Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kv10.1

Title: Chemical modification of the brown-fat-mitochondrial uncoupling protein with tetranitromethane and N-ethylmaleimide. A cysteine residue is implicated in the nucleotide regulation of anion permeability.

Authors: E Rial, D G Nicholls

Journal, date & volume: Eur. J. Biochem., 1986 Dec 15 , 161, 689-94

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3024980

Abstract
Treatment of brown adipose tissue mitochondria with tetranitromethane or N-ethylmaleimide decreases the affinity with which inhibitory nucleotide GDP binds to the tissue-specific uncoupling protein. Both reagents modify cysteine residues which are 'accessible' and 'buried' to 5,5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (Nbs2). Modification of the single Nbs2-accessible residue correlates with the loss of high-affinity binding sites for GDP. Tetranitromethane does not affect the Cl- or H+ permeability of the protein in the absence of nucleotide, while N-ethylmaleimide increases both by 70-80%. Bound GDP is a less effective inhibitor of Cl- permeability after N-ethylmaleimide or tetranitromethane treatment, but retains much of the ability to inhibit H+ permeation.