Hydrolysis of ITP generates a membrane potential in submitochondrial particles.

Abstract

ITP hydrolysis catalysed by the ATPase of submitochondrial particles from both bovine heart and rat liver is shown to be linked to the generation of a membrane potential, and therefore also to proton translocation. The magnitude of the membrane potential is similar to that observed during ATP hydrolysis at equivalent concentrations of phosphate and nucleoside tri- and diphosphates. An explanation is suggested for why in other reports ITP was found to be a poor substrate for supporting energy-linked reactions that are driven by the membrane potential