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 the cells grown in the presence of 50 mM NaCl was inhibited by rhodami ne 6G 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 th e presence of 50 mM NaCl was slightly inhibited by rhodamine 6G in the presence 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 Methanoba cterium thermoautotrophicum can grow under alkaline conditions even in the presence of rhodamine 6G and of high NaCl concentration when the growth media were inoculated with the cells which had been grown in th e presence of 50 mM NaCl. These results indicate that sodium-motive fo rce-driven ATP synthase in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum operat es effectively at alkaline conditions and it might be the sole ATP syn thesizing system when the proton motive force-supported ATP synthesis is inhibited by rhodamine 6G.