Extraction and purification of the beta subunit and an active alpha beta-core complex from the spinach chloroplast CFoF1-ATP synthase

Catalysis by isolated beta-subunits of the ATP Synthase/ATPase from Thermophilic bacillus PS3. Hydrolysis of pyrophosphate

Although the capacity of isolated beta-subunits of the ATP synthase/ATPase to perform catalysis has been extensively studied, the results have not conclusively shown that the subunits are catalytically active. Since soluble F(1) of mitochondrial H(+)-ATPase can bind inorganic pyrophosphate (PP(i)) and synthesize PP(i) from medium phosphate, we examined if purified His-tagged beta-subunits from Thermophilic bacillus PS3 can hydrolyze PP(i). The difference spectra in the near UV CD of beta-subunits with and without PP(i) show that PP(i) binds to the subunits. Other studies show that beta-subunits hydrolyze [(32)P] PP(i) through a Mg(2+)-dependent process with an optimal pH of 8.3. Free Mg(2+) is required for maximal hydrolytic rates. The Km for PP(i) is 75 microM and the Vmax is 800 pmol/min/mg. ATP is a weak inhibitor of the reaction, it diminishes the Vmax and increases the Km for PP(i). Thus, isolated beta-subunits are catalytically competent with PP(i) as substrate; apparently, the assembly of beta-subunits into the ATPase complex changes substrate specificity, and leads to an increase in catalytic rates.

Proteome profiling of Populus euphratica Oliv. upon heat stress

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Populus euphratica is a light-demanding species ecologically characterized as a pioneer. It grows in shelter belts along riversides, being part of the natural desert forest ecosystems in China and Middle Eastern countries. It is able to survive extreme temperatures, drought and salt stress, marking itself out as an important plant species to study the mechanisms responsible for survival of woody plants under heat stress.

METHODS

Heat effects were evaluated through electrolyte leakage on leaf discs, and LT(50) was determined to occur above 50 degrees C. Protein accumulation profiles of leaves from young plants submitted to 42/37 degrees C for 3 d in a phytotron were determined through 2D-PAGE, and a total of 45 % of up- and downregulated proteins were detected. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF)/TOF analysis, combined with searches in different databases, enabled the identification of 82 % of the selected spots.

KEY RESULTS

Short-term upregulated proteins are related to membrane destabilization and cytoskeleton restructuring, sulfur assimilation, thiamine and hydrophobic amino acid biosynthesis, and protein stability. Long-term upregulated proteins are involved in redox homeostasis and photosynthesis. Late downregulated proteins are involved mainly in carbon metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate heat response involves proteins related to lipid biogenesis, cytoskeleton structure, sulfate assimilation, thiamine and hydrophobic amino acid biosynthesis, and nuclear transport. Photostasis is achieved through carbon metabolism adjustment, a decrease of photosystem II (PSII) abundance and an increase of PSI contribution to photosynthetic linear electron flow. Thioredoxin h may have a special role in this process in P. euphratica upon moderate heat exposure.

Formation and properties of hybrid photosynthetic F1-ATPases. Demonstration of different structural requirements for stimulation and inhibition by tentoxin

A hybrid ATPase composed of cloned chloroplast ATP synthase beta and gamma subunits (betaC and gammaC) and the cloned alpha subunit from the Rhodospirillum rubrum ATP synthase (alphaR) was assembled using solubilized inclusion bodies and a simple single-step folding procedure. The catalytic properties of the assembled alpha3Rbeta3CgammaC were compared to those of the core alpha3Cbeta3CgammaC complex of the native chloroplast coupling factor 1 (CF1) and to another recently described hybrid enzyme containing R. rubrum alpha and beta subunits and the CF1 gamma subunit (alpha3Rbeta3RgammaC). All three enzymes were similarly stimulated by dithiothreitol and inhibited by copper chloride in response to reduction and oxidation, respectively, of the disulfide bond in the chloroplast gamma subunit. In addition, all three enzymes exhibited the same concentration dependence for inhibition by the CF1 epsilon subunit. Thus the CF1 gamma subunit conferred full redox regulation and normal epsilon binding to the two hybrid enzymes. Only the native CF1 alpha3Cbeta3CgammaC complex was inhibited by tentoxin, confirming the requirement for both CF1 alpha and beta subunits for tentoxin inhibition. However, the alpha3Rbeta3CgammaC complex, like the alpha3Cbeta3CgammaC complex, was stimulated by tentoxin at concentrations in excess of 10 microm. In addition, replacement of the aspartate at position 83 in betaC with leucine resulted in the loss of stimulation in the alpha3Rbeta3CgammaC hybrid. The results indicate that both inhibition and stimulation by tentoxin require a similar structural contribution from the beta subunit, but differ in their requirements for alpha subunit structure.

The protein disulfide isomerase-like RB60 is partitioned between stroma and thylakoids in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts

Translation of psbA mRNA in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts is regulated by a redox signal(s). RB60 is a member of a protein complex that binds with high affinity to the 5'-untranslated region of psbA mRNA. RB60 has been suggested to act as a redox-sensor subunit of the protein complex regulating translation of chloroplast psbA mRNA. Surprisingly, cloning of RB60 identified high homology to the endoplasmic reticulum-localized protein disulfide isomerase, including an endoplasmic reticulum-retention signal at its carboxyl terminus. Here we show, by in vitro import studies, that the recombinant RB60 is imported into isolated chloroplasts of C. reinhardtii and pea in a transit peptide-dependent manner. Subfractionation of C. reinhardtii chloroplasts revealed that the native RB60 is partitioned between the stroma and the thylakoids. The nature of association of native RB60, and imported recombinant RB60, with thylakoids is similar and suggests that RB60 is tightly bound to thylakoids. The targeting characteristics of RB60 and the potential implications of the association of RB60 with thylakoids are discussed.

Mutations in the beta-subunit Thr(159) and Glu(184) of the Rhodospirillum rubrum F(0)F(1) ATP synthase reveal differences in ligands for the coupled Mg(2+)- and decoupled Ca(2+)-dependent F(0)F(1) activities

In the crystal structure of the mitochondrial F(1)-ATPase, the beta-Thr(163) residue was identified as a ligand to Mg(2+) and the beta-Glu(188) as directly involved in catalysis. We replaced the equivalent beta-Thr(159) of the chromatophore F(0)F(1) ATP synthase of Rhodospirillum rubrum with Ser, Ala, or Val and the Glu(184) with Gln or Lys. The mutant beta subunits were isolated and tested for their capacity to assemble into a beta-less chromatophore F(0)F(1) and restore its lost activities. All of them were found to bind into the beta-less enzyme with the same efficiency as the wild type beta subunit, but only the beta-Thr(159) --> Ser mutant restored the activity of the assembled enzyme. These results indicate that both Thr(159) and Glu(184) are not required for assembly and that Glu(184) is indeed essential for all the membrane-bound chromatophore F(0)F(1) activities. A detailed comparison between the wild type and the beta-Thr(159) --> Ser mutant revealed a rather surprising difference. Although this mutant restored the wild type levels and all specific properties of this F(0)F(1) proton-coupled ATP synthesis as well as Mg- and Mn-dependent ATP hydrolysis, it did not restore at all the proton-decoupled CaATPase activity. This clear difference between the ligands for Mg(2+) and Mn(2+), where threonine can be replaced by serine, and Ca(2+), where only threonine is active, suggests that the beta-subunit catalytic site has different conformational states when occupied by Ca(2+) as compared with Mg(2+). These different states might result in different interactions between the beta and gamma subunits, which are involved in linking F(1) catalysis with F(0) proton-translocation and can thus explain the complete absence of Ca-dependent proton-coupled F(0)F(1) catalytic activity.

Hybrid Rhodospirillum rubrum F(0)F(1) ATP synthases containing spinach chloroplast F(1) beta or alpha and beta subunits reveal the essential role of the alpha subunit in ATP synthesis and tentoxin sensitivity

Trace amounts ( approximately 5%) of the chloroplast alpha subunit were found to be absolutely required for effective restoration of catalytic function to LiCl-treated chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum with the chloroplast beta subunit (Avital, S., and Gromet-Elhanan, Z. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7067-7072). To clarify the role of the alpha subunit in the rebinding of beta, restoration of catalytic function, and conferral of sensitivity to the chloroplast-specific inhibitor tentoxin, LiCl-treated chromatophores were analyzed by immunoblotting before and after reconstitution with mixtures of R. rubrum and chloroplast alpha and beta subunits. The treated chromatophores were found to have lost, in addition to most of their beta subunits, approximately a third of the alpha subunits, and restoration of catalytic activity required rebinding of both subunits. The hybrid reconstituted with the R. rubrum alpha and chloroplast beta subunits was active in ATP synthesis as well as hydrolysis, and both activities were completely resistant to tentoxin. In contrast, a hybrid reconstituted with both chloroplast alpha and beta subunits restored only a MgATPase activity, which was fully inhibited by tentoxin. These results indicate that all three copies of the R. rubrum alpha subunit are required for proton-coupled ATP synthesis, whereas for conferral of tentoxin sensitivity at least one copy of the chloroplast alpha subunit is required together with the chloroplast beta subunit. The hybrid system was further used to examine the effects of amino acid substitution at position 83 of the beta subunit on sensitivity to tentoxin.

Refolding of recombinant alpha and beta subunits of the Rhodospirillum rubrum F(0)F(1) ATP synthase into functional monomers that reconstitute an active alpha(1)beta(1)-dimer

The alpha subunit from the Rhodospirillum rubrum F(0)F(1) ATP synthase (RrF(1)alpha) was over-expressed in unc operon-deleted Escherichia coli strains under various growth conditions only in insoluble inclusion bodies. The functional refolding of urea-solubilized RrF(1)alpha was followed by measuring its ability to stimulate the restoration of ATP synthesis and hydrolysis in beta-less R. rubrum chromatophores reconstituted with pure native or recombinant RrF(1)beta [Nathanson, L. & Gromet-Elhanan, Z. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 10933-10938]. The refolding efficiency was found to increase with decreasing RrF(1)alpha concentrations and required high concentrations of MgATP, saturating approximately 60% when 50 microgram protein.mL(-1) were refolded in presence of 50 mM MgATP. Size-exclusion HPLC of such refolded RrF(1)alpha revealed a 50-60% decrease in its aggregated form and a parallel appearance of its monomeric peak. RrF(1)beta refolded under identical conditions appeared almost exclusively as a monomer. This procedure enabled the isolation of large amounts of a stable RrF(1)alpha monomer, which stimulated the restoration of ATP synthesis and hydrolysis much more efficiently than the refolded alpha mixture, and bound ATP and ADP in a Mg-dependent manner. Incubation of both RrF(1)alpha and beta monomers, which by themselves had no ATPase activity, resulted in a parallel appearance of activity and assembled alpha(1)beta(1)-dimers, but showed no formation of alpha(3)beta(3)-hexamers. The RrF(1)-alpha(1)beta(1)-ATPase activity was, however, very similar to the activity observed in isolated native chloroplast CF(1)-alpha(3)beta(3), indicating that these dimers contain only the catalytic nucleotide-binding site at their alpha/beta interface. Their inability to associate into an alpha(3)beta(3)-hexamer seems therefore to reflect a much lower stability of the noncatalytic RrF(1) alpha/beta interface.

Asymmetry of the alpha subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase as probed by the binding of Lucifer Yellow vinyl sulfone

The catalytic portion of the chloroplast ATP synthase (CF1) is structurally asymmetric. Asymmetry of the otherwise symmetrical alpha3beta3 heterohexamer is induced by the presence of tightly bound nucleotides and interactions with the single-copy, smaller subunits. Lucifer Yellow vinyl sulfone (4-amino-N-[3-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl]naphthalimide-3,6-disulfonic acid) rapidly and covalently binds to lysine 378 on one alpha subunit [Nalin, C. M., Snyder, B., and McCarty, R. E., (1985) Biochemistry 24, 2318-2324] [Shapiro, A. B. (1991) Ph.D. Thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY). The asymmetrical binding of Lucifer Yellow to CF1 provides a method to investigate the cause of asymmetry in the alpha subunits. The reaction of CF1 with Lucifer Yellow was monitored by total fluorescence of bound Lucifer Yellow as well as by quantitative determination of Lucifer Yellow bound to the tryptic peptide that contains lysine 378 of the alpha subunit. The total binding of Lucifer Yellow to CF1 was not affected by the presence of tightly bound nucleotides or nucleotide in the medium. Neither the total binding of Lucifer Yellow to CF1 nor the reaction of alpha-lysine 378 with Lucifer Yellow was changed by the removal of the epsilon subunit, the delta subunit, or both subunits. The extent of incorporation of Lucifer Yellow into lysine 378 of the alpha subunit in (alphabeta)n was about three times that of Lucifer Yellow incorporation into CF1. Reconstitution of (alphabeta)n with gamma restored the binding of one Lucifer Yellow per alpha3beta3gamma. Therefore, the interactions between gamma and the alphabeta heterohexamer are important in conferring asymmetry to the alpha subunits of CF1.

Intramolecular rotation in ATP synthase: dynamic and crystallographic studies on thermophilic F1

A single molecule of ATP synthase (F0F1) is by itself a rotary motor, the smallest ever found, and this biomotor is driven by an electrochemical potential of H+ (delta microH+). F0F1 is composed of an ion-conducting portion (F0) and a catalytic portion (F1). The major breakthroughs in studies on the mechanochemical coupling have been the direct observation of the rotation of a stable alpha 3 beta 3 gamma complex of thermophilic F1 (TF1), and X-ray crystallography of the alpha 3 beta 3 gamma portion of mitochondrial F1 (MF1) and the alpha 3 beta 3 oligomer of TF1. This review focuses on the dynamics of TF1, demonstrated by a crucial experiment. The torque of the rotation was estimated to be 42 pN.nm from the delta microH+ and frictional force. Important unsolved problems are the crystallography of F0, elastic energy conversion, and the stator and rotor of this biomotor.

Structural stability of chloroplast coupling factor 1 determined by differential scanning calorimetry and cold inactivation

At least part of the gamma subunit of the catalytic portion of the chloroplast ATP synthase (CF1) is present in the middle of the alpha3beta3 heterohexamer. Interactions of the alpha/beta subunits with the gamma subunit stabilize the hexameric structure. Surprisingly, neither reduction of the gamma disulfide nor selective proteolysis of alpha, beta and gamma affects the thermal stability of EDTA-treated CF1 preparations, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry. Dissociation of the enzyme in the cold may be monitored by loss of the ATPase activity of CF1 subunit depleted of its epsilon subunit [CF1(-epsilon)]. The rate of cold inactivation of ATPase activity of reduced and alkylated CF1(-epsilon) treated with trypsin in solution was much faster than that CF1(-epsilon)(8.1 versus 38.7 min, respectively, for 50% loss of activity). The increased cold liability of the trypsin-treated enzyme was not a consequence of the cleavage of the gamma. CF1 incubated with trypsin under conditions in which gamma is not cleaved was as cold labile as CF1 with cleaved gamma. Instead, loss of the delta subunit and a few residues from the C-terminal of the beta subunits were responsible for the increased cold liability of the enzyme.

Spinach chloroplast coupling factor CF1-alpha 3 beta 3 core complex: structure, stability, and catalytic properties

A minimal chloroplast coupling factor CF1 core complex, containing only alpha and beta subunits, has been isolated from spinach thylakoids [Avital, S., & Gromet-Elhanan, Z. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7067-7072]. This CF1(alpha beta) exhibited a low MgATPase activity, which was stimulated but not inhibited by low concentrations of the species-specific CF1 effector tentoxin. As is reported here, the structure of CF1(alpha beta) could not be determined due to its instability. However, its pretreatment with high tentoxin concentrations resulted in a remarkable 50-fold stimulation of the MgATPase activity as well as stabilization of its hexameric structure, thus enabling the isolation of a more active CF1-alpha 3 beta 3 complex by size-exclusion chromatography. A detailed characterization of the MgATPase activity of this tentoxin-stabilized CF1-alpha 3 beta 3 hexamer, as compared to the activity of a CF1 complex lacking the epsilon subunit, revealed similar apparent Km values and a similar stimulation by the presence of 100 microM tentoxin in the assay medium, but drastic differences in all other tested assays. Most pronounced were their different temperature profiles and different responses to all added inhibitors and stimulators of the CF1 MgATPase activity and to excess free Mg2+ ions. The specific properties of the stable CF1-alpha 3 beta 3 hexamer are identical to those earlier reported for its parent-unstable CF1(alpha beta). These results indicate that, although the CF1 gamma subunit is not required for the low CF1(alpha beta) ATPase activity nor for the higher activity of the tentoxin-stabilized CF1-alpha 3 beta 3, it plays a central role in obtaining the typical functional properties of the CF1-ATPase. Kinetic cooperativity could not be critically tested as yet with any F1-alpha 3 beta 3. However, tentoxin, as azide, has been shown to inhibit multisite but not unisite catalysis. Therefore, the observation that CF1-alpha 3 beta 3 is only stimulated by tentoxin suggests that the required presence of CF1-gamma for obtaining inhibition by tentoxin reflects the role of this subunit in cooperative interactions between the catalytic sites.

The photosynthetic F1-α 3β 3 and α 1β 1 catalytic core complexes

Minimal photosynthetic catalytic F1(αβ) core complexes, containing equimolar ratios of the α and β subunits, were isolated from membrane-bound spinach chloroplast CF1 and Rhodospirillum rubrum chromatophore RrF1. A CF1-α3β3 hexamer and RrF1-α1β1 dimer, which were purified from the respective F1(αβ) complexes, exhibit lower rates and different properties from their parent F1-ATPases. Most interesting is their complete resistance to inhibition by the general F1 inhibitor azide and the specific CF1 inhibitor tentoxin. These inhibitors were earlier reported to inhibit multisite, but not unisite, catalysis in all sensitive F1-ATPases and were therefore suggested to block catalytic site cooperativity. The absence of this typical property of all F1-ATPases in the α1β1 dimer is consistant with the view that the dimer contains only a single catalytic site. The α3β3 hexamer contains however all F1 catalytic sites. Therefore the observation that CF1-α3β3 can bind tentoxin and is stimulated by it suggests that the F1γ subunit, which is required for obtaining inhibition by tentoxin as well as azide, plays an important role in the cooperative interactions between the F1-catalytic sites.

In vitro assembly of the core catalytic complex of the chloroplast ATP synthase

The regulatory gamma subunit and an alpha beta complex were isolated from the catalytic F1 portion of the chloroplast ATP synthase. The isolated gamma subunit was devoid of catalytic activity, whereas the alpha beta complex exhibited a very low ATPase activity (approximately 200 nmol/min/mg of protein). The alpha beta complex migrated as a hexameric alpha 3 beta 3 complex during ultracentrifugation and gel filtration but reversibly dissociated into alpha and beta monomers after freezing and thawing in the presence of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and in the absence of nucleotides. Conditions are described in which the gamma and alpha beta preparations were combined to rapidly and efficiently reconstitute a fully functional catalytic core enzyme complex. The reconstituted enzyme exhibited normal tight binding and sensitivity to the inhibitory epsilon subunit and to the allosteric inhibitor tentoxin. However, neither the alpha beta complex nor the isolated gamma subunit alone could bind the epsilon subunit or tentoxin with high affinity. Similarly, high affinity binding sites for ATP and ADP, which are characteristic of the core alpha 3 beta 3 gamma enzyme, were absent from the alpha beta complex. The results indicate that when the gamma subunit binds to the alpha beta complex, it induces a three-dimensional conformation in the enzyme, which is necessary for tight binding of the inhibitors and for high-affinity, asymmetric nucleotide binding.

The alpha 3 beta 3 and alpha 1 beta 1 complexes of ATP synthase

Two catalytic structures of H(+)-motive ATP synthase (Fig. 1), the alpha 3 beta 3 oligomer (M(r) = 319,581) and alpha 1 beta 1 promoter (M(r) = 106,527) (Fig. 2), were isolated using high pressure liquid chromatography (Fig. 3) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Figs. 4 and 5). These were reconstituted from the alpha and beta subunits of thermophilic F1 (TF1), and the alpha 3 beta 3 oligomer was also crystallized. Common to both F1 and the alpha 3 beta 3 oligomer were the nucleotide specificity, the two Km values, the presence of protomer-oligomer activities, and the one-hit--one-kill phenomenon. A synchrotron experiment on the ATP hydrolysis cycle revealed the dynamic shrinkage and expansion of F1(44) that correspond, respectively, to the ATP-induced association and ADP-induced dissociation of the alpha 3 beta 3 oligomer. The oligomer, like mitochondrial F1 and TF1, exhibited two kinds of ATPase activity: one was cooperative and was inhibited by only one inhibitor per hexamer, and the other was inhibited by three inhibitors per hexamer.

The alpha beta complexes of ATP synthase: the alpha 3 beta 3 oligomer and alpha 1 beta 1 protomer

The basic structures of the catalytic portion (F1, alpha 3 beta 3 gamma delta epsilon) of ATP synthase are the alpha 3 beta 3 hexamer (oligomer with cooperativity) and alpha 1 beta 1 heterodimer (protomer). These were reconstituted from the alpha and beta subunits of thermophilic F1 (TF1), and the alpha 3 beta 3 hexamer was crystallized. On electrophoresis, both the dimer and hexamer showed bands with ATPase activity. Using the dimer and hexamer, we studied the nucleotide-dependent rapid molecular dynamics. The formation of the hexamer required neither nucleotide nor Mg. The hexamer was dissociated into the dimer in the presence of MgADP, while the dimer was associated into the hexamer in the presence of MgATP. The hexamer, like mitochondrial F1 and TF1, showed two kinds of ATPase activity: one was cooperative and was inhibited by only one BzADP per hexamer, and the other was inhibited by three BzADP per hexamer.

Identification of subunits required for the catalytic activity of the F1-ATPase

F1 (alpha beta) complexes containing equimolar ratios of the alpha and beta subunits have been shown to function as active ATPases, whereas individually isolated alpha and beta subunits show no real ATPase activity. These results indicate that the single-copy subunits are not required for F1-ATPase activity. The minimal F1 (alpha beta)-core complexes exhibit, however, lower rates and some different properties from those of their parent whole F1 or alpha 3 beta 3 gamma complexes. It is therefore concluded that for obtaining a full spectrum of the characteristic functional properties of an F1-ATPase the presence of the F1-gamma subunit is also required. The implications of these findings on the subunit location of both catalytic and noncatalytic nucleotide binding sites is discussed.

Isolation and characterisation of a functional alpha beta heterodimer from the ATP synthase of Rhodospirillum rubrum

An alpha beta heterodimer of the F1-ATPase of Rhodospirillum rubrum was isolated by extraction of chromatophores with LiCl. Each alpha beta heterodimer contains one tightly bound ADP, which is released upon removal of medium Mg2+. The dimer can be reversibly dissociated by removal of Mg(2+)-ions. The alpha beta heterodimer restores both ATP-synthetic and -hydrolytic activities to LiCl-treated chromatophores, saturation being achieved at approximately 2 mmol alpha beta.mol BChl-1. The heterodimer itself hydrolyses Mg-ATP with an activity distinct from RF1, being unaffected by azide or sulphite ions. The Vmax and Km (ATP) for this Mg(2+)-dependent activity were 110 +/- 10 nmol.min-1.mg protein-1 and 100 +/- 30 microM, respectively. The Km did not differ significantly from that of RF1.

Tentoxin sensitivity of chloroplasts determined by codon 83 of beta subunit of proton-ATPase

Tentoxin is a naturally occurring phytotoxic peptide that causes seedling chlorosis and arrests growth in sensitive plants and algae. In vitro, it inhibits activity of the beta subunit of the plastid proton-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) from sensitive species. Plastid atpB genes from six closely related, tentoxin-sensitive or -resistant Nicotiana species differ at codon 83, according to their response to the toxin: glutamate correlated with resistance and aspartate correlated with sensitivity. The genetic relevance of this site was confirmed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by chloroplast transformation. The alga, normally tentoxin-resistant, was rendered tentoxin-sensitive by mutagenesis of its plastid atpB gene at codon 83. Codon 83 may represent a critical site on the beta subunit that does not compete with nucleotide binding or other catalytic activities.

Mapping of antigenic sites to monoclonal antibodies on the primary structure of the F1-ATPase beta subunit from Escherichia coli: concealed amino-terminal region of the subunit in the F1

To analyze relationships between the ternary and primary structures of the beta subunit of Escherichia coli F1 ATPase, we prepared two monoclonal antibodies beta 12 and beta 31 against the beta peptide. These antibodies bind to the beta subunit but do not bind to the F1 ATPase, resulting in no inhibition of the ATPase activities. Several different portions of the beta subunit peptide were prepared by constructing expression plasmids carrying the corresponding DNA segment of the beta subunit gene amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Western blotting analysis using these peptides revealed that the antibodies bound to a peptide of 104 amino acid residues from the amino terminal end, which is outside the previously estimated catalytic domain between residues 140 and 350. These results indicated that the amino terminal portion of the maximal 104 residues is not exposed to the surface of the F1 ATPase. The binding spectrum of the antibodies to the subunit from various species including Vibrio alginolyticus and thermophilic bacterium PS3 indicated possible epitope sequences within the 104 residues. The ternary structure of the beta subunit, in terms of cleavage sites by endopeptidases, was analyzed using the antibodies. A 43-kDa peptide without binding ability to beta 12 and beta 31 appeared upon cleavage by lysyl endopeptidase. The results suggested that lysyl residues from around 70 to 100 from the amino terminus are exposed to the surface of the beta subunit.