Regulation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity by the membrane environment

The plant plasma membrane H+-ATPase is a proton pump which plays a central role in physiological functions such as nutrient uptake and intracellular pH regulation. This pump belongs to the P3-type ATPase family and creates an electrochemical gradient across the plasma membrane. The generation of this gradient has a major role in providing the energy for secondary active transport across the plasma membrane. The activity of the proton pump is regulated by the transcriptional and post-translational levels and by membrane environmental factors such as membrane lipids. Several reviews have appeared during the last few years concerning the regulatory mechanism at transcriptional and post-translational levels. The plasma membrane H+-ATPase requires lipids for activity. This lipid dependency suggests a possible mode of regulation of the H+-ATPase via modification of its lipid environment. This review focuses on the regulation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase by membrane lipids surrounding H+-ATPase molecules.