Purification of the carbodiimide-reactive protein component of the ATP energy-transducing system of Escherichia coli.

The ATP-energy transducing system in membranes of Escherichia coli is inhibited by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The protein component of this complex with which carbodiimides covalently react to inhibit function was previously identified by labeling wild type and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-resistant mutants with dicyclohexyl[14C]carbodiimide (Fillingame, R. H. (1975) J. Bacteriol. 124, 870-883). This specific carbodiimide-reactive protein has now been purified. The protein was extracted from the membrane with chloroform:methanol and chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose and hydroxypropyl Spehadex G-50 in this sulvent mixture. The resultant 700-fold purification yielded a protein that was homogeneous on dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gel electrophoresis and virtually free of phospholipid. It remained soluble in neutral chloroform:methanol throughout the purification procedure. The amino acid composition of the purified protein was extraordinary in that only 16% of the amino acids present could be considered polar. Histidine, serine, cysteine, and tryptophan were not found. Abnormally high contents of methionine, glycine, alanine, and leucine were present. One mole of lysine and threonine were found/mole of dicyclohexyl[14C]carbodiimide bound. The minimum molecular weight based on the amino acid composition was 8400. The specific carbodiimide-reactive protein has also been purified without prior modification by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The unmodified protein eluted from DEAE-cellulose at a higher salt concentration than the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-modified form, which suggested that the reaction with the carbodiimide neutralized the negative charge. Only one-third of the total carbodiimide-reactive protein in the membrane was modified by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide under conditions which maximally inhibited adenosine triphosphatase activity. These results rais the possibility that the carbodiimide-reactive protein may be present as an oligomer in the energy-transducing complex. The purification of the unmodified carbodiimide-reactive protein should permit assessment of tis biological function, particularly its role in the protein-translocation process that is catalyzed by this energy-transducing complex.