Lysine 480 is an essential residue in the putative ATP site of lamb kidney (Na,K)-ATPase. Identification of the pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine and pyridoxal phosphate reactive residue

Nitric oxide negatively regulates AKT1-mediated potassium uptake through modulating vitamin B6 homeostasis in Arabidopsis

Nitric oxide (NO), an active signaling molecule in plants, is involved in numerous physiological processes and adaptive responses to environmental stresses. Under high-salt conditions, plants accumulate NO quickly, and reorganize Na(+) and K(+) contents. However, the molecular connection between NO and ion homeostasis is largely unknown. Here, we report that NO lowers K(+) channel AKT1-mediated plant K(+) uptake by modulating vitamin B6 biosynthesis. In a screen for Arabidopsis NO-hypersensitive mutants, we isolated sno1 (sensitive to nitric oxide 1), which is allelic to the previously noted mutant sos4 (salt overly sensitive 4) that has impaired Na(+) and K(+) contents and overproduces pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), an active form of vitamin B6. We showed that NO increased PLP and decreased K(+) levels in plant. NO induced SNO1 gene expression and enzyme activity, indicating that NO-triggered PLP accumulation mainly occurs through SNO1-mediated vitamin B6 salvage biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PLP significantly repressed the activity of K(+) channel AKT1 in the Xenopus oocyte system and Arabidopsis root protoplasts. Together, our results suggest that NO decreases K(+) absorption by promoting the synthesis of vitamin B6 PLP, which further represses the activity of K(+) channel AKT1 in Arabidopsis. These findings reveal a previously unidentified pivotal role of NO in modulating the homeostasis of vitamin B6 and potassium nutrition in plants, and shed light on the mechanism of NO in plant acclimation to environmental changes.

ATP and magnesium drive conformational changes of the Na+/K+-ATPase cytoplasmic headpiece

Conformational changes of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase isolated large cytoplasmic segment connecting transmembrane helices M4 and M5 (C45) induced by the interaction with enzyme ligands (i.e. Mg(2+) and/or ATP) were investigated by means of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence measurement and molecular dynamic simulations. Our data revealed that this model system consisting of only two domains retained the ability to adopt open or closed conformation, i.e. behavior, which is expected from the crystal structures of relative Ca(2+)-ATPase from sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum for the corresponding part of the entire enzyme. Our data revealed that the C45 is found in the closed conformation in the absence of any ligand, in the presence of Mg(2+) only, or in the simultaneous presence of Mg(2+) and ATP. Binding of the ATP alone (i.e. in the absence of Mg(2+)) induced open conformation of the C45. The fact that the transmembrane part of the enzyme was absent in our experiments suggested that the observed conformational changes are consequences only of the interaction with ATP or Mg(2+) and may not be related to the transported cations binding/release, as generally believed. Our data are consistent with the model, where ATP binding to the low-affinity site induces conformational change of the cytoplasmic part of the enzyme, traditionally attributed to E2-->E1 transition, and subsequent Mg(2+) binding to the enzyme-ATP complex induces in turn conformational change traditionally attributed to E1-->E2 transition.

ATP-binding to P-type ATPases as revealed by biochemical, spectroscopic, and crystallographic experiments

P-type ATPases form a large family of cation translocating ATPases. Recent progress in crystallography yielded several high-resolution structures of Ca(2+)-ATPase from sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SERCA) in various conformations. They could elucidate the conformational changes of the enzyme, which are necessary for the translocation of cations, or the mechanism that explains how the nucleotide binding is coupled to the cation transport. However, crystals of proteins are usually obtained only under conditions that significantly differ from the physiological ones and with ligands that are incompatible with the enzyme function, and both of these factors can inevitably influence the enzyme structure. Biochemical (such as mutagenesis, cleavage, and labeling) or spectroscopic experiments can yield only limited structural information, but this information could be considered relevant, because measurement can be performed under physiological conditions and with true ligands. However, interpretation of some biochemical or spectroscopic data could be difficult without precise knowledge of the structure. Thus, only a combination of both these approaches can extract the relevant information and identify artifacts. Briefly, there is good agreement between crystallographic and other experimental data concerning the overall shape of the molecule and the movement of cytoplasmic domains. On the contrary, the E1-AMPPCP crystallographic structure is, in details, in severe conflict with numerous spectroscopic experiments and probably does not represent the physiological state. Notably, the E1-ADP-AlF(4) structure is almost identical to the E1-AMPPCP, again suggesting that the structure is primarily determined by the crystal-growth conditions. The physiological relevance of the E2 and E2-P structures is also questionable, because the crystals were prepared in the presence of thapsigargin, which is known to be a very efficient inhibitor of SERCA. Thus, probably only crystals of E1-2Ca conformation could reflect some physiological state. Combination of biochemical, spectroscopic, and crystallographic data revealed amino acids that are responsible for the interaction with the nucleotide. High sequence homology of the P-type ATPases in the cytoplasmic domains enables prediction of the ATP-interacting amino acids also for other P-type ATPases.

The crystallographic structure of Na,K-ATPase N-domain at 2.6A resolution

The structure of the N-domain of porcine alpha(2) Na,K-ATPase was determined crystallographically to 3.2A resolution by isomorphous heavy-atom replacement using a single mercury derivative. The structure was finally refined against 2.6A resolution synchrotron data. The domain forms a seven-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet with two additional beta-strands forming a hairpin and five alpha-helices. Approximately 75% of the residues were superimposable with residues from the structure of Ca-ATPase N-domain, and a structure-based sequence alignment is presented. The positions of key residues are discussed in relation to the pattern of hydrophobicity, charge and sequence conservation of the molecular surface. The structure of a hexahistidine tag binding to nickel ions is presented.

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.

The sodium pump. Its molecular properties and mechanics of ion transport

The sodium pump (Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase; sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine 5'-triphosphatase; EC 3.6.1.37) has been under investigation for more than four decades. During this time, the knowledge about the structure and properties of the enzyme has increased to such an extent that specialized groups have formed within this field that focus on specific aspects of the active ion transport catalyzed by this enzyme. Taking this into account, this review, while somewhat speculative, is an attempt to summarize the information regarding the enzymology of the sodium pump with the hope of providing to interested readers from outside the field a concentrated overview and to readers from related fields a guide in their search for gathering specific information concerning the structure, function, and enzymology of this enzyme.

Catalytic activity of an isolated domain of Na,K-ATPase expressed in Escherichia coli

Fusion proteins of glutathione-S-transferase and fragments from the large cytoplasmic domain of the sheep Na,K-ATPase alpha1-subunit were expressed in Escherichia coli. The Na,K-ATPase sequences begin at Ala345 and terminate at either Arg600 (DP600f), Thr610 (DP610f), Gly731 (DP731f), or Glu779 (DP779f). After affinity purification on glutathione-Sepharose, the fusion proteins were labeled with [alpha-32P]-2-N3-ATP, and incorporation of the radiolabel into the fusion proteins was measured by scintillation counting after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Kd values of 220-290 microM for 2-N3-ATP binding to the fusion proteins were obtained from the photolabeling experiments. Approximately 1 mol of 2-N3-ATP was calculated to be incorporated per mole of fusion protein after correction for photochemical incorporation efficiency. Labeling of all of the fusion proteins by 25 microM 2-N3-ATP was reduced in the presence of MgATP, Na2ATP, MgCl2, 2',3'-O-(2,4, 6-trinitrophenyl)-ATP, and p-nitrophenylphosphate, and Ki values of 2-11 mM for Na2ATP, 0.2-5 mM for MgCl2, 0.1-5 mM for MgATP, and 20-300 microM for p-nitrophenylphosphate were calculated for these ligands. All of the fusion proteins catalyze the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylphosphate. The reaction requires MgCl2 and is inhibited by inorganic phosphate, which is similar to the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylphosphate by native Na,K-ATPase. Based on these observations, it appears that the soluble fragments from the large cytoplasmic domain of Na,K-ATPase expressed in bacterial cells are folded in an E2-like conformation and are likely to retain much of the native structure.

Erythrosin 5'-isothiocyanate labels Cys549 as part of the low-affinity ATP binding site of Na+/K+-ATPase

The high-affinity E1ATP site of Na+/K+-ATPase labeled with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate and its E2ATP site labeled with erythrosin 5'-isothiocyanate (ErITC), as was shown recently [Linnertz et al. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 28813-28821], reside on separate and adjacent catalytic alpha subunits. This paper provides evidence that specific labeling of the E2ATP binding site with ErITC resulted in a modification of the Cys549 residue in the tryptic fragment with the sequence Val545-Leu-Gly-Phe-Cys549-His550. Hence, Cys549 is part of or close to the low-affinity E2ATP binding site of Na+/K+-ATPase.

Molecular distance measurements reveal an (alpha beta)2 dimeric structure of Na+/K+-ATPase. High affinity ATP binding site and K+-activated phosphatase reside on different alpha-subunits

ATP hydrolysis by Na+/K+-ATPase proceeds via the interaction of simultaneously existing and cooperating high (E1ATP) and low (E2ATP) substrate binding sites. It is unclear whether both ATP sites reside on the same or on different catalytic alpha-subunits. To answer this question, we looked for a fluorescent label for the E2ATP site that would be suitable for distance measurements by Förster energy transfer after affinity labeling of the E1ATP site by fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate (FITC). Erythrosin 5'-isothiocyanate (ErITC) inactivated, in an E1ATP site-blocked enzyme (by FITC), the residual activity of the E2ATP site, namely K+-activated p-nitrophenylphosphatase in a concentration-dependent way that was ATP-protectable. The molar ratios of FITC/alpha-subunit of 0.6 and of ErITC/alpha-subunit of 0.48 indicate 2 ATP sites per (alpha beta)2 diprotomer. Measurements of Förster energy transfer between the FITC-labeled E1ATP and the ErITC-labeled or Co(NH3)4ATP-inactivated E2ATP sites gave a distance of 6.45 +/- 0.64 nm. This distance excludes 2 ATP sites per alpha-subunit since the diameter of alpha is 4-5 nm. Förster energy transfer between cardiac glycoside binding sites labeled with anthroylouabain and fluoresceinylethylenediamino ouabain gave a distance of 4.9 +/- 0.5 nm. Hence all data are consistent with the hypothesis that Na+/K+-ATPase in cellular membranes is an (alpha beta)2 diprotomer and works as a functional dimer (Thoenges, D., and Schoner, W. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 16315-16321).

Half-site modification of Lys-480 of the Na+,K+-ATPase alpha-chain with pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine reduces ATP-dependent phosphorylation stoichiometry from half to a quarter

Pig and dog kidney Na+,K+-ATPase preparations, irrespective of specific activity, showed approximately 0.5 mol of maximum phosphorylation/mol alpha-chain for ATP or acetyl phosphate (AcP) at steady state conditions. Pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine (AP2PL)-treated pig kidney enzymes containing approximately 0.5 mol of AP2PL probe at Lys-480/mol (Tsuda, T., Kaya, S., Funatsu, H., Hayashi, Y., and Taniguchi, K. (1998) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 123, 169-174) showed a quarter-site phosphorylation by ATP and half-site phosphorylation from AcP. The addition of 10 microM ATP to the Mg2+-Na+-bound AP2PL enzyme induced rapid quarter-site phosphorylation (47/s), followed by two different AP2PL fluorescence changes, a rapid decrease (29/s) and a slow increase (1.1/s). The addition of 1 mM AcP to the Mg2+-Na+-bound AP2PL enzyme induced a slow half-site phosphorylation (3/s), followed by a monophasic AP2PL fluorescence increase (1.2/s). After treatment of the AP2PL enzyme with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate to modify Lys-501 fully, the Mg2+-Na+-dependent phosphorylation capacity from ATP of the resulting AP2PL-fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate enzyme was reduced to approximately 6% without significant changes in half-site phosphorylation capacity with respect to AcP, dynamic AP2PL fluorescence change by ATP and change by AcP. These data and others support the hypothesis that the functional membrane-bound Na+, K+-ATPase has tetrameric properties.

Are pyridoxal and fluorescein probes in lysine residues of alpha-chain in Na+,K(+)-ATPase sensing ATP binding?

Na+,K(+)-ATPase preparations from pig kidneys were treated with 50 microM pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine (AP2PL) in the presence of NaCl. The resulting preparations contained 0.5 mol of the AP2PL probe at the Lys-480/mol alpha-chain. This modification reduced both Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity and the amount of Na(+)-dependent phosphoenzyme from ATP to around 50% but not that from acetyl phosphate (AcP). The addition of 1 mM AcP to the modified enzyme in the presence of Mg2+ and Na+ induced phosphorylation (3.0/s) followed by an AP2PL fluorescence increase (1.2/s). The addition of 10 microM ATP instead of AcP induced rapid phosphorylation (28/s) followed by a slow increase in fluorescence (1.0/s). When modified enzyme preparations were treated with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate (FITC), the phosphorylation capacity from ATP was reduced to around 5% with little influence on either the AP2PL fluorescence change by ATP or phosphorylation from AcP. The addition of increasing concentrations of ATP with 160 mM NaCl to the K(+)-bound AP2PL-FITC-labeled enzyme showed different rates for each fluorescence change and different affinities for ATP of the changes. These data and others indicate that the AP2PL probe at Lys-480 can monitor ATP binding to high- and low-affinity sites and suggest the simultaneous presence of two different low-affinity sites for ATP detected by an AP2PL probe at Lys-480 and an FITC probe at Lys-501.

Bilirubin has widespread inhibitory effects on protein phosphorylation

The neurotoxic effects of bilirubin may involve modulation of neuronal protein phosphorylation systems. Using in vitro phosphorylation assays and a variety of protein substrates and purified protein kinases, we have studied the mechanism of bilirubin-induced inhibition of protein phosphorylation. Bilirubin was found to inhibit cAMP-dependent, cGMP-dependent, Ca(2+)- calmodulin-dependent, and Ca(2+)-phospholipid-dependent protein kinases, irrespective of substrate properties. Fifty percent inhibition occurred at bilirubin concentrations varying from 20 to 125 microM. Kinetic analysis, using the isolated catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent kinase and a synthetic peptide substrate derived from the protein phospholemman, indicated that bilirubin (50 microM) decreased the apparent Vmax of the reaction, irrespective of whether ATP or peptide levels were varied, without significantly altering the apparent K(m) value. Thus our results indicate that bilirubin can inhibit catalytic domain(s) of protein kinases by apparent noncompetitive mechanism(s), presumably by interacting with noncatalytic domains on the enzyme. Given the key role of protein phosphorylation in cellular regulation, the widespread inhibitory effect of bilirubin on protein kinases may contribute to bilirubin neurotoxicity.

Photoaffinity labeling of the active site of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase with 4-azido-2-nitrophenyl phosphate

Na+/K(+)-ATPase will hydrolyze small acylphosphates such as p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) in addition to ATP and can derive sufficient energy from the hydrolysis of these small molecules to catalyze active ion transport. In this report, 4-azido-2-nitrophenyl phosphate (ANPP), a photoreactive analog of pNPP, was used as a probe of the substrate binding site of dog renal Na+/K(+)-ATPase. ANPP was slowly hydrolyzed by Na+/K(+)-ATPase with a Vmax of 0.19 mumol mg-1 min-1 and with an apparent Km of 1.0 mM. The Km for hydrolysis of pNPP was 1.7 mM. ANPP competitively inhibited the hydrolysis of pNPP with a Ki of 0.37 mM. Both the ATPase and pNPPase activity of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase were irreversibly inhibited after photolysis of the enzyme and ANPP with UV light, although neither activity was completely inhibited by up to 200 microM ANPP. Inhibition of activity was prevented by including 0.2 mM ATP in the reaction or by excluding Mg2+ from the photolysis buffer. Photolysis with [32P]ANPP labeled only the alpha subunit of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase, and the amount of labeling was substantially reduced by 0.2 mM ATP or in the absence of Mg2+. The stoichiometry of labeling extrapolated to a maximum of about 1.2 nmol/mg of protein at 100% inhibition of Mg(2+)-dependent activity. Limited proteolytic digestion showed labeling sites on nonoverlapping tryptic peptides derived from the alpha subunit of Na+/K(+)-ATPase, and two radiolabeled peptides were purified from an exhaustive tryptic digest of [32P]ANPP-labeled Na+/K(+)-ATPase. One peptide contained amino acids Met-379 to Lys-406, and the second contained amino acids Ala-655 to Lys-676. Amino acids corresponding to Asn-398 and Pro-668 were missing from the sequences and may represent residues derivatized by ANPP from within the substrate binding site of Na+/K(+)-ATPase.

Identification of an amino acid in the ATP binding site of Na+/K(+)-ATPase after photochemical labeling with 8-azido-ATP

[alpha-32P]-8-N3-ATP, [2-3H]-8-N3-ATP, and non-radioactive 8-N3-ATP have been used as photoaffinity probes of the ATP binding site of dog kidney Na+/K(+)-ATPase. 8-N3-ATP has previously been shown to bind to Na+/K(+)-ATPase with high affinity, to be a substrate for Na+/K(+)-ATPase, and to inactivate the enzyme upon ultraviolet irradiation [Scheiner-Bobis, G., & Schoner, W. (1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 152, 739-746]. 8-N3-ATP competitively inhibits the high-affinity binding of [2,8-3H]-ATP to Na+/K(+)-ATPase with a Ki of 3.4 microM, which is comparable to the reported KD of 3.1 microM for the binding of 8-N3-ATP to the enzyme. The extent of inhibition of ATP hydrolysis by 8-N3-ATP was linearly correlated with the stoichiometry of covalent incorporation of 8-N3-ATP into Na+/K(+)-ATPase up to about 50% inhibition of activity; however, the linkage between the protein and 8-N3-ATP was unstable, and the maximum incorporation of 8-N3-ATP was less than the nucleotide binding capacity of the protein. After photolysis with ultraviolet light, 8-N3-ATP was specifically incorporated into the carboxy-terminal 58-kDa fragment of the alpha-subunit of Na+/K(+)-ATPase generated by limited trypsin digestion in the presence of KCl, and the beta-subunit was not labeled. 8-N3-ATP-labeled Na+/K(+)-ATPase was digested with trypsin, and a single peak containing the nucleotide was identified after HPLC fractionation of the digest.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of functional domains of the packaging proteins of bacteriophage T3 by site-directed mutagenesis

Intracellular phage T3 DNA is synthesized as a concatemer in which unit-length molecules are jointed together in head-to-tail fashion through terminally redundant sequences. The concatemeric DNA is processed and packaged into the prohead with the aid of non-capsid proteins, gp18 and gp19. We have developed a defined system, composed of purified gp18, gp19 and proheads, and a crude system, composed of lysates of T3 infected cells, for in vitro packaging of T3 DNA. The defined system displays an ATPase activity which is composed of DNA packaging-dependent and -independent ATPases (pac- and nonpac-ATPases, respectively). In the crude system, DNA is packaged by a way of concatemer as an intermediate. gp19 has ATP binding activity and three ATP binding and two Mg2+ binding consensus motifs in its amino acid sequence. We have expanded the previous studies on the roles of these domains in the DNA packaging reaction by more extensive analysis by site-directed mutagenesis. gp19 mutants, including the previously isolated four mutants, were divided into four groups according to the DNA packaging activity in the defined and crude systems: group 1 mutants were defective in both systems (gp19-G61D, which is a gp19 mutant with Gly to Asp at amino acid 61 and so on, and gp19-H344D); the group 2 mutant had decreased activity in both systems (gp19-G429R); group 3 mutants were active in the defined system but defective in the crude system (gp19-G63D, gp19-H347R, gp19-G367D, gp19-G369D, gp19-G424E); group 4 mutants had almost the same activity as gp19-wt (gp19-K64T, gp19-K370I, gp19-G429L, gp19-K430T and gp19-H553L). Group 1 mutants had an altered conformation, resulting in defective interaction with ATP and in abortive binding to the prohead, and lost specifically the pac-ATPase activity. The group 2 mutant had an increased pac-ATPase activity in spite of the decreased DNA packaging activity, indicating that this mutant is inefficient in coupling of ATP hydrolysis to DNA translocation. The inability of the group 3 mutants except gp19-H347R to package DNA in the crude system would be due to a defect in processing of concatemer DNA. gp19-H347R would be a mutant defective in the initiation event(s) of DNA packaging.

The epitope for the inhibitory antibody M7-PB-E9 contains Ser-646 and Asp-652 of the sheep Na+,K(+)-ATPase alpha-subunit

The binding of monoclonal antibody M7-PB-E9 to the alpha-subunit of Na+,K(+)-ATPase partially inhibits enzyme activity (35%) in competition with ATP, while in the presence of magnesium it stimulates the rate of ouabain binding severalfold [Ball, W. J. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 2275-2281]. These effects have been shown to result from an antibody-induced shifting of the enzyme's E1 <==> E2 conformational equilibrium to the right that affects all enzyme-ligand interactions except that with Mg2+ [Abbott, A.J., & Ball, W.J. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 11236-11243]. In order to identify the location of the M7-PB-E9 epitope, proteolytic fragments of the lamb kidney enzyme were generated and the immunoreactive alpha fragments were identified by Western blot analyses. These studies revealed a 47-kDa tryptic fragment, which bound both M7-PB-E9 and a -COOH terminus specific antisera and NH2-terminal sequencing showed to originate at Ala-590. Digestion with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease produced a 36-kDa -COOH-terminus fragment which originated at Gly-697 and did not contain the antibody epitope. Thus the intracellular sequence region Ala-590 to Gly-697 was shown to contain the antibody epitope. When M7-PB-E9's ability to recognize the alpha subunits from various species and tissues was determined and correlated with available sequencing data, only Ser-646 was present in the highly reactive lamb, pig, and avian kidney alpha 1 proteins and altered (Asn) in the poorly recognized Xenopus and rat kidney and Torpedo electroplax organ enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A glycine-rich sequence in the catalytic site of F-type ATPase

Affinity labeling and genetic studies on the glycine-rich sequence of the beta subunit of E. coli F-type ATPase are discussed. A model of the structure of the enzyme near the gamma phosphate moiety is proposed.

The genes of Na,K-ATPase, a selfreview

The review is devoted to analysis of research carried out in the author's laboratory on structure-function relationships in genes coding for Na,K-ATPases. Also considered are problems related to molecular evolution of ion-transporting ATPases. This brief review is devoted to a fragment of research carried out in my laboratory, the Laboratory of Human Genes Structure and Function at the Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, USSR Academy of Sciences. The area of the review may be named as structural-evolutionary analysis of functional anatomies of genes. The approach is fairly standard and its essence was formulated long ago: evolution decides 'to be or not to be' based on usefulness or lack of it. The elements of genes that are important for the gene function are retained in the course of evolution, and a comparison of genes having similar functions in different species should, hopefully, reveal different behavior of gene blocks, conservation of functionally significant blocks and variability of less significant or insignificant ones. An approach like this has been widely used in comparing proteins. However, a study of genes gives the investigator yet another tool of structural and evolutionary import: the exon structure may be relevant to the gene's evolutionary history, with exons corresponding to the functional domains (arguments for and against this fascinating hypothesis have been reviewed by Blake (Blake, 1985). However, even if the exon-domain correlation does not hold in the general case, a similarity in the exon-intron pattern of genes from different species is indicative of their common evolutionary origin and is enforcing the logic of variability analysis, provided, of course, that the compared genes have a common predecessor. A few years ago we employed this approach to analyze the functional structure of genes coding for subunits of bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerases and constructed functional maps of the enzyme. After that, a similar study of Na,K-ATPase genes to be reviewed here was started. The entire project became possible through collaboration with the lab of Dr. N. N. Modyanov, an eminent specialist in protein chemistry who had already accumulated considerable information on Na,K-ATPase from pig kidneys by that time. I would also like to stress that the work has been started on the initiative of the deceased Director of the Institute, Yu. A. Ovchinnikov. Since this is a self-review, I am asking my colleagues whose work will not be cited here to excuse me.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)