The H+/ATP stoichiometry was determined for the plasma membrane H+-ATPase from red beet (Beta vulgaris L., var Detroit Dark Red) storage tissue associated with native vesicles. The determination of H+/ATP stoichiometry utilized a kinetic approach where rates of H+ influx, estimated by three different methods, were compared to rates of ATP hydrolysis measured by the coupled enzyme assay under identical conditions. These methods for estimating H+ influx were based upon either determining the initial rate of alkalinization of the extemal medium from pH 6.13, measuring the rate of vesicle H+ leakage from a steadystate pH gradient after stopping the H+-ATPase or utilizing a mathematical model which describes the net transport of H+ at any given point in time. When the rate of H+ influx estimated by each of these methods was compared to the rate of ATP hydrolysis, a H+/ATP stoichiometry of about 1 was observed. In consideration of the maximum free energy available from ATP hydrolysis (AGATP), this value for H+/ATP stoichiometry is sufficient to account for the magnitude of the proton electrochemical gradient observed across the plasma membrane in vivo.Through in vitro studies with isolated plasma membrane vesicles (1 1, 13) and reconstituted enzyme systems (7,21,30,32), it has been demonstrated that the plasma membrane H+-ATPase has the capability of coupling ATP hydrolysis to vectorial H+-translocation. In vivo, it is proposed that this activity results in the production of a proton electrochemical gradient across the plasma membrane consisting of both an interior-negative membrane potential and acid-exterior pH difference (16,18,31 membrane H+-ATPase forms a covalent phosphorylated intermediate during the course of ATP hydrolysis (8, 9) on an essential aspartyl residue in the active site of the enzyme (10, 34). A further similarity to other transport ATPases of the EIE2 type regards the structure ofthe plant plasma membrane H+-ATPase where the functional unit of ATPase activity is associated with a 100 kD catalytic subunit (8, 9). Recent efforts by several research groups (5, 15, 22) have resulted in the successful cloning of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase gene and the deduction of the primary amino acid sequence for this protein. Of prime importance will be developing an understanding of structure/function relationships for the mechanism of energy coupling to H+-transport as mediated by this protein.An important parameter associated with the H+-transport function of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase is the stoichiometric relationship between the number of H+ transported and ATP molecules hydrolyzed. This H+/ATP value sets an upper limit to the magnitude of the proton electrochemical gradient that can be established across the plasma membrane (25, 28) and would be an important consideration in the development of mechanistic models to explain the catalytic/ transport function of this enzyme.In the determination of H+/ATP stoichiometry for an H+-ATPase, either a thermodynamic or kinetic approach could be utilized ...