NA-DRIVEN ATP SYNTHESIS IN METHANOBACTERIUM-THERMOAUTOTROPHICUM AND ITS DIFFERENTIATION FROM H+-DRIVEN ATP SYNTHESIS BY RHODAMINE 6G()

Rhodamine 6G (3 mu M) effectively inhibited Delta pH-driven ATP synthe sis in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum while Delta pNa-driven ATP synthesis was not affected by it. Rhodamine 6G inhibited Mg2+-stimula ted ATPase activity of membrane vesicles prepared from these cells but the ATPase catalytic sector detached from the membrane was insensitiv e to this inhibitor. Methanogenesis-driven ATP synthesis at pH 6.8 of cells grown in the presence of 50 mM NaCl was inhibited by rhodamine 6 G both in the presence of 5 mM and 50 mM NaCl. On the other hand, the methanogenesis-driven ATP synthesis at pH 8.0 of cells grown in the pr esence of 50 mM NaCl was slightly inhibited by rhodamine 6G in the pre sence of 5 mM NaCl and was not inhibited at all in the presence of 50 mM NaCl. The growth experiments have shown that cells of Methanobacter ium thermoautrophicum can grow under alkaline conditions even in the p resence of rhodamine 6G and of high NaCl concentration when the growth media were inoculated with the cells which had been grown in the pres ence of 50 mM NaCl. These results indicate that sodium-motive force-dr iven ATP synthase in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum operates eff ectively in alkaline conditions and it might be the sole ATP synthesiz ing system when the proton-motive force-supported ATP synthesis is inh ibited by rhodamine 6G.