Reversible penetration of alpha-glutathione S-transferase into biological membranes revealed by photosensitized labelling in situ.

Fluorescent lipid analogue 3,3'-dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine incorporated into biological membranes was used to induce photoactivation of a hydrophobic probe 5-[125I]iodonaphthyl-1-azide (125INA) by energy transfer and to thereby confine subsequent radiolabelling of proteins to the lipid bilayer. This approach was applied in bovine chromaffin cells to discover cytosolic proteins that reversibly penetrate into membrane domains. alpha-Glutathione S-transferase (alpha-GST) was identified as the only labelled protein in bovine chromaffin-cell cytosol, indicating that it inserts reversibly into the membrane lipid bilayer. The selectivity of the labelling towards the lipid bilayer is demonstrated by showing that influenza virus haemagglutinin becomes labelled by 125INA only after the insertion of this protein into the target membrane. The molar 125INA:protein ratio was used as a quantitative criterion for evaluation of the penetration of proteins into the membrane lipid bilayer. This ratio was calculated for four integral membrane proteins and four soluble proteins that interact with biological membranes. The values for four integral membrane proteins (erythrocyte anion transporter, multidrug transporter gp-170, dopamine transporter and fusion-competent influenza virus haemagglutinin) were 1, 8, 2 and 2, respectively, whereas for soluble proteins (annexin VII, protein kinase C, BSA and influenza virus haemagglutinin) the values were 0.002, 0, 0.002 and 0.02, respectively. The molar ratio for alpha-GST was found to be 1, compatible with the values obtained for integral membrane proteins.