Sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase: acyl phosphate "intermediate" shown to be L-glutamyl-gamma-phosphate.

Peptides obtained from pepsin digestion of the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms of a preparation of brain microsomal sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase were treated at pH 5.4 with N-(n-propyl-2,3-(3)H) hydroxylamine of high specific activity, then separated by column chromatography, and further digested with pronase. A compound isolated in higher amounts from the phosphorylated enzyme than from the nonphosphorylated enzyme migrated with authentic L-glutamyl-gamma-propylhydroxamate in four chromatographic systems and on electrophoresis on paper at three different pH's. The acyl phosphate "intermediate" in the phosphorylated form of the adenosine-triphosphatase therefore appears to be an L-glutamyl-gamma-phosphate residue.