Significance of αThr-349 in the Catalytic Sites of Escherichia coli ATP Synthase

[Image: see text] This paper describes the role of α-subunit VISIT-DG sequence residue αThr-349 in the catalytic sites of Escherichia coli F(1)F(o) ATP synthase. X-ray structures show the highly conserved αThr-349 in the proximity (2.68 Å) of the conserved phosphate binding residue βR182 in the phosphate binding subdomain. αT349A, -D, -Q, and -R mutations caused 90–100-fold losses of oxidative phosphorylation and reduced ATPase activity of F(1)F(o) in membranes. Double mutation αT349R/βR182A was able to partially compensate for the absence of known phosphate binding residue βR182. Azide, fluoroaluminate, and fluoroscandium caused insignificant inhibition of αT349A, -D, and -Q mutants, slight inhibition of the αT349R mutant, partial inhibition of the αT349R/βR182A double mutant, and complete inhibition of the wild type. Whereas NBD-Cl (7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole) inhibited wild-type ATPase and its αT349A, -D, -R, and -Q mutants essentially completely, βR182A ATPase and double mutant αT349A/βR182A were inhibited partially. Inhibition characteristics supported the conclusion that NBD-Cl reacts in βE (empty) catalytic sites, as shown previously by X-ray structure analysis. Phosphate protected against NBD-Cl inhibition in the wild type, αT349R, and double mutant αT349R/βR182A but not in αT349A, αT349D, or αT349Q. The results demonstrate that αThr-349 is a supplementary residue involved in phosphate binding and transition state stabilization in ATP synthase catalytic sites through its interaction with βR182.