The novel NhaE-type Na(+)/H (+) antiporter of the pathogenic bacterium Neisseria meningitidis

TY - JOUR

T1 - The novel NhaE-type Na(+)/H (+) antiporter of the pathogenic bacterium Neisseria meningitidis

AU - Sousa, Pedro M F

AU - Videira, Marco A M

AU - Vorburger, Thomas

AU - Silva, Sara T N

AU - Moir, James W

AU - Steuber, Julia

AU - Melo, Ana M P

PY - 2013/3

Y1 - 2013/3

N2 - Neisseria meningitidis is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for meningitis. The mechanisms underlying the control of Na(+) transmembrane movement, presumably important to pathogenicity, have been barely addressed. To elucidate the function of the components of the Na(+) transport system in N. meningitidis, an open reading frame from the genome of this bacterium displaying similarity with the NhaE type of Na(+)/H(+) antiporters was expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized for sodium transport ability. The N. meningitidis antiporter (NmNhaE) was able to complement an E. coli strain devoid of Na(+)/H(+) antiporters (KNabc) respecting the ability to grow in the presence of NaCl and LiCl. Ion transport assays in everted vesicles prepared from KNabc expressing NmNhaE from a plasmid confirmed its ability to translocate Na(+) and Li(+). Here is presented the characterization of the first NhaE from a pathogen, an important contribution to the comprehension of sodium ion metabolism in this kind of microorganisms.

AB - Neisseria meningitidis is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for meningitis. The mechanisms underlying the control of Na(+) transmembrane movement, presumably important to pathogenicity, have been barely addressed. To elucidate the function of the components of the Na(+) transport system in N. meningitidis, an open reading frame from the genome of this bacterium displaying similarity with the NhaE type of Na(+)/H(+) antiporters was expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized for sodium transport ability. The N. meningitidis antiporter (NmNhaE) was able to complement an E. coli strain devoid of Na(+)/H(+) antiporters (KNabc) respecting the ability to grow in the presence of NaCl and LiCl. Ion transport assays in everted vesicles prepared from KNabc expressing NmNhaE from a plasmid confirmed its ability to translocate Na(+) and Li(+). Here is presented the characterization of the first NhaE from a pathogen, an important contribution to the comprehension of sodium ion metabolism in this kind of microorganisms.

KW - Amino Acid Sequence

KW - Escherichia coli

KW - Hydrogen-Ion Concentration

KW - Lithium Chloride

KW - Neisseria meningitidis

KW - Plasmids

KW - Sodium Chloride

KW - Sodium-Hydrogen Antiporter

U2 - 10.1007/s00203-012-0856-4

DO - 10.1007/s00203-012-0856-4

M3 - Article

C2 - 23208205

SN - 0302-8933

VL - 195

SP - 211

EP - 217

JO - Archives of microbiology

JF - Archives of microbiology

IS - 3

ER -