Effect of temperature on Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes: ESR studies

Using spin-labeled fatty acid derivatives and maleimide, the effect of temperature on the structural state of various parts of the lipid bilayer of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes and the segmental motion of the Ca-ATPase molecule were investigated. The mobility of the spin probes localized in the hydrophobic zone and the outer part of the SR membrane was shown to increase with a rise in temperature from 4 to 44 degrees C, the temperature of 20 degrees C being critical for these changes. In the presence of ATP, critical changes in the spin probe mobility occur at lower temperatures, while in the presence of ATP and Ca2+ they are observed at 20 degrees C for a spin probe localized in the outer part of the SR membrane. The mobility of a spin probe localized in the hydrophobic part of the membrane increases linearly with a rise in temperature. In the absence of ligands, the segmental motion of Ca-ATPase changes linearly within a temperature range of 10-30 degrees C. However, when ATP alone or ATP and Ca2+ are simultaneously added to the incubation mixture, the protein mobility undergoes critical changes at 20 degrees C. The Arrhenius plots for ATPase activity and Ca2+ uptake rate in SR membrane preparations also have a break at 20 degrees C. It is assumed that changes in the structural state of membrane lipids produce conformational changes in the Ca-ATPase molecule; the enzyme seems to be unsensitive to the structural state of the membrane lipid matrix in the absence of the ligands.     

A saturation transfer electron spin resonance study on the break in the Arrhenius plot for the rotational motion of Ca2+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase molecules in purified and lipid-replaced preparations of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

By means of saturation transfer electron spin resonance spectroscopy the rotational motion of spin-labeled Ca2+-dependent ATPase molecules has been investigated for three kinds of preparations of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum: MacLennan's enzyme (purified ATPase preparation), DOPC- and egg PC-ATPase (purified ATPase preparations in which endogenous lipids are replaced with dioleoyl and egg yolk phosphatidylcholine, respectively). The rotational mobility of the enzyme in these preparations is somewhat lower than that in the intact membrane, probably due to the reduced amount of lipids. For all the preparations, however, the Arrhenius plot for rotational mobility showed a break at about 18 degrees C, the same temperature at which a break in the Arrhenius plot for Ca2+-ATPase activity occurs. This result provides further evidence that the break in the Arrhenius plot is not related to a lipid phase transition but to a change in the physical state of the Ca2+-ATPase molecule existing in fluid lipids.     

Effect of phospholipid substitution on the mobility of protein-bound spin labels in sarcoplasmic reticulum

The influence of phospholipid environment upon the mobility of spin labels covalently bound to the Ca2+-transport ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase [EC 3.6.1.3]) was studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy in native and reconstituted sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. Fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscle was covalently labeled with maleimide spin-labels of different chain length or with 4-(2-iodoacetamido)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinooxyl, and the phospholipids were exchanged for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine or dioleoylphosphatidylcholine. With short-chain maleimide or iodoacetamide spin labels, the spectrum of the protein-bound label reflected the change in microenvironment caused by replacement of endogenous phospholipids with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine as a decrease in mobility. In contrast, after labeling with long-chain maleimide derivatives, there were no noticeable differences in the spectra before and after substitution with dipalmitophatidylcholine. Replacement of endogenous phospholipids with dioleoylphosphatidylcholine did not affect the spectra. The data indicate that increased viscosity in the environment of Ca2+-transport ATPase produced by replacement of sarcoplasmic reticulum lipids with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine reduces the mobility of short-chain maleimide spin labels covalently attached to the Ca2+-transport ATPase polypeptide.     

Conformational mobility and enzymatic activity of Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum

Purified preparations of Ca2+-dependent ATPase were lipid-deleted and incorporated into egg lecithin (EL) and dipalmitoyl lecithin (DPL) liposomes. The temperature dependences of the catalytic activity and of molecular mobility of the spin label (N-1-hydroxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) maleimide linked to a highly reactive SH-group in the vicinity of the active center (15-16 A) and of the fatty acid spin probe (6-doxylpalmitate) located in the protein-lipid moiety were compared. The molecular mobility of the spin label was measured by the saturation transfer method; that of the spin probe was estimated from the maximal splitting value. It was found that the catalytic activity of DPL is correlated with the molecular mobility of the hydrophobic part of ATPase, while that of EL with the segment flexibility in the vicinity of the active center.     

Thyroxine: structural transformations in the membranes of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

The structure of the membranes of sarcoplasmic reticulum fragments (SRF) normally and in thyrotoxicosis was studied by the spin-label and spin-probe methods and by chemifluorescence. The curves of temperature dependence of the regularity parameter show a typical break for the spin probe at 20 degrees C shifted by 4 degrees C to sower temperatures for thyrotoxins. The same shift was observed with temperature dependence for the correlation period of the spin label covalently bound to the thiol groups of Ca2+ dependent ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum. The latent period of thyrotoxins was reduced and the chemifluorescence intensity increased. The results obtained suggest the occurrence of considerable changes in the structure of SRF membranes in thyrotoxicosis.     

Temperature dependence of rotational dynamics of protein and lipid in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes

We have investigated the relationship between function and molecular dynamics of both the lipid and the Ca-ATPase protein in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), using temperature as a means of altering both activity and rotational dynamics. Conventional and saturation-transfer electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to probe rotational motions of spin-labels attached either to fatty acid hydrocarbon chains or to the Ca-ATPase sulfhydryl groups in SR. EPR studies were also performed on aqueous dispersions of extracted SR lipids, in order to study intrinsic lipid properties independent of the protein. While an Arrhenius plot of the Ca-ATPase activity exhibits a clear change in slope at 20 degrees C, Arrhenius plots of lipid hydrocarbon chain mobility are linear, indicating that an abrupt thermotropic change in the lipid hydrocarbon phase is not responsible for the Arrhenius break in enzymatic activity. The presence of protein was found to decrease the average hydrocarbon chain mobility, but linear Arrhenius plots were observed both in the intact SR and in extracted lipids. Lipid EPR spectra were analyzed by procedures that prevent the production of artifactual breaks in the Arrhenius plots. Similarly, using sample preparations and spectral analysis methods that minimize the temperature-dependent contribution of local probe mobility to the spectra of spin-labeled Ca-ATPase, we find that Arrhenius plots of overall protein rotational mobility also exhibit no change in slope. The activation energy for protein mobility is the same as that of ATPase activity above 20 degrees C; we discuss the possibility that overall protein mobility may be essential to the rate-limiting step above 20 degrees C.     

Structural and functional properties of a Ca2+-ATPase from human platelets

An antibody prepared against highly purified rabbit muscle Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum has been observed to cross-react with proteins in human platelet membrane vesicles. The antibody specifically precipitated Ca2+-ATPase activity from solubilized human platelet membranes and recognized two platelet polypeptides denatured in sodium dodecyl sulfate with Mr = 107,000 and 101,000. Ca2+-ATPase activity from Brij 78-solubilized platelet membranes was purified up to 10-fold. The purified preparation consisted mainly of two polypeptides with Mr approximately 100,000, and 40,000. The lower molecular weight protein appeared unrelated to Ca2+-ATPase activity. The Ca2+-ATPase in human platelet membrane vesicles exhibited "negative cooperativity" with respect to the kinetics of ATP hydrolysis. The apparent Km for Ca2+ activation of ATPase activity was 0.1 microM. Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of platelet vesicles by [gamma-32P]ATP at 0 degrees C yielded a maximum of 0.2-0.4 nmol of PO4/mg of protein that was labile at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C. This result suggests that only about 2-4% of the total protein in platelet membrane vesicles is the Ca2+-ATPase, which agrees with an estimate based on the specific activity of the Ca2+-ATPase in platelet membranes (20-50 nmol of ATP hydrolyzed/min/mg of protein at 30 degrees C). Calmodulin resulted in only a 1.6-fold stimulation of Ca2+-ATPase activity even after extensive washing of membranes with a calcium chelator or chlorpromazine. It is concluded that human platelets contain a Ca2+-ATPase immunochemically related to the Ca2+ pump from rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum and that the enzymatic characteristics and molecular weight of the platelet ATPase are quite similar to those of the muscle ATPase.     

Effect of phospholipid substitution on the mobility of spin labels bound to the ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

The mobility of spin labels covalently bound to the Ca2+-transport ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase [EC 3.y.1.3]) was studied by electron spin-resonance spectroscopy in purified ATPase and reconstituted vesicles. The purified ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscle was covalently labeled with maleimide spin-labels of different chain length and the phospholipids were exchanged for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The spectrum of the short-chain maleimide spin-label, bound to purified ATPase indicates reduced mobility after substitution of endogenous phospholipids with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. With the long-chain maleimide derivative no difference was detected in the spectra, measured at 20-35 degrees C temperature before and after substitution with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Below 10 degrees C temperature the substitution with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine decreased the mobility of the prove, indicating that the microviscosity of environment in the vicinity of nitroxide groups was influenced by changes in the fatty acid composition. With both short and long chain spin-labels bound to purified ATPase adn sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles the amplitude of weakly immobilized component sharply decreased in media containing 20-50% glycerol. Therefore, the mobility of covalently bound nitroxide group in short or long chain maleimide derivatives is also sensitive to the viscosity of the water phase.     

Phosphorylation of a 100 000 dalton component and its relationship to calcium transport in sarcoplasmic reticulum from rabbit skeletal muscle

Sarcomplasmic reticulum from rabbit fast skeletal muscle contains intrinsic protein kinase activity (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) and a substrate. The protein kinase activity was Mg2+ dependent and could also phosphorylate exogenous protein substrates. Autophosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was not stimulated by cyclic AMP, neither was it inhibited by the heat-stable protein kinase inhibitor protein. The phosphorylated membranes had the characteristics of a protein with a phosphoester bond. An average of 73 pmol Pi/mg protein were incorporated in 10 min at 30 degrees C. Addition of exogenous cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase increased the endogenous level of phosphorylation by 25-100%. Sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane phosphorylation, mediated by either endogenous cyclic AMP-independent or exogenous cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, occurred on a 100 000 dalton protein and both enzyme activities resulted in enhanced calcium uptake and Ca2+-dependent ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3), in a manner similar to cardiac microsomal preparations. Regulation of Ca2+ transport in skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum may be mediated by phosphorylation of a 100 000 dalton component of these membranes.     

Stabilization and crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum

Conditions were developed for the long-term stabilization of Ca2+-ATPase in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum, purified Ca2+-ATPase, and purified-delipidated Ca2+-ATPase preparations. The standard storage medium contains 0.1 M KCl, 10 mM K-3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonate, pH 6.0, 3 mM MgCl2, 20 mM CaCl2, 20% glycerol, 3 mM NaN3, 5 mM dithiothreitol, 25 IU/ml Trasylol, 2 micrograms/ml 1,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, 2 mg/ml protein, and 2-4 mg of detergent/mg of protein. Preparations stored under these conditions at 2 degrees C in a nitrogen atmosphere retain significant Ca2+-stimulated ATPase activity for periods of 5-6 months or longer when assayed in the presence of asolectin. The same conditions are also conducive for the formation of three-dimensional microcrystals of Ca2+-ATPase. Of the 49 detergents tested for solubilization, optimal crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase was obtained in sarcoplasmic reticulum solubilized with octaethylene glycol dodecyl ether at a detergent/protein weight ratio of 2, and with Brij 36T, Brij 56, and Brij 96 at a detergent/protein ratio of 4. Similar Ca2+-induced crystals of Ca2+-ATPase were obtained with purified or purified delipidated ATPase preparations at lower detergent/protein ratios. The stabilization of the ATPase activity in the presence of detergents is the combined effect of high Ca2+ (20 mM) and a relatively high glycerol concentration (20%). Ethylene glycol, glucose, sucrose, or myoinositol can substitute for glycerol with preservation of ATPase activity for several weeks in the presence of 20 mM Ca2+.Ca2+-induced association between ATPase molecules may be an essential requirement for preservation of enzymatic activity, both in intact sarcoplasmic reticulum and in solubilized preparations.     

Temperature-dependent abnormalities of the erythrocyte membrane in porcine malignant hyperthermia

The temperature dependence of ATPase activities and stearic acid spin label motion in red blood cells of normal and MH-susceptible pigs have been examined. Arrhenius plots of red blood cell ghost Ca-ATPase and calmodulin-stimulable Ca-ATPase activities were identical for both normal and MH erythrocyte ghosts. Arrhenius plots of Mg-ATPase activity exhibited a break (defined as a change in slope) at 24 degrees C in both MH and normal erythrocyte ghosts. However, below 24 degrees C the apparent activation energy for this activity was less in MH than normal ghosts. To determine whether breaks in ATPase Arrhenius plots could be correlated with changes in the physical state of the red blood cell membrane, the spin label 16-doxyl-stearate was introduced into the bilayer of both erythrocyte ghosts and red blood cells. With both ghosts and intact cells, at each temperature examined, the mobility of the probe in the lipid bilayer, as measured by electron paramagnetic resonance, was greater in normal than in MH membranes. While there were no breaks in Arrhenius plots for probe motion in the erythrocyte ghosts, the apparent activation energy for probe motion was significantly greater in normal than in MH ghost membranes. While there was no break in the Arrhenius plot of probe motion in normal intact red blood cell membranes, there were breaks in the Arrhenius plot of probe motion at both 24 and 33 degrees C in intact MH red blood cell membranes. Based on the altered temperature dependence of Mg-ATPase activity and spin probe motion in membranes derived from MH red blood cells, we conclude that there may be a generalized membrane defect in MH pigs which is reflected in the red blood cell as an altered membrane composition or organization.     

Incorporation of synthetic phospholipids into the membranes of the sarcoplasmic reticulum from the rabbit muscle

The hydrophobic spin label used in ESR showed that the iminoxyl radical rotation in the native membrane of sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR) occurred much faster than in the membranes, modified by a synthetic lipid. Such effect was observed throughout the whole temperature range (7-40 degrees). Experimental technique for the modification of the SR membrane and the lipid by ultrasonic treatment has been developed. Synthetic lipids without ultrasonic treatment did not inhibit the activity of Ca2+-ATPase. The change in both the enzyme activity and its ability to transport the Ca2+ ions through the membrane vesicules was observed after the phospholipids incorporation into the SR membrane. The investigation of the temperature dependence (in Arrhenius coordinates) of native and modified by lecithin Ca2+-ATPase after ultrasonic treatment and also of a "pure enzyme" showed the presence of two sharp breaks at 20 degrees and 40-42 degrees. It was shown tha the break of an Arrhenius anamorphosis was caused by a lipid environment of ATPase, "melting" of a phospholipid bilayer. The break at 20-22 degrees was observed in all cases and even after the incorporation of all the lipids into the SR membrane. This phenomenon can be explained by the distortion of the protein-lipid interaction, affecting the conformation mobility of protein and the geometry of its catalytically active center.     

Saturation transfer electron spin resonance study on the rotational diffusion of calcium- and magnesium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes.

The technique of saturation transfer electron spin resonance has been applied to study the rotational diffusion of spin-labeled Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent ATPase molecules in the membranes of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. Comparison of the present data with those for spin-labeled hemoglobin undergoing isotropic rotation leads to a value of 2 X 10(-4) s for the apparent rotational correlation time at 20 degrees C for the membrane-bound protein. Consideration of the anisotropy of the Brownian rotation of the membrane-bound ATPase suggests that the true correlation time for the expected axial rotation may be somewhat smaller than the apparent value. An Arrhenius plot of the rotational motion shows a break, which is interpreted as indicating the occurrence of a conformational change of the ATPase molecule at about 15 degrees C.     

Ca-ATPase activity and protein composition of sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes isolated from skeletal muscles of typical hibernator,the ground squirrel Spermophilus undulatus

Ca-ATPase activity in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes isolated from skeletal muscles of the typical hibernator, the ground squirrel Spermophilus undulatus, is about 2-fold lower than that in SR membranes of rats and rabbits and is further decreased 2-fold during hibernation. The use of carbocyanine anionic dye Stains-All has revealed that Ca-binding proteins of SR membranes, histidine-rich Ca-binding protein and sarcalumenin, in ground squirrel, rat, and rabbit SR have different electrophoretic mobility corresponding to apparent molecular masses 165, 155, and 170 kDa and 130, 145, and 160 kDa, respectively; the electrophoretic mobility of calsequestrin (63 kDa) is the same in all preparations. The content of these Ca-binding proteins in SR membranes of the ground squirrels is decreased 3–4 fold and the content of 55, 30, and 22 kDa proteins is significantly increased during hibernation.     

Lipid fluidity directly modulates the overall protein rotational mobility of the Ca-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum

We have developed a quantitative and relatively model-independent measure of lipid fluidity using EPR and have applied this method to compare the temperature dependence of lipid hydrocarbon chain fluidity, overall protein rotational mobility, and the calcium-dependent enzymatic activity of the Ca-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum. We define membrane lipid fluidity to be T/eta, where eta is the viscosity of a long chain hydrocarbon reference solvent in which a fatty acid spin label gives the same EPR spectrum (quantitated by the order parameter S) as observed for the same probe in the membrane. This measure is independent of the reference solvent used as long as the spectral line shapes in the membrane and the solvent match precisely, indicating that the same type of anisotropic probe motion occurs in the two systems. We argue that this empirical measurement of fluidity, defined in analogy to the macroscopic fluidity (T/eta) of a bulk solvent, should be more directly related to protein rotational mobility (and thus to protein function) than are more conventional measures of fluidity, such as the rate or amplitude of rotational motion of the lipid hydrocarbon chains themselves. This new definition thus offers a fluidity measure that is more directly relevant to the protein's behavior. The direct relationship between this measure of membrane fluidity and protein rotational mobility is supported by measurements in sarcoplasmic reticulum. The overall rotational motion of the spin-labeled Ca-ATPase protein was measured by saturation-transfer EPR. The Arrhenius activation energy for protein rotational mobility (11-12 kcal/mol/degree) agrees well with the activation energy for lipid fluidity, if defined as in this study, but not if more conventional definitions of lipid fluidity are used. This agreement, which extends over the entire temperature range from 0 to 40 degrees C, suggests that protein mobility depends directly on lipid fluidity in this system, as predicted from hydrodynamic theory. The same activation energy is observed for the calcium-dependent ATPase activity under physiological conditions, suggesting that protein rotational mobility (dependent on lipid fluidity) is involved in the rate-limiting step of active calcium transport.     

A spin-label and hydrogen-deuterium exchange reaction kinetics study of protein-lipid interactions in lipid-replaced Ca2+-ATPase of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

The Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum from rabbit skeletal muscle was incorporated into vesicles made from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The Ca2+-ATPase activity of these reconstituted membranes became appreciable above 20 degrees C and 30 degrees C, respectively, in accord with the results of previous investigators. Measurement by the spin-labeling technique of the fluidity of the bulk lipid revealed the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition at 29 degrees C and 39 degrees C, respectively, while the fluidity of the boundary lipid in both samples was found to be low throughout the temperature range studied. The rotational mobility of the Ca2+-ATPase protein in both samples, measured by saturation transfer electron spin resonance, was also very low throughout the temperature range studied and its temperature-dependence did not show any break or jump corresponding to the phase transition of the bulk lipid. On the other hand, the structural fluctuation of the Ca2+-ATPase protein in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-recombinant, measured in terms of hydrogen-deuterium exchange reaction kinetics, showed a jump at about 27 degrees C, apparently in accordance with the phase transition of the bulk lipid. Results obtained in this study suggested that the Ca2+-ATPase protein molecules are in an aggregated state in these reconstituted membranes and that the Ca2+-ATPase activity is neither directly correlated to the fluidity of the boundary lipid nor to the rotational mobility of the Ca2+-ATPase, contrary to the suggestions of previous investigators (Hesketh et al. (1976) Biochemistry 15, 4145-4151; Hidalgo et al. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 6879-6887).     

Perturbations of phospholipid head groups by membrane proteins in biological membranes and recombinants.

P-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) have been used to probe the behavior of phospholipid head groups in the presence of membrane proteins. Measurements have been made on rabbit muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum and recombinants of the Ca2+ Mg2+ ATPase, rod outer segment disk membranes and recombinants of rhodopsin, and human erythrocyte ghosts and recombinants of human erythrocyte glycophorin. Recombined membranes with lipid/protein ratios greater than or equal to that found in biological membranes showed T1 behavior similar to the biological membranes and pure phosphatidylcholine. However, recombined membranes with a low lipid/protein ratio exhibited a T1 that was dramatically shorter than any of the other systems. Analysis of the relaxation mechanism and the factors contributing to it implicate a phospholipid head group conformation change at high protein content. It is suggested that this is due to trapping of phospholipid between proteins and is not the same phenomenon as motional restriction at the lipid-protein interface at higher lipid contents.     

Reactivity of sarcoplasmic reticulum from rabbit cardiac muscle with 1-fluoro- and 1,5-difluoro- 2,4-dinitrobenzene

Sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations from rabbit cardiac and fast skeletal muscle react differentially with low concentrations of 1-fluoro- and 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Dinitrophenylation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum by 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene is not affected by Ca2+ and is limited to the lipoprotein-lipid region. This contrasts sharply with the predominant Ca2+-dependent dinitrophenylation of the ATPase protein of rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum by this reagent. Formation of non-serial high mol. wt. oligomers by 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene is significantly greater in cardiac than in skeletal vesicles. Substrate MgATP2- does not protect rabbit cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase activity or Ca2+ uptake from dinitrophenylation when monofunctional and bifunctional reagents are used. Chemical differences in the overall structure of the two kinds of membrane preparations can be ascertained from a comparison of the effects of Ca2+ and MgATP2- on the reactivity of these reagents.     

Role of phospholipids in the calcium-dependent ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Enzymatic and ESR studies with phospholipid-replaced membranes.

Three types of partially purified ATPase enzymes having different phospholipid contents and compositions have been prepared: (a) an enzyme whose phospholipid moiety has been replaced predominantly by dioleoyl lecithin (DOL-enzyme), with about the same phospholipid content as the original sarcoplasmic reticulum, (b) dipalmitoyl lecithin-replaced enzyme whose phospholipid content is 30% of that of DOL-enzyme (DPL-enzyme), and (c) a partially delipidated enzyme with about the same phospholipid content as DPL-enzyme but with the original sarcoplasmic reticulum phospholipid composition (del-enzyme). The temperature dependence of Ca2+-activated ATPase activity of these preparations showed clearcut differences; with DOL-enzyme there was no appreciable break in the Arrhenius plot in the 3-40 degrees range; DPL-enzyme showed a break at 29 degrees, and del-enzyme and sarcoplasmic reticulum one at 18 degrees. Transition temperatures obtained from ESR studies with the use of spin-labeled stearic acid incorporated into the membranes agreed with those derived from ATPase assays. Thermo-dynamic analysis of the ATP hydrolysis rates shows that DPL-enzyme has considerably larger values of activation enthalpy and activation entropy below the transition temperature (29 degrees) than those of the other preparations, while all enzyme preparations show similar free energies of activation. The ESR data show that below their transition temperatures DPL-enzyme, and to a lesser degree del-enzyme, have a strongly restricted motion of their phospholipid molecules as compared with either DOL-enzyme or sarcoplasmic reticulum. Studies on the formation and decomposition of phosphoenzyme have been carried out with the three types of ATPase preparations. At 0 degrees, the rate of inorganic phosphate liberation is 8 times lower in DPL-enzyme than in del-enzyme with little difference in the steady state level of phosphoenzyme. In DOL-enzyme, the level of phosphoenzyme and the rate of inorganic phosphate liberation are 1.8 and 3.5 times higher than the corresponding values obtained with del-enzyme. Addition of ADP to the phosphorylated intermediate of DPL-enzyme induces a fast reversal of the phosphorylation reaction. These results indicate that the physical state of the phospholipid molecules associated with the enzyme affects the decomposition of phosphoenzyme, with little effect on the phosphorylation reaction and its reversal.     

Sarcoplasmic reticulum. X. The protein composition of sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes

The proteins of Sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes were resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into several fractions ranging in mol wt from 300,000 to about 30,000. The ATPase enzyme involved in Ca²⁺ transport is associated with a major protein fraction and its molecular weight based on its electrophoretic mobility on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate is about 106,000. Reducing agents (β-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol) cause the dissociation of membrane proteins into subunits of 20,000–60,000 mol wt, which can be separated by electrophoresis or Sephadex G-150 chromatography.