Ca2+ binding and translocation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase: Functional and structural considerations

Three experimental systems are described including sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles, reconstituted proteoliposomes, and recombinant protein obtained by gene transfer and expression in foreign cells. It is shown that the Ca²⁺ ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) includes an extramembranous globular head which is connected through a stalk to a membrane bound region. Cooperative binding of two calcium ions occurs sequentially, within a channel formed by four clustered helices within the membrane bound region. Destabilization of the helical cluster is produced following enzyme phosphorylation by ATP at the catalytic site in the extramembranous region. The affinity and orientation of the Ca²⁺ binding site are thereby changed, permitting vectorial dissociation of bound Ca²⁺ against a concentration gradient. A long range linkage between phosphorylation and Ca²⁺ binding sites is provided by an intervening peptide segment that retains high homology in cation transport ATPases, and whose function is highly sensitive to mutational perturbations.     

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 Ca²⁺-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 Ca²⁺-ATPase.Abbreviations SR Sarcoplasmic Reticulum - AMPPNP adenylyl-imidodiphosphate - AMPPCP adenylyl (,-methylene)-diphosphonate - FITC fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate - NBD 4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole - DCCD dicyclohexylcarbodiimide     

Phosphorylation and mutation of phospholamban alter physical interactions with the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump

Phospholamban physically interacts with the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump (SERCA) and regulates contractility of the heart in response to adrenergic stimuli. We studied this interaction using electron microscopy of 2D crystals of SERCA in complex with phospholamban. In earlier studies, phospholamban oligomers were found interspersed between SERCA dimer ribbons and a 3D model was constructed to show interactions with SERCA. In this study, we examined the oligomeric state of phospholamban and the effects of phosphorylation and mutation of phospholamban on the interaction with SERCA in the 2D crystals. On the basis of projection maps from negatively stained and frozen-hydrated crystals, phosphorylation of Ser16 selectively disordered the cytoplasmic domain of wild type phospholamban. This was not the case for a pentameric gain-of-function mutant (Lys27Ala), which retained inhibitory activity and remained ordered in the phosphorylated state. A partial loss-of-function mutation that altered the charge state of phospholamban (Arg14Ala) retained an ordered state, while a complete loss-of-function mutation (Asn34Ala) was also disordered. The functional state of phospholamban was correlated with an order-to-disorder transition of the phospholamban cytoplasmic domain in the 2D co-crystals. Furthermore, co-crystals of the gain-of-function mutant (Lys27Ala) facilitated data collection from frozen-hydrated crystals. An improved projection map was calculated to a resolution of 8 Å, which supports the pentamer as the oligomeric state of phospholamban in the crystals. The 2D co-crystals with SERCA require a functional pentameric form of phospholamban, which physically interacts with SERCA at an accessory site distinct from that used by the phospholamban monomer for the inhibitory association.     

Trypsin-induced calcium efflux from sarcoplasmic reticulum: Evidence for the involvement of the (Ca2++Mg2+)-ATPase

Summary Trypsin digestion of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane at 35 to 43°C leads to an increased calcium permeability, the temperature dependence of which suggests tryptic exposure or creation of a channel rather than tryptic release of a mobile carrier (K.C. Toogood et al.,Membr. Biochem. 5:49–75, 1983). Here we show that: (1) the digested vesicles both pump and leak calcium, demonstrating that the vesicles remain intact; (2) an increased rate of efflux is not observed for membranes digested and kept at 15°C, but a temperature shift to 35°C following arrested digestion leads to the development of increased calcium permeability, indicating that a digestion step at the lower temperature potentiates increased permeability which develops rapidly as a result of a trypsin-facilitated protein conformational change at the higher temperature; (3) two inhibitors of the ATPase, adenyl-5-yl imidodiphosphate and dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide, both measurably retard the development of increased permeability at the higher temperature following arrested digestion, suggesting that these inhibitors bind to the target protein and prevent the conformational change responsible for the permeability increase, and further suggesting that the ATPase is the target for the trypsin; (4) digestion of the ATPase at 15°C follows the same initial cleavage pattern as at 35°C, but the cleavage stops or drastically slows down after the second digestion step at the lower temperature, whereas the digestion continues beyond the second step at the higher temperature, showing that an early digestion step may be responsible for potentiating increased permeability; (5) the permeability increase following digestion at 15°C and incubation at 35°C correlates (r>0.98) with the second tryptic cleavage step of the calcium ATPase, providing more support for the ATPase as the trypsin-sensitive efflux site; and (6) the rate of efflux depends on the concentration of the doubly cleaved ATPase molecules to the first power; the null hypothesis that the efflux actually depends on the cleaved ATPase concentration to the second or higher power was examined using the F test and can be rejected (confidence>0.90 to 0.98), suggesting that the efflux pathway is through a single ATPase molecule. We speculate that the pathway for increased calcium permeability is the one employed during calcium uptake and that there is a functional separation of the ATPase and calcium channel activities by trypsin digestion at 15°C followed by incubation at 35°C.     

Heterologous expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

In recent years, expression of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca²⁺-ATPase in heterologous systems has been a widely used strategy to study altered enzymes generated by site-directed mutagenesis. Various eukaryotic expression systems have been tested, all of them yielding comparable amounts of recombinant protein. However, the relatively low yield of recombinant protein obtained so far suggests that novel purification techniques will be required to allow further characterization of this enzyme based on direct ligand-binding measurements.     

Lysophospholipid-mediated alterations in the calcium transport systems of skeletal and cardiac muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

Summary The effects of various lysophospholipids on the calcium transport activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from rabbit skeletal and canine cardiac muscles were examined. The lipids decreased calcium transport activity in both membrane types; the effectiveness being in the order lysoPC > lsyoPS, lysoPG > lysoPE. The maximum inhibition induced by lysoPC, lysoPG and lysoPS was greater than 85% of the normal Ca²⁺-transport rate. In cardiac SR lysoPE had a maximal inhibition of about 50%. Half maximal inhibition of calcium transport by lysoPC was achieved at 110 nmoles lysoPC/mg SR. At this concentration of lysoPC, the (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase and Ca²⁺-uptake activities were inhibited to the same extent (about 60%) in skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum, while in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, there was less than 20% inhibition of the Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺-ATPase activity. Studies with EGTA-induced passive calcium efflux showed that up to 200 nmoles lysoPC/mg SR did not alter calcium permeability significantly in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. In skeletal muscle membranes the lysophospholipid mediated decrease in calcium uptake correlated well with the increase in passive calcium efflux due to lysophosphatidylcholine. The difference in the lysophospholipid-induced effects on the sarcoplasmic reticulum from the two muscle types probably reflects variations in protein and other membrane components related to the respective calcium transport systems.     

Pharmacology of calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum

Calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) has been elicited in response to additions of many different agents. Activators of Ca²⁺ release are here tentatively classified as activators of a Ca²⁺-induced Ca²⁺ release channel preferentially localized in SR terminal or as likely activators of other Ca²⁺ efflux pathways. Some of these pathways may be associated with several different mechanisms for SR Ca²⁺ release that have been postulated previously. Studies of various inhibitors of excitation-contraction coupling and of certain forms of SR Ca²⁺ release are summarized. The sensitivity of isolated SR to certain agents is unusually affected by experimental conditions. These effects can seriously undermine attempts to anticipate effects of the same pharmacological agentsin situ. Finally, mention is made of a new preparation (sarcoballs) designed to make the pharmacological study of SR Ca²⁺ release more accessible to electrophysiologists, and some concluding speculations on the future of SR pharmacology are offered.     

The influence of calcium pump coupling on the Arrhenius behavior of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

Experiments were performed in which two batches of sarcoplasmic reticulum were isolated from rabbit hind leg muscle, one in the presence of dithiothreitol, the other in the absence of reducing agent. A comparative study was made of some of the properties of the two preparations, in particular, the Arrhenius behavior of the Ca²⁺-ATPase. The Ca²⁺-ATPase isolated in the absence of dithiothreitol is thermally unstable with the result that a triphasic Arrhenius plot was obtained. This triphasic behavior is largely the consequence of an uncoupling of the hydrolytic machinery from the calcium pump. In contrast, the sarcoplasmic reticulum preparation obtained in the presence of dithiothreitol is thermally stable and yields a linear Arrhenius plot. The difference in the Arrhenius behavior shown by the two preparations was abolished when the measurements of Ca²⁺-ATPase activity were made in the presence of the calcium ionophore, A23187.     

A non-specific Ca2+ (or Mg2+)-stimulated ATPase in rat heart sarcoplasmic reticulum

ATPase activity in rat heart sarcoplasmic reticulum was stimulated in a concentration-dependent manner by both Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in the complete absence of the other cation. Increasing concentrations of Mg²⁺ produced an apparent inhibition of the Ca²⁺-dependent ATP hydrolysis. CDTA (trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetate) had no effect on these responses. The results indicate the presence of a low affinity non-specific divalent cation-stimulated ATPase in rat heart sarcoplasmic reticulum. However, sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles transported Ca²⁺ with a high affinity (K_0.5 Ca²⁺ = 0.41 M) suggesting the presence of a high affinity Ca²⁺-transporting ATPase. Calmodulin did not stimulate rat heart sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase activity over a range of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ concentrations and failed to stimulate membrane phosphorylation and Ca²⁺ transport into sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. Calmodulin antagonists trifluoperazine and compound 48180 did not affect the ATPase activity. Catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase was also ineffective in stimulating the ATPase activity. These results suggest the presence of an ATPase activity in rat heart sarcoplasmic reticulum with different properties from the high affinity Ca²⁺-pumping ATPase previously characterized in dog heart and other species.Abbreviations cAMP adenosine 3,5-monophosphate - CaM calmodulin - CDTA trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetate - EDTA ethylene-diaminetetraacetate - EGTA ethylene glycol bis(-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N,N-tetraacetate - PLB phospholamban - SR sarcoplasmic reticulum - TFP trifluoperazine     

Fluorometric study on conformational changes in the catalytic cycle of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

Changes in the fluoresence ofN-acetyl-N-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (EDANS), being attached to Cys-674 of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase without affecting the catalytic activity, as well as changes in the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence were followed throughout the catalytic cycle by the steady-state measurements and the stopped-flow spectrofluorometry. EDANS-fluorescence changes reflect conformational changes near the ATP binding site in the cytoplasmic domain, while tryptophan-fluorescence changes most probably reflect conformational changes in or near the transmembrane domain in which the Ca²⁺ binding sites are located. Formation of the phosphoenzyme intermediates (EP) was also followed by the continuous flow-rapid quenching method. The kinetic analysis of EDANS-fluorescence changes andEP formation revealed that, when ATP is added to the calcium-activated enzyme, conformational changes in the ATP binding site occur in three successive reaction steps; conformational change in the calcium enzyme substrate complex, formation of ADP-sensitiveEP, and transition of ADP-sensitiveEP to ADP-insensitiveEP. In contrast, the ATP-induced tryptophan-fluorescence changes occur only in the latter two steps. Thus, we conclude that conformational changes in the ATP binding site in the cytoplasmic domain are transmitted to the Ca²⁺-binding sites in the transmembrane domain in these latter two steps.Abbreviations SR sarcoplasmic reticulum - EP phosphoenzyme - EDANS N-acetyl-N-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine - AMP-PCP adenosine 5-(, -methylene)triphosphate - NEM N-ethylmaleimide     

Sarcoplasmic reticulum calsequestrins: Structural and functional properties

Calsequestrin is the major Ca²⁺-binding protein localized in the terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. Calsequestrin has been purified and cloned from both skeletal and cardiac muscle in mammalian, amphibian, and avian species. Two different calsequestrin gene products namely cardiac and fast have been identified. Fast and cardiac calsequestrin isoforms have a highly acidic amino acid composition. The amino acid composition of the cardiac form is very similar to the skeletal form except for the carboxyl terminal region of the protein which possess variable length of acidic residues and two phosphorylation sites. Circular dichroism and NMR studies have shown that calsequestrin increases its -helical content and the intrinsic fluorescence upon binding of Ca²⁺. Calsequestrin binds Ca²⁺ with high-capacity and with moderate affinity and it functions as a Ca²⁺ storage protein in the lumen of the SR. Calsequestrin has been found to be associated with the Ca²⁺ release channel protein complex of the SR through protein-protein interactions. The human and rabbit fast calsequestrin genes have been cloned. The fast gene is skeletal muscle specific and transcribed at different rates in fast and slow skeletal muscle but not in cardiac muscle. We have recently cloned the rabbit cardiac calsequestrin gene. Heart expresses exclusively the cardiac calsquestrin gene. This gene is also expressed in slow skeletal muscle. No change in calsequestrin mRNA expression has been detected in animal models of cardiac hypertrophy and in failing human heart.     

Solvent perturbation evidence for a two-state system regulated by calcium in sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase

Perturbation of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase with the nonionic detergent C12E8 is modulated by the amount of free Ca2+ present in the solvent prior to the addition of detergent. CD measurements show that the enzyme exists in solution in two different conformations that react differently with the detergent. They probably represent the free enzyme, and its complex with Ca2+. On this assumption, titrations with increasing amounts of Ca2+ produced data superimposable on curves obtained measuring Ca2+ bound to sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles.     

Association of small ankyrin 1 with the sarcoplasmic reticulum

Small ankyrin 1, or sAnk1, is a small, alternatively spliced product of the erythroid ankyrin gene, ANK1, that is expressed in striated muscle and concentrated in the network sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) surrounding the Z disks and M lines. We have characterized sAnk1 in muscle homogenates and SR vesicles, and have identified the region that targets it to the network SR. Selective extractions and partitioning into Triton X-114 show that sAnk1 behaves like the SR Ca-ATPase and so is an integral protein of the SR membrane. Mild proteolytic treatment of isolated SR vesicles indicates that sAnk1 is oriented with its hydrophilic, C-terminal sequence exposed to the solution, which is equivalent to the cytoplasmic face of the SR membrane in situ. SDS-PAGE in non-reducing gels suggests that sAnk1 is present as dimers and larger oligomers in the native SR. These results suggest that sAnk1 is oligomeric and oriented with its C-terminus exposed to the cytoplasm, where it may interact with proteins of the contractile apparatus. The N-terminal 29 amino acid hydrophobic sequence of sAnk1, which is predicted to span the SR membrane, is sufficient to target proteins to and anchor them in internal membranes of HEK 293 cells. It also targets reporter proteins to the network SR of skeletal myofibers and is thus the first example of a sequence that targets proteins to a particular compartment of the SR.     

Comparison of the effects of the membraneassociated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase on Ca2+-ATPase function in cardiac and slow-twitch skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

In both cardiac and slow-twitch skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) there are several systems involved in the regulation of Ca²⁺-ATPase function. These include substrate level regulation, covalent modification via phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of phospholamban by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) as well as direct CaM kinase phosphorylation of the Ca²⁺-ATPase. Studies comparing, the effects of PKA and CaM kinase on cardiac Ca²⁺-ATPase function have yielded differing results; similar studies have not been performed in slow-twitch skeletal muscle. It has been suggested recently, however, that phospholamban is not tightly coupled to the Ca²⁺-ATPase in SR vesicles from slow-twitch skeletal muscle. Our results indicate that assay conditions strongly influence the extent of CaM kinase-dependent Ca²⁺-ATPase stimulation seen in both cardiac and slow-twitch skeletal muscle. Addition of calmodulin (0.2 M) directly to the Ca²⁺ transport assay medium results in minimal ( 112–130% of control) stimulation of Ca²⁺ uptake activity when the Ca²⁺ uptake reaction is initiated by the addition of either ATP or Ca²⁺/EGTA. On the other hand, prephosphorylation of the SR by the endogenous CaM kinase and subsequent transfer of the membranes to the Ca²⁺ transport assay medium results in stimulation of Ca²⁺ uptake activity (202% of control). These effects are observable in both cardiac and slow-twitch skeletal muscle SR. PKA stimulates Ca²⁺ uptake markedly (215% of control) when the Ca²⁺ uptake reaction is initiated by the addition of prephosphorylated SR membranes or by Ca²⁺/EGTA but minimally (130% of control) when the Ca²⁺ uptake reaction is initiated by the addition of ATP. These findings imply that (a) phospholamban is coupled to the Ca²⁺-ATPase in slow-twitch skeletal muscle SR (as in cardiac SR), and (b) the amount of Ca²⁺ uptake stimulation seen upon the addition of calmodulin or PKA depends strongly on the assay conditions employed. Our observations help to explain the wide range of effects of calmodulin or PKA addition reported in previous studies. It should be noted that, since CaM kinase is now known to phosphorylate the Ca²⁺-ATPase in addition to phospholamban, further studies are required to determine the relative contributions of phospholambanversus Ca²⁺-ATPase phosphorylation in the stimulation of Ca²⁺-ATPase function by CaM kinase. Also, earlier studies attributing all of the effects of CaM kinase stimulation of Ca²⁺ uptake and Ca²⁺-ATPase activity to phospholamban phosphorylation need to be re-examined.     

Abnormal formation of sarcoplasmic reticulum networks and triads during early development of skeletal muscle cells in mitsugumin29-deficient mice

Recently, we detected a novel membrane protein, mitsugumin29 (MG29), in the triads in rabbit skeletal muscle cells and suggested important roles for this membrane protein in the formation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) networks and triads in muscle cells. In the present study, we examined the development of skeletal muscle cells in MG29-deficient mice to try to determine the roles played by MG29 in the formation of the SR networks and triads. Ultrastructural observations revealed some morphological abnormalities in these mice, such as incomplete formation of the SR networks, an irregular running of the transverse tubule and a partial defect in the triads at the A-I junctional region. These ultrastructural abnormalities occurred during early myogenesis and were preserved until the adult stage. The possible roles for MG29 in the formation of SR networks and triads in skeletal muscle cells are discussed in the light of these observations.     

The role of phospholamban in the regulation of calcium transport by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

The calcium transport mechanism of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is regulated by a phosphoregulatory mechanism involving the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of an integral membrane component, termed phospholamban. Phospholamban, a 27,000 Da proteolipid, contains phosphorylation sites for three independent protein kinases: 1) cAMP-dependent, 2) Ca²⁺-calmodulin-dependent, and 3) Ca²⁺-phospholipid-dependent. Phosphorylation of phospholamban by any one of these kinases is associated with stimulation of the calcium transport rates in isolated SR vesicles. Dephosphorylation of phosphorylated phospholamban results in the reversal of the stimulatory effects produced by the protein kinases. Studies conducted on perfused hearts have shown that during exposure to beta-adrenergic agents, a good correlation exists between the in situ phosphorylation of phospholamban and the relaxation of the left ventricle. Phosphorylation of phospholamban in situ is also associated with stimulation of calcium transport rates by cardiac SR, similar to in vitro findings. Removal of beta-adrenergic agents results in the reversal of the inotropic response and this is associated with dephosphorylation of phospholamban. These findings indicate that a phospho-regulatory mechanism involving phospholamban may provide at least one of the controls for regulation of the contractile properties of the myocardium.     

Chemical modification of an arginine residue in the ATP-binding site of Ca2+-transporting ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum by phenylglyoxal

Phenylglyoxal (PGO) was used as a reagent for chemical modification of the ATP-binding site of Ca2+-transporting ATPase of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR-ATPase). When 1 mM PGO was reacted with SR-ATPase at 30°C at pH 8.5, PGO was bound to the ATPase molecule in two-to-one stoichiometry with concomitant loss of activity of the ATPase to form the phosphorylated intermediate (E-P). ATP and ADP prevented the binding of PGO and thereby protected the enzyme from inactivation. The SR membranes were labeled with [14C]PGO and then digested with pepsin to identify the attachment site of PGO. A 14C-labeled peptide (402lle-Arg*-Ser-Gly-Gln406) was purified to homogeneity by C18-reversed phase HPLC (Arg* denotes the binding site of [14C]PGO). These results indicate that Arg403 is located in the ATP binding site of the SR-ATPase.