Structure-function relationships of mitochondrial ATPase-ATPsynthase using Schizosaccharomyces pombe yeast mutants...

Phenotypic revertants have been selected from mutants of the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe devoid of either alpha or beta subunits of mitochondrial ATPase-ATPsynthase. In contrast to parental mutants, phenotypic revertants are able to grow on glycerol respiratory medium and show immunodetectable alpha and beta subunits. However, growth and cellular respiration are only partially restored as compared to the wild strain, indicating that the recovered subunits are mutated. ATPase activity of revertant submitochondrial particles shows markedly different parameters: more acidic optimal pH, absence of bicarbonate activation and decreased sensitivity to azide inhibition in the alpha subunit-modified R3.51. Opposite differences are observed in the beta subunit-modified R4.3: more alkaline optimal pH, much higher bicarbonate activation, and increased sensitivity to azide. The ITPase activity of R4.3 submitochondrial particles is also more sensitive to azide as compared to the wild strain. ATPase activity of purified F1 also exhibits marked differences: loss of bicarbonate-sensitive negative cooperativity, decreased sensitivity to both ADP and azide inhibitions in the R3.51 revertant. On the contrary, increased negative cooperativity and increased sensitivity to both ADP and azide inhibitions are observed for the R4.3 revertant enzyme which in addition exhibits a much lower maximal rate. The beta subunit-mutation of R4.3 also increases the sensitivity of ITPase activity to tripolyphosphate inhibition, whereas the alpha subunit-mutation of R3.51 is without any effect. Soluble F1 with beta subunit-mutation is very sensitive to high ammonium sulfate concentrations required for enzyme precipitation and concentration and known to partially deplete the enzyme from its endogenous nucleotides. On the contrary, poly(ethylene)glycol is very efficient for preparing from any strain a pure and very stable enzyme retain-ing high amounts of endogenous nucleotides. The R4.3 revertant F1 retains even more nucleotides than the wild-strain F1 and is much less sensitive to high iodide concentrations which favor enzyme dissociation and precipitation. The tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence of F1 is modified by both mutations that increase the maximal emission intensity. The most important effect is produced by beta subunit-mutation which decreases the quenchable fraction, one-third to one-half tryptophans being no longer accessible to iodide. The overall results suggest that both mutations modify enzyme-nucleotide interactions: the alpha subunit-mutation of R3.51 would favor ADP release by lowering interactions with the adenine moiety, whereas the beta subunit-mutation of R4.3 would lower ADP release by strengthening interactions with the phosphate chain moiety.