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The F-ATP synthase, consisting of F

Most cellular ATP is made by rotary F1FO ATP synthases using proton translocation-generated clockwise torque on the FO c-ring rotor, while F1-ATP hydrolysis can force counterclockwise rotation and proton pumping. The FO torque-generating mechanism remains elusive even though the FO interface of stator subunit-a, which contains the transmembrane proton half-channels, and the c-ring is known from recent F1FO structures. Here, single-molecule F1FO rotation studies determined that the pKa values of the half-channels differ, show that mutations of residues in these channels change the pKa values of both half-channels, and reveal the ability of FO to undergo single c-subunit rotational stepping. These experiments provide evidence to support the hypothesis that proton translocation through FO operates via a Grotthuss mechanism involving a column of single water molecules in each half-channel linked by proton translocation-dependent c-ring rotation. We also observed pH-dependent 11° ATP synthase-direction sub-steps of the Escherichia coli c10-ring of F1FO against the torque of F1-ATPase-dependent rotation that result from H+ transfer events from FO subunit-a groups with a low pKa to one c-subunit in the c-ring, and from an adjacent c-subunit to stator groups with a high pKa. These results support a mechanism in which alternating proton translocation-dependent 11° and 25° synthase-direction rotational sub-steps of the c10-ring occur to sustain F1FO ATP synthesis.

An asymmetric, fully-connected 8-city traveling salesman problem (TSP) was solved by DNA computing using the ordered node pair abundance (ONPA) approach through the use of pair ligation probe quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PLP-qPCR). The validity of using ONPA to derive the optimal answer was confirmed by in silico computing using a reverse-engineering method to reconstruct the complete tours in the feasible answer set from the measured ONPA. The high specificity of the sequence-tagged hybridization, and ligation that results from the use of PLPs significantly increased the accuracy of answer determination in DNA computing. When combined with the high throughput efficiency of qPCR, the time required to identify the optimal answer to the TSP was reduced from days to 25 min.

Infection with SARs-COV-2 displays increasing fatality with age and underlying co-morbidity, in particular, with markers of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes, which seems to be associated with a “cytokine storm” and an altered immune response. This suggests that a key contributory factor could be immunosenescence that is both age-related and lifestyle-induced. As the immune system itself is heavily reliant on mitochondrial function, then maintaining a healthy mitochondrial system may play a key role in resisting the virus, both directly, and indirectly by ensuring a good vaccine response. Furthermore, as viruses in general, and quite possibly this new virus, have also evolved to modulate immunometabolism and thus mitochondrial function to ensure their replication, this could further stress cellular bioenergetics. Unlike most sedentary modern humans, one of the natural hosts for the virus, the bat, has to “exercise” regularly to find food, which continually provides a powerful adaptive stimulus to maintain functional muscle and mitochondria. In effect the bat is exposed to regular hormetic stimuli, which could provide clues on how to resist this virus. In this paper we review the data that might support the idea that mitochondrial health, induced by a healthy lifestyle, could be a key factor in resisting the virus, and for those people who are perhaps not in optimal health, treatments that could support mitochondrial function might be pivotal to their long-term recovery.

ΩqPCR determines absolute telomere length in kb units from single cells. Accuracy and precision of ΩqPCR were assessed using 800 bp and 1600 bp synthetic telomeres inserted into plasmids, which were measured to be 819 ± 19.6 and 1590 ± 42.3 bp, respectively. This is the first telomere length measuring method verified in this way. The approach uses Ω-probes, a DNA strand containing sequence information that enables: (i) hybridization with the telomere via the 3′ and 5′ ends that become opposed; (ii) ligation of the hybridized probes to circularize the Ω-probes and (iii) circularized-dependent qPCR due to sequence information for a forward primer, and for a reverse primer binding site, and qPCR hydrolysis probe binding. Read through of the polymerase during qPCR occurs only in circularized Ω-probes, which quantifies their number that is directly proportional to telomere length. When used in concert with information about the cell cycle stage from a single-copy gene, and ploidy, the MTL of single cells measured by ΩqPCR was consistent with that obtained from large sample sizes by TRF.

The angular velocities of ATPase-dependent power strokes as a function of the rotational position for the A-type molecular motor A3B3DF, from the Methanosarcina mazei Gö1 A-ATP synthase, and the thermophilic motor α3β3γ, from Geobacillus stearothermophilus (formerly known as Bacillus PS3) F-ATP synthase, are resolved at 5 μs resolution for the first time. Unexpectedly, the angular velocity profile of the A-type was closely similar in the angular positions of accelerations and decelerations to the profiles of the evolutionarily distant F-type motors of thermophilic and mesophilic origins, and they differ only in the magnitude of their velocities. M. mazei A3B3DF power strokes occurred in 120° steps at saturating ATP concentrations like the F-type motors. However, because ATP-binding dwells did not interrupt the 120° steps at limiting ATP, ATP binding to A3B3DF must occur during the catalytic dwell. Elevated concentrations of ADP did not increase dwells occurring 40° after the catalytic dwell. In F-type motors, elevated ADP induces dwells 40° after the catalytic dwell and slows the overall velocity. The similarities in these power stroke profiles are consistent with a common rotational mechanism for A-type and F-type rotary motors, in which the angular velocity is limited by the rotary position at which ATP binding occurs and by the drag imposed on the axle as it rotates within the ring of stator subunits. NMRC (Natl Medical Research Council, S’pore) Accepted version

F-ATP synthases use proton flow through the FO domain to synthesize ATP in the F1 domain. In Escherichia coli, the enzyme consists of rotor subunits γεc10 and stator subunits (αβ)3δab2. Subunits c10 or (αβ)3 alone are rotationally symmetric. However, symmetry is broken by the b2 homodimer, which together with subunit δa, forms a single eccentric stalk connecting the membrane embedded FO domain with the soluble F1 domain, and the central rotating and curved stalk composed of subunit γε. Although each of the three catalytic binding sites in (αβ)3 catalyzes the same set of partial reactions in the time average, they might not be fully equivalent at any moment, because the structural symmetry is broken by contact with b2δ in F1 and with b2a in FO. We monitored the enzyme’s rotary progression during ATP hydrolysis by three single-molecule techniques: fluorescence video-microscopy with attached actin filaments, Förster resonance energy transfer between pairs of fluorescence probes, and a polarization assay using gold nanorods. We found that one dwell in the three-stepped rotary progression lasting longer than the other two by a factor of up to 1.6. This effect of the structural asymmetry is small due to the internal elastic coupling.

The angular velocity profile of the 120° F 1 -ATPase power stroke was resolved as a function of temperature from 16.3 to 44.6 °C using a Δμ ATP = −31.25 k B T at a time resolution of 10 μs. Angular velocities during the first 60° of the power stroke (phase 1) varied inversely with temperature, resulting in negative activation energies with a parabolic dependence. This is direct evidence that phase 1 rotation derives from elastic energy (spring constant, κ = 50 k B T ·rad −2 ). Phase 2 of the power stroke had an enthalpic component indicating that additional energy input occurred to enable the γ-subunit to overcome energy stored by the spring after rotating beyond its 34° equilibrium position. The correlation between the probability distribution of ATP binding to the empty catalytic site and the negative E a values of the power stroke during phase 1 suggests that this additional energy is derived from the binding of ATP to the empty catalytic site. A second torsion spring (κ = 150 k B T ·rad −2 ; equilibrium position, 90°) was also evident that mitigated the enthalpic cost of phase 2 rotation. The maximum Δ G ǂ was 22.6 k B T , and maximum efficiency was 72%. An elastic coupling mechanism is proposed that uses the coiled-coil domain of the γ-subunit rotor as a torsion spring during phase 1, and then as a crankshaft driven by ATP-binding–dependent conformational changes during phase 2 to drive the power stroke.

Living organisms rely on the FoF1 ATP synthase to maintain the non-equilibrium chemical gradient of ATP to ADP and phosphate that provides the primary energy source for cellular processes. How the Fo motor uses a transmembrane electrochemical ion gradient to create clockwise torque that overcomes F1 ATPase-driven counterclockwise torque at high ATP is a major unresolved question. Using single FoF1 molecules embedded in lipid bilayer nanodiscs, we now report the observation of Fo-dependent rotation of the c10 ring in the ATP synthase (clockwise) direction against the counterclockwise force of ATPase-driven rotation that occurs upon formation of a leash with Fo stator subunit a. Mutational studies indicate that the leash is important for ATP synthase activity and support a mechanism in which residues aGlu-196 and cArg-50 participate in the cytoplasmic proton half-channel to promote leash formation.

The two opposed rotary molecular motors of the F0F1-ATP synthase work together to provide the majority of ATP in biological organisms. Rotation occurs in 120° power strokes separated by dwells when F1 synthesizes or hydrolyzes ATP. F0 and F1 complexes connect via a central rotor stalk and a peripheral stator stalk. A major unresolved question is the mechanism in which the interaction between subunit-a and rotating subunit-c-ring in the F0 motor uses the flux of H+ across the membrane to induce clockwise rotation against the force of counterclockwise rotation driven by the F1-ATPase. In single-molecule measurements of F0F1 embedded in lipid bilayer nanodiscs, we observed that the ability of the F0 motor to form transient dwells increases with decreasing pH. Transient dwells can halt counterclockwise rotation powered by the F1-ATPase in steps equivalent to the rotation of single c-subunits in the c-ring of F0, and can push the common axle shared by the two motors clockwise by as much as one c-subunit. Because the F0 proton half-channels that access the periplasm and the cytoplasm are exposed to the same pH, these data are consistent with the conclusion that the periplasmic half-channel is more easily protonated in a manner that halts ATPase-driven rotation by blocking ATPase-dependent proton pumping. The fit of transient dwell occurrence to the sum of three Gaussian curves suggests that the asymmetry of the three ATPase-dependent 120° power strokes imposed by the relative positions of the central and peripheral stalks affects c-subunit stepping efficiency.

The torque generated by the power stroke of Escherichia coli F(1)-ATPase was determined as a function of the load from measurements of the velocity of the gamma-subunit obtained using a 0.25 micros time resolution and direct measurements of the drag from 45 to 91 nm gold nanorods. This result was compared to values of torque calculated using four different drag models. Although the gamma-subunit was able to rotate with a 20x increase in viscosity, the transition time decreased from 0.4 ms to 5.26 ms. The torque was measured to be 63+/-8 pN nm, independent of the load on the enzyme.

Single-molecule measurements of rotation catalyzed by the F(1)-ATPase or the F(o)F(1) ATP synthase have provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms of the F(1) and F(o) molecular motors. We recently developed a method to record ATPase-driven rotation of F(1) or F(o)F(1) in a manner that solves several technical limitations of earlier approaches that were significantly hampered by time and angular resolution, and restricted the duration of data collection. With our approach it is possible to collect data for hours and obtain statistically significant quantities of data on each molecule examined with a time resolution of up to 5 μs at unprecedented signal-to-noise.

The abundance of E. coli F1-ATPase molecules observed to rotate using gold nanorods attached to the gamma-subunit was quantitated. Individual F1 molecules were determined to be rotating based upon time dependent fluctuations of red and green light scattered from the nanorods when viewed through a polarizing filter. The average number of F1 molecules observed to rotate in the presence of GTP, ATP, and without nucleotide was approximately 50, approximately 25, and approximately 4% respectively. In some experiments, the fraction of molecules observed to rotate in the presence of GTP was as high as 65%. These data indicate that rotational measurements made using gold nanorods provide information of the F1-ATPase mechanism that is representative of the characteristics of the enzyme population as a whole.

F(1)-ATPase mutations in Escherichia coli that changed the strength of hydrogen bonds between the alpha and beta subunits in a location that links the catalytic site to the interface between the beta catch loop and the gamma subunit were examined. Loss of the ability to form the hydrogen bonds involving alphaS337, betaD301, and alphaD335 lowered the k(cat) of ATPase and decreased its susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n) inhibition, while mutations that maintain or strengthen these bonds increased the susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n) inhibition and lowered the k(cat) of ATPase. These data suggest that hydrogen bonds connecting alphaS337 to betaD301 and betaR323 and connecting alphaD335 to alphaS337 are important to transition state stabilization and catalytic function that may result from the proper alignment of catalytic site residues betaR182 and alphaR376 through the VISIT sequence (alpha344-348). Mutations betaD301E, betaR323K, and alphaR282Q changed the rate-limiting step of the reaction as determined by an isokinetic plot. Hydrophobic mutations of betaR323 decreased the susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n)() inhibition and lowered the number of interactions required in the rate-limiting step yet did not affect the k(cat) of ATPase, suggesting that betaR323 is important to transition state formation. The decreased rate of ATP synthase-dependent growth and decreased level of lactate-dependent quenching observed with alphaD335, betaD301, and alphaE283 mutations suggest that these residues may be important to the formation of an alternative set of hydrogen bonds at the interface of the alpha and beta subunits that permits the release of intersubunit bonds upon the binding of ATP, allowing gamma rotation in the escapement mechanism.

In Escherichia coli F1Fo ATP synthase, γT273 mutants that eliminate the ability to form a hydrogen bond to βV265 were incapable of ATP synthase-dependent growth and ATPase-dependent proton pumping,...

Substitution of Escherichia coli F(1)F(0) ATP synthase residues betaD372 or gammaS12 with groups that are unable to form a hydrogen bond at this location decreased ATP synthase-dependent cell growth by 2 orders of magnitude, eliminated the ability of F(1)F(0) to catalyze ATPase-dependent proton pumping in inverted E. coli membranes, caused a 15-20% decrease in the coupling efficiency of the membranes as measured by the extent of succinate-dependent acridine orange fluorescence quenching, but increased soluble F(1)-ATPase activity by about 10%. Substitution of gammaK9 to eliminate the ability to form a salt bridge with betaD372 decreased soluble F(1)-ATPase activity and ATPase-driven proton pumping by 2-fold but had no effect on the proton gradient induced by addition of succinate. Mutations to eliminate the potential to form intersubunit hydrogen bonds and salt bridges between other less highly conserved residues on the gamma subunit N-terminus and the beta subunits had little effect on ATPase or ATP synthase activities. These results suggest that the betaD372-gammaK9 salt bridge contributes significantly to the rate-limiting step in ATP hydrolysis of soluble F(1) while the betaD372-gammaS12 hydrogen bond may serve as a component of an escapement mechanism for ATP synthesis in which alphabetagamma intersubunit interactions provide a means to make substrate binding a prerequisite of proton gradient-driven gamma subunit rotation.

F1-ATPase, the catalytic complex of the ATP synthase, is a molecular motor that can consume ATP to drive rotation of the γ-subunit inside the ring of three αβ-subunit heterodimers in 120° power strokes. To elucidate the mechanism of ATPase-powered rotation, we determined the angular velocity as a function of rotational position from single-molecule data collected at 200,000 frames per second with unprecedented signal-to-noise. Power stroke rotation is more complex than previously understood. This paper reports the unexpected discovery that a series of angular accelerations and decelerations occur during the power stroke. The decreases in angular velocity that occurred with the lower-affinity substrate ITP, which could not be explained by an increase in substrate-binding dwells, provides direct evidence that rotation depends on substrate binding affinity. The presence of elevated ADP concentrations not only increased dwells at 35° from the catalytic dwell consistent with competitive product inhibition but also decreased the angular velocity from 85° to 120°, indicating that ADP can remain bound to the catalytic site where product release occurs for the duration of the power stroke. The angular velocity profile also supports a model in which rotation is powered by Van der Waals repulsive forces during the final 85° of rotation, consistent with a transition from F1 structures 2HLD1 and 1H8E (Protein Data Bank).

Metal ligands of the VO(2+)-adenosine diphosphate (ADP) complex bound to high-affinity catalytic site 1 of chloroplast F(1) adenosine triphosphatase (CF(1) ATPase) were characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. This EPR spectrum contains two EPR species designated E and F not observed when VO(2+)-nucleotide is bound to site 3 of CF(1). Site-directed mutations betaE197C, betaE197D, and betaE197S in Chlamydomonas CF(1) impair ATP synthase and ATPase activity catalyzed by CF(1)F(o) and soluble CF(1), respectively, indicating that this residue is important for enzyme function. These mutations caused large changes in the (51)V hyperfine tensors of VO(2+)-nucleotide bound to site 1 but not to site 3. Mutations to the Walker homology B aspartate betaD262C, betaD262H, and betaD262T of Chlamydomonas CF(1) caused similar effects on the EPR spectrum of VO(2+)-ADP bound to site 1. These results indicate that the conversion of the low-affinity site 3 conformation to high-affinity site 1 involves the incorporation betaE197 and betaD262 as metal ligands.

The Mg 2+ cofactor of the F 1 F 0 ATP synthase is required for the asymmetry of the catalytic sites that leads to the differences in affinity for nucleotides. Vanadyl (V IV O) 2+ is a functional surrogate for Mg 2+ in the F 1 -ATPase. The 51 V-hyperfine parameters derived from EPR spectra of VO 2+ bound to specific sites on the enzyme provide a direct probe of the metal ligands at each site. Site-directed mutations of residues that serve as metal ligands were found to cause measurable changes in the 51 V-hyperfine parameters of the bound VO 2+ , thereby providing a means by which metal ligands were identified in the functional enzyme in several conformations. At the low-affinity catalytic site comparable to β E in mitochondrial F 1 , activation of the chloroplast F 1 -ATPase activity induces a conformational change that inserts the P-loop threonine and catch-loop tyrosine hydroxyl groups into the metal coordination sphere thereby displacing an amino group and the Walker homology B aspartate. Kinetic evidence suggests that coordination of this tyrosine by the metal when the empty site binds substrate may provide an escapement mechanism that allows the γ subunit to rotate and the conformation of the catalytic sites to change, thereby allowing rotation only when the catalytic sites are filled. In the high-affinity conformation analogous to the β DP site of mitochondrial F 1 , the catch-loop tyrosine has been displaced by carboxyl groups from the Walker homology B aspartate and from βE197 in Chlamydomonas CF 1 . Coordination of the metal by these carboxyl groups contributes significantly to the ability of the enzyme to bind the nucleotide with high affinity.

The Mg2+ dependent asymmetry of the F(1)-ATPase catalytic sites leads to the differences in affinity for nucleotides and is an essential component of the binding-change mechanism. Changes in metal ligands during the catalytic cycle responsible for this asymmetry were characterized by vanadyl (V(IV) + O)2+, a functional surrogate for Mg2+. The (51)V-hyperfine parameters derived from EPR spectra of VO2+ bound to specific sites on F(1) provide a direct probe of the metal ligands. Site-directed mutations of metal ligand residues cause measurable changes in the (51)V-hyperfine parameters of the bound VO2+, thereby providing a means to identification. Initial binding of the metal-nucleotide to the low-affinity catalytic site conformation results in metal coordination by hydroxyl groups from the P-loop threonine and catch-loop threonine. Upon conversion to the high-affinity conformation, carboxyl groups from the Walker homology B aspartate and MF(1)betaE197 become ligands in lieu of the hydroxyl groups.

Site-directed mutations were made to the phosphate-binding loop threonine in the beta-subunit of the chloroplast F1-ATPase in Chlamydomonas (betaT168). Rates of photophosphorylation and ATPase-driven proton translocation measured in coupled thylakoids purified from betaT168D, betaT168C, and betaT168L mutants had10% of the wild type rates, as did rates of Mg2+-ATPase activity of purified chloroplast F1-ATPase (CF1). The EPR spectra of VO2+-ATP bound to Site 3 of CF1 from wild type and mutants showed that EPR species C, formed exclusively upon activation, was altered in CF1 from each mutant in both signal intensity and in 51V hyperfine parameters that depend on the equatorial VO2+ ligands. These data provide the first direct evidence that Site 3 is a catalytic site. No significant differences between wild type and mutants were observed in EPR species B, the predominant form of the latent enzyme. Thus, the phosphate-binding loop threonine is an equatorial metal ligand in the activated conformation but not in the latent conformation of Site 3. The metal-nucleotide conformation that gives rise to species B is consistent with the Mg2+-ADP complex that becomes entrapped in a catalytic site in a manner that regulates enzymatic activity. The lack of catalytic function of CF1 with entrapped Mg2+-ADP may be explained in part by the absence of the phosphate-binding loop threonine as a metal ligand.

ESEEM (electron spin echo envelope modulation) spectra of a series of vanadyl complexes have for the first time revealed the spectral features that arise from amine nitrogen donors trans to the vanadyl oxo moiety. The complexes [VO(H2O)ada] (1) and [VO(H2O)Hheida] (2) (H2ada, N-(2-acetamido)iminodiacetic acid; H3heida, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid) have recently been synthesized and crystallographically characterized (Hamstra, B. J.; Houseman, A. L. P.; Colpas, G. J.; Kampf, J. W.; LoBrutto, R.; Frasch, W. D.; Pecoraro, V. L. Inorg. Chem. 1997, 36, 4866−4874). In each structure, the ligand is disposed so that the tertiary nitrogen is bound trans to the vanadyl oxo. In solution, the structural integrity of these compounds is maintained as observed by UV/vis and EPR spectroscopies. ESEEM spectra of 1, 2, and [VO(H2O)nta]- (3) (H3nta, nitrilotriacetic acid) reveal that the superhyperfine coupling constants for axial amines are ≅1.3 MHz as opposed to the ≅5.0 MHz superhyperfine couplings typically obs...

The mutation E204Q in the beta subunit of the chloroplast F1-ATPase was made by biolistic transformation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The yield of chloroplast F1-ATPase (CF1) purified from thylakoids was unaltered, suggesting that the mutation did not affect protein assembly. However, photoautotrophic growth of Chlamydomonas strains containing beta E204Q was virtually abolished, and the effect of the mutation on the light-driven ATPsynthase activity catalyzed by purified thylakoids was comparable to the change in the photoautotrophic growth rate. The loss of ATPsynthase activity in the mutant was not the result of uncoupling. Addition of wild-type CF1 to mutant thylakoids depleted of CF1 reconstituted ATPsynthase activity indicating that the mutation did not affect assembly of F0. Furthermore, the mutant CF1F0 was capable of catalyzing ATPase-dependent proton pumping as measured by fluorescence quenching of 9-amino acridine. Although the mutation significantly affected the apparent kcat/K(m) of the Mg(2+)-ATPase activity of the purified CF1-ATPase, no significant effect on the apparent kcat was observed with the mutant compared to wild-type. No significant changes in the ability of Mg2+ or Mn2+ to serve either as a cofactor or as an inhibitor of ATPase activity were observed in the mutants relative to the wild-type CF1-ATPase. EPR spectra were also taken of VO2+ bound at catalytic site 3 in its latent form. In a large fraction of the latent enzyme, a carboxyl group has displaced the nucleotide-phosphate coordination to the metal which results in the free-metal inhibited form (M3). No significant effects on the gII and AII 51V hyperfine parameters were observed between wild-type and mutant. However, the mutation increased the abundance of the M3 form relative to the M3-N3 form (metal-nucleotide-coordinated form). On the basis of these results, beta E204 is not the carboxyl group that displaces the nucleotide phosphate as a ligand to form the free-metal inhibited enzyme form which predominates in site 3 in the latent state. Instead, the data are consistent with a role in which beta E204 is essential to protonate an inorganic phosphate-oxygen to make that oxygen a good leaving group to facilitate ATP synthesis and, via this role in H-bonding, increases the abundance of the functional metal-nucleotide complex bound to the catalytic site.

We have identified the most probable protein ligands at the catalytic M3 and noncatalytic M2 metal-binding sites in the spinach chloroplast F1-ATPase (CF1) and here propose possible residues in the protein sequence for these ligands in latent CF1 in the absence of nucleotide. The changes in the metal ligands at these sites upon binding of nucleotide to the N2 and N3 sites and upon activation of latent CF1 provide a possible molecular basis for inhibition of ATPase activity by free metal, for the lack of activity in the latent state, and for the gating mechanism of the ATPase H+ pump. To these ends, the Mg2+ analogue, vanadyl (VIV = O)2+, was used as a paramagnetic probe at the M2 and M3 metal-binding sites. EPR and ESEEM spectra of VO2+ were obtained, and simulations of the full EPR spectra imply the ligand sets at the different metal-binding sites. When VO2+ is added to CF1 in the absence of ATP, the most likely set of ligands at the M2 site are 1 ROH (alpha T176), 2 H2O, and 1 RCOO- (alpha D269 or alpha D270), where the suggested amino acid designations of the residues are given in parentheses according to the mitochondrial sequence. Evidence suggests a possible axial nitrogen ligand at this site (alpha K175). When the M2 site is filled by addition of VO2+ and ATP, the metal binds as a second species in which N2-bound ATP and M2-bound VO2+ form a monodentate complex with concomitant exchange of the equatorial protein ligands by 3 H2O.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In single molecule rotation measurements, the transient dwells in the proteolipid ring rotation of E. coli FoF1-ATP Synthase were eliminated by either mutation of aE196L or cR50L to subunit a and subunit c, respectively, of the Fo motor. These data indicate that these residues are involved in the formation of the Fo motor leash that allows rotary motion of the c-ring to a limit of ∼36° while engaged. These mutations decreased the rate of oxidative phosphorylation dependent growth to one half of that observed with wild type. The ability of ATPase dependent or NADH-dependent proton gradient formation across inverted membrane vesicles from E. coli was measured by ACMA quenching. Mutations to either residue aE196 or cR50 that altered the ability to form a salt bridge between these subunits were observed to increase the rate and extent of proton gradient formation induced by either ATP or NADH. However, none of these mutations decreased the rate of ATP hydrolysis activity of the FoF1 in the inverted membrane vesicles significantly. These results suggest that the ability to form the leash between subunits a and c biases rotation of the c-ring in the ATP synthesis direction.

The F1Fo ATP synthase has nearly universal importance as the major source of ATP among all life forms. These molecular motors couple the energy provided by a transmembrane proton gradient to the production of ATP from ADP and phosphate. The intrinsic membrane complex of ab2c10–15 subunits, known as Fo, functions as a proton channel via a Brownian ratchet mechanism and the F1 peripheral membrane complex of α3β3γδe subunits contains one site for ATP synthesis/hydrolysis per αβ heterodimer. When F1 is purified from Fo and the membrane, it retains the ability to hydrolyze ATP. The ring of three αβ heterodimers form the stator around the γ-subunit rotor that rotates in response to ATP hydrolysis activity producing a torque of 61 pN nm. Rotation occurs via the alternating site mechanism in which ATP binds to one site, while product release occurs at another site. It uses the non-equilibrium transmembrane electrochemical proton gradient derived from the oxidation of metabolites or light during photosynthesis to drive the reaction ADP + Pi ↔ ATP + H2O away from equilibrium, and thereby maintains high cellular concentrations of ATP. Under some conditions, the enzyme can catalyze ATPase-driven proton pumping in the reverse direction across the membrane. However, the enzymes from mitochondria and chloroplasts employ mechanisms to minimize this reverse reaction.

Although single-molecule experiments have provided mechanistic insight for several molecular motors, these approaches have proved difficult for membrane bound molecular motors like the FoF1-ATP synthase, in which proton transport across a membrane is used to synthesize ATP. Resolution of smaller steps in Fo has been particularly hampered by signal-to-noise and time resolution. Here, we show the presence of a transient dwell between Fo subunits a and c by improving the time resolution to 10 μs at unprecedented S/N, and by using Escherichia coli FoF1 embedded in lipid bilayer nanodiscs. The transient dwell interaction requires 163 μs to form and 175 μs to dissociate, is independent of proton transport residues aR210 and cD61, and behaves as a leash that allows rotary motion of the c-ring to a limit of ∼36° while engaged. This leash behaviour satisfies a requirement of a Brownian ratchet mechanism for the Fo motor where c-ring rotational diffusion is limited to 36°.

Illumination of PSII core preparations can cause the production of H2O2 at rates which approach 60 mumol of H2O2 (mg of Chl.h)-1. The rate of peroxide production is maximal at pH 7.2 at low sucrose concentrations and at concentrations of Cl- (1.5-3.0 mM) that limit the rate of the oxidation of water to O2. The rate of H2O2 production increased with pH from pH 6.8 to 7.2 and was inversely proportional to the oxidation of water to O2 from pH 6.8 to 7.5. While EDTA does not inhibit H2O2 production, this reaction is abolished by 5 mM NH2OH and inhibited by the same concentrations of NH3 that affect water oxidation which indicates that the oxygen-evolving complex is responsible for the production of peroxide generated upon illumination of PSII core preparations. These results support a mechanism in which bound Cl- in the S2 state is displaced by OH- ions which are then oxidized by the OEC to form H2O2. Thus, the OEC requires Cl- to prevent access to the active site of the OEC until four oxidizing equivalents can be generated to allow the oxidation of water to O2.

Implementation of DNA computers has lagged behind the theoretical advances due to several technical limitations. These limitations include the amount of DNA required, the efficiency and accuracy of methods to generate and purify answers, and the lack of a reliable method to read the answer. Here we show how to perform calculations using a reasonable amount of DNA with greater efficiency and accuracy and a new readout method that was used to successfully solve a problem with 15 vertices and 210 edges, the largest problem ever solved with DNA. These advances will provide new opportunities for DNA computing to perform practical computations that utilize the massively parallel nature of DNA hybridization.

We report a novel method to detect angular conformational changes of a molecular motor in a manner sensitive enough to achieve acquisition rates with a time resolution of 2.5mus (equivalent to 400,000fps). We show that this method has sufficient sensitivity to resolve the velocity of the F(1)-ATPase gamma-subunit as it travels from one conformational state to another (transition time). Rotation is detected via a gold nanorod attached to the rotating gamma-subunit of an immobilized F(1)-ATPase. Variations in scattered light intensity allow precise measurement of changes in angular position of the rod below the diffraction limit of light.

We report the construction of a novel biosensing nanodevice to detect single, sequence-specific target DNA molecules. Nanodevice assembly occurs through the association of an immobilized F1-ATPase molecular motor and a functionalized gold nanorod via a single 3',5'-dibiotinylated DNA molecule. Target-dependent 3',5'-dibiotinylated DNA bridges form by combining ligation and exonucleation reactions (LXR), with a specificity capable of selecting against a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Using dark field microscopy to detect gold nanorods, quantitation of assembled nanodevices is sufficient to distinguish the presence of as few as 1800 DNA bridges from nonspecifically bound nanorods. The rotary mechanism of F1-ATPase can drive gold nanorod rotation when the nanorod is attached via the DNA bridge. Therefore, rotation discriminates fully assembled devices from nonspecifically bound nanorods, resulting in a sensitivity limit of one zeptomole (600 molecules).

F(1)-ATPase mutations in Escherichia coli that changed the strength of hydrogen bonds between the alpha and beta subunits in a location that links the catalytic site to the interface between the beta catch loop and the gamma subunit were examined. Loss of the ability to form the hydrogen bonds involving alphaS337, betaD301, and alphaD335 lowered the k(cat) of ATPase and decreased its susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n) inhibition, while mutations that maintain or strengthen these bonds increased the susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n) inhibition and lowered the k(cat) of ATPase. These data suggest that hydrogen bonds connecting alphaS337 to betaD301 and betaR323 and connecting alphaD335 to alphaS337 are important to transition state stabilization and catalytic function that may result from the proper alignment of catalytic site residues betaR182 and alphaR376 through the VISIT sequence (alpha344-348). Mutations betaD301E, betaR323K, and alphaR282Q changed the rate-limiting step of the reaction as determined by an isokinetic plot. Hydrophobic mutations of betaR323 decreased the susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n)() inhibition and lowered the number of interactions required in the rate-limiting step yet did not affect the k(cat) of ATPase, suggesting that betaR323 is important to transition state formation. The decreased rate of ATP synthase-dependent growth and decreased level of lactate-dependent quenching observed with alphaD335, betaD301, and alphaE283 mutations suggest that these residues may be important to the formation of an alternative set of hydrogen bonds at the interface of the alpha and beta subunits that permits the release of intersubunit bonds upon the binding of ATP, allowing gamma rotation in the escapement mechanism.

The structure and mechanism of the F1F0-ATPase from cyanobacteria shares several characteristics with the chloroplast enzyme but also resembles a bacterial ATPase in many ways. The overall subunit composition and organization of the enzyme appear closely similar in all organisms. The F1 substructure is composed of three heterodimers of α and β subunits in which the β subunits are somewhat more distal from the membrane. Comparison of the organization of the genes encoding these subunits in cyanobacteria with that found in other species supports the hypothesis that two events occurred in the divergence of bacteria from cyanobacteria: (i) separation of the atp1 and atp2 operons and; (ii) the duplication and divergence of the gene for the b subunit into b and b′. The b, b’ and e subunits are each thought to bind to one of the three heterodimers to make an asymmetric complex. The γ subunit is also associated with the heterodimers in an asymmetric manner.

A novel method for detecting F(1)-ATPase rotation in a manner sufficiently sensitive to achieve acquisition rates with a time resolution of 2.5 micros (equivalent to 400,000 fps) is reported. This is sufficient for resolving the rate at which the gamma-subunit travels from one dwell state to another (transition time). Rotation is detected via a gold nanorod attached to the rotating gamma-subunit of an immobilized F(1)-ATPase. Variations in scattered light intensity allow precise measurement of changes in the angular position of the rod below the diffraction limit of light. Using this approach, the transition time of Escherichia coli F(1)-ATPase gamma-subunit rotation was determined to be 7.62 +/- 0.15 (standard deviation) rad/ms. The average rate-limiting dwell time between rotation events observed at the saturating substrate concentration was 8.03 ms, comparable to the observed Mg(2+)-ATPase k(cat) of 130 s(-)(1) (7.7 ms). Histograms of scattered light intensity from ATP-dependent nanorod rotation as a function of polarization angle allowed the determination of the nanorod orientation with respect to the axis of rotation and plane of polarization. This information allowed the drag coefficient to be determined, which implied that the instantaneous torque generated by F(1) was 63.3 +/- 2.9 pN nm. The high temporal resolution of rotation allowed the measurement of the instantaneous torque of F(1), resulting in direct implications for its rotational mechanism.

In Escherichia coli F(1)F(o) ATP synthase, gammaT273 mutants that eliminate the ability to form a hydrogen bond to betaV265 were incapable of ATP synthase-dependent growth and ATPase-dependent proton pumping, had very low rates of ATPase activity catalyzed by purified F(1), and had significantly decreased sensitivity to inhibition by Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n) species, while gammaT273D and gammaT273N mutants which maintained or increased the hydrogen bond strength maintained or increased catalytic activity. The betaP262G mutation that increases the potential flexibility of the rigid sleeve that surrounds the gamma subunit C-terminus also virtually eliminated ATPase activity and susceptibility to Mg(2+)-ADP-AlF(n) inhibition. The gammaE275 mutants that retained the ability to form the betaV265 hydrogen bond had higher ATPase activity than those that eliminated the hydrogen bond. These results provide evidence that the ability to form hydrogen bonds between betaV265 and the gamma subunit C-terminus contributes significantly to the rate-limiting step of catalysis and to the ability of the F(1)F(o) ATP synthase to use a proton gradient to drive ATP synthesis. The loss of activity observed with betaP262G may result from increased flexibility conferred by glycine that decreases the efficiency of communication between the gamma subunit-betaV265 hydrogen bonds and the Walker B aspartate at the catalytic site. The partial loss of coupling observed with gammaT273 mutants that eliminate the betaV265 hydrogen bond is consistent with participation of this hydrogen bond in the escapement mechanism for ATP synthesis in which interactions between the gamma subunit and (alphabeta)(3) ring prevent rotation until the empty catalytic site binds substrate.

Substitution of Escherichia coli F(1)F(0) ATP synthase residues betaD372 or gammaS12 with groups that are unable to form a hydrogen bond at this location decreased ATP synthase-dependent cell growth by 2 orders of magnitude, eliminated the ability of F(1)F(0) to catalyze ATPase-dependent proton pumping in inverted E. coli membranes, caused a 15-20% decrease in the coupling efficiency of the membranes as measured by the extent of succinate-dependent acridine orange fluorescence quenching, but increased soluble F(1)-ATPase activity by about 10%. Substitution of gammaK9 to eliminate the ability to form a salt bridge with betaD372 decreased soluble F(1)-ATPase activity and ATPase-driven proton pumping by 2-fold but had no effect on the proton gradient induced by addition of succinate. Mutations to eliminate the potential to form intersubunit hydrogen bonds and salt bridges between other less highly conserved residues on the gamma subunit N-terminus and the beta subunits had little effect on ATPase or ATP synthase activities. These results suggest that the betaD372-gammaK9 salt bridge contributes significantly to the rate-limiting step in ATP hydrolysis of soluble F(1) while the betaD372-gammaS12 hydrogen bond may serve as a component of an escapement mechanism for ATP synthesis in which alphabetagamma intersubunit interactions provide a means to make substrate binding a prerequisite of proton gradient-driven gamma subunit rotation.

Removal of the ability to form a salt bridge or hydrogen bonds between the beta subunit catch loop (beta Y297-D305) and the gamma subunit of Escherichia coli F1Fo-ATP synthase significantly altered the ability of the enzyme to hydrolyze ATP and the bacteria to grow via oxidative phosphorylation. Residues beta T304, beta D305, beta D302, gamma Q269, and gamma R268 were found to be very important for ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by soluble F1-ATPase, and the latter four residues were also very important for oxidative phosphorylation. The greatest effects on catalytic activity were observed by the substitution of side chains that contribute to the shortest and/or multiple H-bonds as well as the salt bridge. Residue beta D305 would not tolerate substitution with Val or Ser and had extremely low activity as beta D305E, suggesting that this residue is particularly important for synthesis and hydrolysis activity. These results provide evidence that tight winding of the gamma subunit coiled-coil is important to the rate-limiting step in ATP hydrolysis and are consistent with an escapement mechanism for ATP synthesis in which alpha beta gamma intersubunit interactions provide a means to make substrate binding a prerequisite of proton gradient-driven gamma subunit rotation.