ESCHERICHIA-COLI F1-ATPASE CAN USE GTP-NONCHASEABLE BOUND ADENINE-NUCLEOTIDE TO SYNTHESIZE ATP IN DIMETHYL-SULFOXIDE

Escherichia coli F1-ATPase contained 3 mol of tightly-bound adenine nucleotide/mol enzyme. A further 3 mol could be loaded by incubation of the enzyme with ATP. The unloaded enzyme was designated as a F1[2,1] type on the basis of the ability of GTP to displace 1 mol of adenine nucleotide/mol of F1 [Kironde, F. A. S., & Cross, R. L. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 12544-12549]. The loaded enzyme was designated F1[3,3] since GTP could displace 3 of the 6 mol of bound adenine nucleotide/mol of F1. Incubation of F1[2,1], F1[2,0], and F1[3,0] with phosphate in the presence of 30% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide led to the synthesis of ATP from endogenous bound ADP. Hydrolysis of newly synthesized ATP occurred on transfer of the F1 from 30% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide to an entirely aqueous medium. Thus, synthesis and hydrolysis of ATP can occur at GTP-nonchaseable adenine nucleotide binding sites, and these sites in dimethyl sulfoxide are not necessarily equivalent to noncatalytic sites.