Radiation inactivation analysis was employed to determine the functional masses of enzymatic activity and proton translocation of H+-pyrophosphatase from submitochondrial particles of etiolated mung bean seedlings. The activities of H+-pyrophosphatase decayed as a simple exponential function with respect to radiation dosage. D 37 values of 6.9±0.3 and 7.5±0.5 Mrad were obtained for pyrophosphate hydrolysis and its associated proton translocation, yielding molecular masses of 170±7 and 156±11 kDa, respectively. In the presence of valinomycin and 50 mM KCl, the functional size of H+-pyrophosphatase of tonoplast was decreased, while that of submitochondrial particles remained the same, indicating that they are two distinct types of proton pump using PPi as their energy source.
