title: arcD, the first gene of the arc operon for anaerobic arginine catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, encodes an arginine-ornithine exchanger.
abstract: In the absence of oxygen and nitrate, Pseudomonas aeruginosa metabolizes arginine via the arginine deiminase pathway, which allows slow growth on rich media. The conversion of arginine to ornithine, CO2, and NH3 is coupled to the production of ATP from ADP. The enzymes of the arginine deiminase pathway are organized in the arcDABC operon. The arcD gene encodes a hydrophobic polytopic membrane protein. Translocation of arginine and ornithine in membrane vesicles derived from an Escherichia coli strain harboring a recombinant plasmid carrying the arcD gene was studied. Arginine and ornithine uptake was coupled to the proton motive force with a bias toward the transmembrane electrical potential. Accumulated ornithine was readily exchangeable for external arginine or lysine. The exchange was several orders of magnitude faster than proton motive force-driven transport. The ArcD protein was reconstituted in proteoliposomes after detergent solubilization of membrane vesicles. These proteoliposomes mediate a stoichiometric exchange between arginine and ornithine. It is concluded that the ArcD protein is a transport system that catalyzes an electroneutral exchange between arginine and ornithine to allow high-efficiency energy conversion in the arginine deiminase pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verhoogt
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abee
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gamper
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Driessen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Konings
mesh_terms: D026905:Amino Acid Transport Systems; D026923:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Basic; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D017920:Antiporters; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001692:Biological Transport; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D008081:Liposomes; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics; D009952:Ornithine / Q000378:metabolism*; D011522:Protons; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D026905:Amino Acid Transport Systems; D026923:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Basic; D017920:Antiporters; C063930:ArcD protein, Bacteria; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D011522:Protons; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C043909:arginine permease; D001120:Arginine; D009952:Ornithine