The functional unit of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. Active site titration and fluorescence measurements

Ca2+-ATPase Molecules as a Calcium-Sensitive Membrane-Endoskeleton of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

The Ca²⁺-transport ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is an integral, transmembrane protein. It sequesters cytoplasmic calcium ions released from SR during muscle contraction, and causes muscle relaxation. Based on negative staining and transmission electron microscopy of SR vesicles isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle, we propose that the ATPase molecules might also be a calcium-sensitive membrane-endoskeleton. Under conditions when the ATPase molecules scarcely transport Ca²⁺, i.e., in the presence of ATP and ≤ 0.9 nM Ca²⁺, some of the ATPase particles on the SR vesicle surface gathered to form tetramers. The tetramers crystallized into a cylindrical helical array in some vesicles and probably resulted in the elongated protrusion that extended from some round SRs. As the Ca²⁺ concentration increased to 0.2 µM, i.e., under conditions when the transporter molecules fully carry out their activities, the ATPase crystal arrays disappeared, but the SR protrusions remained. In the absence of ATP, almost all of the SR vesicles were round and no crystal arrays were evident, independent of the calcium concentration. This suggests that ATP induced crystallization at low Ca²⁺ concentrations. From the observed morphological changes, the role of the proposed ATPase membrane-endoskeleton is discussed in the context of calcium regulation during muscle contraction.

ANS Interacts with the Ca2+-ATPase Nucleotide Binding Site

The binding of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) to the nucleotide binding domain (N-domain) of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) was studied. Molecular docking predicted two ANS binding modes (BMI and BMII) in the nucleotide binding site. The molecular interaction was confirmed as the fluorescence intensity of ANS was dramatically increased when in the presence of an engineered recombinant N-domain. Molecular dynamics simulation showed BMI (which occupies the ATP binding site) as the mode that is stable in solution. The above was confirmed by the absence of ANS fluorescence in the presence of a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled N-domain. Further, the labeling of the N-domain with FITC was hindered by the presence of ANS, i.e., ANS was bound to the ATP binding site. Importantly, ANS displayed a higher affinity than ATP. In addition, ANS binding led to quenching the N-domain intrinsic fluorescence displaying a FRET pattern, which suggested the existence of a Trp-ANS FRET couple. Nonetheless, the chemical modification of the sole Trp residue with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) discarded the existence of FRET and instead indicated structural rearrangements in the nucleotide binding site during ANS binding. Finally, Ca²⁺-ATPase kinetics in the presence of ANS showed a partial mixed-type inhibition. The Dixon plot showed the ANS-Ca²⁺-ATPase complex as catalytically active, hence supporting the existence of a functional dimeric Ca²⁺-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. ANS may be used as a molecular platform for the development of more effective inhibitors of Ca²⁺-ATPase and appears to be a new fluorescent probe for the nucleotide binding site. Graphical Abstract Molecular docking of ANS to the nucleotide binding site of Ca²⁺-ATPase. ANS fluorescence increase reveals molecular interaction.

SPEG Controls Calcium Reuptake Into the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Through Regulating SERCA2a by Its Second Kinase-Domain

RATIONALE

SPEG (Striated muscle preferentially expressed protein kinase) has 2 kinase-domains and is critical for cardiac development and function. However, it is not clear how these 2 kinase-domains function to maintain cardiac performance.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the molecular functions of the 2 kinase-domains of SPEG.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A proteomics approach identified SERCA2a (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a) as a protein interacting with the second kinase-domain but not the first kinase-domain of SPEG. Furthermore, the second kinase-domain of SPEG could phosphorylate Thr⁴⁸⁴ on SERCA2a, promote its oligomerization and increase calcium reuptake into the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum in culture cells and primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Phosphorylation of SERCA2a by SPEG enhanced its calcium-transporting activity without affecting its ATPase activity. Depletion of Speg in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes inhibited SERCA2a-Thr⁴⁸⁴ phosphorylation and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium reuptake. Moreover, overexpression of SERCA2a^Thr484Ala mutant protein also slowed sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium reuptake in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. In contrast, domain mapping and phosphorylation analysis revealed that the first kinase-domain of SPEG interacted and phosphorylated its recently identified substrate JPH2 (junctophilin-2). An inducible heart-specific Speg knockout mouse model was generated to further study this SPEG-SERCA2a signal nexus in vivo. Inducible deletion of Speg decreased SERCA2a-Thr⁴⁸⁴ phosphorylation and its oligomerization in the heart. Importantly, inducible deletion of Speg inhibited SERCA2a calcium-transporting activity and impaired calcium reuptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiomyocytes, which preceded morphological and functional alterations of the heart and eventually led to heart failure in adult mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate that the 2 kinase-domains of SPEG may play distinct roles to regulate cardiac function. The second kinase-domain of SPEG is a critical regulator for SERCA2a. Our findings suggest that SPEG may serve as a new target to modulate SERCA2a activation for treatment of heart diseases with impaired calcium homeostasis.

Susceptibility test of two Ca(2+)-ATPase conformers to denaturants and polyols to outline their structural difference

To determine the effect of denaturants [guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) and urea] and polyols [with various molecular masses (62.1-600)] on calcium binding at the two hypothesized conformers (A and B forms) of the chemically equivalent sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase, which bind two calcium ions in different manners, we examined the effect of these reagents on the calcium dependence of ATP-supported phosphorylation of the ATPase molecules and of their calcium-activated, acetyl phosphatate hydrolytic activity. (1) GdnHCl (~0.05 M) and urea (~0.5 M) increased the apparent calcium affinity (K (0.5)) of 2-6 μM of noncooperative binding [Hill coefficient (n (H)) ~ 1] of the A form to 10-40 μM. (2) The employed polyols transformed the binding of the A form into cooperative binding (n (H) ~ 2), accompanying the approach of its K (0.5) value to that (K (0.5) = 0.04-0.2 μM) of the cooperative binding (n (H) ~ 2) of the B form; the transition concentration (0.025-2 M) of the polyols, above which such transformation occurs, was in inverse relation to their molecular mass. (3) The binding of the B form was resistant to these denaturants and polyols. Based on these data, a structural model of the two forms, calcium-binding domains of which are loosely and compactly folded, is presented.

Use of glycerol-containing media to study the intrinsic fluorescence properties of detergent-solubilized native or expressed SERCA1a

Rapid irreversible inactivation of Ca (2+)-free states of detergent-solubilized SERCA1a (sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 1a) has so far prevented the use of Trp fluorescence for functional characterization of this ATPase after its solubilization in various detergents. Here we show that using 20-40% glycerol for protection makes this fluorescence characterization possible. Most of the ligand-induced Trp fluorescence changes previously demonstrated to occur for SERCA1a embedded in native sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes were observed in the combined presence of glycerol and detergent, although the results greatly depended on the detergent used, namely, octaethylene glycol mono- n-dodecyl ether (C 12E 8) or dodecyl maltoside (DDM). In particular, at pH 6, we found a C 12E 8-dependent unexpectedly huge reduction in SERCA1a affinity for Ca (2+). We suggest that a major reason for the different effects of the two detergents is that high concentrations of C 12E 8, but not of DDM, slow down the E2 to E1 transition in solubilized and delipidated SERCA1a. Independently of the characterization of the specific effects of various detergents on SR vesicles, our results open the way to functional characterization by Trp fluorescence of heterologously expressed and purified mutants of SERCA1a in the presence of detergent, without their preliminary reconstitution into liposomes. As an example, we used the E309Q mutant to demonstrate our previous suspicion that Ca (2+) binding to Site I of SERCA1a in fact slightly reduces Trp fluorescence, and consequently that the rise in this fluorescence generally observed when two Ca (2+) ions bind to WT SERCA1a mainly reflects Ca (2+) binding at Site II of SERCA1a.

The dimeric form of Ca2+-ATPase is involved in Ca2+ transport in the sarcoplasmic reticulum

To identify the functional unit of Ca2+-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, we assessed Ca2+-transport activities occurring on sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes with different combinations of active and inactive Ca2+-ATPase molecules. We prepared heterodimers, consisting of a native Ca2+-ATPase molecule and a Ca2+-ATPase molecule inactivated by FITC labelling, by fusing vesicles loaded with each type of Ca2+-ATPase. The heterodimers exhibited neither Ca2+ transport nor ATP hydrolysis, suggesting that Ca2+ transport by the Ca2+-ATPase requires an interaction between functional Ca2+-ATPase monomers. This finding implies that the functional unit of the Ca2+-ATPase is a dimer.

Crystal structure of D351A and P312A mutant forms of the mammalian sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) -ATPase reveals key events in phosphorylation and Ca(2+) release

In recent years crystal structures of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA1a), stabilized in various conformations with nucleotide and phosphate analogs, have been obtained. However, structural analysis of mutant forms would also be valuable to address key mechanistic aspects. We have worked out a procedure for affinity purification of SERCA1a heterologously expressed in yeast cells, producing sufficient amounts for crystallization and biophysical studies. We present here the crystal structures of two mutant forms, D351A and P312A, to address the issue whether the profound functional changes seen for these mutants are caused by major structural changes. We find that the structure of P312A with ADP and AlF(4)(-) bound (3.5-A resolution) and D351A with AMPPCP or ATP bound (3.4- and 3.7-A resolution, respectively) deviate only slightly from the complexes formed with that of wild-type ATPase. ATP affinity of the D351A mutant was very high, whereas the affinity for cytosolic Ca(2+) was similar to that of the wild type. We conclude from an analysis of data that the extraordinary affinity of the D351A mutant for ATP is caused by the electrostatic effects of charge removal and not by a conformational change. P312A exhibits a profound slowing of the Ca(2+)-translocating Ca(2)E1P-->E2P transition, which seems to be due to a stabilization of Ca(2)E1P rather than a destabilization of E2P. This can be accounted for by the strain that the Pro residue induces in the straight M4 helix of the wild type, which is removed upon the replacement of Pro(312) with alanine in P312A.

Kinetic characterization of Na,K-ATPase inhibition by Eosin

Eosin is a probe for the Na pump nucleotide site. In contrast to previous studies examining eosin effects on Na only ATPase, we examined Na,K-ATPase- and K-activated pNPPase activity in red blood cell membranes and purified renal Na,K-ATPase. At saturating ATP (3 mM) the eosin IC(50) for Na pump inhibition was 19 microM. Increasing ATP concentrations (0.2-2.5 mM) did not overcome eosin-induced inhibition, thus eosin is a mixed-type inhibitor of ATPase activity. To test if eosin can bind to the high-affinity ATP site, purified Na,K-ATPase was labeled with 20 microM FITC. With increasing eosin concentrations (0.1 microM-10 microM) the incorporation of FITC into the ATP site significantly decreases suggesting that eosin prevents FITC reaction at the high-affinity ATP site. Eosin was a more potent inhibitor of K-activated phosphatase activity than of Na,K-ATPase activity. At 5 mM pNPP the eosin IC(50) for Na pump inhibition was 3.8+/-0.23 microM. Increasing pNPP concentrations (0.45-14.5 mM) did not overcome eosin-induced inhibition, thus eosin is a mixed-type inhibitor of pNPPase activity. These results can be fit by a model in which eosin and ATP bind only to the nucleotide site; in some pump conformations, this site is rigid and the binding is mutually exclusive and in other conformations, the site is flexible and able to accommodate both eosin and ATP (or pNPP). Interestingly, eosin inhibition of pNPPase became competitive after the addition of C(12)E(8) (0.1%) but the inhibition of ATPase remained mixed.

Structure and mechanism of Na,K-ATPase: functional sites and their interactions

The cell membrane Na,K-ATPase is a member of the P-type family of active cation transport proteins. Recently the molecular structure of the related sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase in an E1 conformation has been determined at 2.6 A resolution. Furthermore, theoretical models of the Ca-ATPase in E2 conformations are available. As a result of these developments, these structural data have allowed construction of homology models that address the central questions of mechanism of active cation transport by all P-type cation pumps. This review relates recent evidence on functional sites of Na,K-ATPase for the substrate (ATP), the essential cofactor (Mg(2+) ions), and the transported cations (Na(+) and K(+)) to the molecular structure. The essential elements of the Ca-ATPase structure, including 10 transmembrane helices and well-defined N, P, and A cytoplasmic domains, are common to all PII-type pumps such as Na,K-ATPase and H,K-ATPases. However, for Na,K-ATPase and H,K-ATPase, which consist of both alpha- and beta-subunits, there may be some detailed differences in regions of subunit interactions. Mutagenesis, proteolytic cleavage, and transition metal-catalyzed oxidative cleavages are providing much evidence about residues involved in binding of Na(+), K(+), ATP, and Mg(2+) ions and changes accompanying E1-E2 or E1-P-E2-P conformational transitions. We discuss this evidence in relation to N, P, and A cytoplasmic domain interactions, and long-range interactions between the active site and the Na(+) and K(+) sites in the transmembrane segments, for the different steps of the catalytic cycle.

Labeling the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum with maleimidylsalicylic acid

Maleimidylsalicylic acid reacts with the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum with high affinity and inhibits the ATPase activity following a pseudo-first-order kinetic with a rate constant of 8.3 m(-1) s(-1). Calcium binding remains unaffected in the maleimide-inhibited ATPase. However, the presence of ATP, ADP, and, to a lesser extent, AMP protects the enzyme against inhibition. Furthermore, ATPase inhibition is accompanied by a concomitant decrease in ATP binding. The stoichiometry of the nucleotide-dependent maleimidylsalicylic acid binding is 6-10 nmol/mg ATPase, which corresponds to the binding of up to one molecule of maleimide/molecule of ATPase. The stoichiometry of maleimide binding is decreased in the presence of nucleotides and in the ATPase previously labeled with fluorescein-5'-isothiocyanate or N-ethylmaleimide A fluorescent peptide was isolated by high performance liquid chromatography after trypsin digestion of the maleimide-labeled ATPase. Analysis of the sequence and mass spectrometry of the peptide leads us to propose Cys(344) as the target for maleimidylsalicylic acid in the inhibition reaction. The effect of Cys(344) modification on the nucleotide site is discussed.

Preparation of Na,K-ATPase specifically modified on the anti-fluorescein antibody-inaccessible site by fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate

Specific labeling is required for energy transfer measurements and to avoid artifacts in the use of fluorophores as reporter groups. Therefore, a method for specific modification by one of the most popular reagents for P-type ATPases (fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate) has been developed. Sulfhydryl reagents protected against modification of cysteine residues, and treatment with dithiothreitol eliminated a slow doubling of the fluorescence of conventionally modified Na,K-ATPase upon dilution that is attributed to disappearance of self-energy transfer. Removal of nonspecifically bound fluorescein was also confirmed by titration of the modified Na, K-ATPase with anti-fluorescein antibody and by time resolution of the fluorescence change when the modified enzyme was mixed with Na(+) in a stopped-flow instrument. The only fluorescence change when specifically modified Na,K-ATPase was mixed with Na(+) was the signal from fluorescein at the antibody-inaccessible, substrate-protectable site that reports the conformational change in unphosphorylated enzyme. The magnitude of the fluorescence change reporting the conformational change increased from between 8 and 12% to between 25 and 30% without affecting the kinetic constants estimated from titrations with Na(+) and K(+). The method should be generally applicable to the preparation of specifically labeled P-type pumps for use in kinetic and equilibrium titrations or energy transfer measurements.

Importance of conserved alpha -subunit segment 709GDGVND for Mg2+ binding, phosphorylation, and energy transduction in Na,K-ATPase

The segment (708)TGDGVNDSPALKK(720) in the alpha-subunit P domain of Na,K-ATPase is highly conserved among cation pumps, but little is known about its role in binding of Mg(2+) or ATP and energy transduction. Here, 11 mutations of polar residues are expressed at reduced temperature in yeast with preserved capacities for high affinity binding of ouabain and ATP, whereas the Thr(708) --> Ser mutation and alterations of Asp(714) abolish all catalytic reactions. In mutations of Asp(710) and Asn(713), ATP affinity is preserved or increased, whereas Na,K-ATPase activity is severely reduced. Assay of phosphorylation from ATP in the presence of oligomycin shows that Asp(710) contributes to coordination of Mg(2+) during transfer of gamma-phosphate to Asp(369) in the high energy Mg.E(1)P[3Na] intermediate and that Asn(713) is involved in these processes. In contrast, Asp(710) and Asp(713) do not contribute to Mg(2+) binding in the E(2)P.ouabain complex. Transition to E(2)P thus involves a shift of Mg(2+) coordination away from Asp(710) and Asn(713), and the two residues become more important for hydrolysis of the acyl phosphate bond at Asp(369). The Asp(710) --> Ala mutation blocks interaction with vanadate, whereas Asn(713) --> Ala interferes with phosphorylation from P(i) of the E(2).ouabain complex, showing that the GDGVND segment is required for stabilization of the transition state and for the phosphorylation reaction. The Asp(710) --> Ala mutation also interferes with transmission of structural changes to the ouabain site and reduces the affinity for binding of Tl(+) 2- to 3-fold, suggesting a role in transmission of K(+) stimulation of phospho-enzyme hydrolysis from transmembrane segment 5 to the P domain.

Interaction of amphipols with sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

Amphipols are short-chain amphipathic polymers designed to keep membrane proteins soluble in aqueous solutions. We have evaluated the effects of the interaction of amphipols with sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase either in a membrane-bound or a soluble form. If the addition of amphipols to detergent-solubilized ATPase was followed by removal of detergent, soluble complexes formed, but these complexes retained poor ATPase activity, were not very stable upon long incubation periods, and at high concentrations they experienced aggregation. Nevertheless, adding excess detergent to diluted detergent-free ATPase-amphipol complexes incubated for short periods immediately restored full activity to these complexes, showing that amphipols had protected solubilized ATPase from the rapid and irreversible inactivation that otherwise follows detergent removal. Amphipols also protected solubilized ATPase from the rapid and irreversible inactivation observed in detergent solutions if the ATPase Ca(2+) binding sites remain vacant. Moreover, in the presence of Ca(2+), amphipol/detergent mixtures stabilized concentrated ATPase against inactivation and aggregation, whether in the presence or absence of lipids, for much longer periods of time (days) than detergent alone. Our observations suggest that mixtures of amphipols and detergents are promising media for handling solubilized Ca(2+)-ATPase under conditions that would otherwise lead to its irreversible denaturation and/or aggregation.

Structural changes of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(II)-ATPase nucleotide binding domain by pH and La(III)

The Ca(2+)-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum couples the hydrolysis of one molecule of ATP to the transport of two Ca2+ ions in skeletal muscle fibers. Here, we study the accessibility of the fluorescein covalently attached to the Lys515 at the nucleotide binding domain of the ATPase to the small collisional quencher iodide at pH 6 and 8, as well as the effect of ligand binding (La3+, La(3+)-nucleotide, and Ca2+). Our results indicate that bound fluorescein is significantly more accessible at pH 6 than at pH 8, suggesting that pH modulates the structure of the nucleotide binding domain of the ATPase. This notion was further substantiated by the finding that La(3+)-nucleotide only interacted with the catalytic center at acidic pH. Notably, the differential accessibility of the nucleotide binding domain at acidic and basic pH cannot be rationalized in terms of the ATPase E1/E2 conformational equilibrium since a shift of the ATPase toward the E1 (plus Ca2+) or E2 (plus EGTA) did not affect the accessibility of fluorescein-labeled ATPase to the quencher. Taken together, these findings show the presence of structural flexibility in the FITC binding site and suggest a structural modulation of the Ca(2+)-ATPase nucleotide binding domain by pH and La3+ binding through long-range link-age mechanisms.

Stoichiometry of phosphorylation to fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate binding in the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles

In an attempt to establish the stoichiometry of phosphorylation in the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles, phosphorylation by ATP (or Pi) or labeling by fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate (FITC) was performed with the SR vesicles under the conditions in which almost all the phosphorylation sites or FITC binding sites are phosphorylated or labeled. The resulting vesicles were solubilized in lithium dodecyl sulfate and then the Ca2+-ATPase was purified by size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography. Peptide mapping and sequencing of the tryptic digest of the purified enzyme showed that Lys-515 of the Ca2+-ATPase was exclusively labeled with FITC, in agreement with the previously reported findings. The content of the phosphoenzyme from ATP (4.57 nmol/mg of Ca2+-ATPase protein) or from Pi (4.94 nmol/mg of Ca2+-ATPase protein) in the purified enzyme was approximately half the content of the FITC binding site (8.17-8.25 nmol/mg of Ca2+-ATPase protein) and also half the content of the Ca2+-ATPase molecule (9.06 nmol/mg of Ca2+-ATPase protein) calculated from its molecular mass (110,331 Da). These results show that there is one specific FITC binding site per molecule of the Ca2+-ATPase (in agreement with the previously reported findings) and that the stoichiometry of phosphorylation to FITC binding is approximately 0. 5:1.0. All the above findings lead to the conclusion that only half of the Ca2+-ATPase molecules present in the SR vesicles can be phosphorylated. FITC binding completely inhibited the ATP-induced phosphorylation before the binding reached its maximum level. This finding indicates that FITC preferentially binds to a part of the Ca2+-ATPase molecules and that this binding is primarily responsible for the inhibition of phosphorylation, suggesting an intermolecular ATPase-ATPase interaction.

Binding of ADP to sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase in the absence of Mg2+ is specifically inhibited by thapsigargin: observations on the ligand stoichiometry

The conditions of nucleotide binding to native, though partly purified, Ca(2+)-ATPase from SR as well as the stoichiometry of nucleotide and strontium binding and the phosphorylation capacity was reevaluated. Binding of MgADP appeared to be aberrant whereas even high-affinity binding of [14C]-ADP took place in the absence of Mg2+. Also low-affinity ATP binding was possible in the absence of divalent cations. A heterogeneity in ADP binding compatible with a two-component model in the absence of thapsigargin was changed to an apparent homogeneity of low-affinity receptors following a mole:mole interaction of enzyme and thapsigargin. Since the affinity of both components was reduced by thapsigargin, high- as well as low-affinity ADP binding seem to be specific and probably to the substrate receptor proper. Analysis of ADP binding isotherms in the absence of Mg2+ according to a model of two independent populations of sites was compatible with a binding capacity of 8.49 +/- 0.43 nmoles/mg protein corresponding to a molecular mass of 118 +/- 6 kD per ADP site. The same total binding capacity was found for ATP. The phosphorylation capacity corresponded to more than one and less than two approximately P per two 110-kD peptides (formally one approximately P per 154 kD protein). Specific binding of Ca2+ and the congener Sr2+ to SR Ca(2+)-ATPase was compatible with their interaction with a single population of sites. The binding capacity was equal to one divalent cation per nucleotide binding peptide. The binding of one nucleotide and one divalent cation per approximately 110 kD peptide and the absence of cooperativity in divalent cation binding might imply that Ca(2+)-ATPase works as a monomer.

Negative or positive cooperation in calcium binding to detergent-solubilized ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Its modulation by a high concentration of ATP

Two different conformations of chemically equivalent Ca(2+)-ATPase molecules in the sarcoplasmic reticulum have been shown to non- and positive cooperatively bind two calcium ions, respectively (Nakamura, J. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 30822-30827). At pH 7.40, these ATPase molecules split into E1 (high affinity state for calcium), and E2 (low affinity state for calcium), respectively, before calcium binding. At this pH, calcium binding to the monomeric ATPase, solubilized with dodecyloctaethylenglycol monoether, was studied by examining 45Ca2+ binding to the ATPase and calcium dependence of its phosphorylation, fluorescence intensity, ATP-hydrolysis at a low (5 microM) concentration of ATP, and acetyl phosphate hydrolysis. The results suggest that the solubilized ATPase molecules predominantly preexist in E2 and negative cooperatively (the Hill value (nH) = 0.5-0.6) bind 2 mol of calcium/mol of the ATPase with an apparent calcium affinity (K0.5) of 3-5 microM. The nonequivalences of calcium bindings at the membranous ATPase molecules seem to result from the intermolecular interaction of the molecules. A high concentration (5 mM) of ATP modulated the binding manner so that it became positively cooperative (nH approximately 2) and increased the K0.5 to 0.1 microM.

Reaction of 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole with the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)- ATPase protein of sarcoplasmic reticulum at low temperature

Modification of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase protein of rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) with 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole, NBD-Cl, at 4 degrees C for 5 min caused a 63% loss of the Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase activity when 1 mol of the adenine analog was incorporated per 10(5) g of protein. At 25 degrees C, above the lipid phase transition, the extent of labeling was 3-fold higher although the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was inhibited to the same extent. MgATP protected the ATPase activity at 4 degrees C and 25 degrees C but there was little change in the extent of labeling at 4 degrees C suggesting that changes in the fluidity of the lipid moiety made different sites on the ATPase protein accessible to the reagent. At 4 degrees C, addition of sodium deoxycholate enhanced the inactivation (6% ATPase activity remained) but the labeling of the SR-ATPase protein did not increase significantly. Incubation with MgATP prior to solubilization with deoxycholate resulted in the protection of the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and only a small decrease in the labeling occurred. At 25 degrees C, a similar pattern was found with deoxycholate but the loss of ATPase activity was less dramatic and the extent of labeling by NBD-Cl was greater than that at 4 degrees C. MgATP induced changes in the conformation of the ATPase protein protecting essential cysteine residues while shifting the reaction of NBD-Cl with the ATPase protein to non-essential sites in the absence or presence of deoxycholate. An analysis of tryptic digests of the NBD-ATPase protein showed that MgATP shifted the labeling from the A2 subfragment to the A1 subfragment in the absence of deoxycholate and from the A1 subfragment to the A2 subfragment in the presence of deoxycholate. The reagent, NBD-Cl, can distinguish between different temperature dependent conformational states of the ATPase protein.

The role of (alpha beta) protomer interaction in determining functional characteristics of red cell Na,K-ATPase

We have examined the possibility that interaction of (alpha beta) protomers within a diprotomer is responsible for some anomalous characteristics of red cell Na,K-ATPase by examining their response to two inhibitors, FITC and H2DIDS, which bind covalently, and to ouabain, which debinds slowly from red cell pumps. The phenomena we examined were: (1) the biphasic curve relating Na,K-ATPase activity to ATP concentration, and (2) protection of Na pumps against vanadate inhibition by external Na. If interaction of (alpha beta) protomers within a diprotomer were responsible for these phenomena, random inactivation of (alpha beta) protomers should have resulted in a high proportion of (alpha beta) promtomers with an inhibited protomer as a partner, and therefore should have significantly altered the consequences of subunit interaction. With each inhibitor, 60-70% inhibition of ATPase activity did not alter the functional characteristics of the residual activity. We conclude that interaction of functional (alpha beta) protomers does not explain the phenomena which we investigated. This is consistent with our previous observation that Na,K pumps of red cell membranes exist as monomeric (alpha beta) protomers (Martin, D.W. and Sachs, V.R. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 23922-23929).

Proton ejection as a major feature of the Ca(2+)-pump

H+ ejection and Ca2+ uptake promoted by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-pump are similarly stimulated by millimolar Mg2+. This cannot be assigned to enhanced Ca2+ uptake and H+ displacement from internal metal binding sites since: (1) loading SR vesicles with high Mg2+ concentrations does not impair H+ ejection; (2) loading SR vesicles with Mn2+ does not depress H+ ejection occurring during Mn2+ uptake; (3) H+ ejection occurs even when Ca2+ accumulation inside the vesicles is prevented with Ca2+ ionophores. It is concluded that the Ca(2+)-pump promotes an active Ca2+/H+ countertransport stimulated by Mg2+. Finally, a mechanism for Ca2+ translocation is proposed in basic physico-chemical terms.

Chemical modification of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum: identification of sites labeled with aryl isothiocyanates and thiol-directed conformational probes

The Ca(2+)-ATPase protein of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum is a single polypeptide chain of 1001 amino-acid residues. Among these residues are 24 Cys, 9 of which have previously been shown to be accessible to one or more thiol-specific reagents. Many studies on the structure and function of this Ca(2+)-ATPase have made use of sulfhydryl-directed, conformationally-sensitive probes, but the labeling sites for these probes have been directly identified in only a few cases, causing uncertainty in the interpretation of results. In the present work, we have investigated the Ca(2+)-ATPase labeling sites for three thiol-directed spectroscopic probes: fluorescein 5'-maleimide (Fmal), 4-dimethylaminophenyl-azo phenyl-4'-maleimide (DABmal), and 4-dimethylaminophenylazophenyl-4'-iodoacetamide (DABIA). Labeled Ca(2+)-ATPase was digested exhaustively with trypsin, and labeled peptides were purified and sequenced in order to identify the labeled Cys residues. Our results do not support the widely held assumptions that Cys-344 and Cys-364 are the most reactive residues with maleimide-based reagents, while Cys-670 and Cys-674 react most rapidly with iodoacetamide derivatives. We found instead that Fmal reacted most rapidly with Cys-471, followed by Cys-364, and more slowly with Cys-498, -525, -614 and -636. DABmal reacted most rapidly with Cys-364, followed by Cys-614, and more slowly with Cys-471, -498, -636 and -670. Cys-344 was not labeled by either Fmal or DABmal. DABIA reacted with the same six Cys residues, including Cys-670, as were labeled with DABmal, but in much lower yield. There was no evidence for labeling of Cys-674 with DABIA. The high reactivity of Fmal, but not the more hydrophobic DABmal, with Cys-471 is of interest because of previous studies suggesting that the accessibility of Cys-471 is influenced by ATP and that fluorescein derivatives bind to a hydrophobic pocket in the ATP binding site. Another derivative, fluorescein-5'-isothiocyanate (FITC), is thought to label the catalytic site of the Ca(2+)-ATPase and has been widely used as a conformational probe in structure-function studies on this and related proteins. We reinvestigated the chemical modification of the Ca(2+)-ATPase by FITC and 4-dimethyl-aminophenyl-4'-isothiocyanate (DABITC). Incorporation of stoichiometric amounts of FITC resulted in a nearly complete loss of ATPase activity. Labeling and inactivation of the Ca(2+)-ATPase by FITC did not occur in the presence of ATP. DABITC was less reactive than FITC, and did not inactivate the Ca(2+)-ATPase to any significant extent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Intramolecular distances within the Ca(2+)-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum as estimated through fluorescence energy transfer between probes

Fluorescence energy transfer measurements have been carried out to estimate intramolecular distances between probes bound to Ca(2+)-transporting ATPase (Ca(2+)-ATPase) as well as distances between these probes and the phospholipid headgroup. The nucleotide binding site was monitored by using 1,N6-ethenoadenosine 5'-triphosphate, a fluorescent analogue of ATP, and also by labelling Lys515 with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate. Three different cysteine residues were individually labelled using the following probes: 5-[(2-iodoacetyl)aminoethyl]amino-naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (I-AEDANS), 7-chloro-4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-Cl) and fluorescent maleimides. The surface of the membrane was labelled by reconstitution with fluorescent phospholipids (fluorescein and rhodamine derivatives). We found a distance of 4.1 nm from the nucleotide binding site to NBD (at Cys344), and the same distance to fluorescent maleimides (at Cys364). The AEDANS label (at Cys670,672) was found separated 3.5 nm from NBD, 4.4 nm from fluorescent maleimides, and 3.9 nm from the lipid matrix. The NBD label was 3.2 nm apart from fluorescent maleimides and 2.2 nm from the lipid matrix. Finally, fluorescent maleimides were found to be located 4.2 nm above the membrane surface. All these distances agree with a molecular model in which NBD is located in the stalk portion of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, near the surface of the membrane, and the rest of the probes are above it, in the globular domain of the protein.

Quasi-irreversible inactivation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase by simultaneous tight binding of magnesium and fluoride to the catalytic site

The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase was inactivated quasi-irreversibly by the treatment with KF in the presence of Mg2+ and absence of Ca2+. This inactivation was Mg(2+)-dependent, and prevented by high-affinity Ca2+ binding. The enzyme was completely protected by ATP against the inactivation with an affinity consistent with that of the catalytic site for ATP. The affinity for Mg2+ in this inactivation was in agreement with that for Mg2+ in phosphorylation of the enzyme with Pi. Mg.ATP did not bind to the inactivated enzyme, whereas metal-free ATP did bind to it with a high affinity. These findings suggest that the Mg2+ binding sub-site in the catalytic site of the inactivated enzyme is occupied by tightly-bound Mg2+. The enzyme was completely protected by Pi against the inactivation with an affinity consistent with that of the catalytic site for Pi. The inactivated enzyme showed neither phosphorylation with Pi nor high-affinity vanadate binding. These findings suggest that the phosphorylation site of the inactivated enzyme is occupied by tightly-bound F-. The contents of tightly-bound Mg2+ and F- in the inactivated enzyme were determined after unbound Mg2+ and F- were removed by gel filtration. 2.3 mol of Mg2+ and 3.7 mol of F- per mol of phosphorylation sites were tightly bound to the enzyme. The tight binding of these ligands depended on the presence of each other, and was completely prevented by high-affinity Ca2+ binding. Linear relationships were found between the contents of the tightly-bound ligands and the extent of the enzyme inactivation. The tightly-bound Mg2+ and F- were entirely released by low-affinity Ca2+ binding, and correspondingly the ATPase activity was restored. It is concluded that the observed enzyme inactivation is caused by simultaneous tight binding of Mg2+ and F- to the catalytic site.

The effect of high pressure on the conformation, interactions and activity of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

High pressure (100-150 MPa) increases the intensity and polarization of fluorescence of FITC-labeled Ca(2+)-ATPase in a medium containing 0.1 mM Ca2+, suggesting a reversible pressure-induced transition from the E1 into an E2-like state with dissociation of ATPase oligomers. Under similar conditions but using unlabeled sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, high pressure caused the reversible release of Ca2+ from the high-affinity Ca2+ sites of Ca(2+)-ATPase, as indicated by changes in the fluorescence of the Ca2+ indicator, Fluo-3; this was accompanied by reversible inhibition of the Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activity measured in a coupled enzyme system of pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, and by redistribution of Prodan in the lipid phase of the membrane, as shown by marked changes in its fluorescence emission characteristics. In a Ca(2+)-free medium where the equilibrium favors the E2 conformation of Ca(2+)-ATPase the fluorescence intensity of FITC-ATPase was not affected or only slightly reduced by high pressure. The enhancement of TNP-AMP fluorescence by 100 mM inorganic phosphate in the presence of EGTA and 20% dimethylsulfoxide was essentially unaffected by 150 MPa pressure at pH 6.0 and was only slightly reduced at pH 8.0. As the enhancement of TNP-AMP fluorescence by Pi is associated with the Mg(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of the enzyme and the formation of Mg.E2-P intermediate, it appears that the reactions of Ca(2+)-ATPase associated with the E2 state are relatively insensitive to high pressure. These observations suggest that high pressure stabilizes the enzyme in an E2-like state characterized by low reactivity with ATP and Ca2+ and high reactivity with Pi. The transition from the E1 to the E2-like state involves a decrease in the effective volume of Ca(2+)-ATPase.

Inhibition of dicarboxylic anion transport by fluorescein isothiocyanate in skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum

It has been demonstrated previously that dicarboxylic anions are cotransported during ATP-dependent Ca2+ transport by skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes, and that anion cotransport stimulates Ca2+ transport. In the current study, we present evidence that dicarboxylic anion cotransport and Ca2+ transport are kinetically distinct in SR, but both functions are mediated by the CaATPase protein. Preincubation of SR with 40 microM fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) (pH 7.0) inhibited essentially all of the Ca2+ ATPase activity, as well as active oxalate-supported and oxalate-independent 45Ca2+ accumulation. The addition of 1 mM beta, gamma-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate (AMP-PCP) to the preincubation media fully protected the dicarboxylic anion-independent Ca2+ ATPase activity and the oxalate-independent active 45Ca2+ accumulation from the inhibitory effects of FITC; however, the ATP-associated [14C]oxalate accumulation, the oxalate-dependent 45Ca2+ accumulation, and the oxalate- and maleate-dependent stimulation of Ca2+ ATPase activity were not protected by AMP-PCP. Thus, the dicarboxylic anion accumulation and the stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by dicarboxylic anions could be functionally separated from the ATP-dependent, anion-independent Ca2+ translocation. FITC bound exclusively to the 100-kDa (CaATPase) and 92-kDa (phosphorylase) proteins in the SR membranes and to purified CaATPase in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; 1 mM AMP-PCP inhibited 50-55% of the FITC fluorescence on the 100-kDa protein, but did not significantly alter fluorescence on the 92-kDa protein. Two-dimensional gel analysis demonstrated a single 100-kDa protein in longitudinal SR membranes. FITC appears to inhibit ATP-dependent Ca2+ transport, and dicarboxylic anion translocation through interaction at separate domains of the CaATPase protein.

Distances between functional sites of the Ca2+ + Mg2(+)-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum using Co2+ as a spectroscopic ruler

Cobalt ion inhibits the Ca2+ + Mg2(+)-ATPase activity of sealed sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, of solubilized membranes and of the purified enzyme. To use Co2+ appropriately as a spectroscopic ruler to map functional sites of the Ca2+ + Mg2(+)-ATPase, we have carried out studies to obtain the kinetic parameters needed to define the experimental conditions to conduct the fluorimetric studies. 1. The apparent K0.5 values of inhibition of this ATPase are 1.4 mM, 4.8 mM and 9.5 mM total Co2+ at pH 8.0, 7.0 and 6.0, respectively. The inhibition by Co2+ is likely to be due to free Co2+ binding to the enzyme. Millimolar Ca2+ can fully reverse this inhibition, and also reverses the quenching of the fluorescence of fluorescein-labeled sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes due to Co2+ binding to the Ca2+ + Mg2(+)-ATPase. Therefore, we conclude that Co2+ interacts with Ca2+ binding sites. 2. Co2+.ATP can be used as a substrate by this enzyme with Vmax of 2.4 +/- 0.2 mumol ATP hydrolyzed min-1 (mg protein)-1 at 20-22 degrees C and pH 8.0, and with a K0.5 of 0.4-0.5 mM. 3. Co2+ partially quenches, about 10 +/- 2%, the fluorescence of fluorescein-labeled sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ + Mg2(+)-ATPase upon binding to this enzyme at pH 8.0. From the fluorescence data we have estimated an average distance between Co2+ and fluorescein in the ATPase of 1.1-1.8 nm or 1.3-2.1 nm for one or two equidistant Co2+ binding sites, respectively. 4. Co2+.ATP quenches about 20-25% of the fluorescence of fluorescein-labeled Ca2+ + Mg2(+)-ATPase, from which we obtain a distance of 1.1-1.9 nm between Co2+ and fluorescein located at neighbouring catalytic sites.

Effects of phospholipids on binding of calcium to (Ca2(+)-Mg2(+)-ATPase

The (Ca2(+)-Mg2(+)-ATPase purified from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum binds two Ca2+ ions per ATPase molecule. On reconstitution into bilayers of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine [C18:1)PC) or dinervonylphosphatidylcholine [C24:1)PC) the stoichiometry of binding remains unchanged, but when the ATPase is reconstituted into bilayers of dimyristoleoylphosphatidylcholine [C14:1)PC) the stoichiometry changes to one Ca2+ ion per ATPase molecule. Nevertheless, the level of phosphorylation is the same for the ATPase reconstituted with (C18:1)PC or (C14:1)PC. The effect of (C14:1)PC on the stoichiometry of Ca2+ binding is prevented by androstenol at a 1:1 molar ratio with the phospholipid.

Membrane solubilization by detergent: use of brominated phospholipids to evaluate the detergent-induced changes in Ca2+-ATPase/lipid interaction

The solubilization and delipidation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase by different nonionic detergents were measured from changes in turbidity and recovery of intrinsic fluorescence of reconstituted ATPase in which tryptophan residues had been quenched by replacement of endogenous phospholipids with brominated phospholipids. It was found that incorporation of C12E8 or dodecyl maltoside (DM) at low concentrations in the membrane, resulting in membrane "perturbation" without solubilization, displaced a few of the phospholipids in contact with the protein; perturbation was evidenced by a parallel drop in ATPase activity. As a result of further detergent addition leading to solubilization, the tendency toward delipidation of the immediate environment of the protein was stopped, and recovery of enzyme activity was observed, suggesting reorganization of phospholipid and detergent molecules in the solubilized ternary complex, as compared to the perturbed membrane. After further additions of C12E8 or DM to the already solubilized membrane, the protein again experienced progressive delipidation which was only completed at a detergent concentration about 100-fold higher than that necessary for solubilization. Delipidation was correlated with a decrease in enzyme activity toward a level similar to that observed during perturbation. On the other hand, Tween 80, Tween 20, and Lubrol WX failed to solubilize SR membranes and to induce further ATPase delipidation when added after preliminary SR solubilization by C12E8 or dodecyl maltoside. For Tween 80, this can be related to an inability to solubilize pure lipid membrane; in contrast, Tween 20 and Lubrol WX were able to solubilize liposomes but not efficiently to solubilize SR membranes. In all three cases, insertion of the detergent in SR membranes is, however, demonstrated by perturbation of enzyme activity. Correlation between detergent structure and ability to solubilize and delipidate the ATPase suggests that one parameter impeding ATPase solubilization might be the presence of a bulky detergent polar headgroup, which could not fit close to the protein surface. We also conclude that in the active protein/detergent/lipid ternary complexes, solubilized by C12E8 or dodecyl maltoside, most phospholipids remain closely associated with the ATPase hydrophobic surface as in the membranous form. Binding of only a few detergent molecules on this hydrophobic surface may be sufficient for inhibition of ATPase activity observed at high ATP concentration, both during perturbation and in the completely delipidated, solubilized protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The predicted secondary structures of the nucleotide-binding sites of six cation-transporting ATPases lead to a probable tertiary fold

Six cation-dependent transporting ATPases have homologous sequences in the region asigned by chemical labelling to nucleotide binding. Comparison of the most highly conserved segments with other nucleotide-binding domains showed that the sequences were consistent with a mononucleotide-binding fold and enabled a number of likely folding topologies to be limited to two or three alternatives. One of these possible folds was topologically equivalent to adenylate kinase; this was taken as a model in which the significance of conserved amino acids was investigated. In this model conserved amino acids were grouped around a postulated ATP-binding cleft, satisfactorily accounting for their degree of conservation.

Affinity labeling of the active site of the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

The inactivation of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was shown to have a hyperbolic dependence on the concentration of FITC. The results were quantitatively accounted for by a model in which the reagent first binds reversibly (Kf = 70 microM) to the ATPase and then reacts irreversibly (kmax = 0.8 and 2 min-1 in the absence and presence of 1 mM Mg2+, respectively) to form inactive enzyme. Comparison with the rate constant for the reaction of the model compound alpha-acetyllysine with FITC showed that the FITC-reactive lysyl side-chain of the ATPase is not unusually reactive, indicating that the specificity of the reaction is due to affinity labeling behavior of the reagent. This was supported by protection experiments using ATP, ADP, AdoPP[NH]P, ITP, and TNP-ATP, all of which displayed protection constants similar to their known binding constants to the active site of the ATPase. Both inorganic phosphate and orthovanadate were effective in preventing inactivation by FITC, and calcium only partially reversed the effect of these anions, implying the existence of a ternary complex such as Ca2.E.Pi. Since all ligands (ATP, ADP and Pi) which bind or react at the catalytic site protect it, only the unliganded form appears to bind and react with FITC. Addition of calcium to the MgATP complex of the ATPase caused an increase in the FITC inactivation rate, implying that during turnover there is a larger fraction of unliganded enzyme present, i.e., substrate binding is weaker (Ks is larger). Protection was also observed with fluorescein and two related dyes, eosin and erythrosin. Like FITC, the isothiocyanates of these dyes were effective inactivators. In separate experiments, these two dyes were shown to promote photoinactivation of the ATPase. ATP exerted a protective effect with a concentration dependence consistent with high-affinity active-site binding.

Inactivation of detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase

Inactivation of sarcoplasmic ATPase in the solubilized state was studied in the absence and presence of Ca2+, Mg2+ and glycerol. The effects of the detergents octa(ethyleneglycol) mono-n-dodecyl ether (C12E8), 1-O-tetradecylpropanediol-(1,3)-3-phosphorylcholine and myristoylglycerophosphocholine were compared. All three detergents caused a rapid decline of the dinitrophenyl phosphatase activity of the unprotected enzyme. The stabilizing effect of Ca2+ ions was kinetically analysed. It was found that the stability of the solubilized enzyme depends on the Ca2+ concentration in a manner which is best explained by assuming rapid inactivation of Ca2+-free enzyme accompanied by slow inactivation of a calcium-enzyme complex (E1Ca). The apparent affinity constants obtained are in the order of 10(6)M-1, suggesting that high-affinity Ca2+ binding must be involved. No indications of a contribution were found, either of low-affinity Ca2+-binding sites of the conformational state E2 or of the high-affinity calcium complex E1Ca2. If Ca2+ was replaced by Mg2+, which exerts a weaker protection, the apparent affinity constants for Mg2+ are in the range of 1 mM-1. The stoichiometry of the effect of Mg2+ depends on the detergent.

Effect of phospholipid, detergent and protein-protein interaction on stability and phosphoenzyme isomerization of soluble sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the separate roles of lipid, detergent and protein-protein interaction for stability and catalytic properties of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase solubilized in the non-ionic detergent octa(ethylene glycol) monododecyl ether (C12E8). The use of large-zone high-performance liquid chromatography permitted us to define the self-association state of Ca-ATPase peptide at various detergent, phospholipid and protein concentrations, and also during enzymatic turnover with ATP. Conditions were established for monomerization of Ca-ATPase in the presence of a high concentration of phospholipid relative to detergent. The lipid-saturated monomeric preparation was relatively resistant to inactivation in the absence of Ca2+, whereas delipidated enzyme in monomeric or in oligomeric form was prone to inactivation. Kinetics of phosphoenzyme turnover were examined in the presence and absence of Mg2+. Dephosphorylation rates were sensitive to Mg2+, irrespective of whether the peptide was present in soluble monomeric form or was membrane-bound. C12E8-solubilized monomer without added phospholipid was, however, characterized by a fast initial phase of dephosphorylation in the absence of Mg2+. This was not observed with monomer saturated with phospholipid or with monomer solubilized in myristoylglycerophosphocholine or deoxycholate. The mechanism underlying this difference was shown to be a C12E8-induced acceleration of conversion of ADP-sensitive phosphoenzyme (E1P) to ADP-insensitive phosphoenzyme (E2P). The phosphoenzyme isomerization rate was also found to be enhanced by low-affinity binding of ATP. This was demonstrated both in membrane-bound and in soluble monomeric Ca-ATPase. Our results indicate that a single peptide chain constitutes the target for modulation of phosphoenzyme turnover by Mg2+ and ATP, and that detergent effects, distinct from those arising from disruption of protein-protein contacts, are the major determinants of kinetic differences between C12E8-solubilized and membrane-bound enzyme preparations.

Characterization of CrATP-induced calcium occlusion in membrane-bound and soluble monomeric sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

Occlusion of Ca2+ induced by beta, gamma-bidentate CrATP in membrane bound and in soluble monomeric sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase was studied by previously developed filtration and HPLC techniques (Vilsen and Andersen (1986) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 855, 429-431). Activation of Ca2+ occlusion occurred at micromolar free Ca2+ and depended on the concentration of Ca2+, H+ and Mg2+ in a similar way as activation of Ca2+ transport and equilibrium Ca2+ binding to high-affinity Ca2+ transport sites. The slopes of the Ca2+ titration curves indicated that Ca2+ binding is a cooperative process both in membraneous and in soluble monomeric enzyme. At alkaline pH and absence of Mg2+, occlusion of Ca2+ was inhibited by 1 mM Ca2+ in membrane-bound, but not in soluble monomeric Ca2+-ATPase. Parallel studies of phosphorylation from [gamma-32P]CrATP indicated a stoichiometry of 2 mol Ca2+ occluded per mol Ca2+-dependent EP formed, at saturating as well as at desaturating Ca2+ concentrations. Tryptic digestion of the CrATP induced Ca2+ occluded complex indicated that it belongs to the E1 conformational class (E1P). In the absence of Ca2+ and Mg2+, but presence of CrATP the conformational state was E2. When Mg2+ was added together with CrATP at alkaline pH the conformation was shifted in direction of E1.