The characteristics and effect on catalysis of nucleotide binding to noncatalytic sites of chloroplast F1-ATPase.

The recent finding that the presence of ATP at non-catalytic sites of chloroplast F1-ATPase (CF1) is necessary for ATPase activity (Milgrom, Y. M., Ehler, L. L., and Boyer, P. D. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265,18725-18728) prompted more detailed studies of the effect of noncatalytic site nucleotides on catalysis. CF1 containing at noncatalytic sites less than one ADP or about two ATP was prepared by heat activation in the absence of Mg2+ and in the presence of ADP or ATP, respectively. After removal of medium nucleotides, the CF1 preparations were used for measurement of the time course of nucleotide binding from 10 to 100 microM concentrations of 3H-labeled ADP, ATP, or GTP. The presence of Mg2+ strongly promotes the tight binding of ADP and ATP at noncatalytic sites. For example, the ADP-heat-activated enzyme in presence of 1 mM Mg2+ binds ADP with a rate constant of 0.5 x 10(6) M-1 min-1 to give an enzyme with two ADP at noncatalytic sites with a Kd of about 0.1 microM. Upon exposure to Mg2+ and ATP the vacant noncatalytic site binds an ATP rapidly and, as an ADP slowly dissociates, a second ATP binds. The binding correlates with an increase in the ATPase activity. In contrast the tight binding of [3H]GTP to noncatalytic sites gives an enzyme with no ATPase activity. The three noncatalytic sites differ in their binding properties. The noncatalytic site that remains vacant after the ADP-heat-activated CF1 is exposed to Mg2+ and ADP and that can bind ATP rapidly is designated as site A; the site that fills with ATP as ADP dissociates when this enzyme is exposed to Mg2+ and ATP is called site B, and the site to which ADP remains bound is called site C. Procedures are given for attaining CF1 with ADP at sites B and C, with GTP at sites A and/or B, and with ATP at sites A, B, and/or C, and catalytic activities of such preparations are measured. For example, little or no ATPase activity is found unless ATP is at site A, but ADP can remain at site C with no effect on ATPase. Maximal GTPase activity requires ATP at site A but about one-fifth of maximal GTPase is attained when GTP is at sites A and B and ATP at site C. Noncatalytic site occupancy can thus have profound effects on the ATPase and GTPase activities of CF1.