Ca2+-dependent ATP hydrolysis of the porcine intestinal brush-border membranes

Impairment of human sperm motility and viability by quercetin is independent of lipid peroxidation

Human sperm motility, viability and lipid peroxidation were assessed in Ringer-Tyrode supplemented with different concentrations of quercetin. An irreversible and dose-dependent fall in sperm motility was observed with quercetin (5-200 microm). However, sperm viability was decreased only at higher concentrations (50-100 microm) of quercetin. This inhibition in sperm motility and viability has been linked with decreased Ca2+-ATPase activity, as there was no effect of quercetin on sperm lipid peroxidation.

Calcium transport mechanism in human colonic apical membrane vesicles

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Recent studies have shown the role of human colon in the absorption of calcium, especially in the presence of severe disease or resection of the small bowel. The aim of the current study was to explore the mechanism(s) of calcium uptake by the purified human colonic apical membrane vesicles.

METHODS

Apical membrane vesicles were purified from mucosal scrapings of colons from organ donors, and 45Ca uptake was measured using a rapid filtration technique.

RESULTS

The majority of the 45Ca associated with vesicles represented uptake into closed intravesicular space, whereas the remaining 45Ca uptake represented binding to the vesicles. Ca2+ uptake was found to be dependent on time, pH, temperature, and ionic strength of the incubation medium and inhibitable by ruthenium red, La3+, and ethylene glycol-bis(beta-amino-ethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. Experiments of the effects of membrane potential generated by K+/valinomycin or anion substitutions on Ca2+ uptake showed that the Ca2+ uptake process was potential insensitive. Calcium uptake was unaffected by outwardly directed H+, K+, and Na+ gradients. Ca2+ uptake showed saturation kinetics with no significant differences in Michaelis constant and maximum velocity values of this transporter between proximal and distal colonic segments.

CONCLUSIONS

The uptake of Ca2+ by human colonic apical membranes involves predominantly a carrier-mediated transport mechanism.

Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities distinct from alkaline phosphatase in rat jejunal brush-border membranes

In rat jejunal brush-border membranes (BBM), ATP hydrolysis activity was specifically stimulated by CaCl2 and by MgCl2, allowing to identify Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities with a broad pH optimum near 8.0. Nonspecific ATPase activity (in the absence of cations) had a pH optimum above 9.5 as alkaline phosphatase. The effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations on ATPase activity evidenced two apparent KA for each cation. At high concentrations, a similar affinity for both cations was recorded (KA: 0.35 mM). At low concentrations, the affinity for Mg2+ was greater than for Ca2+ (KA: 0.02 mM and 0.07 mM respectively). In an attempt to differentially solubilize alkaline phosphatase and ATPase activities, eleven different detergents were assayed. They more or less successfully released Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities from BBM but the more membranes were solubilized by a detergent, the more activities were lost, suggesting a close dependence on integration in BBM. As to alkaline phosphatase and nonspecific ATPase, they almost co-solubilized with Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase but their total activity was little affected. After treatment of BBM with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (E.C. 3.1.4.10), 58% of alkaline phosphatase activity and 45% of nonspecific ATPase activity were released in the supernatant while Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities remained totally incorporated in BBM pellets. These last results definitively demonstrate that Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities are not manifestations of alkaline phosphatase, as earlier suggested, but rather result from the existence of one or several intrinsic membrane enzymes.

Alkaline phosphatase and ATPases in brush-border membranes of rat jejunum: distinct effects of divalent cations and of some inhibitors

The effects of divalent cations and of some inhibitors on the activities of alkaline phosphatase and ATPase were examined in rat jejunal brush-border membranes (BBM) isolated by tha Ca(2+)-(BBMCa) or the Mg(2+)-precipitation method (BBMMg). Similar results were found in BBMCa and BBMMg though generally higher in BBMCa. Alkaline phosphatase activity was stimulated by 5 mM MgCl2 (30% to 44%), but not by 5 mM CaCl2 or 0.1 mM ZnCl2, at pH 9.5 or 7.4. ATPase activity was equally stimulated by 5 mM MgCl2 and by 5 mM CaCI2 (about 150%). Alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly inhibited by 1 mM vanadate, 5 mM diamox, 5.0 mM L-leucine and 1 mM theophylline. In contrast, Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities were not depressed by those alkaline phosphatase inhibitors, but were inhibited by 0.1 mM trifluoperazine (more than 70%). 0.1 mM ZnCl2 also appeared to be inhibitory to Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase, but not to alkaline phosphatase activity even in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+. These results suggest that Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase activities of the rat jejunal BBM are not merely manifestations of alkaline phosphatase, but rather belong to (a) distinct enzyme(s).

Effect of lipid peroxidation on membrane-bound Ca2+-ATPase activity of the intestinal brush-border membranes

We have studied lipid peroxidation and Ca2+-ATPase activity of the porcine intestinal brush-border membranes using a oxygen-radical-generating system consisting of dithiothreitol (DTT)/Fe2+ and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH). The rates of lipid peroxidation were measured by formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBAR) and conjugated diene. Incubation of the membranes with DTT/Fe2+ in the absence and presence of t-BuOOH resulted in a slight (about 20%) and a marked (about 50%) inhibition of Ca2+-ATPase activity, respectively. The degree of inhibition was dependent on the hydroperoxide concentration. Addition of thiourea effectively protected Ca2+-ATPase activity but catalase and superoxide dismutase showed a slight and no effect on protection of the ATPase activity, respectively. Results of kinetic studies on the ATPase activity with varying ATP and Ca2+ concentrations revealed that the decrease in the enzyme activity by treatment with these oxidizing agents is mainly due to decrease of the Vmax value. Modification of SH groups in the membrane proteins by thiol group reagents such as N-ethylmaleimide, monoiodoacetate and monoiodacetamide did not induce the inhibition of Ca2+-ATPase activity. From these results, it is suggested that inhibition of the ATPase activity of the membranes by treatment with DTT/Fe2+ in the presence and absence of t-BuOOH is dependent on lipid peroxidation and that oxidative modification of SH groups may not be directly involved to the loss of the ATPase activity. In addition, results of the fluorescence anisotropy measurements of pyrene-labeled membranes suggested that change in the Ca2+-ATPase activity is partly related to a decrease in the membrane lipid fluidity.