Configuration of subunits within crystals of Na, K-ATPase maintained in the frozen-hydrated state

Two-dimensional crystallogenesis of transmembrane proteins

Two-dimensional crystallogenesis is a crucial step in the long road that leads to the determination of macromolecules structure via electron crystallography. The necessity of having large and highly ordered samples can hold back the resolution of structural works for a long time, and this, despite improvements made in electron microscopes or image processing. Today, finding good conditions for growing two-dimensional crystals still rely on either "biocrystallo-cooks" or on lucky ones. The present review presents the field by first describing the different crystals that one can encounter and the different crystallisation methods used. Then, the effects of different components (such as protein, lipids, detergent, buffer, and temperature) and the different methods (dialysis, hydrophobic adsorption) are discussed. This discussion is punctuated by correspondences made to the world of three-dimensional crystallogenesis. Finally, a guide for setting up 2D crystallogenesis experiments, built on the discussion mentioned before, is proposed to the reader. More than giving recipes, this review is meant to open up the discussions in this field.

Evidence for the binding of β-adrenoceptor blockers to microsomal Na+/K+-ATPase in guinea pig heart preparations

We reported in a previous study that β-adrenoceptor blockers inhibit the Mg2+-dependent ATP-hydrolytic function of Na+/K+-ATPase. To determine if this action is a result of binding of β-blockers to the receptor sites that bind the digitalis glycosides, we performed displacement binding assays of eight β-blockers with [3H]-ouabain (OUA) in guinea pig myocardial microsomal preparations. In the first series of experiments, 10-200 µM of the β-blockers were displaced with 250 nM OUA. In the second set of experiments, 10-500 nM of OUA was displaced using 200 µM of the β-blockers. The drugs showed concentration-dependent receptor occupancy at the different OUA levels. Propranolol (PPN), metoprolol (MTP), and sotalol (STL) showed the strongest binding; nadolol (NDL), indenolol (IDN), and atenolol (ATN) had intermediate binding; carazolol (CRZ) and celiprolol (CLP) had the weakest binding properties. The results suggest that β-blockers may compete for the same binding sites with ouabain in their inhibition of the Na+/K+-ATPase. These actions may contribute to the mechanism for some of their cardiac effects, especially their proarrhythmic and arrhythmogenic actions.Key words: β-adrenoceptor blockers, antiarrhythmic agents, arrhythmogenic effects, Na+/K+-ATPase, ouabain binding.