Purification and characterization of the reconstitutively active P/sub i//H/sup +/ symporter from rat liver mitochondria

A highly purified preparation of reconstitutively active P/sub i//H/sup +/ symporter has been obtained from rat liver mitochondria. The carrier is isolated by extraction of hypotonically shocked mitoplasts with Triton X-114 in the presence of cardiolipin followed by sequential chromatography on hydroxylapatite, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, and Affi-Gel 501. Upon incorporation of the final Affi-Gel eluate into phospholipid vesicles, an N-ethylmaleimide (NEM)-sensitive P/sub i//P/sub i/ exchange of greater than 15 ..mu..mol/min/mg protein has been measured. This exchange is characterized by a first order rate constant of 0.85 min/sup -1/ and a t/sub 1/2/ of 49 sec. Furthermore, /sup 32/P/sub i/ uptake into vesicles can be inhibited by SH reagents and by the lysine reactive reagent dansyl chloride. Coomassie-stained SDS polyacrylamide gradient gels verify the high purity of this fraction and indicate the presence of two bands, of nearly equivalent staining intensity, at 33 kDa and 35 kDa. A small amount of higher molecular weight material also appears at approx. 61 kDa. Alkylation of the purified fraction with NEM causes the two lower molecular weight protein bands to migrate as a single species at 35 kDa which binds (/sup 3/H)NEM. It is concluded that the purifed protein represents a nearly homogeneous form ofmore » the NEM-sensitive P/sub i//H/sup +/ symporter of rat liver mitochondria. Additionally, the purified carrier appears to contain cysteine and lysine residues that are essential for activity.« less