gramicidin-a and adenosine-5--diphosphate-2--3--dialdehyde

Periodate-oxidized ADP, if left in aqueous solution, loses its phosphates by beta-elimination. This dephosphorylated dialdehyde compound caused rapid and irreversible inhibition of membrane-bound spinach chloroplast coupling factor 1 (CF1). Inhibition was 2.5 times faster in the light than in the dark. A high concentration of uncoupler eliminated the light stimulation. Light could be replaced by an acid-base transition. Therefore, the dialdehyde reacts with a site or sites on CF1 that become exposed by a high-energy state-induced conformational change. The substrate nucleotides ADP, ATP, GDP, and GTP protected against inhibition while Pi and the non-substrate nucleotides AMP, GMP, CTP, and UTP did not. The protection by GTP was competitive and magnesium-dependent, suggesting that the dialdehyde binds to a nucleotide-binding site. However, the corresponding UDP and CDP dialdehyde derivatives also inhibited CF1 and showed the light-stimulation effect, indicating that the adenine is not important for the binding. These derivatives could be binding to a nucleotide-binding site or to another reactive site that becomes exposed during the light-induced conformational change. In the latter case the protection by substrate nucleotides would be due to prevention of the energy-dependent conformational change.

Topics: Adenosine Diphosphate; Ammonium Chloride; Gramicidin; Light; Magnesium; Nucleotides; Phosphates; Plants; Protein Conformation; Proton-Translocating ATPases; Time Factors