Decay of membrane potential under phosphorylating conditions in chloroplasts with in vivo activated ATPase

(1) The relation between the membrane potential and phosphorylation was studied in chloroplasts rapidly prepared from illuminated spinach leaves (light chloroplasts) and from dark-adapted leaves (dark chloroplasts). Light chloroplasts had a higher ATP hydrolysis activity than dark chloroplasts. (2) In the presence of ADP or ATP, a rapidly decaying phase of the field-indicating 518 nm absorbance change with a half-time of 15 ms became apparent in addition to the slow phase with a half-time of more than 300 ms in either type of chloroplast. Under these conditions, light chloroplasts showed a larger rapid phase than dark chloroplasts. (3) The rapid phase was suppressed by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and was assumed to reflect the dissipation of membrane potential due to proton movements inside the CF₁-CF₀ ATP synthetase. (4) A model for the proton movement in ATP synthetase is proposed.