The homoacetogenic bacterium Acetobacterium woodii relies on a sodium ion current across its cytoplasmic membrane for energy-dependent reactions. The sodium ion potential is established by a yet to be identified primary, electrogenic pump connected to the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Reactions possibly involved in Na(+) export are discussed. The electrochemical sodium ion potential generated is used to drive endergonic reactions such as flagellar rotation and ATP synthesis. Biochemical and molecular data identified the Na(+)-ATPase of A. woodii as a typical member of the F(1)F(0) class of ATPases. Its catalytic properties and the hypothetical sodium ion binding site in subunit c are discussed. The encoding genes were cloned and, surprisingly, the atp operon was shown to contain multiple copies of genes encoding subunit c. Two copies encode identical 8 kDa proteolipids, and a third copy arose by duplication and subsequent fusion of two genes. Furthermore, the duplicated subunit c does not contain the ion binding site in hair pin two. Biochemical and molecular data revealed that all three copies of subunit c constitute a mixed oligomer. The evolution of the structure and function of subunit c in ATPases from eucarya, bacteria, and archaea is discussed.

Eight genes (atpI, atpB, atpE 1 , atpE 2 , atpE 3 , atpF, atpH, and atpA) upstream of and contiguous with the previously described genes atpG, atpD, and atpC were cloned from chromosomal DNA of Acetobacterium woodii. Northern blot analysis revealed that the eleven atp genes are transcribed as a polycistronic message. The atp operon encodes the Na ؉ -F 1 F 0 -ATPase of A. woodii, as evident from a comparison of the biochemically derived N termini of the subunits with the amino acid sequences deduced from the DNA sequences. The molecular analysis revealed that all of the F 1 F 0 -encoding genes from Escherichia coli have homologs in the Na ؉ -F 1 F 0 -ATPase operon from A. woodii, despite the fact that only six subunits were found in previous preparations of the enzyme from A. woodii. These results unequivocally prove that the Na ؉

The Na ؉ -F 1 F 0 -ATPase operon of Acetobacterium woodii was recently shown to contain, among eleven atp genes, those genes that encode subunit a and b, a gene encoding a 16-kDa proteolipid (subunit c 1 ), and two genes encoding 8-kDa proteolipids (subunits c 2 and c 3 ). Because subunits a, b, and c 1 were not found in previous enzyme preparations, we re-determined the subunit composition of the enzyme. The genes were overproduced, and specific antibodies were raised. Western blots revealed that subunits a, b, and c 1 are produced and localized in the cytoplasmic membrane. Membrane protein complexes were solubilized by dodecylmaltoside and separated by blue native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the ATPase subunits were resolved by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. N-terminal sequence analyses revealed the presence of subunits a, c 2 , c 3 , b, ␦, ␣, ␥, ␤, and ⑀. Biochemical and immunological analyses revealed that subunits c 1 , c 2 , and c 3 are all part of the c-oligomer, the first of a F 1 F 0 -ATPase that contains 8-and 16-kDa proteolipids.

The Na + -dependent flagellum of Acetobacterium woodii was characterised. Flagellin and whole flagella were purified and analysed by SDS-PAGE and electron microscopy. The structure and dimensions of the filament and the hook-basal body, as revealed by electron microscopy, resemble those of H + -dependent flagella from Gram-positive bacteria. Intramembrane particle rings were present at the cell pole in freeze-fractured A. woodii cells, which might correspond to the mot complex.z 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.