Catalytic sites of Escherichia coli F1-ATPase. Characterization of unisite catalysis at varied pH.

Using manual rapid-mixing procedures in which small, equal volumes of Escherichia coli F1-ATPase and [gamma-32P]ATP were combined at final concentrations of 2 and 0.2 microM, respectively (i.e., unisite catalysis conditions), it was shown that greater than or equal to 66% of the 32P became bound to the enzyme, with the ratio of bound ATP/bound Pi equal to 0.4 and the rate of dissociation of bound [32P]Pi equal to 3.5 x 10(-3) s-1, similar to previously published values. Azide is known to inhibit cooperative but not unisite catalysis in F1-ATPase [Noumi, T., Maeda, M., & Futai, M. (1987) FEBS Lett. 213, 381-384]. In the presence of 1 mM sodium azide, 99% of the 32P became bound to the enzyme, with the ratio of bound ATP/bound Pi being 0.57. These experiments demonstrated that when conditions are used which minimize cooperative catalysis, most or all of the F1 molecules bind substoichiometric ATP tightly, hydrolyze it with retention of bound ATP and Pi, and release the products slowly. The data justify the validity of previously published rate constants for unisite catalysis. Unisite catalysis in E. coli F1-ATPase was studied at varied pH from 5.5 to 9.5 using buffers devoid of phosphate. Rate constants for ATP binding/release, ATP hydrolysis/resynthesis, Pi release, and ADP binding/release were measured; the Pi binding rate constant was inferred from the delta G for ATP hydrolysis. ATP binding was pH-independent; ATP release accelerated at higher pH. The highest KaATP (4.4 x 10(9) M-1) was seen at physiological pH 7.5.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)