Cross-linking and two-dimensional crystallization studies have suggested that the membrane-bound gastric H,K-ATPase might be a dimeric
,
-heterodimer. Effects of an oligomeric structure on thecharacteristics of E
1, E
2, and phosphoenzyme conformations were examined by measuring bindingstoichiometries of acid-stable phosphorylation (EP) from [
-
32P]ATP or
32P
i or of binding of [
-
32P]ATPand of a K
+-competitive imidazonaphthyridine (INT) inhibitor to an enzyme preparation containing ~ 5nmol of ATPase/mg of protein. At <10
M MgATP, E
1[ATP]·Mg·(H
+):E
2 is formed at a high-affinitysite, and is then converted to E
1P·Mg·(H
+):E
2 and then to E
2P·Mg:E
1 with luminal proton extrusion.Maximal acid-stable phosphorylation yielded 2.65 nmol/mg of protein. Luminal K
+-dependent dephosphorylation returns this conformation to the E
1 form. At high MgATP concentrations (>0.1 mM), theoligomer forms E
2P·Mg:E
1[ATP]·Mg·(H
+). The sum of the levels of maximal EP formation and ATPbinding was 5.3 nmol/mg. The maximal amount of [
3H]INT bound was 2.6 nmol/mg in the presence ofMgATP, Mg
2+, Mg-P
i, or Mg-vanadate with complete inhibition of activity. K
+ displaced INT only innigericin-treated vesicles, and thus, INT binds to the luminal surface of the E
2 form. INT-bound enzymealso formed 2.6 nmol of EP/mg at high ATP concentrations by formation of E
2·Mg·(INT)
exo:E
1[ATP]·Mg·(H
+) which is converted to E
2·Mg·(INT)
exo:E
1P·Mg·(H
+)
cyto, but this E
1P form was K
+-insensitive.Binding of the inhibitor fixes half the oligomer in the E
2 form with full inhibition of activity, while theother half of the oligomer is able to form E
1P only when the inhibitor is bound. It appears that the catalyticsubunits of the oligomer during turnover in intact gastric vesicles are restricted to a reciprocal E
1:E
2configuration.