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Proton/hydroxide conductance through lipid bilayer membranes

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Summary

A simple method of measuring proton/hydroxide conductance (G H/OH) through planar lipid bilayer membranes is described. First the total conductance (G m ) is measured electrically. Then the H+/OH− transference number (T H/OH) is estimated from the diffusion potential (V m ) produced by a transmembrane pH gradient. The pH gradient is produced by a pair of buffered solutions which have identical concentrations of all ions except H+ and OH−. Thus,V m is due entirely to H+/OH− diffusion andG H/OH can be calculated from the relations,V m =T H/OH E H/OH andG H/OH=T H/OH G m , whereE H/OH is the equilibrium potential for H+ and OH−. In bilayers made from bacterial phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) inn-decane,G H/OH is nearly independent of pH, ranging from about 10−9 S cm−2 at pH 1.6 to 10−8 S cm−2 at pH 10.5. BecauseG H/OH is nearly independent of pH, the calculated permeability coefficients to H+ and/or OH− are extremely pH dependent, which partly explains the wide range of values reported for phospholipid vesicles and biological membranes.G H/OH appears to be independent of the membrane surface charge, because titrating either the phosphate or the amino group of PE has little effect onG H/OH.G H/OH is reduced about 10-fold when the water activity is reduced 33% by replacement with glycerol. Although the mechanism of H+/OH− conductance is not known, the relation betweenG H/OH and water activity suggests that several water molecules are involved in the H+/OH− transport process.

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  1. John Gutknecht

    Present address: Duke Marine Laboratory, 28516, Beaufort, North Carolina

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  1. Department of Physiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina

    John Gutknecht

  2. Duke University Marine Laboratory, 28516, Beaufort, North Carolina

    John Gutknecht

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Gutknecht, J. Proton/hydroxide conductance through lipid bilayer membranes. J. Membrain Biol. 82, 105–112 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01870737

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01870737

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