Effect of Mg2+ on membrane fluidity and K+ transport in rat liver mitochondria

1. The effects of Mg2+ on the fluidity and on the transport properties of mitochondrial inner membrane were compared in parallel experiments. The fluidity was measured by intercalated fatty acid spin probes. Valinomycin-induced K+ uptake was followed using an ion-selective electrode. 2. The rotational diffusion rate of lipids was very slightly affected by Mg2+, whereas the ordering of the probed region of the inner membrane increased considerably above 30 degrees C in the presence of Mg2+. Mg2+ strongly inhibited K+ transport, particularly above 30 degrees C. 3. In the presence of different concentration of MgCl2 (0--30 mM) the order parameter showed no significant variation, whereas the rotational correlation time had essentially biphasic character with a minimum (i.e., faster diffusion rate) at 10 mM MgCl2. 4. We conclude that Mg2+ induces structural changes in the mitochondrial inner membrane and concomitant changes in its functional properties. The term 'fluidity' is inadequate for the interpretation of the data, since changes in the order parameter and in the characteristic correlation time of the inner membrane upon addition of Mg2+ did not show parallel tendencies.     

Activation of alkaline phosphatase with Mg2+ and Zn2+ in rat hepatoma cells. Accumulation of apoenzyme

In Reuber rat hepatoma cells (R-Y121B), alkaline phosphatase activity increased without de novo enzyme synthesis (Sorimachi, K., and Yasumura, Y. (1986) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 885, 272-281). The enzyme was partially purified by butanol extraction from the particulate fractions. The incubation of the extracted alkaline phosphatase with the cytosol fraction induced a large increase in enzyme activity (5-10-fold of control). The dialyzed cytosol was more effective than the undialyzed cytosol during an early period of incubation at 37 degrees C. This difference between the dialyzed and the undialyzed cytosol fractions was due to endogenous Na+. For maximal activation of the enzyme, both Mg2+ above 1 mM and Zn2+ at low concentrations (below 0.01 mM) were needed, although Zn2+ at high concentrations (above 0.1 mM) showed an inhibitory effect. Zn2+ and Mg2+ alone slightly increased alkaline phosphatase activity. This activation of the enzyme was temperature dependent and was not observed at 0 or 4 degrees C. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate showed that the increase in alkaline phosphatase activity did not involve the fragmentation of the enzyme and that 65Zn2+ bound to it during enzyme activation with 65Zn2+ and Mg2+. The cytosol fraction not only supplied Zn2+ to the nascent enzyme but also increased the maximal enzyme activity more than did direct addition of metal ions. Ferritin and metallothionein contributed to the activation of alkaline phosphatase with the metal ions. Since the binding of Zn2+ and Mg2+ to the nascent alkaline phosphatase is disturbed in Reuber rat hepatoma cells (R-Y121B), the apoenzyme is accumulated inside the cells. The binding of Zn2+ and Mg2+ to the apoenzyme readily takes place in the cell homogenates accompanied by an increase in catalytic activity without new enzyme synthesis.     

Insulin action on cardiac glucose transport. Studies on the role of the Na+/K+ pump

Isolated muscle cells from adult rat heart have been used to study the relationship between myocardial glucose transport and the activity of the Na+/K+ pump. 86Rb+-uptake by cardiac cells was found to be linear up to 2 min with a steady-state reached by 40-60 min, and was used to monitor the activity of the Na+/K+ pump. Ouabain (10(-3) mol/l) inhibited the steady-state uptake of 86Rb+ by more than 90%. Both, the ouabain-sensitive and ouabain-insensitive 86Rb+-uptake by cardiac cells were found to be unaffected by insulin treatment under conditions where a significant stimulation of 3-O-methylglucose transport occurred. 86Rb+-uptake was markedly reduced by the presence of calcium and/or magnesium, but remained unresponsive towards insulin treatment. Inhibition of the Na+/K+ pump activity by ouabain and a concomitant shift in the intracellular Na+ :K+ ratio did not affect basal or insulin stimulated rates of 3-O-methylglucose transport in cardiac myocytes. The data argue against a functional relationship between the myocardial Na+/K+ pump and the glucose transport system.     

Measurement of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase activity and E-type Mg2+-ATPase activity in rat heart homogenates

The presence of a high and nonlinear Ca2+-independent (or basal) ATPase activity in rat heart preparations makes difficult the reliable measurement of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase activity by usual methods. A spectrophotometric assay for the accurate determination of SR Ca2+-ATPase activity in unfractionated homogenates from rat heart is described. The procedure is based on that reported by Simonides and van Hardeveld (1990, Anal. Biochem. 191, 321-331) for skeletal muscle homogenates. To avoid overestimation of the Ca2+-ATPase activity of cardiac homogenates that occurs when sequential measurements of total and basal ATPase activities are performed, two parallel and independent assays are required: one with low (micromolar) and other high (millimolar) calcium concentration. Addition of thapsigargin (0.2 microM) blocked totally the activity considered as Ca2+-ATPase activity. Using this method, the rat heart homogenate Ca2+-ATPase activity was 10.5 +/- 2.0 micromol. min-1 x g-1 tissue wet weight (n = 8). Likewise, a spectrophotometric assay for measuring E-type Mg2+-ATPase activity in cardiac total homogenates has been developed, comparing the following characteristics of the enzymatic activity in homogenate and a membrane-enriched fraction: first-order rate constant for ATP-dependent inactivation, Km for ATP, and effects of concanavalin A, Triton X-100, and specific inhibitors.     

Proton pump-linked Mg2+-ATPase activity in isolated rat liver lysosomes

ATPase activity in highly purified rat liver lysosome preparations was evaluated in the presence of other membrane cellular ATPase inhibitors, and compared with lysosome ATP-driven proton translocating activity. Replacement of 5 mM Mg2+ with equimolar Ca2+ brought about a 50% inhibition in divalent cation-dependent ATPase activity, and an 80% inactivation of ATP-linked lysosomal H+ pump activity. In the presence of optimal concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+, ATPase activity was similar to that seen in an Mg2+ medium. Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity was greatly inhibited (from 70 to 80%) by the platinum complexes; cis-didimethylsulfoxide dichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) at approximately 90 microM and cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II) at twofold higher concentrations. Less inhibition, about 30 and 45%, was obtained with N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and N-ethylmaleimide, and the maximal effect occurred in the 50-100 microM and 0.1-1.5 mM ranges, respectively. The concentration dependence of inhibition by the above drugs was determined for both proton pumping and ATPase activities, and half-maximal inhibition concentration of each activity was found at nearly similar values. A micromolar concentration of carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) prevented ATP from setting up a pH gradient across the lysosomal membranes, but stimulated Mg2+-ATPase activity significantly. ATPase activity in Ca2+ medium was also inhibited by CDDP and stimulated by FCCP, but both effects were two- to threefold less than those observed in Mg2+ medium. FCCP failed to stimulate ATPase activity in a CDDP-supplemented medium, thus suggesting that the same ATPase activity fraction was sensitive to both CDDP and FCCP. Mg2+-ATPase activity, like the proton pump, was anion dependent. The lowest activity was recorded in a F-medium, and increased in the order of F- less than SO2-4 less than Cl- approximately equal to Br-. The CDDP-sensitive ATPase activity observed, supported by Mg2+ and less so by Ca2+, may be related to lysosome proton pump activity.     

A one-to-one Mg2+:Mn2+ exchange in rat erythrocytes

Mg2+ efflux in rat erythrocytes was stimulated by increases in external Na+ concentration following a Michaelian-like function with an apparent dissociation constant (KNa) of 11 +/- 3 mM (mean +/- S.D. of three experiments) and a variable maximal rate ranging from 150 to 1200 mumol (liter (1) cells X h)-1. Na+-stimulated Mg2+ efflux was inhibited by quinidine and by ATP depletion. In the absence of external Na+, Mg2+ efflux was stimulated by increases in external Mn2+ concentration following a Michaelian-like function with an apparent dissociation constant (KMn) of 35 +/- 15 microM (mean +/- S.D. of four experiments) and a variable maximal rate ranging from 350 to 1400 mumol (1 cells X h)-1. Mn2+-stimulated Mg2+ efflux was inhibited by quinidine, by ATP depletion, and by increasing the external Na+ concentration. Quinidine-sensitive (or ATP-dependent) Mg2+ efflux exhibited very similar values when compared with quinidine-sensitive (or ATP-dependent) Mn2+ influx. Mn2+ efflux in rat erythrocytes (loaded with total internal Mn2+ contents of 230-450 mumol/l cells) was stimulated by increases in external Na+ concentration and inhibited by quinidine. In the absence of external Na+, Mn2+ efflux was stimulated by increases in external Mg2+ concentration following a Michaelian-like function with an apparent dissociation constant (KMg) of about 35 +/- 5 microM (mean +/- range of two experiments) and a maximal rate of about 60-100 mumol (1 cells X h)-1. In conclusion, the Na+-stimulated Mg2+ carrier of rat erythrocytes may catalyze a one-to-one and reversible Mn2+:Mg2+ exchange in the absence of external Na+.     

Mechanism of action of Mg2+ and Zn2+ on rat placental alkaline phosphatase. I. Studies on the soluble Zn2+ and Mg2+ alkaline phosphatases.

Rat placental alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1), a dimer of 135,000 daltons, is strongly activated by Mg2+. However, Zn2+ has to be present on the apoenzyme to obtain this activation. Mg2+ alone is unable to reconstitute functional active sites. Excess Zn2+ which competes for the Mg2+ site leads to a phosphatase with little catalytic activity at alkaline pH but with normal active sites at acidic pH as shown by covalent incorporation of ortho-[32P]phosphate. Two enzyme species with identical functional active sites have been reconstituted that only differ by the presence of Zn2+ or Mg2+ at the effector site. A mechanism is presented by which alkaline phosphatase activity of rat placenta would be controlled by a molecular process involving the interaction of Mg2+ and Zn2+ with the dimeric enzyme molecule.     

The relationship between Rb+ influx and K+-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase activity in oat roots of different K+ status flexible coupling?

The relationship between Rb⁺ influx and microsomal ATPase activity stimulated by K⁺ and Mg²⁺+ K⁺ was investigated for roots of 7-day-old seedlings of oat (Avena sativa L., cv. Brighton). Different concentrations of K⁺ in the roots, K⁺_root were produced by cultivating plants in complete nutrient solutions of different dilutions and dFifferent K⁺ concentrations at various temperatures. Experiments were performed in both light and darkness. The range of the influx/ATPase ratios was large with a factor of 5 or more between the highest and lowest values. In most cases, the highest ratios were obtained at low K⁺_root and at high temperatures, and the lowest at high K⁺_root and at low temperatures. At high temperatures (20 and 25°C) in the light, the influx/ATPase ratio was constant, independently of K⁺_root, if K⁺ in the medium was kept constant but the bulk of the nutrient solution diluted. If K⁺ was varied and the other components of the medium kept constant, the normal relation of decreasing influx/ATPase ratio at increasing K⁺_root was found; thus, Rb⁺ influx appears regulated by both the internal and external potassium conditions. Also in darkness, at 15°C and with K ⁺ in the medium varied, the influx/ATPase ratio was independent of K⁺_root but in the corresponding light experiments, ratio and K⁺_root had the normal, inverse relationship. The difference between light and dark conditions appears to indicate that growth rate is of importance for the relationship between energy input and transport. Our data lead to the concept of “flexible coupling” between transducers) of energy and ion carrier. Without excluding other possibilities, this may be one of the mechanisms for ecological adaptation to variations in the root medium.     

Disulfiram lowers Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase activity of rat brain synaptosomes

The chronic administration of disulfiram (DS) to rats resulted in significant decrease of synaptosomal Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase activity. In vitro studies indicated that DS (ID₅₀=20 M) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase. However, diethyldithio-carbamate, a metabolite of DS, failed to modify Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase activity, implying that the decrease in ATPase activity in DS administered rats was due to the effect of parent compound. The DS-mediated inhibition (48%) of ATPase activity was comparable with a similar degree of inhibition (49%) achieved by treating the synaptosomal membranes with N-ethylmaleimide (ID₅₀=20 M) in vitro. Furthermore, the inhibition by DS was neither altered by washing the membranes with EGTA nor reversed by treatment with sulfhydryl reagents such as GSH or dithiothreitol. About 74% and 68% decrease of synaptosomal Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase specific activity was observed when treated with DS (30 M) and EGTA (100 M) respectively. The remaining 25–30% of total activity is suggested to be of Mg²⁺-dependent ATPase activity. This indicates that both these drugs may act on a common target, calmodulin component that represents 70–75% of total Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase activity. Therefore, DS-mediated modulation of synaptosomal Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase activity could affect its function of maintaining intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration. This could contribute to the deleterious effects on CNS.     

Effect of amiodarone on Na+-, K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase activities in rat brain synaptosomes

Amiodarone hydrochloride is a diiodinated antiarrhythmic agent widely used in the treatment of cardiac disorders. With the increasing use of amiodarone, several untoward effects have been recognized and neuropathy following amiodarone therapy has recently been reported. The present studies were carried out to study the effect of amiodarone on rat brain synaptosomal ATPases in an effort to understand its mechanism of action. Na+, K+-ATPase and oligomycin sensitive Mg2+ ATPase activities were inhibited by amiodarone in a concentration dependent manner with IC50 values of 50 microM and 10 microM respectively. [3H]ouabain binding was also decreased in a concentration dependent manner with an IC50 value of 12 microM, and 50 microM amiodarone totally inhibited [3H]ouabain binding. Kinetics of [3H]ouabain binding studies revealed that amiodarone inhibition of [3H]ouabain binding is competitive. K+-activated p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity showed a maximum inhibition of 32 per cent at 200 microM amiodarone. Synaptosomal ATPase activities did not show any change in rats treated with amiodarone (20 mg kg-1 day-1) for 6 weeks, when compared to controls. The treatment period may be short, since the reported neurological abnormalities in patients were observed during 3-5 years of treatment. The present results suggest that amiodarone induced neuropathy may be due to its interference with sodium dependent phosphorylation of Na+, K+-ATPase reaction, thereby affecting active ion transport phenomenon and oxidative phosphorylation resulting in low turnover of ATP in the nervous system.     

Characterization of Mg2+- and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity in adipocyte endoplasmic reticulum

The presence of an energy-dependent calcium uptake system in adipocyte endoplasmic reticulum (D. E. Bruns, J. M. McDonald, and L. Jarett, 1976, J. Biol. Chem.251, 7191–7197) suggested that this organelle might possess a calcium-stimulated transport ATPase. This report describes two types of ATPase activity in isolated microsomal vesicles: a nonspecific, divalent cation-stimulated ATPase (Mg²⁺-ATPase) of high specific activity, and a specific, calcium-dependent ATPase (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺-ATPase) of relatively low activity. Mg²⁺-ATPase activity was present in preparations of mitochondria and plasma membranes as well as microsomes, whereas the (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase activity appeared to be localized in the endoplasmic reticulum component of the microsomal fraction. Characterization of microsomal Mg²⁺-ATPase activity revealed apparent K_m values of 115 μm for ATP, 333 μm for magnesium, and 200 μm for calcium. Maximum Mg²⁺-ATPase activity was obtained with no added calcium and 1 mm magnesium. Potassium was found to inhibit Mg²⁺-ATPase activity at concentrations greater than 100 mm. The energy of activation was calculated from Arrhenius plots to be 8.6 kcal/mol. Maximum activity of microsomal (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase was 13.7 nmol ³²P/mg/min, which represented only 7% of the total ATPase activity. The enzyme was partially purified by treatment of the microsomes with 0.09% deoxycholic acid in 0.15 m KCl which increased the specific activity to 37.7 nmol ³²P/mg/min. Characterization of (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase activity in this preparation revealed a biphasic dependence on ATP with a Hill coefficient of 0.80. The apparent K_m^s for magnesium and calcium were 125 and 0.6–1.2 μm, respectively. (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase activity was stimulated by potassium with an apparent K_m of 10 mm and maximum activity reached at 100 mm potassium. The energy of activation was 21.5 kcal/mol. The kinetics and ionic requirements of (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase are similar to those of the (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum. These results suggest that the (Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺)-ATPase of adipocyte endoplasmic reticulum functions as a calcium transport enzyme.     

Accumulation and regulation of elastin in the rat uterus

The relative levels of elastin-specific mRNA were used as a measure of tropoelastin expression in uteri from pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats. The levels of elastin-specific mRNA were also correlated with values for net tropoelastin production and net deposition of mature, crosslinked elastin. The total content of uterine elastin increased throughout gestation, reaching maximal levels at Day 19 of gestation, which were three times those of nongravid tissue. Following involution, the elastin content decreased rapidly to near baseline values by 5 days postpartum. The content of soluble elastin, estimated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, paralleled in part the increase in elastin deposition and elastin mRNA levels. Uterine elastin metabolism appears to be unlike that in other elastic tissues, e.g., lung and large blood vessels. In most elastin containing tissues, the protein is synthesized during discrete developmental periods and is not readily degraded. However, uterine elastin is continuously expressed, and appears to be in a continual cycle of degradation and replacement.