The Dephosphorylation of Adenosine 5′ -Triphosphate in a Binary and Ternary Zn2+ Complex

Abstract

The dephosphorylation of ATP was characterized by determining the dependence of the first-order rate constant on pH in the absence and presence of Zn2+ and together with Zn2+ and 2,2′-bipyridyl. The Zn2+-accelerated reaction passes through a pH optimum at about 8. The decrease in the rate at higher pH is due to the formation of Zn(ATP) (OH)3-; this species is relatively insensitive towards dephosphorylation. It is concluded that Zn(ATP)2- is the reactive species and that the interaction between N (7) and Zn2+ in this complex is crucial for its reactivity. In the presence of 2,2′-bipyridyl (Bipy) the ternary complex, Zn (Bipy) (ATP)2-, is formed which is rather stable towards dephosphorylation. It is suggested that the described effects of acceleration and inhibition are helpful for understanding the recycled processes in nature.