Mixed anhydrides of nucleotides and mesitylenecarboxylic acid as new specific inhibitors of mitochondrial adenosien triphosphatase.

Mixed anhydrides of nucleoside triphosphates and mesitylenecarboxylic acid inhibit soluble mitochondrial ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase), but do not inhibit ATPase of submitochondrial particles. Inhibition of soluble mitochondrial ATPase by the mixed anhydride of epsilon-ATP and mesitylenecarboxylic acid is followed by the covalent binding of one nucleotide residue to a molecule of the protein. It is suggested that this covalent binding occurs in the catalytic site of the mitochondrial ATPase. The mixed anhydride of ADP and mesitylenecarboxylic acid inhibits the ATPase activity of submitochondrial particles and has no effect on the activity of soluble mitochondrial ATPase. After separation of the submitochondrial particles from the mixed anhydride of ADP and mesitylenecarboxylic acid, their ATPase activity is restored to its original value (half-time of reactivation 3--4 min). Incubation of submitochondrial particles or soluble mitochondrial ATPase with the mixed anhydride of ADP and mesitylenecarboxylic acid results in AMP formation.