ATP synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus cells during induction of membrane potentials and proton gradient

The dynamics of ATP synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus cells was studied during membrane potential induction and K+ gradient generation in the presence of valinomycin. The starting level of intracellular ATP was 0.05 mM. Valinomycin (30 micrograms/ml) caused an increment of the intracellular ATP level up to 0.25 mM. The protonophore uncoupler, m-chlorinecarbonylcyanidephenylhydrazonium, and the H+-ATPase inhibitor, N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, effectively suppress ATP synthesis induced by valinomycin. No ATP synthesis occurs at K+ concentration of 200 mM. The transmembrane gradient formation results in the synthesis of a smaller amount of ATP (0.10 mM).     

Bioenergetics of methanogenesis from acetate by Methanosarcina barkeri.

Methane formation from acetate by resting cells of Methanosarcina barkeri was accompanied by an increase in the intracellular ATP content from 0.9 to 4.0 nmol/mg of protein. Correspondingly, the proton motive force increased to a steady-state level of -120 mV. The transmembrane pH gradient however, was reversed under these conditions and amounted to +20 mV. The addition of the protonophore 3,5,3',4'-tetrachlorosalicylanilide led to a drastic decrease in the proton motive force and in the intracellular ATP content and to an inhibition of methane formation. The ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide stopped methanogenesis, and the intracellular ATP content decreased. The proton motive force decreased also under these conditions, indicating that the proton motive force could not be generated from acetate without ATP. The overall process of methane formation from acetate was dependent on the presence of sodium ions; upon addition of acetate to cell suspensions of M. barkeri, a transmembrane Na+ gradient in the range of 4:1 (Na+ out/Na+ in) was established. Possible sites of involvement of the Na+ gradient in the conversion of acetate to methane and carbon dioxide are discussed. Na+ is not involved in the CO dehydrogenase reaction.     

Activation and inhibition of ATP synthesis in cell envelope vesicles of Halobacterium halobium

The characteristics of ATP synthesis in cell envelope vesicles of Halobacterium halobium were further studied. The results confirmed the previous conclusion (Mukohata et al. (1986) J. Biochem. 99, 1-8) that the ATP synthase in this extremely halophilic archaebacterium can not be an ordinary type of F0F1-ATPase, which has been thought to be ubiquitous among all the aerobic organisms on our biosphere. The ATP synthesis was activated most in 1 M NaCl and/or KCl, and at 40 degrees C, and at 80 mM MgCl2 where F0F1-ATPase loses its activity completely. The synthesis was negligible at 10 degrees C, and at 5 mM MgCl2. The Km for ADP was about 0.3 mM in the presence of 20 mM Pi, 1 M NaCl, 80 mM MgCl2, and 10 mM PIPES at pH 6.8 and 20 degrees C. The ATP synthesis was not inhibited by NaN3 and quercetin (specific inhibitors for F0F1-ATPase) or vanadate (for E1E2-ATPase) or ouabain (for Na+,K+-ATPase) or P1,P5-di(adenosine-5')pentaphosphate (AP5A, for adenylate kinase). The ATP synthesis was not inhibited by modification (pretreatment) with NaN3 or 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine (FSBA). On the contrary, the ATP synthesis was rather non-specifically inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), trinitrobenzenesulfonate (TNBS), phenylglyoxal, and pyridoxal phosphate. 7-Chloro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) as well as N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) was found to be a specific inhibitor at least partly, because the NBD-Cl inhibition was partly prevented by ADP added to the modification mixture.     

A vacuolar-type proton pump in a vesicle fraction enriched with potassium transporting plasma membranes from tobacco hornworm midgut

Mg-ATP dependent electrogenic proton transport, monitored with fluorescent acridine orange, 9-aminoacridine, and oxonol V, was investigated in a fraction enriched with potassium transporting goblet cell apical membranes of Manduca sexta larval midgut. Proton transport and the ATPase activity from the goblet cell apical membrane exhibited similar substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivity. ATP and GTP were far better substrates than UTP, CTP, ADP, and AMP. Azide and vanadate did not inhibit proton transport, whereas 100 microM N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 30 microM N-ethylmaleimide were inhibitors. The pH gradient generated by ATP and limiting its hydrolysis was 2-3 pH units. Unlike the ATPase activity, proton transport was not stimulated by KCl. In the presence of 20 mM KCl, a proton gradient could not be developed or was dissipated. Monovalent cations counteracted the proton gradient in an order of efficacy like that for stimulation of the membrane-bound ATPase activity: K+ = Rb+ much greater than Li+ greater than Na+ greater than choline (chloride salts). Like proton transport, the generation of an ATP dependent and azide- and vanadate-insensitive membrane potential (vesicle interior positive) was prevented largely by 100 microM N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 30 microM N-ethylmaleimide. Unlike proton transport, the membrane potential was not affected by 20 mM KCl. In the presence of 150 mM choline chloride, the generation of a membrane potential was suppressed, whereas the pH gradient increased 40%, indicating an anion conductance in the vesicle membrane. Altogether, the results led to the following new hypothesis of electrogenic potassium transport in the lepidopteran midgut. A vacuolar-type electrogenic ATPase pumps protons across the apical membrane of the goblet cell, thus energizing electroneutral proton/potassium antiport. The result is a net active and electrogenic potassium flux.     

Chemiosmotic energy conservation with Na(+) as the coupling ion during hydrogen-dependent caffeate reduction by Acetobacterium woodii

Cell suspensions of Acetobacterium woodii prepared from cultures grown on fructose plus caffeate catalyzed caffeate reduction with electrons derived from molecular hydrogen. Hydrogen-dependent caffeate reduction was strictly Na(+) dependent with a K(m) for Na(+) of 0.38 mM; Li(+) could substitute for Na(+). The sodium ionophore ETH2120, but not protonophores, stimulated hydrogen-dependent caffeate reduction by 280%, indicating that caffeate reduction is coupled to the buildup of a membrane potential generated by primary Na(+) extrusion. Caffeate reduction was coupled to the synthesis of ATP, and again, ATP synthesis coupled to hydrogen-dependent caffeate reduction was strictly Na(+) dependent and abolished by ETH2120, but not by protonophores, indicating the involvement of a transmembrane Na(+) gradient in ATP synthesis. The ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) abolished ATP synthesis, and at the same time, hydrogen-dependent caffeate reduction was inhibited. This inhibition could be relieved by ETH2120. These experiments are fully compatible with a chemiosmotic mechanism of ATP synthesis with Na(+) as the coupling ion during hydrogen-dependent caffeate reduction by A. woodii.     

Probing glycolytic and membrane potential oscillations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have investigated glycolytic oscillations under semi-anaerobic conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by means of NADH fluorescence, measurements of intracellular glucose concentration, and mitochondrial membrane potential. The glucose concentration was measured using an optical nanosensor, while mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using the fluorescent dye DiOC 2(3). The results show that, as opposed to NADH and other intermediates in glycolysis, intracellular glucose is not oscillating. Furthermore, oscillations in NADH and membrane potential are inhibited by the ATP/ADP antiporter inhibitor atractyloside and high concentrations of the ATPase inhibitor N, N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, suggesting that there is a strong coupling between oscillations in mitochondrial membrane potential and oscillations in NADH mediated by the ATP/ADP antiporter and possibly also other respiratory components.     

Chemiosmotic energy conversion and the membrane ATPase of Methanolobus tindarius

Electron transport phosphorylation has been demonstrated to drive ATP synthesis for the methanogenic archaebacterium Methanolobus tindarius: Protonophores evoked uncoupler effects and lowered the membrane potential delta psi. Under the influence of N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide [(cHxN)2C] the membrane potential increased while methanol turnover was inhibited. 2-Bromoethanesulfonate, an inhibitor of methanogenesis, had no effect on the membrane potential but, like (cHxN)2C and protonophores, decreased the intracellular ATP concentration. Labeling experiments with (cHxN)2(14)C showed membranes to contain a proteolipid, with a molecular mass of 5.5 kDa, that resembles known (cHxN)2C-binding proteins of F0-F1 ATPases. The (cHxN)2-sensitive membrane ATPase hydrolysed Mg.ATP at a pH optimum of 5.0 with a Km (ATP) of 2.5 mM (V = 77 mU/mg). It was inhibited competitively by ADP; Ki (ADP) = 0.65 mM. Azide or vanadate caused no significant loss in ATPase activity, but millimolar concentrations of nitrate showed an inhibitory effect, suggesting a relationship to ATPases from vacuolar membranes. In contrast, no inhibition occurred in the presence of bafilomycin A1. The ATPase was extractable with EDTA at low salt concentrations. The purified enzyme consists of four different subunits, alpha (67 kDa), beta (52 kDa), gamma (20 kDa) and beta (less than 10 kDa), as determined from SDS gel electrophoresis.     

Plasmodium falciparum: ATP/ADP transport across the parasitophorous vacuolar and plasma membranes

Previous studies have shown that ATP is required for the growth of the intracellular parasite, Plasmodium, outside its host cell, the erythrocyte, and that bongkrekic acid, an inhibitor of mitochondrial ATP/ADP transporter, inhibits intraerythrocytic Plasmodium maturation. We have characterized ATP/ADP transport of Plasmodium falciparum, isolated by either immune lysis or N2-cavitation. [3H]ATP uptake was due to ATP/ADP exchange since ADP efflux was dependent on exogenous ATP in an approximate 1:1 stoichiometry and both ATP influx and ADP efflux were equally inhibited by atractyloside (Ki = 100 nM). ATP uptake was not inhibited by the nucleoside transport inhibitor, nitrobenzylthioinosine. Conversely, adenosine and hypoxanthine transport were insensitive to atractyloside. ATP influx was characterized by a Km = 0.14 mM and Vmax = 1.2 nmol ATP/min/10(6) cells. Substrate specificity studies for nucleotide-induced ADP efflux indicated a preference for an adenosine ring and triphosphate, but transport did not require a hydrolyzable phosphate bond. Protein synthesis was measured with free parasites starved of glucose. Addition of 1.0 mM ATP resulted in a 40% recovery of total protein synthetic capacity in a process inhibited by 500 nM atractyloside, suggesting that uptake of erythrocyte-derived ATP by P. falciparum may be essential for maintaining maximal rates of protein synthesis during specific stages of intra-erythrocytic parasite maturation.     

Purification and properties of H+-translocating, Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase from vacuolar membranes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

H+-translocating, Mg2+-ATPase was solubilized from vacuolar membranes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the zwitterionic detergent N-tetradecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate and purified by glycerol density gradient centrifugation. Partially purified vacuolar membrane H+-ATPase, which had a specific activity of 18 units/mg of protein, was separated almost completely from acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase. The purified enzyme required phospholipids for maximal activity and hydrolyzed ATP, GTP, UTP, and CTP, with this order of preference. Its Km value for Mg2+-ATP was determined to be 0.21 mM and its optimal pH was 6.9. ADP inhibited the enzyme activity competitively, with a Ki value of 0.31 mM. The activity of purified ATPase was strongly inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide, tributyltin, 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzoxazole, diethylstilbestrol, and quercetin, but was not affected by oligomycin, sodium azide, sodium vanadate, or miconazole. It was not inhibited at all by antiserum against mitochondrial F1-ATPase or mitochondrial F1-ATPase inhibitor protein. These results indicated that vacuolar membrane H+-ATPase is different from either yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase or mitochondrial F1-ATPase. The vacuolar membrane H+-ATPase was found to be composed of two major polypeptides a and b of Mr = 89,000 and 64,000, respectively, and a N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide binding polypeptide c of Mr = 19,500, whose polypeptide composition was also different from those of either plasma membrane H+-ATPase or mitochondrial F1-ATPase of S. cerevisiae.     

Sodium ions and an energized membrane required by Methanosarcina barkeri for the oxidation of methanol to the level of formaldehyde.

Methanogenesis from methanol by cell suspensions of Methanosarcina barkeri was inhibited by the uncoupler tetrachlorosalicylanilide. This inhibition was reversed by the addition of formaldehyde. 14C labeling experiments revealed that methanol served exclusively as the electron acceptor, whereas formaldehyde was mainly oxidized to CO2 under these conditions. These data support the hypothesis (M. Blaut and G. Gottschalk, Eur. J. Biochem. 141: 217-222, 1984) that the first step in methanol oxidation depends on the proton motive force or a product thereof. Cell extracts of M. barkeri converted methanol and formaldehyde to methane under an H2 atmosphere. Under an N2 atmosphere, however, formaldehyde was disproportionated to CH4 and CO2, whereas methanol was metabolized to a very small extent only, irrespective of the presence of ATP. It was concluded that cell extracts of M. barkeri are not able to oxidize methanol. In further experiments, the sodium dependence of methanogenesis and ATP formation by whole cells was investigated. Methane formation from methanol alone and the corresponding increase in the intracellular ATP content were strictly dependent on Na+. If, in contrast, methanol was utilized together with H2, methane and ATP were synthesized in the absence of Na+. The same is true for the disproportionation of formaldehyde to methane and carbon dioxide. From these experiments, it is concluded that in M. barkeri, Na+ is involved not in the process of ATP synthesis but in the first step of methanol oxidation.     

Chemiosmotic coupling in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum: hydrogen-dependent adenosine 5''-triphosphate synthesis by subcellular particles.

Hydrogenase and the adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) synthetase complex, two enzymes essential in ATP generation in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, were localized in internal membrane systems as shown by cytochemical techniques. Membrane vesicles from this organism possessed hydrogenase and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity and synthesized ATP driven by hydrogen oxidation or a potassium gradient. ATP synthesis depended on anaerobic conditions and could be inhibited in membrane vesicles by uncouplers, nigericin, or the ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The presence of an adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ATP translocase was postulated. With fluorescent dyes, a membrane potential and pH gradient were demonstrated.     

Phosphorus-31 nuclear-magnetic-resonance study of phosphorylated metabolites compartmentation, intracellular pH and phosphorylation state during normoxia, hypoxia and ethanol perfusion, in the perfused rat liver

A quantitative analysis of the phosphorus-31 NMR spectra of excised perfused rat liver has been carried out at 80.9 MHz using a 30-mm sample cell. The results indicate that in liver from fed rats, all intracellular ATP is detected by NMR. In contrast, only the cytosolic fractions of Pi and ADP can be observed as indicated by careful analysis of spectra obtained from perchloric acid liver extracts and intact liver under valinomycin perfusion. In well-oxygenated perfused liver the ATP concentration is 7.4 mM. Values of 5.3 mM and 0.9 mM are found respectively for Pi and ADP concentrations in the cytosolic compartment. Cytosolic pH value (pHi) is 7.25 +/- 0.05 and free magnesium concentration 0.5 mM. Addition of 70 mM (0.4%) ethanol to the perfusate of a fed rat liver induces 25% and 38% reduction of ATP and Pi levels, respectively. A large amount of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate is synthesized (up to 11 mM) in the cytosol. After ethanol withdrawal, a large overshoot in cytosolic Pi is observed, which is indicative of a net uptake of Pi across the plasma membrane that occurred during ethanol oxidation. No significant pH variation is observed during ethanol infusion. In perfused liver of rats subjected to 48-h fasts, the concentrations of cytosolic phosphorylated metabolites are 5.3 mM, 0.8 mM and 11.5 mM for ATP, ADP and Pi, respectively. The perfusion of the liver with 70 mM ethanol does not change the adenine nucleotide levels, while the Pi content is decreased by 10%. During a 4-min hypoxia, induced by reducing the perfusion flow rate from 12 ml to 3 ml min-1 (100 g body weight)-1, ATP concentration decreases to 5.8 mM in the fed rat liver. Cytosolic Pi and ADP increase to 8.7 mM and 1.6 mM, respectively. The cytosolic pH evolves to more acidic values and reaches 7.02 +/- 0.05 at the end of the 4-min hypoxic period.     

Characterization of the renal epithelial cell line, PKE 5, using 31P- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy

In order to characterize intracellular pH regulation and cellular metabolism in PKE 5 cells, a mutant of the renal epithelial cell line LLC-PK1 supposed to lack Na+-H+ exchanger activity, 31P and 13C-NMR studies were conducted. The 31P studies on intact cell suspensions revealed that these cells have an ATP content and an ATP/ADP ratio similar to the parent cell line. Their intracellular pH, in the presence of 5 mM HCO3-, was 7.17 +/- 0.04 (n = 5) - identical to that of LLC-PK1 cells. After acid loading the cells with 15% CO2, the initial rate of realkalinization was 0.027 pH units/min (n = 6), 50% lower than in the parent cells. The recovery rate was not affected by the removal of extracellular sodium or by the addition of 1 mM amiloride. These results indicate that PKE 5 cells are devoid of Na+-H+ exchange activity, but are able to regulate their intracellular pH by amiloride-insensitive, sodium-independent mechanisms. Extracts prepared from PKE 5 cells incubated with [13C]lactate showed 13C spectra identical to those of the parent cell line. In particular, no synthesis of 13C-labeled D-glucose was observed.     

Coupling of carbon monoxide oxidation to CO2 and H2 with the phosphorylation of ADP in acetate-grown Methanosarcina barkeri

Cell suspensions of Methanosarcina barkeri, grown on acetate, catalyzed the conversion of carbon monoxide and H2O to CO2 and H2 in stoichiometric amounts when methane formation was inhibited by bromoethanesulfonate. The specific activity was 80-120 nmol min-1 mg protein-1 at 5% CO in the gas phase. CO oxidation was coupled with the phosphorylation of ADP as indicated by a rapid increase of the intracellular ATP level upon start of the reaction. At least 0.1 mol ATP was formed/mol CO consumed. The onset of CO oxidation was also accompanied by an increase of the proton motive force (delta p) from 100 mV to 150 mV (inside negative). Addition of the uncoupler tetrachlorosalicylanilide to CO-metabolizing cells led to a rapid decrease of the ATP level and of delta p, and to an increase of the CO oxidation rate up to 70%. In the presence of the proton-translocating ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide the phosphorylation of ADP was inhibited and CO oxidation slowed down, whereas delta p was almost unaffected. Inhibition of CO oxidation under these conditions was relieved by the addition of the protonophore tetrachlorosalicylanilide. The results indicate that in acetate-grown M. barkeri the free-energy change associated with the formation of CO2 and H2 from CO and H2O (delta G degrees = -20 kJ/mol) can be used to drive the phosphorylation of ADP and that the coupling proceeds via a chemiosmotic mechanism. A possible role of the carbon monoxide oxidation reaction as an energy-conserving site in acetate fermentation to CH4 and CO2 is discussed.     

ATP hydrolysis and synthesis by the membrane-bound ATP synthetase complex of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

The membrane-bound ATP synthetase complex of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum showed maximum activity for ATP hydrolysis at pH 8, at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees C, and at an ATP-Mg2+ ratio of 0.5. Anaerobic conditions were not prerequisite for enzyme activity. The enzyme showed a Km value for ATP of 2 mM, and activity was Mg2+ dependent; Mn2+, Co2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+ could replace Mg2+ to some extent. Other nucleoside triphosphates could be hydrolyzed. N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide inhibited ATP hydrolysis. A proton-motive force, artificially imposed by a pH shift or valinomycin, resulted in ATP synthesis in whole cells. The ATP synthetase complex of the thermophilic methanogenic bacterium is similar to those described in aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms.     

Energy transformation coupled to formate oxidation during anaerobic fermentation

A correlation between the rate of ATP synthesis by F0F1 ATP-synthase and formate oxidation by formate hydrogen lyase (FHL) has been established in inverted membrane vesicles of Escherichia coli JW 136 mutant with double deletions (delta hya/ delta hyb) of hydrogenase 1 and 2 grown anaerobically on glucose in the absence of external electron acceptors (pH 6.5). ATP synthesis was suppressed by H+ -ATPase inhibitors N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) and sodium azide as well as by the protonophore carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyhydrazone (CCCP). Copper ions inhibited formate-dependent hydrogenase and ATP-synthase activities but did not affect the ATPase activity of vesicles. The maximal rate of ATP synthesis (0.83 microM/min x mg protein) stimulated by K+ ions was determined when sodium formate, ADP and inorganic phosphate were applied simultaneously. The results confirm the assumption about the dual role of hydrogenase 3, formate hydrogen lyase subunit, which is able to couple the reduction of protons to H2 and their translocation through a membrane with chemiosmotic synthesis of ATP.     

Adenylate kinase activity in ejaculated bovine sperm flagella

Adenylate kinase (ATP:AMP phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.4.3) activity was detected in the flagella of ejaculated bovine spermatozoa. This activity provided sufficient ATP to produce normal motility in cells permeabilized with digitonin and treated with 0.5 mM MgADP. In the presence of ADP, adenylate kinase activity was inhibited by P1,P5-di(adenosine 5')-pentaphosphate (Ap5A), an adenylate kinase-specific inhibitor, and motility was stopped. ATP-supported motility was not affected by Ap5A. Mitochondrial adenylate kinase activity allowed AMP to stimulate respiration in permeabilized sperm. Adenylate kinase activity in tail fragments was most active in a pH range from 7.6 to 8.4, and a similar pH sensitivity was observed for this enzyme activity in a hypotonic extract of whole sperm. The apparent km of adenylate kinase activity in permeabilized tail fragments was about 1.0 mM ADP in the direction of ATP synthesis. The fluctuation of nucleotide concentrations in normal and metabolically stimulated sperm suggested that adenylate kinase was most active when the cell was highly motile, although adenylate kinase activity did not appear to be coupled strictly with motility.     

On the mechanism of the Crabtree effect in mouse ascites tumor cells

The addition of glucose to ELD and ELT/B1 mouse ascites tumor cell suspensions caused a 2.3-fold increase in the phosphorylation state ratio, (ATP)/(ADP) (Pi), because of a decrease in the intracellular Pi concentration. The addition of glucose to these cell suspensions has been reported by Chance and Hess ('59) to cause an increase in the study state reduction of cytochrome b and an increase in the steady state oxidation of cytochrome c. On a quantitative basis these two independent measurements suggest that a near equilibrium exists between the oxidation-reduction state of the mitochondrial electron carriers and the reactions of ATP synthesis (as expressed by the phosphorylation state ratio) both before and after glucose addition. We conclude that the mechanism of the inhibition of respiration by glycolysis (the Crabtree effect) is a decrease in the rate of electron transport caused by the mass action effect of the elevated phosphorylation state ratio.     

ATP synthesis driven by a potassium diffusion potential in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum is stimulated by sodium

Abstract ATP synthesis driven by a potassium diffusion potential was studied in cell suspensions of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (Marburg). This transient increase in the intracellular ATP content was stimulated five-fold by the addition of sodium ions, from about 2 nmol ATP/min × mg cells (dry weight) at 0.07 mM Na⁺ to about 10 nmol ATP/min × mg cells at 25 mM Na⁺.     

Coupling of ATP synthesis to reversal of rat liver microsomal Ca2+-ATPase

The reversal of the rat liver microsomal Ca2+-ATPase transport cycle was studied. Microsomes were loaded with 45Ca2+ (approximately 30 nmol/mg of protein) in an ATP-dependent process, and the time dependency of the microsomal 45Ca2+ efflux was determined with various ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations. Pseudo-first-order rate constants (K'e) for 45Ca2+ efflux were determined. Although there was considerable 45Ca2+ efflux in the absence of added ADP or Pi, the addition of ADP or Pi alone had minimal effects upon the K'e; in contrast, a 2.5-fold increase in the K'e was observed in the presence of both ADP and Pi. The apparent Km values for ADP and Pi were 4 microM and 0.22 mM, respectively. Stimulation of 45Ca2+ efflux by ADP and Pi was associated with ATP synthesis. The calcium ionophore A23187 prevented ATP synthesis, which indicates that the Ca2+ gradient facilitates the coupling of ATP synthesis to Ca2+ efflux.