Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of General Physiology logoLink to The Journal of General Physiology
. 1977 Feb 1;69(2):243–257. doi: 10.1085/jgp.69.2.243

Phloretin-induced changes in ion transport across lipid bilayer membranes

PMCID: PMC2215010  PMID: 576427

Abstract

Phloretin, the aglucone derivative of phlorizin, increases cation conductance and decreases anion conductance in lipid bilayer membranes. In this paper we present evidence that phloretin acts almost exclusively by altering the permeability of the membrane interior and not by modifying the partition of the permanent species between the membrane and the bulk aqueous phases. We base our conclusion on an analysis of the current responses to a senylborate, and the cation complex, peptide PV-K+. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that phloretin decreases the intrinsic positive internal membrane potential but does not modify to a great extent the potential energy minima at the membrane interfaces. Phloretin increases the conductance for the nonactin-K+ complex, but above 10(-5) M the steady- state nonactin-K+ voltage-current curve changes from superlinear to sublinear. These results imply that, above 10(-5) M phloretin, the nonactin-5+ transport across the membrane becomes interfacially limited.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (968.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alvarez O., Latorre R., Verdugo P. Kinetic characteristics of the excitability-inducing material channel in oxidized cholesterol and brain lipid bilayer membranes. J Gen Physiol. 1975 Apr;65(4):421–439. doi: 10.1085/jgp.65.4.421. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Andersen O. S., Finkelstein A., Katz I., Cass A. Effect of phloretin on the permeability of thin lipid membranes. J Gen Physiol. 1976 Jun;67(6):749–771. doi: 10.1085/jgp.67.6.749. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Andersen O. S., Fuchs M. Potential energy barriers to ion transport within lipid bilayers. Studies with tetraphenylborate. Biophys J. 1975 Aug;15(8):795–830. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(75)85856-5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Benz R., Stark G. Kinetics of macrotetrolide-induced ion transport across lipid bilayer membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 Feb 28;382(1):27–40. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(75)90369-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Czech M. P., Lynn D. G., Lynn W. S. Cytochalasin B-sensitive 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport in adipose cell ghosts. J Biol Chem. 1973 May 25;248(10):3636–3641. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Davis D. G., Gisin B. F., Tosteson D. C. Conformational studies of peptide cyclo-(D-Val-L-Pro-L-Val-D-Pro]3, a cation-binding analogue of valinomycin. Biochemistry. 1976 Feb 24;15(4):768–774. doi: 10.1021/bi00649a007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gisin B. F., Merrifield R. B. Synthesis of a hydrophobic potassium binding peptide. J Am Chem Soc. 1972 Aug 23;94(17):6165–6170. doi: 10.1021/ja00772a039. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hall J. E., Latorre R. Nonactin-K+ complex as a probe for membrane asymmetry. Biophys J. 1976 Jan;16(1):99–103. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(76)85667-6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Haydon D. A., Hladky S. B. Ion transport across thin lipid membranes: a critical discussion of mechanisms in selected systems. Q Rev Biophys. 1972 May;5(2):187–282. doi: 10.1017/s0033583500000883. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Haydon D. A., Myers V. B. Surface charge, surface dipoles and membrane conductance. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1973 May 25;307(3):429–443. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(73)90289-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hladky S. B. The energy barriers to ion transport by nonactin across thin lipid membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1974 May 30;352(1):71–85. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(74)90180-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LEFEVRE P. G. Sugar transport in the red blood cell: structure-activity relationships in substrates and antagonists. Pharmacol Rev. 1961 Mar;13:39–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Latorre R., Hall J. E. Dipole potential measurements in asymmetric membranes. Nature. 1976 Nov 25;264(5584):361–363. doi: 10.1038/264361a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Le Blanc O. H., Jr Tetraphenylborate conductance through lipid bilayer membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1969;193(2):350–360. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(69)90195-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Liberman E. A., Topaly V. P. Pronitsaemost' bimolekuliarnykh fosfolipidnykh membran dlia zhirorastvorimykh ionov. Biofizika. 1969 May-Jun;14(3):452–461. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Läuger P. Ion transport through pores: a rate-theory analysis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1973 Jul 6;311(3):423–441. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(73)90323-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McLaughlin S. G., Szabo G., Eisenman G., Ciani S. M. Surface charge and the conductance of phospholipid membranes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1970 Nov;67(3):1268–1275. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.3.1268. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Montal M., Mueller P. Formation of bimolecular membranes from lipid monolayers and a study of their electrical properties. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Dec;69(12):3561–3566. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.12.3561. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Owen J. D., Solomon A. K. Control of nonelectrolyte permeability in red cells. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1972 Dec 1;290(1):414–418. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(72)90087-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Poznansky M., Tong S., White P. C., Milgram J. M., Solomon A. K. Nonelectrolyte diffusion across lipid bilayer systems. J Gen Physiol. 1976 Jan;67(1):45–66. doi: 10.1085/jgp.67.1.45. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stark G., Ketterer B., Benz R., Läuger P. The rate constants of valinomycin-mediated ion transport through thin lipid membranes. Biophys J. 1971 Dec;11(12):981–994. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(71)86272-0. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Szabo G. Dual mechanism for the action of cholesterol on membrane permeability. Nature. 1974 Nov 1;252(5478):47–49. doi: 10.1038/252047a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Ting-Beall H. P., Tosteson M. T., Gisin B. F., Tosteson D. C. Effect of peptide PV on the ionic permeability of lipid bilayer membranes. J Gen Physiol. 1974 Apr;63(4):492–508. doi: 10.1085/jgp.63.4.492. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of General Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES