Evidence for a Partially Stalled γ Rotor in F 1 -ATPase from Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Experiments and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

• Published in: Journal of the American Chemical Society 2018-11, Vol.140 (44), p.14860-14869
• Main Authors: Murcia Rios, Angela, Vahidi, Siavash, Dunn, Stanley D, Konermann, Lars
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0002-7863; 1520-5126
• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b08692

F -ATPase uses ATP hydrolysis to drive rotation of the γ subunit. The γ C-terminal helix constitutes the rotor tip that is seated in an apical bearing formed by α β . It remains uncertain to what extent the γ conformation during rotation differs from that seen in rigid crystal structures. Existing models assume that the entire γ subunit participates in every rotation. Here we interrogated E. coli F -ATPase by hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) mass spectrometry. Rotation of γ caused greatly enhanced deuteration in the γ C-terminal helix. The HDX kinetics implied that most F complexes operate with an intact rotor at any given time, but that the rotor tip is prone to occasional unfolding. A molecular dynamics (MD) strategy was developed to model the off-axis forces acting on γ. MD runs showed stalling of the rotor tip and unfolding of the γ C-terminal helix. MD-predicted H-bond opening events coincided with experimental HDX patterns. Our data suggest that in vitro operation of F -ATPase is associated with significant rotational resistance in the apical bearing. These conditions cause the γ C-terminal helix to get "stuck" (and unfold) sporadically while the remainder of γ continues to rotate. This scenario contrasts the traditional "greasy bearing" model that envisions smooth rotation of the γ C-terminal helix. The fragility of the apical rotor tip in F -ATPase is attributed to the absence of a c ring that stabilizes the rotation axis in intact F F . Overall, the MD/HDX strategy introduced here appears well suited for interrogating the inner workings of molecular motors.