Effects of pH indicators on various activities of chromatophroes of Rhodospirillum rubrum.

1. The effects of pH indicators on activities for ATP hydrolysis in the dark and ATP-Pi exchange in the dark were examined with chromatophores from Rhodospirillum rubrum. Of thirty-one pH indicators tested, eleven (metanil yellow, 2, 4-dinitrophenol, ethyl orange, bromocresol green, resazurin, neutral red, bromthymol blue, alpha-naphtholphthalein, o-cresolphthalein, phenolphthalein, and alizarin yellow G) almost completely inhibited the activities for ATP formation and ATP-Pi exchange at concentrations of 1 mM, and were studied in detail. 2. Of the eleven pH indicators, those other than alpha-naptholphthalein, o-cresolphthalein and phenolphthalein, when assayed at appropriate concentrations, inhibited ATP-Pi exchange, but not ATP hydrolysis. In ATP-Pi exchange, these eight pH indicators at the concentrations described above were competitive against Pi, and non-competitive against ATP. The remaining three kinds of pH indicators were non-competitive against either Pi or ATP, when assayed at concentrations of the dyes that inhibited both activities. 3. The amounts of pH indicators bound with chromatophores were measured. No correlation was found between the amounts of the bound dyes and the extents of their inhibition of either ATP formation or ATP-Pi exchange. 4. Ethyl orange (pKa=4.1) and 2, 4-dinitrophenol (pKa=3.9) stimulated ATP hydrolysis to the greatest extent. The latter dye was hardly bound with chromatophores. 5. The stimulatory effects of pH indicators on ATP hydrolysis were hardly affected by extraction of quinones from chromatophores. 6. Most of the pH indicators stimulated both succinate-cytochrome c2 and NADH-cytochrome c2 reductions in the dark. 7. The mechanism of uncoupling of the electron transfer system and the phosphorylation system by pH indicators and the mechanism of the coupling are discussed.