Coexistence of high- and low-affinity Ca2+ binding sites of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump

Ca2+ binding to sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase phosphorylated by Pi reveals four thapsigargin-sensitive Ca2+ sites in the presence of ADP

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase was phosphorylated by Pi at pH 8.0 in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO). Under these conditions, it was possible to measure transient 45Ca2+ binding to the phosphoenzyme. Binding reached 1.2 Ca2+ per phosphoenzyme (E-PCax) within 10 min in 30% Me2SO, 20 mM MgCl2 and 0.1 mM Pi and the phosphoenzyme only decreased by 23% during this period. This Ca2+ binding was abolished by thapsigargin, showing that it is associated with functional sites of the Ca2+-ATPase. At 40% Me2SO, simultaneous addition of Ca2+ and ADP increased Ca2+ binding up to almost four Ca2+ per phosphoenzyme (ADPE-PCay), revealing a species bearing simultaneously four Ca2+ sites. Both E-PCax and ADPE-PCay were further identified as distinct species by (2',3'-O-2(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine 5'-triphosphate) fluorescence, which revealed long-range modifications in the Ca2+-transport sites induced by ADP binding to E-P. In addition, E-PCax was shown to be a functional intermediate of the cycle leading to ATP synthesis provided that Me2SO was diluted. These findings indicate that more than two functional Ca2+-sites exist on the functional Ca2+-ATPase unit, and that the additional sites become accessible upon ADP addition. This is compatible with a four-site model of the SR Ca2+-ATPase allowing simultaneous binding of Ca2+ at lumenal and cytosolic sites. The stoichiometries for Ca2+ binding found here could either be interpreted as binding of four Ca2+ on a Ca2+-ATPase monomer considered as the functional unit or as binding of two Ca2+ per monomer of a functional dimer.

Characterisation of thapsigargin-releasable Ca(2+) from the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum at limiting [Ca(2+)]

The Ca(2+) binding sites of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have been identified as two high-affinity sites orientated towards the cytoplasm, two sites of low affinity facing the lumen, and a transient occluded species that is isolated from both membrane surfaces. Binding and release studies, using (45)Ca(2+), have invoked models with sequential binding and release from high- and low-affinity sites in a channel-like structure. We have characterised turnover conditions in isolated SR vesicles with oxalate in a Ca(2+)-limited state, [Ca(2)](lim), where both high- and low-affinity sites are vacant in the absence of chelators (Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1418 (1999) 48-60). Thapsigargin (TG), a high-affinity specific inhibitor of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, released a fraction of total Ca(2+) at [Ca(2+)](lim) that accumulated during active transport. Maximal Ca(2+) release was at 2:1 TG/ATPase. Ionophore, A23187, and Triton X-100 released the rest of Ca(2+) resistant to TG. The amount of Ca(2+) released depended on the incubation time at [Ca(2+)](lim), being 3.0 nmol/mg at 20 s and 0.42 nmol/mg at 1000 s. Rate constants for release declined from 0. 13 to 0.03 s(-1). The rapidly released early fraction declined with time and k=0.13 min(-1). Release was not due to reversal of the pump cycle since ADP had no effect; neither was release impaired with substrates acetyl phosphate or GTP. A phase of reuptake of Ca(2+) followed release, being greater with shorter delay (up to 200 s) following active transport. Reuptake was minimal with GTP, with delays more than 300 s, and was abolished by vanadate and at higher [TG], >5 microM. Ruthenium red had no effect on efflux, indicating that ryanodine-sensitive efflux channels in terminal cisternal membranes are not involved in the Ca(2+) release mechanism. It is concluded that the Ca(2+) released by TG is from the occluded Ca(2+) fraction. The Ca(2+) occlusion sites appear to be independent of both high-affinity cytoplasmic and low-affinity lumenal sites, supporting a multisite 'in line' sequential binding mechanism for Ca(2+) transport.

Ca2+ translocation across sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase randomizes the two transported ions

Cytoplasmic Ca2+ dissociation is sequential, and the Ca2+ ions bound to the nonphosphorylated ATPase are commonly represented as superimposed on each other, so that the superficial Ca2+ is freely exchangeable from the cytoplasm, whereas the deeper Ca2+ is not. Under conditions where ADP-sensitive phosphoenzyme accumulates (leaky vesicles, 5 degrees C, pH 8, 300 mM K+), luminal Ca2+ dissociation is sequential as well, so that the representation of two superimposed Ca2+ ions still holds on the phosphoenzyme, with the superficial Ca2+ facing the lumen freely exchangeable and the deeper Ca2+ blocked by the superficial Ca2+. Under the same conditions, we have investigated whether a prebuilt Ca2+ order is maintained during membrane translocation. Starting from a prebuilt order on the cytoplasmic side, we showed that the Ca2+ ions cannot be identified after translocation to the luminal side. The same result was obtained starting from a prebuilt order on the luminal side and following the luminal to cytoplasmic translocation. We conclude that the two Ca2+ ions are mixed during ATP-induced phosphorylation as well as during ADP-induced dephosphorylation.

Structure-function relationships in the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum: facts, speculations and questions for the future

Structural data on the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum are integrated with kinetic data on Ca2+ transport. The emphasis is upon ATPase-ATPase interactions, the requirement for phospholipids, and the mechanism of Ca2+ translocation. The possible role of cytoplasmic [Ca2+] in the regulation of the synthesis of Ca(2+)-ATPase is discussed.

How do Ca2+ ions pass through the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane

We propose an overview of the mechanism of Ca2+ transport through the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane via the Ca(2+)-ATPase. We describe cytoplasmic calcium binding, calcium occlusion in the membrane and lumenal calcium dissociation. A channel-like structure is discussed and related to structural data on the membranous domain of the Ca(2+)-ATPase.

The structure and interactions of Ca(2+)-ATPase

Electron crystallographic studies on membrane crystals of Ca(2+)-ATPase reveal different patterns of ATPase-ATPase interactions depending on enzyme conformation. Physiologically relevant changes in Ca2+ concentration and membrane potential affect these interactions. Ca2+ induced difference FTIR spectra of Ca(2+)-ATPase triggered by photolysis of caged Ca2+ are consistent with changes in secondary structure and carboxylate groups upon Ca2+ binding; the changes are reversed during ATP hydrolysis suggesting that a phosphorylated enzyme form of low Ca2+ affinity is the dominant intermediate during Ca2+ transport. A two-channel model of Ca2+ translocation is proposed involving the membrane-spanning helices M2-M5 and M4, M5, M6 and M8 respectively, with separate but interacting Ca2+ binding sites.

The application of vectorial coupling theory to the calcium pump

Models for the calcium pump of the E1E2 type appear to be inconsistent with new evidence for the binding of internal and external calcium ions, simultaneously, to the free pump. The models are shown here to be incomplete but not necessarily wrong; they omit the required modulation of the mobility, specificity, and enzyme activity of the pump, which is brought about through substrate-controlled conformational changes. A reaction scheme based on the E1E2 model but incorporating the conformational equilibria in question is shown to account for a variety of experimental findings, including those at odds with the simple model: (i) binding of lumenal Ca2+ to the free as well as the phosphorylated pump; (ii) uncoupled exit of lumenal Ca2+ at high concentrations; (iii) the absence of any effect of lumenal Ca2+ on the binding of external Ca2+; (iv) uncoupled ATPase activity in dimethyl sulfoxide.