Properties of proteoliposomes containing fusicoccin receptors from maize

We have recently described a fusicoccin (FC)-sensitive system reconstituted by inserting into liposomes FC-receptors and H(+)-ATPase-enriched preparations from maize tissues. While the proteoliposomes of maize H(+)-ATPase had been already investigated, those of FC-receptors required a careful characterization before use in the dual system. In particular, the influence of the phospholipid environment on time-course, reversibility, and pH-dependence of the FC-binding reaction has been studied by comparing these properties in microsome-bound, solubilized, and liposome-entrapped receptors. Similarities and differences between the results of this investigation and those previously obtained with FC-receptors from spinach leaves suggest that functionally similar binding proteins from monocot and dicot plants have distinct structural features.