Hypothesis--a chemical mechanism for the biosynthesis of ATP involving ion-exchange reactions

Interaction of Mg2+ with F0.F1 mitochondrial ATPase as related to its slow active/inactive transition

Bovine heart submitochondrial particles incubated with a low concentration of ADP in the presence of Mg2+ and passed through a Sephadex column equilibrated with EDTA exhibit sensitivity of their initial ATPase activity to preincubation with Mg2+. By using particles thus prepared, several characteristics of a Mg(2+)-specific inhibitory site on F0.F1 ATPase were studied. The inhibition was shown to be both time- and Mg(2+)-concentration-dependent, with an equilibrium constant (at infinite time) of 2 x 10(-6) M (25 degrees C, pH 7.5). The dependence of the pseudo-first-order rate constant for the inhibition process on Mg2+ concentration suggests the presence of a single Mg(2+)-binding site with K8 = 1.1 x 10(-4) M. The data obtained are consistent with a two-step mechanism of Mg(2+)-F0.F1 interaction which results in a loss of the ATPase activity; it includes rapid pH-dependent binding of Mg2+ at the site with K8 = 1.1 x 10(-4) M, followed by a slow interconversion of the Mg(2+)-F1 complex into inactive ATPase (kin. = 0.65 min-1, kact. = 0.01 min-1). The Mg(2+)-inhibited ATPase is very slowly (t1/2 approximately 90 min) re-activated in the presence of EDTA. The rate of EDTA-induced re-activation is pH-independent and can be dramatically increased by added ATP, Pi and sulphite. The dissociation constants for free ATP and P1 (5 x 10(-7) M and 1 x 10(-3) M respectively) and the maximal activation rates were determined by measuring the hyperbolic dependencies of the EDTA-induced re-activation of Mg(2+)-de-activated ATPase on the concentrations of the accelerating ligands. Taken together, the data obtained show two functionally detectable free nucleotide-specific binding sites, one site for Pi and one Mg(2+)-specific ATPase-inhibitory site on the F0.F1 mitochondrial ATP synthase complex.

The pyruvate kinase-coupled assay for ATPases: a critical analysis

The pyruvate kinase assay for ATPases suffers from major systematic errors due to the variable amounts of the inhibitory product, ADP, present as the rates change. A simple method is presented to estimate the true uninhibited rates and the ADP inhibition constant for the ATPase.

Thermodynamic bookkeeping when nucleotides bind. Applications of the theory of linked functions

The thermodynamic theory of linked functions was used to determine the numbers of modifier ions involved when nucleotides dissociate. Nucleotide dissociation constants, obtained spectrophotometrically using Dowex-1 resin as a model system, were plotted on log/log paper with respect to the modifier concentrations. The slopes of the lines represent the net number of modifier molecules/ions involved in the dissociation. Varying numbers of nucleotides are bound to the resin because the resin capacity is determined by the total number of charges bound. The nucleotides bind to the resin at comparable diffusion-limited rates, irrespective of how tightly they bind. When ATP binds at pH 6.8, 4 chlorides, 4 formates, 2 succinates or 1.4 citrates are displaced, indicating that the fully charged (ATP4-) nucleotide binds. By comparing ATP, ADP and AMP it was possible to evaluate the contributions of the adenosine moiety and each phosphate to the binding. Between pH 2 and 3, where ATP has two negative charges, ATP binds largely as the trianion, displacing 2.7 chlorides and 0.7 protons. In the presence of 4 mM magnesium, 0.58 magnesiums facilitate the dissociation by chelating 58% of the liberated ATP. Calcium behaved similarly to magnesium but aluminum, at pH 6.8, promoted the binding of ATP as an (A1.ATP)3- complex with the concomitant liberation of three chloride ions. These experimental thermodynamic stoichiometries were found to be independent of the concentrations of the other modifiers present. Thermodynamic linkage stoichiometries can be evaluated from log K vs. log (modifier) plots when a direct determination of modifier binding is impossible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Factors affecting the rates at which nucleotides bind to Dowex 1 resin

The relative rates at which adenine nucleotides bind to Dowex 1 anion-exchange resin are determined by diffusion through the immobile fluid film surrounding the resin particles and thus are unaffected by how tightly the nucleotides bind. By using a fine resin and stirring efficiently, the time needed for equilibration can be reduced from 4 h to less than 3 min.

A spectrophotometric resin competition procedure to determine dissociation constants for metal ion-nucleotide complexes

The resin competition method for determining the dissociation constants of metal ion-nucleotide complexes was modified to take into account the fact that some metal nucleotide complexes are anionic and thus, like the free nucleotide, will bind to the resin. A simple, rapid spectrophotometric titration procedure is given for the determination of both the metal ion-nucleotide complex dissociation constant and the ratio of the affinities of the nucleotide and its complex for the resin.