Isolation of the mitochondrial F1-F0 adenosine triphosphatase by Sepharose-hexylammonium chromatography: properties and reconstitution in liposomes

Lauryl dimethylamino oxide, a zwitterionic detergent, was employed to solubilize the H+ ATPase from beef heart mitochondria. A simple preparation procedure has been devised to obtain F1-F0 based on a method described to purify F1 ATPase (M. Tuena de Gómez-Puyou and A. Gómez-Puyou, 1977, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 182, 82-86) which consists of the selective adsorption of F1 to Sepharose-hexylammonium beads. The preparation showed approximately 18 bands in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; 5 correspond to F1 subunits and the rest probably to the stalk and hydrophobic sector F0. The binding of [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide to a low-molecular-weight component of this preparation was demonstrated. The F1-F0 complex was reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles which displayed ATP-Pi exchange and ATP-dependent 9-aminoacridine fluorescence quenching, both sensitive to proton channel inhibitors.     

Solubilization by lysolecithin and purification of the plasma membrane ATPase of the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Purified plasma membranes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe were obtained by precipitation at pH 5.2 of a crude particulate fraction, followed by differential centrifugations and isopycnic centrifugation in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The specific activity of the Mg2+-requiring plasma membrane ATPase activity (EC 3.6.1.3) was enriched from 0.3 mumol min-1 x mg-1 of protein in the homogenate to 26 in the purified membranes. The optimal conditions for solubilization of the ATPase activity by lysolecithin were found to be: 2 mg/ml of lysolecithin, a lysolecithin to protein ratio of 8 at pH 7.5, and 15 degrees C in the presence of 1 mM ATP and 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. A 6- to 7-fold purification of the solubilized ATPase activity was obtained by centrifugation of the lysolecithin extract in sucrose gradient. Part of the ATPase activity which was inactivated during the centrifugation in the sucrose gradient could be restored by addition of a micellar solution of 50 microgram of lysolecithin/ml during the assay. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate of the purified enzyme showed only one band of Mr = 105,000 stained with Coomassie blue. Another ATPase component of apparent molecular weight lower than 10,000 was stained by periodic Schiff reagent but not colored by Coomassie blue. The purified enzyme was 85% inhibited by 50 micrometer N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 94% inhibited by 53 microgram of Dio-9/ml.     

F0F1-ATPase of plant mitochondria: isolation and polypeptide composition

A simple and high yield purification procedure for the isolation of F0F1-ATPase from spinach leaf mitochondria has been developed. This is the first report concerning purification and composition of the plant mitochondrial F0F1-ATPase. The enzyme is selectively extracted from inner membrane vesicles with the zwitterionic detergent, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethyl ammonio]-1- propane sulfonate (CHAPS). The purified enzyme exhibits a high oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity (3,6 mumol.min-1.mg-1). SDS-PAGE of the purified F0F1-ATPase complex reveals protein bands of molecular masses of 54 kDa (F1 alpha,beta), 33 kDa (F1 gamma), 28 kDa, 23 kDa, 21 kDa (F1 delta), 18.5 kDa, 15 kDa, 10.5 kDa, 9.5 kDa (F1 epsilon) and 8.5 kDa. All polypeptides migrate as one complex in a polyacrylamide gradient gel under non-denaturing conditions in the presence of 0.1% Triton X-100. Five polypeptides could be identified as subunits of F1. Polypeptides of molecular masses 28 kDa, 23 kDa, 18.5 kDa, 15 kDa, 10.5 kDa, 9.5 kDa and 8.5 kDa constitute the F0 part of the complex. Our results show that polypeptide composition of the plant mitochondrial F0 differs from other eukaryotic F0 of yeast, mammals and chloroplasts.     

Purification and Properties of the Plasma Membrane H-Translocating Adenosine Triphosphatase of Phaseolus mungo L. Roots

The plasma membrane ATPase of mung bean (Phaseolus mungo L.) roots has been solubilized with a two-step procedure using the anionic detergent, deoxycholate (DOC) and the zwitterionic detergent, zwittergent 3-14 as follows: (a) loosely bound membrane proteins are removed by treatment with 0.1% DOC; (b) The ATPase is solubilized with 0.1% zwittergent in the presence of 1% DOC; (c) the solubilized material is further purified by centrifugation through a glycerol gradient (45-70%). Typically, about 10% of the ATPase activity is recovered, and the specific activity increases about 11-fold. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows that the peak fraction from the glycerol gradient contains three major polypeptides of M_r = 105,000, 67,000, and 57,000 daltons. The properties of the purified ATPase are essentially the same as those of membrane-bound ATPase, with respect to pH optimum, substrate specificity, inhibitor sensitivity, and ion stimulation.     

Auxin-Stimulated NADH Oxidase Purified from Plasma Membrane of Soybean

NADH oxidation by plasma membrane vesicles purified from hypocotyls of etiolated soybean seedlings by two-phase partition was stimulated 2- to 3-fold by auxins, indole-3-acetic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), and α-naphthaleneacetic acid. The stimulation was concentration dependent in the presence or absence of detergent with a maximum for 2,4-D at 1 micromolar. The NADH oxidation activity was solubilized with the zwitterionic detergent CHAPS and purified by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration approximately 2000-fold over the total homogenate. Both the partially purified fraction and an active band from nondenaturing gel electrophoresis revealed the same three bands when analyzed by denaturing gel electrophoresis. When obtained from plasma membrane vesicles from the region of rapid cell elongation, the NADH oxidase complex retained auxin responsiveness throughout purification (3- to 5-fold stimulation by 1 micromolar 2,4-D).     

Membrane ATPase from the aceticlastic methanogen Methanothrix thermophila.

A new isolate of the aceticlastic methanogen Methanothrix thermophila utilizes only acetate as the sole carbon and energy source for methanogenesis (Y. Kamagata and E. Mikami, Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 41:191-196, 1991). ATPase activity in its membrane was found, and ATP hydrolysis activity in the pH range of 5.5 to 8.0 in the presence of Mg2+ was observed. It had maximum activity at around 70 degrees C and was specifically stimulated up to sixfold by 50 mM NaHSO3. The proton ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide inhibited the membrane ATPase activity, but azide, a potent inhibitor of F0F1 ATPase (H(+)-translocating ATPase of oxidative phosphorylation), did not. Since the enzyme was tightly bound to the membranes and could not be solubilized with dilute buffer containing EDTA, the nonionic detergent nonanoyl-N-methylglucamide (0.5%) was used to solubilize it from the membranes. The purified ATPase complex in the presence of the detergent was also sensitive to N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and other properties were almost the same as those in the membrane-associated form. The purified enzyme revealed at least five kinds of subunits on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel, and their molecular masses were estimated to be 67, 52, 37, 28, and 22 kDa, respectively. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the 67- and 52-kDa subunits had much higher similarity with those of the 64 (alpha)- and 50 (beta)-kDa subunits of the Methanosarcina barkeri ATPase and were also similar to those of the corresponding subunits of other archaeal ATPases. The alpha beta complex of the M. barkeri ATPase has ATP-hydrolyzing activity, suggesting that a catalytic part of the Methanothrix ATPase contains at least the 67- and 52-kDa subunits.     

Solubilization and purification of rat pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors were solubilized from rat pituitary membrane preparations in an active form by using the zwitterionic detergent CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonic acid). The solubilized receptor exhibits high affinity, saturability, and specificity. The soluble supernatant retained 100% of the original binding activity when stored at 4 or -20 degrees C in the presence of 10% glycerol. The receptors were resolved into two components on the basis of chromatography on wheat germ agglutinin-agarose. Homogeneous receptor preparation was obtained by two cycles of affinity chromatography on immobilized avidin column coupled to [biotinyl-D-Lys6]GnRH. The overall recovery of the purified receptor was 4-10% of the initial activity in the CHAPS extract, and the calculated purification -fold was approximately 10,000 to 15,000. Analysis of iodinated purified GnRH receptors by autoradiography indicated the presence of two bands, Mr = 59,000 and 57,000. This was confirmed by photoaffinity labeling of the partially purified receptors and suggests that both components can specifically bind the hormone.     

Self-assembly of ATP synthase subunit c rings

Subunit c of the H(+) transporting ATP synthase is an essential part of its membrane domain that participates in transmembrane proton conduction. The annular architecture of the subunit c from different species has been previously reported. However, little is known about the type of interactions that affect the formation of c-rings in the ATPase complex. Here we report that subunit c over-expressed in Escherichia coli and purified in non-ionic detergent solutions self-assembles into annular structures in the absence of other subunits of the complex. The results suggest that the ability of subunit c to form rings is determined by its primary structure.     

Characterization of the Ca2+- or Mg2+-ATPase of transverse tubule membranes isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle

Transverse tubule membranes isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle have high levels of a Ca2+- or Mg2+-ATPase with Km values for Ca-ATP or Mg-ATP in the 0.2 mM range, but do not display detectable levels of ATPase activity activated by micromolar [Ca2+]. The transverse tubule enzyme is less temperature or pH dependent than the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum and hydrolyzes equally well ATP, ITP, UTP, CTP, and GTP. Of several ionic, non-ionic, and zwitterionic detergents tested, only lysolecithin solubilizes the transverse tubule membrane while preserving ATPase activity. After extraction of about 50% of the transverse tubule proteins by solubilization with lysolecithin most of the ATPase activity remains membrane bound, indicating that the Ca2+- or Mg2+-ATPase is an intrinsic membrane enzyme. A second extraction of the remaining transverse tubule proteins with lysolecithin results in solubilization and partial purification of the enzyme. Sedimentation of the Ca2+- or Mg2+-ATPase, partially purified by lysolecithin solubilization, through a continuous sucrose gradient devoid of detergent leads to additional purification, with an overall 3- to 5-fold purification factor. The purified enzyme preparation contains two main protein components of molecular weights 107,000 and 30,000. Cholesterol, which is highly enriched in the transverse tubule membrane, copurifies with the enzyme. Transverse tubule membrane vesicles also display ATP-dependent calcium transport which is not affected by phosphate or oxalate. The possibility that the Ca2+- or Mg2+-ATPase is the enzyme responsible for the Ca2+ transport displayed by isolated transverse tubules is discussed.     

Photosynthate partitioning in split-root citrus seedlings with mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal root systems

The plasma membrane ATP-phosphohydrolase (ATPase) from red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) storage tissue was solubilized with the zwitterionic detergent Zwittergent 3-14 from a plasma membrane-enriched fraction which was extracted with the anionic detergent, sodium deoxycholate. For both the extraction of extraneous proteins by deoxycholate and the solubilization of active plasma membrane ATPase by Zwittergent 3-14, the optimal concentration of detergent was 0.1% (weight per volume) with a detergent to protein ratio of 1.0 (milligram per milligram). The properties of the solubilized ATPase were found to be similar to the membrane-bound enzyme with respect to pH optimum, substrate specificity, inhibitor sensitivity, and kinetics of K⁺ stimulation. The solubilized ATPase preparation formed a rapidly turning over phosphoenzyme, the breakdown velocity of which was increased in the presence of 50 millimolar KCl. Solubilization with 0.1% Zwittergent 3-14 following extraction with 0.1% deoxycholate resulted in an increase in both ATPase activity and steady state phosphoenzyme level; however, a direct correspondence between the increase in ATPase activity and phosphorylation level did not exist. It is proposed that this discrepancy may be the result of a detergent-mediated modification of kinetic rate constants in the mechanism of the enzyme.     

The proton-translocating adenosine triphosphatase of the obligately anaerobic bacterium Clostridium pasteurianum. 1. ATP phosphohydrolase activity.

1. The cell-membrane ATP phosphohydrolase of vegetatively grown Clostridium pasteurianum was specifically Mg2+-dependent, but demonstrated significant activity with GTP, CTP and UTP. It displayed approximate Michaelis-Menten kinetics only in the presence of certain effectors (e.g. phosphoenolpyruvate, fructose 1,6-bis-phosphate) which decreased the Km for ATP (to below 2 mM) but also V, whilst extending to pH 5.8 the effective pH range of activity of the enzyme. 2. ATP phosphohydrolase activity of the membrane ATPase (BF0F1) was inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, butyricin 7423, Dio-9, 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan, efrapeptin, leucinostatin and quercetin, and to a lesser degree by aurovertin and citreoviridin. The enzyme was not inhibited by oligomycin, spegazzinine, tributyl tin, triethyl tin or venturicidin. The soluble ATPase (BF1) component differed in not being inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, butyricin 7423 or leucinostatin. 3. The ATPase (BF0F1) complex and its soluble (BF1) component were separately purified. 4. Dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separated only four polypeptide components in the purified ATPase (BF0F1), with approximate molecular weights (+/- 10%) as follows: subunit a, 65 500; subunit c, 57 500; subunit da, 43 000; subunit fa, 15 000. The soluble (BF1 component contained only the three polypeptide subunits a, c and da. These were present in the BF0F1 preparation in the ratio 2 : 1 : 2; the contribution of subunit fa could not satisfactorily be quantified. 5. Subunit a was identified as the component binding 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan and subunit fa as the component binding N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The ATP phosphohydrolase activity of the membrane ATPase was not activated by trypsin treatment and the ATPase (BF0F1) contained no trypsin-sensitive inhibitor protein subunit. 6. Purified ATPase (BF0F1) was incorporated into artificial proteoliposomes which demonstrated ATP-dependent enhancement of 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulphonate fluorescence and ATP-dependent proton influx. These reactions were abolished by proton conductors (e.g. carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone) by valinomycin in the presence of a high external concentration of K+, or by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, butyricin 7423, Dio-9, 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan or leucinostatin. Oligomycin, tributyl tin, triethyl tin and venturicidin were not inhibitory. 7. When stripped of the soluble BF1 component, such ATPase-proteoliposomes demonstrated nil ATP phosphohydrolase activity and did not display ATP-dependent enhancement of 8-anilino-naphthalene-1-sulphonate fluorescence or ATP-dependent protein influx. All of these activities were restored by incubation of the BF1-depleted proteoliposomes with a purified preparation of the soluble BF1 component.     

Purification and reconstitution properties of human placental aromatase. A cytochrome P-450-type monooxygenase

The hemoprotein component of human placental aromatase (estrogen synthetase) has been purified to a high degree of homogeneity by a combination of affinity and adsorption chromatography on aminohexyl-Sepharose, concanavalin-A-Sepharose, and hydroxyapatite. The monomeric form of the enzyme has an Mr of 55000 +/- 1000 as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Its absolute spectrum shows a high-spin Soret band at 394 nm while its reduced, CO-difference spectrum has a maximum at 447 +/- 1 nm. Full reconstitution of aromatase activity was obtained when it was recombined with a homogeneous preparation of the higher-Mr form of either human placental, or bovine hepatic NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase. Critical factors for purification of the very unstable, membrane-bound hemoprotein with good retention of activity were, besides the chromatographic sequence, the use of the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (Chaps) during the solubilization, and the stabilizing effect of the aromatase substrate, 4-androstene-3,17-dione, throughout the procedure. In the presence of NADPH, the reconstituted enzyme system smoothly aromatizes 19-oxoandrostenedione, 19-hydroxyandrostenedione and androstenedione in this order of reactivity. The same reconstituted system also aromatized testosterone, but it was inactive towards 19-norandrostenedione. Known cytochrome P-450 inhibitors decreased its activity. We conclude: (a) the terminal oxidase of human placental aromatase is indeed a cytochrome P-450-type monooxygenase; (b) the multistep aromatization reaction of C19 androstenes is catalyzed by a single enzyme; (c) aromatization of 19-norsteroids reported by other authors must be due to a different aromatase. Experimental data obtained with the reconstituted enzyme are fully compatible with the concept of a reaction mechanism for the aromatization sequence involving an all-trans, antiparallel elimination of the 19-methyl group, the 2 beta proton and the 1 alpha proton, rather than the 1 beta proton, as generally assumed.     

Chiroptical properties of chlorophyll-protein complexes separated on Deriphat/polyacrylamide gel.

Circular dichroism (c.d.) was measured for four chlorophyll-protein complexes, resolved from sodium dodecyl sulphate extracts of chloroplasts by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel containing Deriphat 160 (disodium N-dodecyl beta-imidopropionate), a zwitterionic detergent. The slowest-band (1) complex was found to be identical with the complex CP1 as found on electrophoresis in the presence of anion detergent, but it was in a much higher yield (30% of the chlorophyll a). In band-2 and -3 protein complexes a c.d. pattern described for the complex CP2 could be recognized. Another c.d. component of a split-exciton type with extrema at 680 (-) and 669 (+)nm, together with evidence of disorganized chlorophyll, was found in band-2, -3 and -4 complexes. When a barley (Hordeum vulgare) mutant lacking chlorophyll b was examined, only bands 1 and 4 were obtained, and the c.d. of the band-4 complex was much less affected by disorganized chlorophyll. C.D. spectra resembling that of this band-4 complex could be generated by subtracting the c.d. of complex CP1 from the c.d. of photochemically active mutant chloroplast fragments, or by subtracting the c.d. of complexes CP1 and CP2 from pea (Pisum sativum) chloroplast fragments. The Deriphat appears to have preserved at least to some extent a new type of chlorophyll a-protein complex.     

Structural and biochemical characteristics of the plasmalemma and vacuole membranes in amoebae

The plasmalemma, phagolysosomes and symbiont-containing vesicles of amoebae were isolated and their membrane components were compared by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and radioautography. Both morphological and compositional changes occurred in the course of plasmalemma-to-phagolysosome membrane transition during phagocytosis; the number of PAS-staining bands and the staining intensity decreased, whereas Coomassie blue-stainable and iodinatable polypeptides increased in the number of bands and staining intensity. The membranes of symbiont-containing vesicles which did not fuse with lysosomes contained one large-molecular-weight component which was not found either in the plasmalemma or phagolysosomal membranes. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the observed selectivity of membrane fusion.     

Further characterization of HeLa S3 plasma membrane ghosts

A plasma membrane fraction of HeLa S3 cells, consisting of ghosts, is characterized more fully. A simple procedure is described which permits light and electron microscope study of the plasma membrane fraction through the entire depth of the final product pellet and through large areas parallel to the surface. Contamination by nuclei is 0.14%, too little for DNA detection by the diphenylamine reaction. Contamination by rough endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes is small, a single ghost containing about 3% of the RNA in a single cell. Mitochondria were not encountered. Electron microscopy also shows (a) small vesicles associated with the outer surface of the ghosts, and (b) a filamentous web at the inner face of the ghost membrane. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel analysis shows that of the many Coomassie Blue-stained bands two were prominent. One, 43,000 daltons, co-migrated with purified rabbit muscle actin and constituted about 7.5% of the plasma membrane protein. The other major band, 34,000 daltons, was concentrated in the plasma membrane fraction. Two major glycoproteins detected by autoradiography of [14C]fucose-labeled glycoproteins on the gels, had apparent molecular weights of 35,000 daltons and 32,000 daltons. These major bands did not stain with Coomassie Blue. There were many other minor glycoprotein bands in the 200,000- to 80,000-dalton range. Ouabain-sensitive, Na+, K+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity of the ghost fraction is purified 9.1 (+/- 2.2) times over the homogenate; recover of the activity is 12.0 (+/- 3.8%) of the homogenate. Enrichment and recovery of fucosylglycoprotein parallel those for ouabain-sensitive Na+, K+-ATPase activity. Fucosyl glycoprotein is recovered more than the enzyme activity in a smooth membrane vesicle fraction probably containing the bulk of plasma membrane not recovered as ghosts.     

Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-binding protein is a subunit of the Methanosarcina barkeri ATPase complex

Membrane ATPase of Methanosarcina barkeri was inhibited by N, N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), whereas the extrinsic alpha beta complex of the same enzyme was not. Consistent with this finding, a 6,000 dalton (6 kDa) membrane protein was preferentially labeled with radioactive DCCD. The DCCD-sensitive ATPase was solubilized from the membranes with octylglucoside and purified in the presence of this detergent. The purified ATPase contained the alpha and beta subunits and also at least four additional proteins (40, 27, 23 and 6 kDa). The 6 kDa protein in the purified enzyme reacted with DCCD, indicating that it is a subunit of an integral part of the M. barkeri ATPase complex.     

A functional His-tagged c subunit of the Escherichia coli F-type ATPase/Synthase

The c subunit of the Escherichia coli F0 has been tagged with a hexahistidine motif at its C-terminus. The tagged subunit is capable of forming functional F0 complexes that translocate protons in the absence of the F1 complex. In the presence of F1, the two sectors associate and display all biochemical activities of the wildtype enzyme: DCCD-inhibitable ATPase activity, ATP synthase activity, and ATP-dependent proton pumping. The enzyme can be solubilized and purified as an intact complex under native conditions on immobilized-metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) resin. The purified complex can be reincorporated into liposomes and demonstrates ATP-dependent proton pumping activity. Hexahistine tags placed at the N-terminus, in contrast, were all inactive. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of tagging the c subunit for further studies of the F0 and suggest an important role for the N-terminus of the c subunit in either assembly or function of the protein.     

Influence of detergents on the activity of the ABC transporter LmrA

The ABC transporter LmrA from Lactococcus lactis has been intensively studied and a role in multidrug resistance was proposed. Here, we performed a comprehensive detergent screen to analyze the impact of detergents for a successful solubilization, purification and retention of functional properties of this ABC transporter. Our screen revealed the preference of LmrA for zwitterionic detergents. In detergent solution, LmrA purified with FC-16 was highly active with respect to ATPase activity, which could be stimulated by a substrate (rhodamine 123) of LmrA. Both, high ATPase activity and substrate stimulation were not detected for LmrA solubilized in DDM. Interestingly, reconstituted LmrA showed an opposite behavior, with a high basal ATPase activity and stimulation by rhodamine 123 for a DDM-reconstituted, but only low ATPase activity and no substrate stimulation for a FC-16 reconstituted sample.     

Mechanisms of detergent effects on membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase

Because the nonionic detergent octaethylene glycol dodecyl ether has been used extensively for studies on active solubilized preparations of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, we tried to see if the detergent alters the properties of the membrane-bound enzyme prior to solubilization. Addition of the detergent, at concentrations below its critical micellar concentration, to reaction mixtures containing the highly purified membrane-bound enzyme reduced the K0.5 of ATP for (Na+ + K+)-dependent ATPase activity without affecting the maximal velocity or abolishing the negative cooperativity of the substrate-velocity curve. Under these conditions, however, the enzyme was not solubilized as evidenced by complete sedimentation of the membrane fragments containing the enzyme upon centrifugation at 100,000 X g for 30 min. Other nonsolubilizing effects of the detergent included an increase in K0.5 of K+, inhibition of Na+-dependent ATPase with no effect on K0.5 of ATP for this activity, and reductions in the spontaneous decomposition rates of the K+-sensitive phosphoenzyme obtained from ATP and the phosphoenzyme obtained from Pi. The nonsolubilizing effects of the detergent on the purified enzyme were obtained with no detectable lag, were readily reversible, and could be distinguished from its vesicle-opening effects on crude membrane preparations. Several other nonionic and ionic detergents had similar effects on the enzyme. The findings indicate (a) detergent binding to hydrophobic sites on extramembranous segments of enzyme subunits; (b) that occupation of these sites mimics the effects of ATP at a low-affinity regulatory site with no effect on high-affinity ATP binding to the catalytic site; and (c) that in studies on detergent-solubilized preparations, it is necessary to distinguish between the effects of solubilization per se and detergent effects at the regulatory site.     

Isolation and reconstitution of the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-sensitive proton pore of the clathrin-coated vesicle proton translocating complex

The clathrin-coated vesicle proton translocating complex is composed of a maximum of eight polypeptides. The function of the components of this system have not been defined. Proton pumping catalyzed by the reconstituted, 200-fold purified proton translocating complex of clathrin-coated vesicles is inhibited 50% at a dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)/protein ratio of 0.66 mumol of DCCD/mg of protein. At an identical DCCD/protein ratio, the 17-kDa component of the proton pump is labeled by [14C]DCCD. Through toluene extraction, the 17-kDa subunit has been isolated from the holoenzyme. The 17-kDa polypeptide diminished proteoliposome acidification when coreconstituted with either bacteriorhodopsin or the intact clathrin-coated vesicle proton translocating ATPase. In both instances, treatment of the 17-kDa polypeptide with DCCD restored proteoliposome acidification. Moreover, the proton-conducting activity of the 17-kDa polypeptide is abolished by trypsin digestion. These results demonstrate that the 17-kDa polypeptide present in the isolated proton ATPase of clathrin-coated vesicles is a subunit which functions as a transmembranous proton pore.