Differential reactivity of lysine residues of the red blood cell Ca2+ pump involved in the E1-E2 conformational equilibrium

Effect of pH upon Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of rat pancreatic islets: its possible contribution to the inhibitory effect of different insulin secretagogues

This work was undertaken in an attempt to elucidate the possible mechanism by which insulin secretagogues produce a fast and transient drop in the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of the pancreatic islet membrane. For this purpose, the enzyme activity was measured in either homogenates or partially purified membranes of islets previously incubated under different experimental conditions. Ca(2+)-ATPase activity measured in homogenates of islets preincubated with 8 mM glucose decreased significantly compared to control islets incubated with 2.8 mM glucose. The inhibition was also observed when the enzyme activity was measured in homogenates of islets preincubated with 2.8 mM glucose plus 20 mM propionic acid as well as with glucose 2.8 mM in a buffer equilibrated with a gas mixture of O2 and either 12% or 30% CO2. Ca(2+)-ATPase activity decreased significantly in partially purified islet membranes preincubated for 3 min with glucose (2 and 8 mM), 15 mM KCl and 2 mM tolbutamide. These substances did not affect the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity when added directly to the enzyme assay medium. The enzyme activity also decreased when measured in membranes preincubated at pH 6.5. The addition of 1 mM ATP to the preincubation medium protected the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity from the inhibition induced by glucose, KCl and tolbutamide as well as from the one produced by acidic pH in the medium. On account of these results, we suggest that insulin secretagogues, as well as either acidification of B-cell cytosol or islet membrane incubation medium, produce changes at the islet membrane level which promote a decrease in the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity. A shift of the E1-E2 equilibrium of the phosphoenzyme towards E1 may account for such decreased activity. Changes in Ca(2+)-ATPase activity could either favour the decrease or the increase in the cytosolic concentration of Ca2+ in B-cells. Therefore, negative and positive modulation of its activity might allow Ca(2+)-ATPase to play a role in the switch-on and -off mechanism for intracellular Ca2+ signal regulation of B-cell secretion of insulin.

Acetylation with succinimidyl acetate affects both the catalytic site and the regulation of the erythrocyte Ca2+ pump

Acetylation of lysine residues of the erythrocyte Ca2+ pump using succinimidyl acetate (SA) led to its complete inactivation. In the absence of any of the major activators of the pump (namely calmodulin and acidic phospholipids), ATP fully protected the pump from inactivation by SA, with a K0.5 of 13 microM. This value is very close to the Km of the high-affinity site for ATP, thus suggesting that the residue(s) involved is(are) near or at the catalytic site of the Ca(2+)-ATPase. Furthermore, the presence of 500 microM ATP prevented the acetylation of about two residues per molecule of enzyme. Acetylation by SA also prevented the activation of the Ca2+ pump by calmodulin, acidic phospholipids or controlled trypsin proteolysis. This effect of SA treatment was not avoided by the presence of ATP in the preincubation medium, indicating a second set of modified residues. The fact that the three modes of activation were cancelled in a similar fashion by SA suggests that, although acting via different mechanisms, they share at least a common step in which SA-sensitive lysine residues may participate. Moreover, modification of the pump by SA plus ATP decreased the KCa when the activity was measured in both the absence and presence of calmodulin, suggesting that the residue(s) modified in this case is(are) involved directly in the regulation of the affinity for Ca2+.

The erythrocyte calcium pump is inhibited by non-enzymic glycation: studies in situ and with the purified enzyme

In a previous paper we demonstrated that incubation of either intact erythrocytes or erythrocytes membranes with glucose decreases the activity of the membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase [González Flecha, Bermúdez, Cédola, Gagliardino and Rossi (1990) Diabetes 39, 707-711]. The aim of the present work was to obtain information about the mechanism of this inhibition. For this purpose, experiments were carried out with purified Ca(2+)-ATPase, inside-out vesicles and membranes from human erythrocytes. Incubation of the purified Ca(2+)-ATPase with glucose led to a decay in the enzyme activity of up to 50% of the control activity under the conditions used. The decrease in ATPase activity was concomitant with labelling by [6-3H]glucose of the purified Ca2+ pump; the kinetic properties of both processes were almost identical, suggesting that inhibition is a consequence of the incorporation of glucose into the Ca(2+)-ATPase molecule. In inside-out vesicles, glucose also promoted inhibition of Ca(2+)-ATPase activity as well as of active Ca2+ transport. Arabinose, xylose, mannose, ribose, fructose and glucose 6-phosphate (but not mannitol) were also able to inactive the ATPase. The activation energy for both the decrease in ATPase activity by glucose and the labelling of the pump with [6-3H]glucose was about 65 kJ/mol. Furthermore, inorganic phosphate enhanced the inactivation of the Ca(2+)-ATPase by glucose. This evidence strongly suggests that inhibition is a non-enzymically catalysed process. Inactivation of the Ca(2+)-ATPase by glucose was enhanced by reductive alkylation with sodium borohydride. Aminoguanidine, an inhibitor of the formation of the advanced end products of glycosylation, did not prevent the deleterious effect of glucose on the enzyme activity. Therefore it is concluded that inactivation of the Ca2+ pump is a consequence of the glycation of this protein.