Postulate for the molecular mechanism of the vacuolar H⁺-ATPase (hypothesis)

Abstract

The enzyme system portrayed on the frontispiece represents the vacuolar H⁺-ATPase responsible for ATP-driven acidification of intracellular vesicular compartments of eukaryotic cells. Many, but not all, of the constituent subunits are homologous to components of the well-characterized F₀F₁-ATPase of mitochondria, chloroplasts and bacteria which normally utilize the proton gradient to power ATP synthesis, rather than harness ATP hydrolysis to pump protons across the membrane.