Modification of the (Na+ + K+)-dependent ATPase by acetic anhydride and trinitrobenzene sulfonate: specific changes in enzymatic properties

Buffer, pH, and ionic strength effects on the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase

A dog kidney (Na+ + K+)-ATPase preparation also catalyzes K+-independent and K+-activated phosphatase reactions with p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate. K+-independent activity increases with declining pH over the range 7.5 to 5.8, whereas the other two activities decrease. The increased K+-independent activity is similar with imidazole, histidine, and several Good buffers, and is thus attributable to free H+, probably by affecting enzyme conformations rather than by changing affinity for Mg2+ or substrate or by H+ occupying specific K+-sites. The decrease in K+-phosphatase and (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activities with pH also occurs similarly with those buffers, and is not due to changes in apparent affinity for substrate or for cation activators. However, the Good buffers Pipes and ADA inhibit the K+-independent phosphatase reaction strongly, the K+-activated reaction moderately, and the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase reaction little; both contain two acidic groups, unlike the other buffers tested. Inhibition of the phosphatase reaction by Pipes is associated with a decreased apparent affinity for K+ and an increased sensitivity to inhibition by Na+ and ADP, consistent with Pipes hindering conformational transitions to the E2 enzyme forms required for phosphatase hydrolytic activity.

Amino group modification of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase

The effects of three amino group reagents on the activity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and its component K+-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity from rabbit kidney outer medulla have been studied. All three reagents cause inactivation of the enzyme. Modification of amino groups with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid yields kinetics of inactivation of both activities, which depend on the type and concentration of the ligands present. In the absence of added ligands, or with either Na+ of Mg2+ present, the enzyme inactivation process follows complicated kinetics. In the presence of K+, Rb+, or Tl+, protection occurs due to a change of the kinetics of inactivation toward a first-order process. ATP protects against inactivation at a much lower concentration in the absence than in the presence of Mg2+ (P50 6 microM vs. 1.2 mM). Under certain conditions (100 microM reagent, 0.2 M triethanolamine buffer, pH 8.5) modification of only 2% of the amino groups is sufficient to obtain 50% inhibition of the ATPase activity. Modification of amino groups with ethylacetimidate causes a nonspecific type of inactivation of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. Mg2+ and K+ have no effects, and ATP only a minor effect, on the degree of modification. The K+-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity is less inhibited than the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity. Half-inhibition of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase is obtained only after 25% modification of the amino groups. Modification of amino groups with acetic anhydride also causes nonspecific inactivation of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. Mg2+ has no effect, and ATP has only a slight protecting effect. The K+-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity is inhibited in parallel with the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity. Half-inactivation of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity is obtained after 20% modification of the amino groups.

Effects of pyridoxal phosphate treatment on the (Na + K)-ATPase

Reaction of a dog kidney (Na + K)-ATPase with pyridoxal phosphate, followed by borohydride reduction, reduced the catalytic activity when measured subsequently. The time course of inactivation did not follow a first-order process, and certain characteristics of the residual enzymatic activity were modified. Moreover, various catalytic activities were diminished differently: Na-ATPase activity was largely spared, K-phosphatase activity was diminished only by half that of the (Na + K)-ATPase, whereas (Na + K)-CTPase and Na-CTPase activities were diminished more. ATP, ADP, CTP, nitrophenyl phosphate, and Pi all protected against inactivation. Increasing salt concentrations increased inactivation, but KCl slowed and NaCl hastened inactivation when compared with choline chloride. Occupancy of certain substrate or cation sites seemed more crucial than selection of conformational states. For the residual (Na + K)-ATPase activity the K0.5 for K+ was lower and the K0.5 for Na+ higher, while the sensitivities to ouabain, oligomycin, and dimethylsulfoxide were diminished; for the residual K-phosphatase activity the K0.5 for K+ was unchanged, the sensitivity to ouabain and oligomycin diminished, but the stimulation by dimethylsulfoxide increased. These properties cannot be wholly accommodated by assuming merely shifts toward either of the two major enzyme conformations.

Tryptic digestion of the (Na + K)-ATPase is both sensitive to and modifies K+ interactions with the enzyme

Tryptic digestion of the (Na + K)-ATPase in the presence of choline chloride or NaCl ("Na-type") and in the presence of KCl ("K-type") produced distinct patterns of peptide fragments and losses of catalytic activity. The K0.5 for K+ to shift digestion from the Na-type, and its sensitivity to dimethyl sulfoxide and Triton X-100, were consistent with K+ acting at sites on the cytoplasmic face of the enzyme through which the K-phosphatase reaction also is activated. Reagents favoring the E1 conformational states, oligomycin, Triton, and ATP, shifted the pattern toward the Na-type, whereas those favoring E2 states, dimethyl sulfoxide, MgCl2, and MnCl2, shifted the pattern toward the K-type. Na-type digestion caused a greater loss of K-phosphatase than (Na + K)-ATPase activity, and the residual K-phosphatase activity was more sensitive to inhibition by Triton and ATP but stimulated more by dimethyl sulfoxide and inhibited less by Pi and MnCl2; all these effects are consistent with such digestion shifting equilibria toward E1 enzyme states. Accordingly, the K0.5 for K+ to activate the (Na + K)-ATPase was increased. However, the K0.5 for the K-phosphatase was unchanged; this observation requires revision of previous formulations, and bears on additional aspects of enzyme activity as well.

A simple method for the purification of rat brain Na+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase)

Several methods of purification of Na+,K+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) have been previously described for a wide variety of tissues. In general, highest activity preparations have necessitated large amounts of tissue and many purification steps. This article describes a technique that allows partial purification of Na+,K+-ATPase from as few as 15 rat brains and should be of interest to investigators of the pharmacology of this particular enzyme system. In this modified version of the Jorgensen procedure (Biochim Biophys Acta 356:36--52, 1974) we purified the Na+,K+-ATPase from 15--90 rat brains, and obtained enzyme preparations with a mean specific activity of 552 +/- 37.6 mumol Pi/mg of protein/hr (95.5% ouabain sensitive). This "purified" enzyme had an activity ratio (Mg2+ + Na+ + K+)/(Mg2+ + Na+) of 47.4 +/- 12.3 SEM, compared to 3.29 +/- 0.17 SEM for the untreated microsomes. Ouabain inhibited the "purified" enzyme with an I50 of 6 X 10(-9) M. Ouabain binding (644 pmol/mg of protein) yielded a turnover number of 13,700 min-1. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the enzyme revealed predominantly the alpha and beta subunits with some minor contaminant bands. Previous methods of purification of rat brain Na+,K+-ATPase have employed sodium deoxycholate and high concentrations of NaI; the reported specific activity obtained was generally 150--350 mumol Pi/mg of protein/hr. We have employed higher SDS concentrations than in Jorgensen's technique for rabbit kidney but the procedure is simpler because sucrose gradients are not used. Final wash steps also include 10--20% glycerol in the media. These modifications have yielded Na+,K+-ATPase of significantly higher specific activity than previously reported for rat brain.

Sensitivity of the (Na+ + k+)-atpase to state-dependent inhibitors. Effects of digitonin and Triton X-100

Treatment of a purified (NA+ + 5+)-ATPase preparation from dog kidney with digitonin reduced enzymatic activity, with the (Na+ + k+)-atpase reaction inhibited more than the K+-phosphatase reaction that is also catalyzed by this enzyme. Under the usual assay conditions oligomycin inhibits the (Na+ + k+)-atpase reaction but not the K+-phosphatase reaction; however, treatment with digitonin made the K+-phosphatase reaction almost as sensitive to oligomycin as the (Na+ + k+)-atpase reaction. The non-ionic detergents, Triton X-100, Lubrol WX and Tween 20, also conferred sensitivity to oligomycin on the K+-phosphatase reaction (in the absence of oligomycin all these detergents, unlike digitonin, inhibited the K+-phosphatase reaction more than the (Na+ + k+)-atpase reaction). Both digitonin and Triton markedly increased the K0.5 for K+ as activator of the K+-phosphatase reaction, with little effect on the K0.5 for K+ as activator of the (Na+ + k+)-ATpase reaction. In contrast, increasing the K0.5 for K+ in the K+-phosphatase reaction by treatment of the enxyme with acetic anhydride did not confer sensitivity to oligomycin. Both digitonin and Triton also increased the inhibition of the K+-phosphatase reaction by ATP and increased the inhibition by inorganic phosphate and vanadate. These observations are interpreted as digitonin and Triton favoring the E1 conformational state of the enzyme (manifested by sensitivity to oligomycin and a greater affinity for ATP at the low-affinity substrate sites), as opposed to the E2 state (manifested by insensitivity to oligomycin, greater sensitivity to phosphate and vanadate, and a lower K0.5 for K+ in the K+-phosphatase reaction). In addition, digitonin blocked activation of the phosphatase reaction by Na+ plus CTP. This effect is consistent with digitonin dissociating the catalytic subunits of the enzyme, the interaction of which may be essential for activation by Na+ plus nucleotide.