemistry*
  • Mixed Function Oxygenases / metabolism*
  • Multienzyme Complexes / chemistry*
  • Multienzyme Complexes / metabolism*
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Pituitary Gland / metabolism
  • Precipitin Tests
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Signal Transduction
  • Subcellular Fractions / metabolism
  • Sucrose / metabolism
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Detergents
  • Multienzyme Complexes
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Sucrose
  • Mixed Function Oxygenases
  • peptidylglycine monooxygenase