Steady state kinetics of soluble and membrane-bound mitochondrial ATPase

Steady state kinetic measurements of the rate of hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and inorganic phosphate by beef heart mitochondrial ATPase have been performed with both the solubilized enzyme and with the enzyme attached to a mitochondrial membrane fraction at 25° in 0.1 M NaCl with Mg²⁺ as the metal ion activator. These studies indicate the ATP Michaelis constants are somewhat larger for the soluble enzyme and the turnover numbers are considerably larger. In addition, the steady state parameters are essentially independent of pH over the range 7–9 for the membrane-bound enzyme, while the turnover number for the soluble enzyme varies considerably with pH. The product, ADP, is a competitive inhibitor of ATP and inhibits the soluble enzyme much more strongly than the membrane-bound enzyme. Oligomycin inhibits the membrane-bound enzyme very strongly, but has no effect on the activity of the soluble enzyme. The oligomycin inhibition is noncompetitive in nature.