Energy-linked transhydrogenation from NADPH to [14C]NADP

Submitochondrial particles catalyze transhydrogenation from NADPH to [14C]NADP. This transhydrogenation is energy-linked, since its rate increases several-fold when the system is energized by succinate oxidation in the presence of rotenone (inhibitable by antimycin A or uncouplers), or by ATP hydrolysis (inhibitable by rutamycin or uncouplers). As in the case of transhydrogenation reactions from NAD(P)H to 3-ace-tylpyridine adenine dinucleotide phosphate and to thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, transhydrogenation from NADPH to [14C]NADP is also sensitive to treatment of the particles with trypsin or the arginyl residue modifier, butanedione. However, unlike the former reactions, transhydrogenation from NADPH to [14C]NADP cannot accumulate energy in the concentrations of the products, because, except for radioactivity, the nature and concentrations of the reactants and products remain unchanged throughout the course of the reaction. Therefore, the unrecoverable energy utilization by this region could be ascribed to an entropic component of the process, very likely an enzyme conformation change necessary for facilitation of hydride ion transfer from NADPH to [14C]NADP. This interpretation is in agreement with our previous kinetic evidence for enzyme conformation change associated with energy-linked transhydrogenation from NADH to 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide phosphate and thionicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and with our conclusions regarding the mechanism of action of the transhydrogenase enzyme (Galante, Y.M., Lee, Y., and Hatefi, Y. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 9641-9646).