The quaternary structure of Escherichia coli inorganic pyrophosphatase is essential for phosphorylation.

The hexameric inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) is irreversibly inactivated by phosphoric acid monoesters. The inactivation kinetics are consistent with the formation of a dissociable complex of the phosphoric acid monoester with the enzyme, followed by phosphorylation of the dicarboxylic amino acid of its active site. PPi and its analogues, binding at the regulatory site, release the inhibitor from the active site and thus restore PPase activity. Chemically identical subunits in the hexameric PPase interact, promoting their cooperativity in a reaction with phosphoric acid monoesters. The trimeric and monomeric PPase, exhibiting full catalytic activity, form a dissociable complex with the phosphoric acid monoesters but, in contrast to the hexameric PPase, do not form a covalent bond with them. This indicates that the native hexameric structure is essential for the irreversible inactivation of Escherichia coli PPase by phosphoric acid monoesters. Possible nontraditional pathways for activity regulation of PPase are discussed.