Robert Fillingame

The H+-ATPase (F1F0) of Escherichia coli was purified from cells labeled with either [35S]sulfate or [U-14C-D] glucose, and the molar ratio of subunits in the complex determined. The molar ratio was calculated from the radioactivity incorporated into each subunit, using either the subunit sulfur content or subunit molecular weight. These labeling experiments confirm an alpha 3 beta 3 gamma 1 delta 1 epsilon 1 ratio of subunits in F1, and indicate a chi 1 psi 2 omega 10 ratio of subunits in F0. The chi, psi, and omega designations used here refer to the subunits of F0 in order of decreasing molecular weight. Staining with Coomassie brilliant blue gave a reliable indication of the molar ratio of subunits in F1, but very erroneous values for each of the subunits of F0. We attempted to estimate the ratio of subunits in the native membrane, since the stoichiometry determined for the purified complex could be an anomaly of purification. These estimates were made after labeling cells with [35S]sulfate during amplification of the ATPase genes carried on a lambda transducing phage. The subunit ratios in the native membrane were reasonably close to those obtained with purified F1F0. We conclude that the stoichiometry determined reflects the composition of F1F0 in the native membrane. The most surprising conclusion from this study is that there are 10 +/- 1 omega ("proteolipid") subunits in each F1F0 complex. This is considerably more than had been assumed previously.

The Hippo pathway was initially discovered in Drosophila melanogaster as a key regulator of tissue growth. It is an evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade regulating numerous biological processes, including cell growth and fate decision, organ size ...Read More

Subunit c is the H+-translocating component of the F1F0 ATP synthase complex. H+ transport is coupled to conformational changes that ultimately lead to ATP synthesis by the enzyme. The properties of the monomeric subunit in a single-phase solution of chloroform-methanol-water (4:4:1) have been shown to mimic those of the protein in the native complex. Triple resonance NMR experiments were used to determine the complete structure of monomeric subunit c in this solvent mixture. The structure of the protein was defined by >2000 interproton distances, 64 (3)JN alpha, and 43 hydrogen-bonding NMR-derived restraints. The root mean squared deviation for the backbone atoms of the two transmembrane helices was 0.63 A. The protein folds as a hairpin of two antiparallel helical segments, connected by a short structured loop. The conserved Arg41-Gln42-Pro43 form the top of this loop. The essential H+-transporting Asp61 residue is located at a slight break in the middle of the C-terminal helix, just prior to Pro64. The C-terminal helix changes direction by 30 +/- 5 degrees at the conserved Pro64. In its protonated form, the Asp61 lies in a cavity created by the absence of side chains at Gly23 and Gly27 in the N-terminal helix. The shape and charge distribution of the molecular surface of the monomeric protein suggest a packing arrangement for the oligomeric protein in the F0 complex, with the front face of one monomer packing favorably against the back face of a second monomer. The packing suggests that the proton (cation) binding site lies between packed pairs of adjacent subunit c.

The Hippo pathway was initially discovered in Drosophila melanogaster as a key regulator of tissue growth. It is an evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade regulating numerous biological processes, including cell growth and fate decision, organ size ...Read More

The stoichiometry of c subunits in the H(+)-transporting F(o) rotary motor of ATP synthase is uncertain, the most recent suggestions varying from 10 to 14. The stoichiometry will determine the number of H(+) transported per ATP synthesized and will directly relate to the P/O ratio of oxidative phosphorylation. The experiments described here show that the number of c subunits in functional complexes of F(o)F(1) ATP synthase from Escherichia coli can be manipulated, but that the preferred number is 10. Mixtures of genetically fused cysteine-substituted trimers (c(3)) and tetramers (c(4)) of subunit c were coexpressed and the c subunits crosslinked in the plasma membrane. Prominent products corresponding to oligomers of c(7) and c(10) were observed in the membrane and purified F(o)F(1) complex, indicating that the c(10) oligomer formed naturally. Oligomers larger than c(10) were also observed in the membrane fraction of cells expressing c(3) or c(4) individually, or in cells coexpressing c(3) and c(4) together, but these larger oligomers did not copurify with the functional F(o)F(1) complex and were concluded to be aberrant products of assembly in the membrane.