Kinetic studies on Na+/K+-ATPase and inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase by ATP

Na+/K+-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) is an important membrane-bound enzyme. In this paper, kinetic studies on Na+/K+-ATPase were carried out under mimetic physiological conditions. By using microcalorimeter, a thermokinetic method was employed for the first time. Compared with other methods, it provided accurate measurements of not only thermodynamic data (deltarHm) but also the kinetic data (Km and Vmax). At 310.15K and pH 7.4, the molar reaction enthalpy (deltarHm) was measured as -40.514 +/- 0.9kJmol(-1). The Michaelis constant (Km) was determined to be 0.479 +/- 0.020 mM and consistent with literature data. The reliability of the thermokinetic method was further confirmed by colorimetric studies. Furthermore, a simple and reliable kinetic procedure was presented for ascertaining the true substrate for Na+/K+-ATPase and determining the effect of free ATP. Results showed that the MgATP complex was the real substrate with a Km value of about 0.5mM and free ATP was a competitive inhibitor with a Ki value of 0.253 mM.     

Temperature-dependencies of various catalytic activities of membrane-bound Na+/K+-ATPase from ox brain, ox kidney and shark rectal gland and of C12E8-solubilized shark Na+/K+-ATPase

The temperature dependence of ouabain-sensitive ATPase and phosphatase activities of membrane fragments containing the Na+/K+-ATPase were investigated in tissue from ox kidney, ox brain and from shark rectal glands. The shark enzyme was also tested in solubilized form. Arrhenius plots of the Na+/K+-ATPase activity seem to be linear up to about 20 degrees C, and non-linear above this temperature. The Arrhenius plots of mammalian enzyme (ox brain and kidney) were steeper, especially at temperatures below 20-30 degrees C, than that of shark enzyme. The Na+-ATPase activity showed a weaker temperature-dependence than the Na+/K+-ATPase activity. The phosphatase reactions measured, K+-stimulated, Na+/K+-stimulated and Na+/K+/ATP-stimulated, also showed a weaker temperature-dependence than the overall Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Among the phosphatase reactions, the largest change in slope of the Arrhenius plot was observed with the Na+/K+/ATP)-stimulated phosphatase reaction. The Arrhenius plots of the partial reactions were all non-linear. Solubilization of shark enzyme in C12E8 did not change the curvature of Arrhenius plots of the Na+/K+-ATPase activity or the K+-phosphatase activity. Since solubilization involves a disruption of the membrane and an 80% delipidation, the observed curvature of the Arrhenius plot can not be attributed to a property of the membrane as such.     

Na+/K(+)-ATPase regulation by neurotransmitters.

A long period of experimental work has led to the conclusion that Na+/K(+)-ATPase is the enzymatic version of the Na+/K+ pump. This enzymatic system is in charge of various important cell functions. Among them cationic equilibrium and recovering of resting membrane potential in neurons is relevant. A tetrameric ensemble of peptides conform the system known as alpha and beta subunits. The alpha subunit is subdivided in alpha 1, alpha 2 and alpha 3, according to different location and properties. Regulatory factors intrinsic to the Na+/K(+)-ATPase system are: ATP, Na+ and Mg2+ concentrations inside the cell, and K+ outside. The enzyme activity is also regulated by extrinsic factors like some hormones (insulin and thyroxine). Induction of gene expression or post-translational modifications of the preexisting pool of the enzyme are the basic mechanisms of regulation proposed. Other extrinsic factors that seem to regulate the enzyme activity are some neurotransmitters. Among them the most extensively studied are catecholamines, mainly norepinephrine (NE) and lately serotonin (5-HT). The mechanism suggested for NE activation of the enzyme seems to involve specific receptors or a non-specific chelating action related to the catechol group that would relieve the inhibition by divalent cations. Another possibility is that NE removes an endogenous inhibitory factor present in the cytoplasm. The Na+/K(+)-ATPase is activated also by 5-HT. In vivo pharmacological and nutriological manipulations of brain 5-HT are accompanied by parallel responses of Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity. Serotonin agonists do activate the enzyme and antagonists neutralize the activation. In vitro there is a different dose dependent activation, according to the brain region. The mechanism involved seems to implicate a specific receptor system. Serotonin-Na+/K(+)-ATPase interaction in the rat brain is probably of functional relevance because it disappears in amygdaloid kindling. Also it seems to influence the ionic regulation of the pigment transport mechanism in crayfish photoreceptors. In relation to other neurotransmitters, a weak response to histamine was observed with acetylcholine, GABA and glutamic acid, the results were negative.     

Enzymatic synthesis of [beta-32P]ADP using adenylate kinase and [gamma-32P]ATP

An enzymatic method for the synthesis of [beta-32P]ADP from [gamma-32P]ATP is described. This substrate is required for the assay of ADPase and is not commercially available. The method described results in a preparation of [beta-32P]ADP of high purity with a yield of approximately 40% the theoretical obtainable.     

Study of ADP effect on brain Na+, K+-ATPase]

A mechanism of K-insensitive, ouabain-dependent liberation of Na+ from the cell during an increase in ADP intracellular concentration is studied. It is shown that the increase in the ADP/ATP ratio does not change the Na+, K+-ATPase affinity to K+ ions and does not result in the Na-activated, K-independent ATPase reaction. ADP protects ATPase from the inhibition by ouabain which is accounted for by a decrease in the concentration of a glycoside-sensitive form of the enzyme E2-P due to a turnover of the phosphokinase step of the reaction, but not due to the binding of free Mg2+ ions. The results obtained suggest that the increase in ADP concentration within the cell activates Na-Nan exchange along Na-transporting channels of the ionic pump.     

The steady-state kinetic mechanism of ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from ox brain

The expressions for the kinetic constants corresponding to the steady state model for hydrolysis of ATP catalyzed by (Na+ + K+)-ATPase proposed recently are analyzed with the object of determining the rate constants. The theoretical background for the necessary procedures is described. The results of this analysis are: (1) A small class (four) of rate constants are determined directly by the previously published values of the kinetic constants. (2) For a somewhat larger class of rate constants upper and lower bounds may be established. For several rate constants the upper and lower bounds differ by less than a factor 1.6 (for the "(Na+ + K+)-enzyme", i.e. the enzyme activity with K+ and millimolar substrate concentration) and 1.2 (for the "Na+-enzyme",i.e. the activity at micromolar substrate concentrations). (3) Experiments on inhibition by K+ of the Na+-enzyme at various Mg2+ concentrations are reported and analyzed. With the additional assumption that the rate constants governing the addition to ATP of Mg2+ is independent of whether or not ATP is bound to an enzyme molecule, a set of consistent values for all the 23 rate constants in the mechanism may be obtained. (4) The values of some rate constants lend further support to the contention discussed in a previous paper that the enzyme hydrolyzes ATP along two kinetically distinct pathways, depending on the presence of K+ and on the concentration of substrate, without the necessity of having more than one active substrate site per enzyme unit at any time. (5) The results show that while the two enzyme forms, the "Na+-enzyme" E1 and the "K+-enzyme" E2K, add substrate with (second order) rate constants of the same order of magnitude (differing only by a factor of four in favor of the former), the rate constants for the reverse processes differ by a factor of 100, being largest for the K+-enzyme. This is the main reason for the large difference in the Michaelis constants for the two forms reported previously. (6) Compatibility of the model with the well-known rapid dephosphorylation of the phosphorylated enzyme in the presence of K+ requires the presence, at non-zero steady state concentration, of an enzyme-potassium-phosphate intermediate, which is acid labile and is therefore not detected as a phosphorylated enzyme using conventional methods.     

Activation of the Na+/K+-ATPase by interleukin-2

Activated B61.SF.1 and CTLL-2 T lymphocyte clones which are strictly dependent on interleukin-2 (IL-2) for growth were used to study the activation of Na+/K+-ATPase. 50% of [3H]thymidine maximal incorporation was obtained when the extracellular concentration of Na+ or K+ was reduced to 50 or 2 mM, respectively. 'Quiescent' CTL clones stimulated with IL-2 showed an increase of 48-380% in ouabain-sensitive 86Rb uptake. Furthermore, this stimulation was completely inhibited by a monoclonal antibody PC.61 directed at the IL-2 receptor. The activation of the pump was dependent on the dose of IL-2, took place at the same doses of IL-2 that were required to stimulate cell proliferation and was linear for at least 30 min.     

Bovine brain Na+,K+-stimulated ATP phosphohydrolase studied by a rapid-mixing technique. K+-stimulated liberation of [32P] orthophosphate from [32P] phosphoenzyme and resolution of the dephosphorylation into two phases.

Dephosphorylation of [32P]phosphoenzyme of bovine brain Na+,K+-stimulated ATP phosphohydrolase (EC 3.6.1.3), labelled by [gamma-32P]ATP, was investigated at 21 degrees C by means of a rapid-mixing technique. On addition of a high concentration of KCl (10 mM) to [32P]phosphoenzyme at steady state in the presence of Mg2+ and Na+, very rapid dephosphorylation was obtained. Simultaneously, the amount of [32P]orthophosphate increased at about the same rate. It was concluded that this K+-stimulated dephosphorylation and liberation of [32P]orthophosphate from the [32P]phosphoenzyme was rapid enough to participate in the Na+,K+-stimulated hydrolysis of ATP. In order to study the dephosphorylation in absence of continuing 32P-labelling, excess unlabelled ATP or a chelator of Mg2+ was added. Simultaneous addition of a high concentration of KCl to the [32P]phosphoenzyme formed in the presence of Mg2+ and Na+ but in the absence of K+, resulted in an initial very rapid phase and a subsequent slower phase of dephosphorylation. With KCl also initially present in the incubation medium, only the slow phase was observed. The slow phase of dephosphorylation also seemed to be sufficiently rapid to participate in the Na+, K+-stimulated ATPase reaction. On addition of a high concentration of ADP (5 mM) to [32P]phosphoenzyme formed in the presence of Mg2+ and Na+, an initial comparatively rapid, and later slow phase of dephosphorylation were detected. This gave further support for different forms of phosphoenzyme. Approximate concentrations of these forms, in the absence and presence of KCl, were estimated by extrapolation and the turnover of these forms was calculated. The nature of the kinetically different components of phosphoenzyme and their role in the Na+, K+-stimulated ATPase reaction is discussed.     

Modulation of pig kidney Na+/K+-ATPase activity by cholesterol: role of hydration

Cholesterol is known to affect the activity of membrane-bound enzymes, including Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. To gain insight into the mechanism of cholesterol's effect, we have used various hydrophobic fluorescent probes which insert into different regions of the membrane bilayer and report on the degree of hydration of their environment. Specifially, we have measured the generalized polarization of Laurdan and the lifetime of DPH and derivatives of DPH inserted into membranes from pig kidneys enriched in Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. Spectral measurements were also carried out on these membranes after modification of their cholesterol content. The generalized polarization of Laurdan increased with increasing cholesterol, showing an abrupt modification at the native cholesterol content. The fluorescence lifetimes of DPH and the DPH derivatives were analyzed using a distribution model. The center value of these lifetime distributions and their widths also changed with increasing cholesterol. One DPH derivative, DPH-PC, showed a minimum value for the lifetime center at the native cholesterol concentration, whereas the other derivatives showed a maximum value for the lifetime center at that cholesterol concentration. DPH-PC is known to sense the protein-lipid interface, whereas the other derivatives sense the bulk lipid phase. These data suggest that hydration at the protein-lipid interface is maximal at the native cholesterol concentration as is the enzymatic activity. Hydration at the protein-lipid interface is therefore proposed to be required for activity. These results are in agreement with current models of membrane dynamics and thermodynamics of protein function.     

Characterization of Na+/K+-ATPase from Xenopus laevis kidney. Preliminary results

In Xenopus laevis, the renal Na+/K+-dependent ATPase is a very important enzyme involved in osmoregulatory processes and active transport. The enzyme was obtained from a microsome fraction purified by sucrose discontinuous gradient (10%, 15%, 29.4%) ultracentrifugation after SDS treatment, and concentrated in the denser layer. The assayed biochemical parameters and their values are: 1) Km (ATP): 0.24 mM; 2) K1/2 (Na+): 20.6 mM; 3) K1/2 (K+) 1.6 mM; 4) Ki (ouabain): 0.025 micrometer; 5) optimum pH: 7.2; 6) optimum temperature:" two peaks at 37 degrees C and 45 degrees C.     

The steady-state kinetic mechanism of ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from ox brain. I. Substrate identity

A detailed steady-state kinetic investigation of the hydrolysis of ATP catalyzed by (Na+ + K+)-ATPase is reported. The activity was studied in the presence of (i) Na+ (130 mM), K+ (20 mM) and micromolar ATP concentrations and Na+ (150 mM) the ('Na+-enzyme'). The data obtained lead to the following results: 1. The action of each enzyme may be described by a simple kinetic mechanism with one (Na+-enzyme) or two ((Na+ + K+)-enzyme) dead-end Mg complexes. 2. For both enzymes, both MgATP and free ATP are substrates, with Mg2+, in the latter case, as the second substrate. 3. For each enzyme, the complete set of kinetic constants (seven for the Na+-enzyme, eight for the (Na+ + K+)-enzyme) are determined from the data. 4. For each enzyme it is shown that, in the alternate substrate mechanism obtained, the ratio of net steady-state flux along the 'MgATP pathway' to that of the 'ATP-Mg pathway' increases linearly with the concentration of free Mg2+. The parameters of this function are determined from the data. As a result of this, at high (greater than 3 mM) free Mg2+ concentrations the alternate substrate mechanism degenerates into a 'limiting' kinetic mechanism, with MgATP as the (essentially) sole substrate, and Mg2+ as an uncompetitive (Na+-enzyme) or non-competitive ((Na+ + K+)-enzyme) inhibitor.     

Comparison of Na+/K(+)-ATPase pump currents activated by ATP concentration or voltage jumps.

Using the giant patch technique, we combined two fast relaxation methods on excised patches from guinea pig cardiomyocytes to compare the rate constants of the involved reaction steps. Experiments were done in the absence of intra- or extracellular K+. Fast ATP concentration jumps were generated by photolysis of caged ATP at pH 6.3 with laser flash irradiation at a wavelength of 308 nm and 10 ns duration, as described previously. Transient outward currents with a fast rising phase, followed by a slower decay and a small stationary current, were obtained. Voltage pulses were applied to the same patch in the presence or absence of intracellular ATP. Subtraction of the voltage jump-induced currents in the absence of ATP from those taken in the presence of ATP yielded monoexponential transient current signals, which were dependent on external Na+ but did not differ between intracellular pH (pHi) values 6.3 or 7.4. Rate constants showed a characteristic voltage dependence, i.e., saturating at positive potentials (approximately 200 s-1, 24 degrees C) and exponentially rising with increasing negative potentials. Rate constants of the fast component from transient currents obtained after an ATP concentration jump agree well with rate constants from currents obtained after a voltage jump to zero or positive potentials (pHi 6.3), and the two exhibit the same activation energy of approximately 80 kJ.mol-1. For a given membrane patch, the amount of charge that is moved across the plasma membrane is roughly the same for each of the two relaxation techniques.     

The steady-state kinetic mechanism of ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from ox brain. III. A minimal model

A steady-state kinetic investigation of the effect of K+ on the Na+-enzyme activity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase in broken membrane preparations is reported. Analysis of the kinetic patterns obtained, together with the results reported in the first two articles of this series permit the following conclusions. 1. K+ inhibits the Na+-enzyme (the enzyme activity measured at micromolar substrate concentrations in the presence of Na+). The inhibition of non-competitive at low and competitive at higher K+ concentrations and is enhanced by free Mg2+. 2. The results indicate that the Na+-enzyme at steady-state tends to be accumulated in an enzyme-potassium complex when K+ is added. 3. The enzyme-potassium complex, in turn, binds Mg2+ in a dead-end fashion. The dissociation constant for the enzyme-K-Mg complex, estimated from the data, is 7.2 mM. The same value was obtained earlier for the Mg2+ inhibition constant of the substrate-free form of the (Na+ + K+)-enzyme (the enzyme activity measured with Na+ and K+ and at millimolar substrate concentrations) suggesting that the two constants describe the same equilibrium. 4. On the basis of the known (optimal) activity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, relative to that of the Na+-ATPase, a rate constant condition is found which must be met if the Post-Albers kinetic scheme is to satisfy the data. Kinetic data for the phosphoenzyme indicate that this condition is not satisfied. 5. On the basis of the kinetic results a model for the hydrolytic action of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase is proposed. This model encompasses the Post-Albers scheme but contains two distinctive hydrolysis cycles (an 'Na+-enzyme cycle' and a '(Na+ + K+)-enzyme cycle') with widely different affinities for the substrates. Only one of the cycles (the Na+-enzyme cycle) involves acid-stable phosphorylated enzyme intermediates at discernible steady-state concentrations. Which of the two main cycles is predominant in any particular system is determined by the concentration of ligands and substrates. 6. According to this scheme, an enzyme preparation may exhibit both a high (Na+-enzyme) and a low ((Na+ + K+)-enzyme) substrate affinity, without the necessity of assigning more than one substrate site to a particular enzyme unit at any one time.     

Breakdown of Na+/K+-exchanging ATPase phosphoenzymes formed from ATP and from inorganic phosphate during Na+-ATPase activity.

The reactivity towards Na+ and K+ of Na+/K+-ATPase phosphoenzymes formed from ATP and Pi during Na+-ATPase turnover and that obtained from Pi in the absence of ATP, Na+ and K+ was studied. The phosphoenzyme formed from Pi in the absence of cycling and with no Na+ or K+ in the medium showed a biphasic time-dependent breakdown. The fast component, 96% of the total EP, had a decay rate of about 4 s(-1) in K+-free 130 mm Na+, and was 40% inhibited by 20 mm K+. The slow component, about 0.14 s(-1), was K+ insensitive. Values for the time-dependent breakdown of the phosphoenzymes obtained from ATP and from Pi during Na+-ATPase activity were indistinguishable from each other. In K+-free medium containing 130 mm Na+, the decays followed a single exponential with a rate constant of 0.45 s(-1). The addition of 20 mm K+ markedly increased the decays and made them biphasic. The fast components had a rate of approximately 220 s-1 and accounted for 92-93% of the total phosphoenzyme. The slow components decayed at a rate of about 47-53 s(-1). A second group of experiments examined the reactivity towards Na+ of the E2P forms obtained with ATP and Pi when the enzyme was cycling. In both cases, the rate of dephosphorylation was a biphasic function of [Na+]: inhibition at low [Na+], with a minimum at about 5 mm Na+, followed by recovery at higher [Na+]. Although qualitatively similar, the phosphoenzyme formed from Pi showed slightly less inhibition and more pronounced recovery. These results indicate that forward and backward phosphorylation during Na+-ATPase turnover share the same intermediates.     

Effects of choline on Na(+)- and K(+)-interactions with the Na+/K(+)-ATPase.

Choline chloride, 100 mM, stimulates Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity of a purified dog kidney enzyme preparation when Na+ is suboptimal (9 mM Na+ and 10 mM K+) and inhibits when K+ is suboptimal (90 mM Na+ and 1 mM K+), but has a negligible effect at optimal concentrations of both (90 mM Na+ and 10 mM K+). Stimulation occurs at low Na+ to K+ ratios, but not at those same ratios when the actual Na+ concentration is high (90 mM). Stimulation decreases or disappears when incubation pH or temperature is increased or when Li+ is substituted for K+ or Rb+. Choline+ also reduces the Km for MgATP at the low ratio of Na+ to K+ but not at the optimal ratio. In the absence of K+, however, choline+ does not stimulate at low Na+ concentrations: either in the Na(+)-ATPase reaction or in the E1 to E2P conformational transition. Together, these observations indicate that choline+ accelerates the rate-limiting step in the Na+/K(+)-ATPase reaction cycle, K(+)-deocclusion; consequently, optimal Na+ concentrations reflect Na+ accelerating that step also. Thus, the observed K0.5 for Na+ includes high-affinity activation of enzyme phosphorylation and low-affinity acceleration of K(+)-deocclusion. Inhibition of Na+/K(+)-ATPase and K(+)-nitrophenylphosphatase reactions by choline+ increases as the K(+)-concentration is decreased; the competition between choline+ and K+ may represent a similar antagonism between conformations selected by choline+ and by K+.     

Regulation of fetal Na+/K+-ATPase in rat kidney by corticosteroids

The enzymatic differentiation of various tissues is under hormonal control in the perinatal period. Since the regulation of Na+/K+-ATPase has not been explored prenatally, the aim of this study was to determine the corticosteroid sensitivity of sodium pump maturation in the fetal period. Na+/K+-ATPase activity was both measured in kidney homogenates of fetal rats and localized by in-situ histochemistry. Sodium pump activity was first quantifiable on day 18 of fetal development as 1.4 +/- 0.17 mumol Pi/h per mg protein, and was increased 3.4-times by day 22 of gestation. While the Na+/K+-ATPase activity was the most intense in cortical tubules at an earlier fetal age (18th and 19th day), the reaction product in the medullary tubules increased with fetal age, becoming highly intense on the 21st and 22nd day of gestation. From the 18th to 21st day of fetal development homogenate Na+/K+-ATPase activity increased as a function of chronologic age. While mineralocorticoids were without any effect on Na+/K+-ATPase activity, on the last day of the fetal development, the glucocorticoid dexamethasone proved to be successful in stimulating enzyme activity in corticosteroid-suppressed animals. According to our results, glucocorticoid hormones seem to be operating as an endogenous driving force for sodium pump maturation at the end of fetal development.     

The steady-state kinetic mechanism of ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from ox brain. II. Kinetic characterization of phosphointermediates

(1) The kinetics of the phosphorylated enzymic intermediates of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from ox brain, which are formed by incubation of the enzyme with 25 microM AT32P, 150 mM Na+ and 1 mM Mg2+, have been studied in dephosphorylation experiments at 1 degree C. The dephosphorylation of the 32P-labelled enzyme was initiated by addition of either 1 mM unlabelled ATP, 2.5 mM ADP or 1 mM unlabelled ATP + ADP in concentrations from 25 to 1000 microM. (2) In the absence of ADP the dephosphorylation curve was linear in a semilogarithmic plot almost from t = 0, whereas by addition of ADP a biphasic behaviour was obtained. The slope of the slow phase of dephosphorylation was virtually independent of the ADP concentration. (3) The results were analysed by the mathematical equation corresponding to the simplest possible model for the interconversion and breakdown of the phosphointermediates: (formula: see text) where alpha, beta, H and G are functions of all the rate constants and H and G furthermore are functions of the initial values for [E1P] and [E2P]. (4) The analysis confirmed the model and enabled the determination of all the rate constants. (5) k-1 was found to be equal to k'-1 + k"-1 . [ADP] indicating an ADP-independent 'spontaneous' dephosphorylation of E1P. The rate constant for this process was close to that for dephosphorylation of E2P, i.e., k'-1 congruent to k3. Also the value of k"-1 was determined. (6) k3 was found to be at least 10 . k-2. The implication of this for the role of the E1P to E2P transition in the Na+ + K+)-stimulated ATP hydrolysis will be discussed in detail in the following paper (Plesner, I.W., Plesner, L., N?rby, J.G. and Klodos, I. (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 643, 483--494). (7) A refinement of the model, accounting for the effect of Na+ on the steady-state ratio between [E1P] and [E2P] is proposed: (formula: see text). At [Na+] = 150 mM as used here, E1P(Na) and E'1P are assumed to be in rapid equilibrium. (8) Comparison of our results with those of others underlines the general validity of the conclusions of the present paper.     

Assembly of a hybrid from the alpha subunit of Na+/K(+)-ATPase and the beta subunit of H+/K(+)-ATPase.

Messenger RNA for the alpha subunit of Torpedo californica Na+/K(+)-ATPase was injected into Xenopus oocytes together with that of the beta subunit of rabbit H+/K(+)-ATPase. The Na+/K(+)-ATPase alpha subunit was assembled in the microsomal membranes with the H+/K(+)-ATPase beta subunit, and became resistant to trypsin. These results suggest that the H+/K(+)-ATPase beta subunit facilitates the stable assembly of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase alpha subunit in microsomes.     

Cis-allosteric effects of cytoplasmic Na+/K+ discrimination at varying pH. Low-affinity multisite inhibition of cytoplasmic K+ in reconstituted Na+/K(+)-ATPase engaged in uncoupled Na(+)-efflux.

In liposomes with reconstituted shark Na+/K(+)-ATPase the effect of cytoplasmic K+ was investigated in the absence of extracellular alkali ions. During such conditions the Na+/K(+)-ATPase is engaged in the so called uncoupled Na+ efflux mode in which cytoplasmic Na+ activates and binds to the enzyme and becomes translocated without countertransport of K+ as in the physiological Na+/K+ exchange mode. In this uncoupled flux mode only low-affinity inhibition by K+cyt is found to be present. The inhibition pattern is consistent with a model in which cytoplasmic K+ exhibit mixed inhibition of Na+ activation, probably by binding at the three cytoplasmic loading sites on E1ATP (E1A). With determined intrinsic binding constants for cytoplasmic Na+ to this form of KS1, KS2, KS3 = 40 mM, 2 mM, 2 mM the inhibition pattern can be simulated assuming three K+cyt sites with equal affinity for Ki = 40 mM, similar to KS1 for the first Na+cyt site. The discrimination between cytoplasmic Na+ and K+ is therefore enhanced by allosteric interaction initiated from the cis-side due to binding of the first Na+, as opposed to K+, which induces the positive cooperatively in the successive Na+ bindings. pH is found to influence the pattern of K+cyt inhibition: A lowering of the pH potentiates the K+cyt inhibition, whereas at increased pH the inhibition is decreased and transformed into a pure competitive competition.