A mutant ATP synthetase of Escherichia coli with an altered sensitivity to N,N' -dicyclohexylcarbodiimide: characterization in native membranes and reconstituted proteoliposomes.

Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli were isolated and characterized In one mutant the unc genes and affects the membrane-integrated part of the ATP synthetase. The sensitivity of ATP synthetase functions to N,N' -dicyclohexylcarbodiimide was compared in wild-type and mutant membranes. The membrane-integrated part of the wild-type ATP synthetase is highly sensitive to ATP-dependent membrane energization and restoration of lactate-dependent energization of ATPase-depleted membranes. In mutant membranes this concentration has only a slight effect on these activities whereas a severe inhibition is obtained at 200 muM. Using the highly water-soluble 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide theactivities of wild-type and mutant membranes are inhibited to the same extent. TheATP synthetase of wild-type and mutant was partially purified and incorporated muM. Uinto liposomes. These showed an uncoupler-sensitive ATP-32Pi exchange and ATP-dependent quenching of acridine-dye fluorescence. The activities of mutant and wild-type proteoliposomes exhibit the same pattern of sensitivity to dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as the corresponding membranes.