Activation of the CF0-CF1, ATP synthase from spinach chloroplasts by chloroplast lipids

The interactions of CF₀-CF₁ with different lipids were studied by following the stimulation of Mg-ATPase and of P_i-ATP exchange activities of reconstituted CF₀-CF₁ proteoliposomes. The following results were obtained: (1) Both P_i-ATP exchange and Mg-ATPase activities are stimulated by lipids. Furthermore, the inhibition of Mg-ATPase by N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide is dependent on the interactions of CF₀-CF₁ with lipids. (2) A polar lipid extract of thylakoid membranes stimulates Mg-ATPase activity of CF₀-CF₁ more efficiently than phospholipids. The relative effectiveness of Mg-ATPase stimulation is: chloroplast lipids > soybean phospholipids > phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine (4: 1) > phosphatidylcholine. The rate of P_i-ATP exchange in chloroplast lipids CF₀-CF₁ proteoliposomes is, however, lower than in soybean lipids CF₀-CF₁ proteoliposomes, due to their higher permeability to protons. Addition of 10% phosphatidylserine to chloroplast lipids reduces their permeability to protons and stimulates P_i-ATP exchange. (3) The kinetic mechanism of ATPase stimulation by chloroplast lipids is by decreasing the K_m (ATP) and by increasing V_max in comparison to soybean lipid proteoliposomes. This may explain the low affinity for ATP and the slow turnover rate of the purified enzyme in artificial lipids in comparison to the native enzyme in chloroplast thylakoids. (4) Chloroplast lipids lacking monogalactosyldiacylglycerols only poorly activate CF₀-CF₁. A large stimulation of P_i-ATP exchange is obtained by a mixture of 60% monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and 40% of the rest of the chloroplast lipids, but not by mixtures of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol with phospholipids. Hydrogenation of the unsaturated fatty acids of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol inhibits the activation of CF₀-CF₁. (5) The results suggest that: (a) interactions of specific chloroplast lipids with CF₀-CF₁ activates the enzyme by increasing its turnover and its affinity for ATP; (b) specific requirements for CF₀-CF₁ activation are the presence of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols together with another chloroplast lipid component and of highly unsaturated fatty acids.     

The role of different thylakoid glycolipids in the function of reconstituted chloroplast ATP synthase

ATPase activity of CF₀CF₁ from spinach chloroplasts is specifically stimulated by chloroplast lipids (Pick, U., Gounaris, K., Admon, A. and Barber, J. (1984) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 765, 12–20). The association of CF₀-CF₁ with isolated lipids and their mixtures has been examined by analyzing the stimulation of ATPase and ATP-P_i exchange activities, by binding studies and by measurement of proton conductance of reconstituted proteoliposomes. Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol is the only chloroplast lipid which by itself activates ATP hydrolysis. A mild saturation of the fatty acids of the lipid partially inhibits the activation. CF₀-CF₁ has a higher binding capacity for monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (1.5 mg/mg protein) than for other thylakoid glycolipids. However, ATPase activation is not correlated with the amount of bound lipid but rather with its type. For the same amount of bound lipid, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol best activates ATP hydrolysis, while the acidic lipids phosphatidylglycerol and sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol inhibit ATPase activity. Optimal activation of ATP-P_i exchange requires, in addition to monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol and sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol at a ratio of 6:3:1, respectively. Correlations between proton conductance, ATP-P_i exchange and uncoupler stimulation of ATPase activity indicate that sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol reduces the permeability of the proteoliposomes to protons. The results suggest that: (a) association of CF₀-CF₁ with polyunsaturated monogalactosyldiacylglycerol greatly stimulates ATPase activity; (b) reconstitution of coupled CF₀-CF₁ proteoliposomes requires a careful balance of the natural glycolipids of thylakoid membranes in similar proportions to their occurrence in chloroplasts, and (c) sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol may control the permeability of chloroplast membranes to protons.     

Purification and Characterization of a Glycerol-Resistant CF(0)-CF(1) and CF(1)-ATPase from the Halotolerant Alga Dunaliella bardawil

The isolation of the chloroplast ATP synthase complex (CF₀-CF₁) and of CF₁ from Dunaliella bardawil is described. The subunit structure of the D. bardawil ATPase differs from that of the spinach in that the D. bardawil α subunit migrates ahead of the β subunit and ε-migrates ahead of subunit II of CF₀ when separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The CF₁ isolated from D. bardawil resembles the CF₁ isolated from Chladmydomonas reinhardi in that a reversible, Mg²⁺-dependent ATPase is induced by selected organic solvents. Glycerol stimulates cyclic photophosphorylation catalyzed by D. bardawil thylakoid membranes but inhibits photophosphorylation catalyzed by spinach thylakoid membranes. Glycerol (20%) also stimulates the rate of ATP-P_i exchange catalyzed by D. bardawil CF₀-CF₁ proteoliposomes but inhibits the activity with the spinach enzyme. The ethanol-activated, Mg²⁺-ATPase of the D. bardawil CF₁ is more resistant to glycerol inhibition than the octylglucoside-activated, Mg²⁺-ATPase of spinach CF₁ or the ethanol-activated, Mg²⁺-dependent ATPase of the C. reinhardi CF₁. Both cyclic photophosphorylation and ATP-P_i exchange catalyzed by D. bardawil CF₀-CF₁ are more sensitive to high concentrations of NaCl than is the spinach complex.     

Effects of nitrofen on chloroplast coupling factor-dependent reactions

Nucleotides induce a conformational change in the proteins of the CF₀-CF₁ complex. They give rise to reduced proton permeability of the thylakoid membranes. This reaction is paralleled by an enhanced yield of the steady-state proton uptake and a reduced nonphosphorylating electron-transport rate. Nitrofen acts as an energy-transfer inhibitor. It inhibits the rate of nucleotide exchange on CF₁ both at ‘loose’ and ‘tight’ binding sites. During illumination the percentage of nucleotide-free CF₀-CF₁ complex seems to be enhanced in the presence of nitrofen. This results in a prevention of the described ADP effects on proton uptake and electron transport. These similar effects of nitrofen on loose and tight nucleotide-binding sites correspond with the idea that both types are different states of identical sites.     

Thiol modulation of the chloroplast protonmotive ATPase and its effect on photophosphorylation

Thiol modulation of the chloroplast protonmotive ATPase (CF₀-CF₁) by preillumination of broken chloroplasts in the presence of dithiothreitol (or preillumination of intact chloroplasts in the absence of added thiols) had the following effects on photophosphorylation. (1) When assayed at pH 8 and saturating light, the initial rate of photophosphorylation was increased by 10–40%. There was an accompanying increase in the rate of coupled electron transport with no significant change in the overall $\text{P}\text{2}\text{e}$ ratio. (2) On lowering the pH of the assay medium to pH 7, the stimulatory effect of thiol modulation on photophosphorylation and coupled electron flow was enhanced. At pH 7, there was also a small increase in $\text{P}\text{2}\text{e}$ ratio. (3) Addition of a non-saturating amount of uncoupler to the assay medium enhanced the stimulatory effect of thiol modulation on photophosphorylation. In the presence of 1 mM NH₄Cl, there was only a small increase in coupled electron flow and a correspondingly larger increase in $\text{P}\text{2}\text{e}$ ratio. (4) Lowering the light intensity, or inhibiting electron transport, diminished the stimulatory effect of thiol modulation on photophosphorylation, coupled electron transport and $\text{P}\text{2}\text{e}$ ratio. (5) Under all the above conditions, the ΔpH maintained across the thylakoid membrane was lower after thiol modulation, even when photophosphorylation markedly increased in rate. (6) Thiol modulation of CF₀-CF₁ increased the observed Michaelis constant for ADP (K_m(ADP)) and the apparent maximum rate (V_app of photophosphorylation by the same factor, so that ratio $\text{V}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>app</mtext>}}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>m</mtext>}}$ was not altered. $\text{V}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>app</mtext>}}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>m</mtext>}}$ was also unaffected by changing the medium pH, but was significantly decreased upon addition of uncouplers to the medium. These results indicate that the observed rate of ATP synthesis catalysed by thiol demodulated chloroplasts is limited kinetically by the fraction (α) of enzyme molecules that are active during photophosphorylation. A model based on a dual pH optimum requirement for activation of CF₀-CF₁ is presented to explain the dependence of α on ΔpH. Thiol modulation of CF₀-CF₁ is proposed to stimulate photophosphorylation by causing the enzyme to become active over a lower range of ΔpH, thereby reducing the kinetic limitation on ATP synthesis imposed by the activation process.     

Detection of Sendai virus fusion with human erythrocytes by fluorescence photobleaching recovery

The subunit stoichiometry of the ATP synthetase (CF₁-CF₀) immunoprecipitated from Triton X-100 extracts of chloroplast thylakoid membranes was determined to be α₃, β₃, γ, δ, ? (CF₁) and I_0.3, II_0.6–0.9, III₄₍₆₎ (CF₀). Antibodies against the polypeptides α, β, γ, δ, I, II and ? combined specifically with the isolated subunits as analysed by the protein blotting method. Applying this technique, antibodies against the CF₁ subunits were found to form complexes with the corresponding polypeptides of thylakoids, whereas those against I (M_r 20 000) and II (M_r 17 000) combined with M_r 26 000 and M_r 24 500 membrane polypeptides, respectively. The M_r 26 000 polypeptide was identified as the major subunits of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein (LHCP) complex and the M_r 24 500 component seems to be functionally connected with this complex. From the results it is concluded that the chloroplast ATP synthetase consists of the subunit of the α, β, γ, δ, ? and III (proteolipid only and that proteolytically altered LHCP polypeptides bind artifically to the protein complex during isolation.     

Modulation of proton efflux from chloroplasts in the light by external pH

The effects of external pH on the efflux of protons from illuminated spinach chloroplasts have been studied by monitoring the rates of proton-pumping electron transport under a variety of steady-state conditions. Phosphorylation-coupled proton efflux through the ATP synthase (CF₀-CF₁), determined from the rates of ATP formation and that portion of the total electron transport attributable to phosphorylation, is strongly dependent upon pH over the range 6–9, with little activity below pH 7 and half-maximal activity at pH ≈ 7.6. Noncoupled proton efflux through the ATP synthase, determined in the absence of ADP and phosphate, was also strongly pH sensitive, with little activity below pH 7.5 and half-maximal activity at pH ～- 7.9. When proton efflux via CF₀ was prevented by triphenyltin, the rate of passive proton leakage across the membrane was very low and practically insensitive to external pH indicating that the major pH-sensitive pathway(s) for proton efflux in the light involves CF₀ · CF₁. Modification of CF₁ sulfhydryls by Ag⁺ resulted in an apparent increase in proton efflux via the normally coupled CF₀ · CF₁ pathway (half-maximal activity = pH 7.6), whereas modification by Hg²⁺ resulted in an apparent increase in proton efflux via the noncoupled CF₀ · CF₁ pathway (half-maximal activity = pH 7.9).     

Structural analysis of the isolated chloroplast coupling factor and the N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide binding proteolipid

Negative staining of purified spinach dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) sensitive ATPase revealed a population of 110 Å subunits attached by stalks to short string-like aggregates. The interpretation of these data is that 110 Å CF₁ are attached by stalks to an aggregate of CF₀.The CF₁-CF₀ complex was incorporated into phospholipid vesicles; freezefracture analysis of this preparation revealed a homogeneous population of particles spanning the lipid bilayer; these averaged 96 Å in diameter. The DCCD binding proteolipid (apparent molecular weight 7500), an integral component of CF₀, was isolated from membranes by butanol extraction and was incorporated rated into phospholipid vesicles. Freeze-fracture analysis of the DCCD-binding proteolipid/vesicle preparation revealed a population of particles averaging 83 Å in diameter suggesting that the DCCD-binding proteolipid self-associates in lipid to form a stable complex. This complex may be required for proton transport across chloroplast membranes in vivo. The size difference between CF₀ and DCCD-proteolipid freeze-fracture particles may be related to differences in polypeptide composition of the two complexes.     

Proton efflux through the chloroplast ATP synthase (CF0 · CF1) in the presence of sulfhydryl-modifying agents

The rate of photosynthetic electron transport measured in the absence of ADP and P_i is stimulated by low levels of Hg²⁺ or Ag⁺ (50% stimulation ≈ 3 Hg²⁺ or 6 Ag⁺/100 chlorophyll) to a plateau equal to the transport rate under normal phosphorylating conditions (i.e. +ADP, +P_i). Chloroplasts pretreated in the light under energizing conditions with N-ethylmaleimide show a similar stimulation of non-phosphorylating electron transport. The stimulations of non-phosphorylating electron transport by Hg²⁺, Ag⁺ and N-ethylmaleimide are reversed by the CF₁ inhibitor phlorizin, the CF₀ inhibitor triphenyltin chloride, and can be further stimulated by uncouplers such as methylamine. The Hg²⁺ and N-ethylmaleimide stimulations, but not the Ag⁺ stimulation, are completely reversed by low levels of ADP (2 μM), ATP (2 μM), and P_i (400 μM). Ag⁺, which is a potent inhibitor of ATP synthesis, has little or no effect upon phosphorylating electron transport (+ADP, +P_i). Concomitant with the stimulations of non-phosphorylating electron transport by Hg²⁺, Ag⁺ and ADP + P_i, there is a decrease in the level of membrane energization (as measured by atebrin fluorescence quenching) which is reversed when the CF₀ channel is blocked by triphenyltin. These results suggest that modification of critical CF₁ sulfhydryl residues by Hg²⁺, Ag⁺ or N-ethylmaleimide leads to the loss of intra-enzyme coupling between the transmembrane protontransferring and the ATP synthesis activities of the CF₀-CF₁ ATP synthase complex.     

Calcium gating of H+ fluxes in chloroplasts affects acid-base-driven ATP formation

In previous work, calcium ions, bound at the lumenal side of the CF₀H⁺ channel, were suggested to keep a H⁺ flux gating site closed, favoring sequestered domain H⁺ ions flowing directly into the CF₀-CF₁ and driving ATP formation by a localized gradient. Treatments expected to displace Ca⁺⁺ from binding sites had the effect of allowing H⁺ ions in the sequestered domains to equilibrate with the lumen, and energy coupling showed delocalized characteristics. The existence of such a gating function implies that a closed-gate configuration would block lumenal H⁺ ions from entering the CF₀-CF₁ complex. In this work that prediction was tested using as an assay the dark, acid-base jump ATP formation phenomenon driven by H⁺ ions derived from succinic acid loaded into the lumen.Chlorpromazine, a photoaffinity probe for many proteins having high-affinity Ca⁺⁺-binding sites, covalently binds to the 8-kDa CF₀ subunit in the largest amounts when there is sufficient Ca⁺⁺ to favor the localized energy coupling mode, i.e., the gate closed configuration. Photoaffinity-bound chlorpromazine blocked 50% or more of the succinate-dependent acid-base jump ATP formation, provided that the ionic conditions during the UV photoaffinity treatment were those which favor a localized energy coupling pattern and a higher level of chlorpromazine labeling of the 8-kDa CF₀ subunit. Thylakoids held under conditions favoring a delocalized energy coupling mode and less chlorpromazine labeling of the CF₀ subunit did not show any inhibition of acid-base jump ATP formation.Chlorpromazine and calmidazolium, another Ca⁺⁺-binding site probe, were also shown to block redox-derived H⁺ initially released into sequestered domains from entering the lumen, at low levels of domain H⁺ accumulation, but not at higher H⁺ uptake levels; ie., the closed gate state can be overcome by sufficiently acidic conditions. That is consistent with the observation that the inhibition of lumenal succinate-dependent ATP formation by photoaffinity-attached chlorpromazine can be reversed by lowering the pH of the acid stage from 5.5 to 4.5.The evidence is consistent with the concept that Ca⁺⁺ bound at the lumenal side of the CF₀ H⁺ channel can block H⁺ flux from either direction, consistent with the existence of a molecular structure in the CF₀ complex having the properties of a gate for H⁺ flux across the inner boundary of the CF₀. Such a gate could control the expression of localized or delocalized energy coupling gradients.     

The effect of chloroplast coupling factor ATP synthetase (CF1 · CF0) reconstitution on fluidity properties of isolated thylakoid lipid vesicles

The reconstitution of chloroplast coupling factor ATP synthetase (CF₁ · CF₀) with thylakoid lipids by cholate dialysis produced vesicles that displayed higher steady-state anisotropy (r_s) values for both 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and trimethylammonium-diphenyl hexatriene fluorescence than the pure lipid alone. This is interpreted as meaning that the insertion of protein into the lipid bilayer brings about an increase in the ordering of acyl chains. This ordering effect became more obvious as the protein-to-lipid ratio was increased. Time-resolved decay analyses of DPH fluorescence anisotropy confirmed the conclusion drawn from the steady-state measurements, but further indicated that the dynamic motion of the probe was also slightly restricted after CF₁ · CF₀ incorporation. The restriction of DPH motion and the change in the half-angle for its cone of rotation was observed at relatively low protein-to-lipid ratios as compared with other reconstituted or biological membranes, suggesting that perhaps lipid-protein interactions occur with the inserted CF₁ · CF₀ complex.     

Association of a thioredoxin-like protein with chloroplaast coupling factor (CF1).

The δ subunit isolated from chloroplast coupling factor (CF₁) preparations partially replaced thioredoxin in the dithiothreitol-linked activation of chloroplast fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. The δ subunit fraction also stimulated the dithiothreitol-dependent ATPase of heated CF₁ in a manner analogous to that obseryed with each of the three thioredoxins isolated from spinach leaves (thioredoxins f, m, and c). The δ subunit used in most of these experiments was obtained from CF₁ that had been isolated by a newly devised procedure based on acid precipitation.     

Synergistic activation of an Mg-specific ATPase activity in chloroplast coupling factor by octylglucoside and tentoxin

(1) Octylglucoside stimulates an Mg²⁺-specific ATPase activity with CF₁ preparations from different higher plants and the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardii. (2) Tentoxin at high concentrations (10^?4–10^?3 M) in the presence of octylglucoside further stimulates the Mg²⁺-ATPase activity of CF₁ from tentoxin-sensitive species and inhibits the activity of CF₁ from tentoxin-resistant species. The extent of tentoxin stimulation and inhibition varies among species. A maximal stimulation of over 2-fold was obtained with spinach CF₁ and a maximal inhibition of 50% was obtained with C. reinhardii CF₁. In Nicotiana spp., tentoxin had only a marginal effect on the Mg²⁺-ATPase activity induced by octylglucoside.     

Fragmentation of chloroplast coupling factor in dependence of bound nucleotides Preparation of a reconstitutionally active form of subunit δ

Previous studies on the ability of CF₁, fragments to reconstitute photophosphorylation in CF₁,-depleted thylakoids have shown that the degree of reconstitution was correlated with the presence of subunit δ in the fragment. This was taken as evidence that subunit δ was necessary for plugging the active proton channel CF₀ [(1986) Eur. J. Biochem. 160, 635–643]. We questioned whether or not δ alone had this ability. In order to obtain δ we investigated the role of bound nucleotides in the stability of CF₁. Starting from ammonium sulfate-precipitated CF₁, we found that a low content of bound ADP (1 mol ADP/mol CF₁) seemed to stabilize the β—δ interaction, while loosening the interaction between α,β and γ. By elution from an anion-exchange column in the presence of the nonionic surfactant Mega 9 we obtained β₃δ and CF₁(—δ) (both containing one ADP) or, after washing with alcohol/glycerol mixtures, β (nucleotide-free) and CF₁/CF₁(—ϵ). On the other hand, with a further 2 ADP and 2 ATP bound to CF₁, (after incubation with excess ATP) the α-β-γ interaction was stabilized in such a way that subunit δ alone could be isolated from the complex. Subunit δ, when isolated by this procedure and added back to CF₁-depleted thylakoids, reconstituted a high rate of photophosphorylation.     

Energy-dependent exchange of adenine nucleotides on chloroplast coupling factor (CF1)

1. [¹⁴C]ADP is incorporated into washed broken chloroplasts in the light. The bound labelled nucleotides which cannot be removed by washing are almost exclusively related to coupling factor CF₁. [¹⁴C]ADP binding exhibits a monophasic concentration curve with a K_m of 2 μM.2. By illumination of the chloroplasts, previously incorporated labelled nucleotides are released. A fast release is obtained in the presence of unlabelled ADP and ATP, indicating an energy-dependent exchange. A slow and incomplete release is induced by light in the absence of unlabelled adenine nucleotides. Obviously, under those conditions, an adenine nucleotide depleted CF₁ conformation is established.3. Re-binding of [¹⁴C]ADP by depleted membranes is an energy-independent process. Even after solubilization of adenylate-depleted CF₁, [¹⁴C]ADP is incorporated into the protein. By re-binding of ADP in the dark, CF₁ is converted to a non-exchangeable form.4. Energy-dependent adenine nucleotide exchange on CF₁ is suggested to include three different conformational states of the enzyme: (1) a stable, non-exchangeable form which contains firmly bound nucleotides, is converted to (2), an unstable form containing loosely bound adenine nucleotides. This conformation allows adenylate exchange; it is in equilibrium with (3) a metastable, adenylate-depleted form. The transition from state (1) to state (2) is the energy-requiring step.     

Synthesis and antiplasmodial activity of novel 2,4-diaminopyrimidines

Two sets of diaminopyrimidines, totalling 45 compounds, were synthesized and assayed against Plasmodium falciparum. The SAR was relatively shallow, with only the presence of a 2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl group at R² significantly affecting activity. A subsequent series addressed high Log D values by introducing more polar side groups, with the most active compounds possessing diazepine and N-benzyl-4-aminopiperidyl groups at R¹/R². A final series attempted to address high in vitro microsomal clearance by replacing the C6-Me group with CF₃, however antiplasmodial activity decreased without any improvement in clearance. The C6-CF₃ group decreased hERG inhibition, probably as a result of decreased amine basicity at C2/C4.     

X-ray structure and photoluminescence of copper(I) 2,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzoate

This report describes synthesis, X-ray crystallographic characterization, and photoluminescence of copper(I) 2,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzoate, [Cu(O₂C(2,6-CF₃)₂C₆H₃)] (1). Complex 1 has a polymeric structure comprised of axially bound dinuclear [Cu₂(O₂C(2,6-CF₃)₂C₆H₃)₂] units that is reminiscent of the well-known structure of copper(I) acetate, [Cu₂(O₂CMe)₂] (2). However, a close comparison of two analogues revealed a non-planarity of 1D chains and their orthogonal disposition in the crystal structure of 1 versus parallel alignment of planar chains in 2. Complex 1 exhibits green photoluminescence at ca. 560 nm upon UV-radiation (λ_ex = 350 nm) in the solid state.     

Concentration Gradient Effects of Sodium and Lithium Ions and Deuterium Isotope Effects on the Activities of H-ATP Synthase from Chloroplasts

We explored the concentration gradient effects of the sodium and lithium ions and the deuterium isotope's effects on the activities of H⁺-ATP synthase from chloroplasts (CF₀F₁). We found that the sodium concentration gradient can drive the ATP synthesis reaction of CF₀F₁. In contrast, the lithium ion can be an efficient enzyme-inhibitor by blocking the entrance channel of the ion translocation pathway in CF₀. In the presence of sodium or lithium ions and with the application of a membrane potential, unexpected enzyme behaviors of CF₀F₁ were evident. To account for these observations, we propose that both of the sodium and lithium ions could undergo localized hydrolysis reactions in the chemical environment of the ion channel of CF₀. The protons generated locally could proceed to complete the ion translocation process in the ATP synthesis reaction of CF₀F₁. Experimental and theoretical deuterium isotope effects of the localized hydrolysis on the activities of CF₀F₁, and the energetics of these related reactions, support this proposed mechanism. Our experimental observations could be understood in the framework of the well-established ion translocation models for the H⁺-ATP synthase from Escherichia coli, and the Na⁺-ATP synthase from Propionigenium modestum and Ilyobacter tartaricus.     

Proton channel of the chloroplast ATP synthase,CF0: Its time-averaged single-channel conductance as function of pH,temperature, isotopic and ionic medium composition

Summary The proton-driven ATP synthase of chloroplasts is composed of two elements, CF₀ and CF₁. The membrane bound CF₀ conducts protons and the peripheral CF₁ interacts with nucleotides. By flash spectrophotometric techniques applied to thylakoid membranes from which about 50% of total CF₁ was removed, we have previously determined the protonic (timeaveraged) single-channel conductance of CF₀. Being in the order of 1 pS, it was sufficiently large to support the proposed role of CF₀ as a low-impedance access for protons to the coupling site in CF₀CF₁. On the other hand, it was too large to be readily reconciled with current concepts of proton supply to and proton conduction through the channel.We studied the time-averaged single-channel conductance of CF₀ under variation of pH, pD, ionic composition, temperature, and water/membrane structure with the following results: (i) CF₀ was proton-specific even against a background of 300mm monovalent or 30mm divalent catins. (ii) While the conductance of CF₀ was pH/pD-independent in the range from 5.6–8.0, in D₂O it was lower by a constant factor of 1.7 than in H₂O (iii) Addition of glycerol diminished the conductance and abolished the isotope effect. (iv) The Arrhenius activation energy was 42 kJ/mol and thus intermediate between the ones found for the water-filled pore, gramicidin (30 kJ/mol), and the mobile carrier, valinomycin (65 kJ/mol).The results implied that CF₀ is endowed with an extremely proton-specific (10⁷-fold) selectivity filter. Its conductance is very high, and its conduction cycle is not necessarily rate limited by a protolytic reaction. The mechanisms of rapid proton supply to the channel mouth and of proton conduction remained enigmatic.