Differential effects of triphenyltin and 8-azido-ATP on the ATP synthesis, ATP-Pi exchange, and ATP hydrolysis in liposomes containing ATP synthase and bacteriorhodopsin

The ATP hydrolysis activity of purified ATP synthase reconstituted in liposomes was inhibited by triphenyltin in a manner different from that of other thiol-specific reagents. In liposomes containing ATP synthase and bacteriorhodopsin, ATP hydrolysis and ATP-Pi exchange were inhibited by triphenyltin to a greater extent than the ATP synthesis, in contrast to what was found with an F1-specific inhibitor, 8-azido-ATP. The possibility is discussed that ATP hydrolysis and ATP synthesis are differently coupled to proton conduction through F0.     

Reconstitution of energy-linked activities of the solubilized F1F0 ATP synthase from Bacillus subtilis.

The F1F0 ATP synthases from wild-type Bacillus subtilis and an uncoupler-resistant mutant have comparable subunit structures. In accord with an earlier hypothesis, ATP hydrolysis and ATP-Pi exchange by the two synthases were equally stimulated and inhibited by protonophores, respectively, when reconstituted alone in either wild-type or mutant lipids.     

Mitochondrial adenosinetriphosphatase inhibitor protein: reversible interaction with complex V (ATP synthetase complex)

Mitochondrial ATPase inhibitor protein (IF1) reacts reversibly with complex V and inhibits up to 90% of its ATPase activity. Both the rate and extent of inhibition are pH and temperature dependent and increase as the pH is lowered from pH 8 tp 6.7 (the lowest pH examined) or as the temperature is increased from 4 to 36 degrees C. Nucleotide triphosphates plus Mg2+ ions are required for inhibition of complex V ATPase activity by IF1. In the presence of Mg2+ ions, the effectiveness order of nucleotides is ATP greater than ITP greater than GTP greater than UTP. Highly purified complex V, which requires added phospholipids for expressing ATPase and ATP-Pi exchange activities, cannot be inhibited by IF1 plust ATP-Mg2+ unless phospholipids are also added. This indicates that the active state of the enzyme is necessary for the IF1 effect to be manifested, because F1-ATPase, which does not contain nor require phospholipids for catalyzing ATP hydrolysis, can be inhibited by IF1 plus ATP-Mg2+ in the absence of added phospholipids. The IF1-inhibited complex V, but not IF1-inhibited F1-ATPase, can be reactivated by incubation at pH greater than 7.0 in the absence of ATP-Mg2+. The reactivation rate is pH dependent and is influenced by temperature and enzyme concentration. Complex V preparations contain small and variable amounts of IF1. This endogenous IF1 behaves the same as added IF1 with respect to conditions described above for inhibition and reactivation and can result in 25-50% inhibition in different complex V preparations. However, complex V lacking endogenous IF1 can be reconstituted from F0, F1, oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein, and phospholipids. Inhibition of this reconstituted preparation in the presence of ATP-Mg2+ depends entirely on addition of IF1. In general, the ATP-Pi exchange activity of complex V is more sensitive to the chemical inhibitors of F1-AtPase tha its ATPase activity. This is not so, however, for IF1. Under conditions that IF1 caused approximately 75% inhibition of ATPase activity of complex V, no more than 10% of the ATP-Pi exchange activity was inhibited.     

Effects of pH indicators on various activities of chromatophroes of Rhodospirillum rubrum.

1. The effects of pH indicators on activities for ATP hydrolysis in the dark and ATP-Pi exchange in the dark were examined with chromatophores from Rhodospirillum rubrum. Of thirty-one pH indicators tested, eleven (metanil yellow, 2, 4-dinitrophenol, ethyl orange, bromocresol green, resazurin, neutral red, bromthymol blue, alpha-naphtholphthalein, o-cresolphthalein, phenolphthalein, and alizarin yellow G) almost completely inhibited the activities for ATP formation and ATP-Pi exchange at concentrations of 1 mM, and were studied in detail. 2. Of the eleven pH indicators, those other than alpha-naptholphthalein, o-cresolphthalein and phenolphthalein, when assayed at appropriate concentrations, inhibited ATP-Pi exchange, but not ATP hydrolysis. In ATP-Pi exchange, these eight pH indicators at the concentrations described above were competitive against Pi, and non-competitive against ATP. The remaining three kinds of pH indicators were non-competitive against either Pi or ATP, when assayed at concentrations of the dyes that inhibited both activities. 3. The amounts of pH indicators bound with chromatophores were measured. No correlation was found between the amounts of the bound dyes and the extents of their inhibition of either ATP formation or ATP-Pi exchange. 4. Ethyl orange (pKa=4.1) and 2, 4-dinitrophenol (pKa=3.9) stimulated ATP hydrolysis to the greatest extent. The latter dye was hardly bound with chromatophores. 5. The stimulatory effects of pH indicators on ATP hydrolysis were hardly affected by extraction of quinones from chromatophores. 6. Most of the pH indicators stimulated both succinate-cytochrome c2 and NADH-cytochrome c2 reductions in the dark. 7. The mechanism of uncoupling of the electron transfer system and the phosphorylation system by pH indicators and the mechanism of the coupling are discussed.     

Fate of nucleotides bound to reconstituted Fo-F1 during adenosine 5'-triphosphate synthesis activation or hydrolysis: role of protein inhibitor and hysteretic inhibition

The protein ATPase inhibitor entraps about five nucleotides in pig heart mitochondrial F1, one at least being a triphosphate [Di Pietro, A., Penin, F., Julliard, J.H., Godinot, C., & Gautheron, D.C. (1988) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 152, 1319-1325]. The fate of these nucleotides was studied during ATP synthesis driven by NADH oxidation in reconstituted inverted submitochondrial particles. Iodinated F1, containing 0.7 mol of endogenous nucleotides/mol, was first loaded with tritiated adenine nucleotides in the presence or absence of the protein inhibitor and then reassociated with F1-depleted submitochondrial particles (ASU particles) to reconstitute an efficient NADH-driven ATP synthesis. In the absence of the protein inhibitor, 1.7 mol of labeled nucleotides remained bound per mole of reassociated F1, 0.8-0.9 mol being rapidly exchangeable against medium ADP or ATP, as measured after rapid filtration through nitrocellulose filters. In the presence of the protein inhibitor, as many as 3.25 mol of labeled nucleotides remained bound per mole of reassociated F1. Under hydrolysis conditions where ATPase activity was highly inhibited, no release of tritiated nucleotide occurred. In contrast, under ATP synthesis conditions where the protonmotive force was generated by NADH oxidation, the progressive reversal of inhibition by the protein inhibitor was correlated to a concomitant release of tritiated nucleotide. When ATP synthesis became fully active, about one nucleotide was completely exchanged whereas more than three nucleotides remained tightly bound and did not appear to be directly involved in ATP synthesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A time lag in the onset of ATP-Pi exchange catalyzed by purified ATP-synthase (CF0-CF1) proteoliposomes and by chloroplasts

The time course of ATP-Pi exchange which is catalyzed by the isolated chloroplast ATP synthase in phospholipid vesicles was studied. The following observations were made. (i) The onset of 32Pi incorporation into ATP lags behind ATP hydrolysis. The lag lasts for about 2 min at 37 degrees C and is followed by a steady-state rate which is constant for more than 30 min. Under the same experimental conditions, ATP hydrolysis shows an initial burst followed by a constant, slower rate. (ii) The initial lag is independent of Mg-ATP concentration in the range 0.2-5 mM and of the presence of ADP. In contrast, the steady-state rate of ATP-Pi exchange has an apparent Km of 0.3 mM for Mg-ATP and is stimulated by ADP. (iii) Increasing the temperature from 30 to 45 degrees C decreases the lag from 6 min to zero. The steady-state rate of ATP-Pi exchange is affected to a much smaller extent by the temperature in this range. (iv) The lag is insensitive to valinomycin or tetraphenylboron, while the steady-state rate is partially inhibited. Nigericin and protonophores affect both the lag and steady-state rate. (v) ATP-induced membrane potential formation, as followed by oxonol VI, does not correlate with the lag in its kinetics and temperature dependence. ATP-induced pH gradient formation could not be detected in the proteoliposome system. (vi) Light-triggered ATP-Pi exchange in chloroplasts shows essentially the same time course as the proteoliposome system, but the lag lasts for only about 20 s at room temperature and is unaffected by a preexisting proton gradient. These results suggest that the initial lag in ATP-Pi exchange does not reflect the time required for the buildup of a protomotive force (delta - mu H+) nor the time required to produce ADP. It is suggested, therefore, that the lag reflects an internal autocatalytic conformational change in the ATP-synthase complex which is initiated by ATP hydrolysis and which converts the enzyme from an "exclusive ATPase state" to a "reversible ATP-synthase state". This slow transition is not directly coupled to a trans-membrane pH or potential gradient.     

Interaction of F1-ATPase, from ox heart mitochondria with its naturally occurring inhibitor protein. Studies using radio-iodinated inhibitor protein

The ox heart mitochondrial inhibitor protein may be iodinated with up to 0.8 mol 125I per mol inhibitor with no loss of inhibitory activity, with no change in binding affinity to submitochondrial particles, and without alteration in the response of membrane-bound inhibitor to energisation. Tryptic peptide maps reveal a single labelled peptide, consistent with modification of the single tyrosine residue of the protein. A single type of high-affinity binding site (Kd=96 . 10 (-9)M) for the inhibitor protein has been measured in submitochondrial particles. The concentration of this site is proportional to the amount of membrane-bound F1, and there appears to be one such site per F1 molecule. The ATp hydrolytic activity of submitochondrial particles is inversely proportional to the occupancy of the high-affinity binding site for the inhibitor protein. No evidence is found for a non-inhibitory binding site on the membrane or on other mitochondrial proteins. In intact mitochondria from bovine heart, the inhibitor protein is present in an approx. 1:1 ratio with F1. Submitochondrial particles prepared by sonication of these mitochondria with MgATP contain about 0.75 mol inhibitor protein per mol F1, and show about 25% of the ATPase activity of inhibitor-free submitochondrial particles. Additional inhibitor protein can be bound to these particles to a level of 0.2 mol/mol F1, with consequent loss of ATPase activity. If MgATP is omitted from the medium, or inhibitors of ATP hydrolysis are present, the rate of combination between F1 and its inhibitor protein is very much reduced. The equilibrium level of binding is, however, unaltered. These results suggest the presence of a single, high-affinity, inhibitory binding site for inhibitor protein on membrane-bound F1. The energisation of coupled submitochondrial particles by succinate oxidation or by ATP hydrolysis results in both the dissociation of inhibitor protein into solution, and the activation of ATP hydrolysis. At least 80% of the membrane-bound F1-inhibitor complex responds to this energisation by participating in a new equilibrium between bound and free inhibitor protein. This finding suggests that a delocalised energy pool is important in promoting inhibitor protein release from F1. Dissipation of the electrochemical gradient by uncouplers, or the binding of oligomycin or efrapetin effectively blocks energised release of the inhibitor protein. Conversely, the addition of aurovertin or adenosine 5'--[beta, lambda--imido]triphosphate enhances energy-driven release. The mode of action of various inhibitors on binding and energised release of the protein inhibitor is discussed.     

Studies on photophosphorylation utilizing methylene diphosphonate analogs of ADP and ATP.

Spinach chloroplasts were able to photophosphorylate the ADP analog alpha,beta-methylene adenosine 5'-diphosphate (AOPCP). Phosphorylation of AOPCP was catalyzed by chloroplasts that were washed or dialyzed to remove free endogenous nucleotides. In the presence of glucose, hexokinase, AOPCP and 32Pi, the 32P label was incorporated into alpha,beta-methylene adenosine 5'-triphosphate (AOPCPOP). In contrast to photophosphorylation of AOPCP, the ATP analog AOPCPOP was a poor substrate for the ATP-Pi exchange reaction and its hydrolysis was neither stimulated by light and dithiothreitol nor inhibited by Dio-9. Photophosphorylation of AOPCP was inhibited by the alpha,beta- and beta,gamma-substituted methylene analogs of ATP, while phosphorylation of ADP was unaffected by them. The ATP-Pi exchange was also unaffected by both ATP analogs, while the weak AOPCPOP-Pi exchange was inhibited by the beta,gamma-methylene analog of ATP. Direct interaction of methylene analogs with the chloroplast coupling factor ATPase was indicated by the enzymatic hydrolysis of AOPCPOP on polyacrylamide gels.     

Mitochondrial H+-ATPase activation by an amine oxide detergent

Lauryl dimethylamine oxide activates ATP hydrolysis by the mitochondrial H+-ATPase. Activation is observed in systems with a high content of inhibitor protein as described by Pullman and Monroy (Pullman, M.E., and Monroy, G.C. (1963) J. Biol. Chem. 238, 3762-3769), i.e. Mg-ATP submitochondrial particles and a Triton X-100-solubilized H+-ATPase from the same particles. Detergent activation of ATP hydrolysis is also present in inhibitor-reconstituted systems, i.e. submitochondrial particles, Triton extracts, and soluble F1-ATPase. In submitochondrial particles depleted of inhibitor protein, lauryl dimethylamine oxide induced a biphasic response which is characterized by a drop-in activity induced by relatively low concentrations of LDAO; at higher concentrations the detergent activates to an extent never greater than the initial activity. In inhibitor protein-depleted oligomycin-sensitive Triton extracts, lauryl dimethylamine oxide stimulates ATP hydrolysis to very high values (30 mumol min-1 mg-1). These findings suggest that in addition to the inhibitor protein ATP hydrolysis is controlled by other subunit interactions.     

Localisation of adenine nucleotide-binding sites on beef-heart mitochondrial ATPase by photolabelling with 8-azido-ADP and 8-azido-ATP.

1. In addition to the previously studied 8-azido-ATP, 8-azido-ADP is a suitable photoaffinity label for beef-heart mitochondrial ATPase (F1). 2. Photolysis at 350 nm of 8-azido-ADP in the presence of isolated F1 leads to inactivation of ATPase activity. Both ATP and ADP (but not AMP) protect against the inactivation. 3. In the absence of Mg2+, 8-azido-ADP binds almost equally to the alpha and beta subunits of F1, whereas in the presence of Mg2+ the alpha subunits are predominantly labelled. 4. The ATPase activity is completely inhibited when two molecules of 8-azido-ADP are bound per molecule F1. 5. 8-Azido-ATP and ATP are competitive substrates for F1, indicating that in the presence of Mg2+ 8-azido-ATP binds to the same site as ATP. 6. The amount of tightly bound nucleotides in F1 is not significantly changed upon incubation with 8-azido-ATP either in the light or the dark. 7. 8-Azido-ATP is also a suitadrial particles, photolabelling leading to inactivation of ATPase activity. 9. Oxidative phosphorylation and the ATP-driven reduction of NAD+ by succinate are also inhibited by photolabelling Mg-ATP particles with 8-azido-ATP. 10. In contrast to the uncoupled ATPase activity, where the two ATP-binding sites do not interact, cooperation between the two sites is required for ATP hydrolysis coupled to reduction of NAD+ by succinate.     

Occurrence and significance of oxygen exchange reactions catalyzed by mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase preparations.

The capacity of various ATPase preparations from beef heart mitochondria to catalyze exchange of phosphate oxygens with water has been evaluated. Oligomycin-sensitive ATPase preparations retain a capacity for considerable intermediate Pi equilibrium HOH exchange per Pi formed during ATP hydrolysis at relatively high ATP concentration (5 mM). Submitochondrial particles prepared by an ammonia-Sephadex procedure with 5 mM ATP showed more rapid ATPase, less oligomycin sensitivity, and less capacity for intermediate exchange. With these particles, intermediate Pi equilibrium HOH exchange per Pi formed was increased as ATP concentration was decreased. The purified, soluble ATPase from mitochondria catalyzed little or no intermediate Pi equilibrium HOH exchange at 5 mM ATP but showed pronounced increase in capacity for such exchange as ATP concentration was lowered. The ATPase also showed a weak catalysis of an ADP-stimulated medium Pi equilibrium HOH exchange. The results support the alternating catalytic site model for ATP synthesis or cleavage. They also demonstrate that a transmembrane protonmotive force is not necessary for oxygen exchange reactions. At lower ATP concentrations, ADP and Pi formed at a catalytic site appear to remain bound and continue to allow exchange of Pi oxygens until ATP binds at another site on the enzyme.     

Effect of polyamines on mitochondrial F1-ATPase catalyzed reactions

The effect of polyamines on F1-ATPase catalyzed reactions has been studied through the use of submitochondrial particles and F1-ATPase. ATP degradation catalyzed by submitochondrial particles and F1-ATPase was inhibited by spermine and spermidine. Spermine's inhibition was much greater than spermidine's effect. In contrast, P1-ATP exchange and succinate dependent ATP synthesis catalyzed by submitochondrial particles were both stimulated by spermine. The inhibition of ATPase activity by polyamines probably occurs through polyamine's replacement of Mg2+ on ATP, for the following reasons. (a) The ATPase activity inhibited by spermine was partially recovered when Mg2+ was added. (b) Spermine bound to ATP and phospholipids but not to F1-ATPase; yet spermine inhibited the ATPase reaction catalyzed by F1-ATPase, a protein free of phospholipid. (c) The binding of spermine to ATP was inhibited by Mg2+. The ATP content in polyamine-deficient cells definitely was lower than that in normal cells. On the basis of these results, the possible role of spermine in keeping the ATP concentration at a high level is discussed.     

Effect of denaturants on multisite and unisite ATP hydrolysis by bovine heart submitochondrial particles with and without inhibitor protein

The effect of guanidinium hydrochloride (GdnHCl) on multisite and unisite ATPase activity by F0F1 of submitochondrial particles from bovine hearts was studied. In particles without control by the inhibitor protein, 50 mM GdnHCl inhibited multisite hydrolysis by about 85%; full inhibition required around 500 mM. In the range of 500-650 mM, GdnHCl enhanced the rate of unisite catalysis by promoting product release; it also increased the rate of hydrolysis of ATP bound to the catalytic site without GdnHCl. GdnHCl diminished the affinity of the enzyme for aurovertin. The effects of GdnHCl were irreversible. The results suggest that disruption of intersubunit contacts in F0F1 abolishes multisite hydrolysis and stimulates of unisite hydrolysis. Particles under control by the inhibitor protein were insensitive to concentrations of GdnHCl that induce the aforementioned alterations of F0F1 free of inhibitor protein, indicating that the protein stabilizes the global structure of particulate F1.     

Purification and reconstitution of the F1F0-ATP synthase from alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4. Evidence that the enzyme translocates H+ but not Na+

The F1F0-ATP synthase from the alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 was purified in a reconstitutively active form, in good yield and with a high specific ATPase activity when appropriately activated. The purification procedure involved octyl glucoside extraction of washed membrane vesicles in the presence of 20% glycerol and asolectin followed by ammonium sulfate fractionation and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The purified preparation was resolved into seven bands by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, corresponding to the five F1 subunits, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon, and to the b and c subunits of the F0. Two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly-acrylamide gel analysis revealed a candidate for the alpha subunit of F0. The MgATPase activity of B. firmus OF4 F1F0 was barely detectable but could be stimulated, optimally more than 100-fold, by sulfite, methanol, and octyl thioglucoside. The enzyme was inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and sodium azide, but not by aurovertin, an inhibitor of the F1 from Escherichia coli. The F1F0 reconstituted into proteoliposomes catalyzed ATPase activity, ATP-Pi exchange, and ATP-dependent delta pH and delta psi formation. ATP hydrolysis was stimulated by protonophores while the other activities were abolished by protonophores. These activities were neither dependent on added sodium ions nor significantly affected by them. F1F0 proteoliposomes made from crude octyl glucoside extracts that also contained the Na+/H+ antiporter were shown to catalyze ATP-dependent Na+ uptake that was completely sensitive to carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl-hydrazone; Na+ uptake activity was absent in proteoliposomes containing more purified F1F0 but lacking the Na+/H+ antiporter. These data show that the F1F0 translocates protons and does not substitute Na+ for H+ in energy coupling.     

The equilibrium between the mitochondrial ATPase (F1) and its natural inhibitor in submitochondrial particles

1. The reversible equilibrium between the mitochondrial ATPase (F₁) and its naturally occurring inhibitor in Mg-ATP submitochondrial particles has been studied under different conditions.2. High ionic strength favours dissociation of the ATPase inhibitor as tested by ATPase and ATP-driven transhydrogenase activities.3. Dissociation of the ATPase inhibitor results in an increased maximal velocity of the ATPase activity measured in the presence of uncoupler and an increased affinity for adenine nucleotides, in particular for ATP.4. Association of the ATPase inhibitor with inhibitor-depleted Mg-ATP particles causes a slowing of the initial rate of succinate oxidation.5. The antibiotic aurovertin stimulates the ATPase activity of Mg-ATP particles preinculbated in the presence of a supply of oxidative energy. Bound aurovertin impedes the association of inhibitor-deficient particles with ATPase inhibitor.6. The fluorescence of aurovertin bound to inhibitor-containing particles is much less than that of aurovertin bound to inhibitor-depleted particles.7. The oligomycin-sensitivity-conferring protein, added either alone or in the presence or absence of membranous components of the ATPase complex, has little or no effect on the fluorescence of the F₁-aurovertin complex.8. It is suggested that the ATPase inhibitor brings F₁ in a conformation denoted 1F₁ that binds aurovertin with a low quantum yield, a decreased affinity and an increased binding capacity.     

Calcium-binding ATPase inhibitor protein of bovine heart mitochondria. Role in ATP synthesis and effect of Ca2+

Submitochondrial particles (A particles) and phosphorylating electron-transport particles (ETPH) were prepared from bovine heart mitochondria. The A particles either were supplemented with or were depleted of the mitochondrial calcium-binding ATPase inhibitor protein (CaBI). The CaBI-depleted A particles still retained the Pullman-Monroy ATPase inhibitor protein (PMI), and the other particles all contained both CaBI and PMI. ATP synthase and ATPase activities of the particles were measured in similar reaction mixtures by luminescence of firefly luciferin-luciferase. Succinate was the respiratory substrate, and the adenylate kinase inhibitor P1, P5-di(adenosine-5') pentaphosphate was obligatory. The ATP synthase activity of CaBI-depleted A particles was 30-40% of that of the A and ETPH particles, and its ATPase activity was 7-8 times greater. Reconstitution of the CaBI-depleted A particles with CaBI restored the original ATP synthase and ATPase activities. ATP synthase activity rose about 1.7-fold when A particles were supplemented with additional CaBI and ATPase activity dropped to 9% of the original. Varying Ca2+ levels had little or no effect on the ATP synthase and ATPase activities of the CaBI-depleted A particles. In contrast, ATP synthase activity of the other particles was decreased by as much as 70% at the optimal Ca2+ concentration of 1 microM, and the ATPase activity of the A and EPTH particles rose concomitantly by 7-8-fold. The ATP synthase and ATPase activities of all the particles in microM Ca2+ became like those of the CaBI-depleted A particles. These changes were reversible; normal activities were restored as Ca2+ concentrations were raised above 1 microM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Titration of the binding sites for the oligomycin-sensitivity conferring protein in beef heart submitochondrial particles

The binding parameters of the oligomycin-sensitivity conferring protein (OSCP) in inside-out particles from beef heart mitochondria have been tested by means of two assays, the oligomycin-sensitive ATP-Pi exchange, and the oligomycin-sensitive ATP hydrolysis. The total number of OSCP binding sites in A particles was equal to 220 pmol/mg particle protein. Each mole of ATPase active site was able to bind 1.1 +/- 0.5 mol OSCP with Kd 1.7 nM.     

Regulation of the synthesis and hydrolysis of ATP by mitochondrial ATPase. Role of the natural ATPase inhibitor protein

The action of the natural ATPase inhibitor protein of Pullman and Monroy (Pullman, M. E., and Monroy, G. C. (1963) J. Biol. Chem. 238, 3762-3769) on the mechanisms of energy conservation of heart mitochondria has been explored. The synthesis and hydrolysis of ATP and the Pi-ATP exchange reaction were studied in submitochondrial particles that possess the ATPase-inhibitor protein complex in two distinguishable states. In addition to their different rates of hydrolysis, the two states of the complex have been identified from their different accessibility to antibodies directed against the inhibitor protein, and from the different action of antibodies and trypsin on the ATPase activity of the two types of particles studied. The steady state rates of hydrolysis and of the Pi-ATP exchange reaction of the particles are determined by the state in which the ATPase-inhibitor complex exists. Apparently by modifying the rate of one of the steps involved in the catalytic reaction of the ATPase, the inhibitor protein determines the extent to which the enzyme is able to catalyze ATP hydrolysis and the Pi-ATP exchange reaction. This action of the inhibitor protein also reflects the rate at which the particles carry out oxidative phosphorylation.     

Inhibition of energy-transducing reactions by 8-nitreno-ATP covalently bound to bovine heart submitochondrial particles: direct interaction between ATPase and redox enzymes

The photoaffinity label 8-azido-ATP has been used to study the effect of inhibition of ATP synthase on ATP-driven reverse electron transfer from succinate to NAD+ ('reversal'), succinate- and NADH-driven ATP synthesis and ATP-Pi exchange. In reversal, where ATPase functions as primary proton pump, inactivation by covalently bound nitreno-ATP results in an inhibition that is proportional to the inactivation of ATP hydrolysis, or, consequently, with the concentration of inactivated ATP synthases. Up to 60% inactivation of the reversal rate does not lead to a decrease in delta mu H+. Inhibition of ATP synthase as secondary proton pump results in case of NADH-driven ATP synthesis in a proportional inhibition, but with succinate as substrate ATP synthesis is less than proportionally inhibited, compared with inactivation of ATP hydrolysis. Inhibition of one of the primary pumps of NADH-driven ATP synthesis, the NADH:Q oxidoreductase, with rotenone also resulted in an inhibition of the rate of ATP synthesis proportional to that of the NADH oxidation. ATP-Pi exchange is much more affected than ATP hydrolysis by photoinactivation with 8-azido-ATP. Contrary to reversal and NADH-driven ATP synthesis the rate of ATP-Pi exchange does not depend linearly, but quadratically on the concentration of active ATP synthases. The observed proportional relationships between inhibition of the primary or secondary pump and the inhibition of the overall energy-transfer reactions do not support the existence of a pool intermediate in energy-transduction reactions. However, the results are consistent with a direct transfer of energy from redox enzymes to ATP synthase and vice versa.     

ATP synthase complex from bovine heart mitochondria. Passive H+ conduction through mitochondrial coupling factor 6-depleted F0 complexes

Submitochondrial particles prepared by treatment of mitochondria with ammonia and silicotungstic acid were found to be deficient in coupling factor 6 according to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting and had reduced ATP-Pi exchange activity. Requirement of coupling factor 6 for passive proton conductance through mitochondrial F0 was investigated by assaying the ability of depleted particles to sustain NADH-induced proton fluxes as measured by the quenching of 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridine fluorescence. The depleted particles themselves showed negligible quenching, but the quenching increased markedly after treating the particles with oligomycin. The data show for the first time that coupling factor 6-depleted complexes have an active proton channel that can be blocked by oligomycin. Therefore, coupling factor 6 is not essential for inhibitor-sensitive proton conductance through mitochondrial F0.