Proton-powered subunit rotation in single membrane-bound F0F1-ATP synthase
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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Isolation of F1-ATPase from the Parasitic Protist Trypanosoma brucei
Published on: January 22, 2019
Manuel Diez1, Boris Zimmermann, Michael Börsch
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstrasse 23 a, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Synthesis of ATP from ADP and phosphate, catalyzed by F(0)F(1)-ATP synthases, is the most abundant physiological reaction in almost any cell. F(0)F(1)-ATP synthases are membrane-bound enzymes that use the energy derived from an electrochemical proton gradient for ATP formation. We incorporated double-labeled F(0)F(1)-ATP synthases from Escherichia coli into liposomes and measured single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) during ATP synthesis and hydrolysis. The gamma subunit rotates stepwise during proton transport-powered ATP synthesis, showing three distinct distances to the b subunits in repeating sequences. The average durations of these steps correspond to catalytic turnover times upon ATP synthesis as well as ATP hydrolysis. The direction of rotation during ATP synthesis is opposite to that of ATP hydrolysis.
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