Regulation of respiration by Na+ and K+ in the halotolerant bacterium, Ba1

In the obligate aerobe, moderate halophile bacterium, Ba1, the ion composition of the medium was found to have a profound influence on the response of the respiratory system to changes in the external pH. In the pH range 6.5 to 8.5 the respiratory activity either increased or decreased progressively, depending whether K+ or Na+ ions were omitted from the medium. A nearly constant rate of respiration was observed in the entire pH range when both K+ and Na+ were present simultaneously. The stimulatory effect of Na+ was expressed especially in the alkaline pH range, where it induced acidification of the intracellular milieu. It was manifest in whole cells as well as in inverted membrane vesicles, and was not affected by either uncoupler or inhibitor of H+-ATPase. In contrast, the respiratory stimulation induced by K+ was most prominent in the acidic pH range and was accompanied by alkalinization of the internal pH. The effect of K+ was observed only in intact cells. Agents which interfered with energy transfer suppressed the effect of K+. With ethanol as the electron donor, Na+ was found to decrease the extent of reduction of the cellular NAD+ in the aerobic steady state, and to cause increased reduction of the cytochromes. K+ had no appreciable effect on the extent of reduction of any component in the respiratory chain. The implications of the above findings are discussed in relation to the mechanism(s) involved in the cation-mediated regulation of respiration and intracellular pH.