Effect of aurovertin on energy transfer reactions in Rhodospirillum rubrum chromatophores

Two types of essential carboxyl groups in Rhodospirillum rubrum proton ATPase

Two different types of essential carboxyl groups were detected in the extrinsic component of the proton ATPase of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Chemical modification of R. rubrum chromatophores or its solubilized ATPase by Woodward's reagent K resulted in inactivation of photophosphorylating and ATPase activities. The apparent order of reaction was nearly 1 with respect to reagent concentration and similar K1 were obtained for the soluble and membrane-bound ATPases suggesting that inactivation was associated with modification of one essential carboxyl group located in the soluble component of the proton ATPase. Inactivation was prevented by adenine nucleotides but not by divalent cations. Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide completely inhibited the solubilized ATPase with a K1 of 5.2 mM and a K2 of 0.81 min-1. Mg2+ afforded nearly complete protection with a Kd of 2.8 mM. Two moles of [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide were incorporated per mole of enzyme for complete inactivation but in the presence of 30 mM MgCl2 only one mole was incorporated and there was no inhibition. The labeling was recovered mostly from the beta subunit. The incorporation of the labeled reagent into the ATPase was not prevented by previous modification with Woodward's reagent K. It is concluded that both reagents modified two different essential carboxyl groups in the soluble ATPase from R. rubrum.

Interaction of Escherichia coli adenosine triphosphatase with aurovertin and citreoviridin: inhibition and fluorescence studies

Aurovertins B and D inhibited the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity of soluble Escherichia coli coupling factor ATPase (BF1) isolated from wile-type E. coli K-12. Half inhibition was obtained with 2 microns aurovertin B and 0.9 microns aurovertin D. Aurovertins B and D had no inhibitory effect on BF1 isolated from the aurovertin-resistant E. coli mutant MA12. Acetylation or saponification of aurovertin D yielded a derivative which was devoid of inhibitory effect on BF1. Citreoviridin also inhibited wild-type BF1 but with much less efficiency (half inhibition at 60 microns) than aurovertin. Citreoviridin had no effect on the aurovertin-resistant BF1. The fluorescence intensity of aurovertins B and D was markedly enhanced upon addition to purified BF1. There was no enhancement of fluorescence when the aurovertins were added to BF1 isolated from the aurovertin-resistant mutant. The fluorescence of the aurovertin-BF1 complex was enhanced by adenosine 5'-diphosphate and by low concentrations of adenosine 5'-triphosphate. The adenosine 5'-diphosphate-enhanced fluorescence of the aurovertin-BF1 complex was quenched by high concentrations of adenosine 5'-triphosphate or by MG2+. Aurovertin bound selectively to the beta subunit of BF1 isolated from wile-type cells. By complementation assays in vitro, using a reconstituted system made of subunits isolated from wild-type and aurovertin-resistant BF1, it was shown that the altered peptide in aurovertin-resistant BF1 was the beta subunit.

Coupling factor ATPase complex of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Purification and characterization of an oligomycin and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-sensitive (Ca+ + Mg2+)-ATPase

An ATPase complex sensitive to the energy transfer inhibitors oligomycin, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and venturicidin has been solubilized from Rhodospirillum rubrum chromatophores with Triton X-100 and further purified by centrifugation on a glycerol gradient. The partially purified RrFo . F1 contains 13 distinct polypeptide subunits, as revealed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, including the subunits of the oligomycin-sensitive, water-soluble RrF1 ATPase. The ATPase activity of RrF0 . F1 as that of the membrane-bound enzyme complex depends on Ca2+ or Mg2+ and from detailed kinetic studies it is concluded that the divalent cation-ATP complex is the substrate for both ATPase complexes. Free ATP and free Mg2+ act as competitive inhibitors, with Ki values of 1 mM and 7 muM, respectively. The subunit composition of the purified RrFo . F1 and its similarity to the membrane-bound ATPase with respect to cation dependence and sensitivity to energy transfer inhibitors suggests that it contains all the subunits of the R. rubrum coupling factor-ATPase complex.

Isolation of Escherichia coli mutants with an adenosine triphosphatase insensitive to aurovertin

Energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) from Escherichia coli is inhibited by aurovertin. Aurovertin-resistant mutants were generated by nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis of E. coli AN180, whose growth on a nonfermentable carbon source was blocked by aurovertin. The ATPase activity of cell extracts from 15 different mutants (designated MA1, MA2, MA3, etc.) was found to be at least 20 times less sensitive to aurovertin than that from the parent strain. The aurovertin-resistant mutants did not show cross-resistance towards a number of ATPase inhibitors including azide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, quercetin, 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzofurazan, and N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline. Aurovertin inhibited the energization brought about by addition of ATP to E. coli AN180 membrane vesicles; it was without effect on MA1 and MA2 membrane vesicles energized by ATP. The mutation in MA1, like other mutations of the ATPase complex, maps in the unc region of the bacterial chromosome.

Regulatory properties of the citrate synthase from Rhodospirillum rubrum

Citrate synthase, purified 600-fold from Rhodospirillum rubrum, is activated by KCl and inhibited by ATP and NADH; the effect of the latter inhibitor is completely counteracted by AMP and partially counteracted by KCl.