Transient phosphorylation by ATP of a 160 000 dalton protein in rod outer segments of Bufo Marinus.

Radioactive phosphate was incorporated from (gamma-32P] ATP into a 160 000 dalton protein from preparations of highly purified toad retinal rod outer segment membranes. Maximal incorporation occurred at 1 microM ATP, and turnover in the presence of nonradioactive substrate was rapid, showing that the 160 kdalton protein catalyzes ATP hydrolysis. The 160 kdalton intermediate was sensitive to hydroxylamine, suggesting an acyl linkage between the protein and phosphate. Ionic requirements for phosphorylation showed the ATPase is different from other membrane- bound ionic pumps. The phosphorylated intermediate was almost completely suppressed by 20 microM vanadate, and partial suppression occurred at lower concentrations. About one 160 kdalton protein was labelled per 30 000 molecules of rhodopsin. Although [gamma-32P] GTP labeled the protein, the ATPase was far more specific for adenine than guanine nucleotides. The specificity for ATP and sensitivity to vanadate of the intermediate suggest a relation to an ATP-dependent structural change which occurs in stacks of outer segment (Thacher, S.M., (1980) Fed. Proc. 39, 2066).