Single replacement constructs of all hydroxyl, basic, and acidic amino acids identify new function and structure-sensitive regions of the mitochondrial phosphate transport protein.

The phosphate transport protein (PTP) catalyzes the proton cotransport of phosphate into the mitochondrial matrix. It functions as a homodimer, and thus residues of the phosphate and proton pores are somewhat scattered throughout the primary sequence. With 71 new single mutation per subunit PTPs, all its hydroxyl, basic, and acidic residues have now been replaced to identify these essential residues. We assayed the initial rate of pH gradient-dependent unidirectional phosphate transport activity and the liposome incorporation efficiency (LIE) of these mutants. Single mutations of Thr79, Tyr83, Lys90, Tyr94, and Lys98 inactivate transport. The spacings between these residues imply that they are located along the same face of transmembrane (TM) helix B, requiring an extension of its current model C-terminal domain by 10 residues. This extension superimposes very well onto the shorter bovine PTP helix B, leaving a 15-residue hydrophobic extension of the yeast helix B N-terminus. This is similar to the helix D and F regions of the yeast PTP. Only one transport-inhibiting mutation is located within loops: Ser158Thr in the matrix loop between helices C and D. All other transport-inhibiting mutations are located within the TM helices. Mutations that yield LIEs of <6% are all, except for four, within helices. The four exceptions are Tyr12Ala near the PTP N-terminus and Arg159Ala, Glu163Gln, and Glu164Gln in the loop between helices C and D. The PTP C-terminal segment beyond Thr214 at the N-terminus of helix E has 11 mutations with LIEs >20% and none with LIE <6%. Mutations with LIEs >20% are located near the ends of all the TM helices except TM helix D. Only a few mutations alter PTP structure (LIE) and also affect PTP transport activity. A novel observation is that Ser4Ala blocks the formation of PTP bacterial inclusion bodies.