Characterization of energetically functional inverted membrane vesicles from Corynebacterium glutamicum

We show that inverted membrane vesicles from Corynebacterium glutamicum, a Gram-positive bacterium, are able to generate and maintain an electrochemical gradient of protons in response to the addition of NADH. This result indicates that the respiratory chain is intact and that the vesicles are reasonably impermeable to protons. These membrane vesicles may be the starting point for in vitro translocation studies of proteins in Gram-positive bacteria.