Halobacterial adenosine triphosphatases and the adenosine triphosphatase from Halobacterium saccharovorum

Membranes prepared from various members of the genus Halobacterium contained a Triton X-100 activated adenosine triphosphatase. The enzyme from Halobacterium saccharovorum was unstable in solutions of low ionic strength (< 3 M NaCl) and maximally active in the presence of 3.5 M NaCl. A variety of nucleotide triphosphates was hydrolyzed. MgADP, the product of ATP hydrolysis, was not hydrolyzed and was a competitive inhibitor with respect to MgATP. The enzyme from H. saccharovorum was composed of at least 2 and possibly 4 subunits. The 83-kDa and 60-kDa subunits represented about 90% of total protein. The 60-kDa subunit reacted with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) when inhibition was carried out in an acidic medium. The significance of the two minor components (28 kDa and 12 kDa is not established. The enzyme from H. saccharovorum, which differs from previously described halobacterial ATPases, possesses properties of an F1F0 as well as an E1E2 ATPase.