Regulation of the calcium ion pump of sarcoplasmic reticulum: reversible inhibition by phospholamban and by the calmodulin binding domain of the plasma membrane calcium ion pump.

A 45 amino acid peptide (A45) corresponding to the phospholamban (PLN) binding domain of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) ATPase was synthesized. Circular dichroism experiments have shown that the peptide had a predominantly random-coil conformation but adopted a higher proportion of secondary structure in the presence of a synthetic 32 amino acid peptide corresponding to the hydrophilic portion of PLN. A similar conformational change was induced by the synthetic calmodulin binding domain of the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump (peptide C28W), which acts as an endogenous inhibitor of the pump and is homologous to PLN. Cross-linking experiments have shown that peptide C28W interacted with peptide A45. The Ca(2+)-pumping activity of cardiac SR, which contains endogenous PLN, was stimulated about 30% by peptide A45. The stimulation was maximal at submicromolar Ca2+ levels and tended to disappear at higher Ca2+ concentrations. By contrast, the Ca(2+)-pumping activity of skeletal muscle SR, which lacks endogenous PLN, was unaffected. Peptide C28W strongly inhibited the pumping activity of skeletal muscle SR, and peptide A45 reversed the inhibition. The results suggest that peptide A45 competed with the ATPase for phospholamban or for peptide C28W, removing the inhibition of the pump. Thus, the exogenous inhibitor of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase, PLN, and the internal inhibitor of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase, peptide C28W, are functionally analogous.     

Regulation of the Ca2+ pump ATPase by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban

Ca2+ transients in myocardial cells are modulated by cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation of a protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This protein, termed phospholamban, serves to regulate the Ca2+ pump ATPase of this membrane, thus altering the mode of Ca2+ transients and the myocardial contractile response. Elucidating the structure of phospholamban and its intimate interaction with the Ca2+ pump ATPase should provide the basis for understanding, at the molecular level, how the cAMP system contributes to excitation-contraction coupling in muscle cells.     

Regulation of the skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump by phospholamban in reconstituted phospholipid vesicles

Phospholamban is the regulator of the Ca(2+)-ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). The mechanism of regulation appears to involve inhibition by dephosphorylated phospholamban, and phosphorylation may relieve this inhibition. Fast-twitch skeletal muscle SR does not contain phospholamban, and it is not known whether the Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform from this muscle may be also subject to regulation by phospholamban in a similar manner as the cardiac isoform. To determine this we reconstituted the skeletal isoform of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase with phospholamban in phosphatidylcholine proteoliposomes. Inclusion of phospholamban was associated with significant inhibition of the initial rates of Ca2+ uptake at pCa 6.0, and phosphorylation of phospholamban by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase reversed the inhibitory effects on the Ca2+ pump. Similar effects of phospholamban were also observed using phosphatidylcholine:phosphatidylserine proteoliposomes, in which the Ca2+ pump was activated by the negatively charged phospholipids (24). Regulation of the Ca(2+)-ATPase appeared to involve binding with the hydrophilic portion of phospholamban, as evidenced by cross-linking experiments, using a synthetic peptide that corresponded to amino acids 1-25 of phospholamban. These findings suggest that the fast-twitch isoform of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase may be also regulated by phospholamban, although this regulator is not expressed in fast-twitch skeletal muscles.     

Role of phospholamban in regulating cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump

Cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum plays a critical role in the excitation-contraction cycle and hormonal regulation of heart cells. Catecholamines exert their ionotropic action through the regulation of calcium transport into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Cyclic 3'-5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) causes the cAMP-dependent protein kinase to phosphorylate the regulatory protein phospholamban, which results in the stimulation of calcium transport. Calmodulin also phosphorylates phospholamban by a calcium-dependent mechanism. We have reported the isolation and purification of phospholamban with low deoxycholate (DOC) concentrations (5 X 10(-6) M). We have also reported the isolation and purification of Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase with a similar procedure. Both phospholamban and Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase retained their native properties associated with sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. Further, we have shown that the removal of phospholamban from membranes of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles uncouples Ca2+-uptake from ATPase without any effect on Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase activity or Ca2+ efflux. Phospholamban appears to be the substrate for both the Ca2+-calmodulin system and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase system. It is found that the phosphorylation of phospholamban by the Ca2+-calmodulin system is required for the normal basal level of Ca2+ transport, and that the phosphorylation of phospholamban at another site by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase system causes the stimulation of Ca2+-transport above the basal level. The functional effects of the phosphorylation of phospholamban by cAMP-dependent protein kinase system are expressed only after the phosphorylation of phospholamban with Ca2+-calmodulin system. We propose a model for the cardiac Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase, whereby the enzyme is normally uncoupled from Ca2+ uptake. The enzyme becomes coupled to Ca2+ transport after the first site of phospholamban is phosphorylated with the Ca2+-calmodulin system. When the second site of phospholamban is phosphorylated with cAMP-dependent protein kinase both Ca2+ transport and ATPase are stimulated and phospholamban becomes inaccessible to DOC solubilization and trypsin.     

Functional reconstitution of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2(+)-ATPase with phospholamban in phospholipid vesicles

The Ca2(+)-ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is under regulation by phospholamban, an oligomeric proteolipid. To determine the molecular mechanism by which phospholamban regulates the Ca2(+)-ATPase, a reconstitution system was developed, using a freeze-thaw sonication procedure. The best rates of Ca2+ uptake (700 nmol/min/mg reconstituted vesicles compared with 800 nmol/min/mg SR vesicles) were observed when cholate and phosphatidylcholine were used at a ratio of cholate/phosphatidylcholine/Ca2(+)-ATPase of 2:80:1. The EC50 values for Ca2+ were 0.05 microM for both Ca2+ uptake and Ca2(+)-ATPase activity in the reconstituted vesicles compared with 0.63 microM Ca2+ in native SR vesicles. Inclusion of phospholamban in the reconstituted vesicles was associated with a significant inhibition of the initial rates of Ca2+ uptake at pCa 6.0. However, phosphorylation of phospholamban by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase reversed the inhibitory effect on the Ca2+ pump. Similar findings were observed when a peptide, corresponding to amino acids 1-25 of phospholamban, was used. These findings indicate that phospholamban is an inhibitor of the Ca2(+)-ATPase in cardiac SR and phosphorylation of phospholamban relieves this inhibition. The mechanism by which phospholamban inhibits the Ca2+ pump is unknown, but our findings with the synthetic peptide suggest that a direct interaction between the Ca2(+)-ATPase and the hydrophilic portion of phospholamban may be one of the mechanisms for regulation.     

The nature of the modulation of Ca2+ transport as studied by reconstitution of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Membrane vesicles capable of energized Ca2+ pumping have been reconstituted from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Cardiac SR was solubilized with Triton X-100 in a detergent to protein weight ratio of 0.8, and membranous vesicles were reconstituted by removal of detergent with Bio-Beads SM-2 (a neutral porous styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer). The reconstituted vesicles exhibited ATP-dependent oxalate-facilitated Ca2+ accumulation with rates and efficiency comparable to the best reconstituted skeletal muscle preparation (Ca2+-loading rate = 1.65 +/- 0.31 mumol mg-1 min-1, Ca2+-activated ATPase activity = 2.39 +/- 0.25 mumol mg-1 min-1, efficiency (Ca2+/ATP) = 0.69 +/- 0.09). Phospholamban in the reconstituted vesicles was phosphorylated with added catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase to almost the same extent as that in original vesicles. However, phosphorylation of phospholamban had no effect on the Ca2+ accumulation of the reconstituted vesicles. This is to be contrasted with a decrease in the half-maximal concentration of Ca2+ for Ca2+ accumulation (KCa) in the original vesicles from 1.35 +/- 0.08 microM to 0.75 +/- 0.12 microM by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban. On the other hand KCa for the reconstituted vesicles was about 0.5 microM and remained unchanged by phosphorylation, indicating that the Ca2+ pump in the reconstituted vesicles is already fully activated. These results suggest that in normal cardiac SR, phospholamban in the dephosphorylated state acts as a suppressor of the Ca2+ pump and that phosphorylation of phospholamban serves to reverse the suppression.     

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase, uncoupled from phospholamban, stimulates Ca2+-pumping in native cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Recent studies have demonstrated phosphorylation of the cardiac and slow-twitch muscle isoform (SERCA2a) of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase (at Ser38) by a membrane-associated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase). Analysis of the functional consequence of Ca2+-ATPase phosphorylation in the native SR membranes, however, is complicated by the concurrent phosphorylation of the SR proteins phospholamban (PLN) which stimulates Ca2+ sequestration by the Ca2+-ATPase, and the ryanodine receptor-Ca2+ release channel (RYR-CRC) which likely augments Ca2+ release from the SR. In the present study, we achieved selective phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase by endogenous CaM kinase in isolated rabbit cardiac SR vesicles utilizing a PLN monoclonal antibody (PLN AB) which inhibits PLN phosphorylation, and the RYR-CRC blocking drug, ruthenium red, which inhibits phosphorylation of RYR-CRC. Analysis of the Ca2+ concentration-dependence of ATP-energized Ca2+ uptake by SR showed that endogenous CaM kinase mediated phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase, in the absence of PLN and/or RYR-CRC phosphorylation, results in a significant increase (approximately 50-70%) in the Vmax of Ca2+ sequestration without any change in the k0.5 for Ca2+ activation of the Ca2+ transport rate. On the other hand, treatment of SR with PLN AB (which mimics the effect of PLN phosphorylation by uncoupling Ca2+-ATPase from PLN) resulted in approximately 2-fold decrease in k0.5 for Ca2+ without any change in Vmax of Ca2+ sequestration. These findings suggest that, besides PLN phosphorylation, direct phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase by SR-associated CaM kinase serves to enhance the speed of cardiac muscle relaxation.     

Sites on the cytoplasmic region of phospholamban involved in interaction with the calcium-activated ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Proton NMR studies have shown that when a peptide corresponding to the N-terminal region of phospholamban, PLB(1-20), interacts with the Ca2+ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, SERCA1a, docking involves the whole length of the peptide. Phosphorylation of Ser16 reduced the affinity of the peptide for the pump by predominantly affecting the interaction with the C-terminal residues of PLB(1-20). In the phosphorylated peptide weakened interaction occurs with residues at the N-terminus of PLB(1-20). PLB(1-20) is shown to interact with a peptide corresponding to residues 378-405 located in the cytoplasmic region of SERCA2a and related isoforms. This interaction involves the C-terminal regions of both peptides and corresponds to that affected by phosphorylation. The data provide direct structural evidence for complex formation involving residues 1-20 of PLB. They also suggest that phospholamban residues 1-20 straddle separate segments of the cytoplasmic domain of SERCA with the N-terminus of PLB associated with a region other than that corresponding to SERCA2a(378-405).     

Phosphorylation of phospholamban in intact myocardium. Role of Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent mechanisms

Phospholamban, a putative regulator of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ transport, has been shown to be phosphorylated in vitro by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and an intrinsic Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity. This study was conducted to determine if Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban occurs in response to physiologic increases in intracellular Ca2+ in intact myocardium. Isolated guinea pig and rat ventricles were perfused with 32Pi after which membrane vesicles were isolated from individual hearts by differential centrifugation. Administration of isoproterenol (10 nM) to perfused hearts stimulated 32P incorporation into phospholamban, Ca2+-ATPase activity, and Ca2+ uptake of sarcoplasmic reticulum isolated from these hearts. These biochemical changes were associated with increases in contractility and shortening of the t 1/2 of relaxation. Elevated extracellular Ca2+ produced comparable increases in contractility but failed to stimulate phospholamban phosphorylation or Ca2+ transport and did not alter the t 1/2 of relaxation. Inhibition of trans-sarcolemmal Ca2+ influx by perfusing the ventricles with reduced extracellular Ca2+ (50 microM) attenuated the increases in 32P incorporation produced by 10 nM isoproterenol. Trifluoperazine (10 microM) also attenuated isoproterenol-induced increases in 32P incorporation into phospholamban. In both cases, Ca2+ transport was reduced to a degree comparable to the reduction in phospholamban phosphorylation. These results suggest that direct physiologic increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentration do not stimulate phospholamban phosphorylation in intact functioning myocardium. Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban may occur in response to agents which stimulate cAMP-dependent mechanisms in intact myocardium.     

Phospholamban is related to the autoinhibitory domain of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-pumping ATPase.

The Ca2+ pumps of the plasma membrane (PM ATPase) and of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR ATPase) share a number of structural and functional properties. A major difference is the regulatory mechanism. The PM ATPase contains a C-terminal autoinhibitory domain; calmodulin binds to it, removing the inhibition. The SR ATPase contains a domain that interacts with the inhibitor protein phospholamban when the latter is in the nonphosphorylated state; phosphorylation of phospholamban removes the inhibition. Peptides corresponding to the autoinhibitory domain of the PM ATPase were synthesized and found to inhibit the SR ATPase. A 28-residue peptide (C28W), containing the entire autoinhibitory domain, was the most powerful (IC50 = 15 microM; lmax greater than 90%). The inhibition was Ca2+ dependent and more pronounced at submicromolar Ca2+ concentrations. C28W is about 50% homologous to the cytosolic domain of phospholamban, the hydrophilic portion of which was found to interact directly with calmodulin (Kd = about 700 nM). However, while calmodulin reversed the inhibition of the SR ATPase by C28W, it failed to reverse that induced by nonphosphorylated phospholamban.     

Targeted inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in cardiac longitudinal sarcoplasmic reticulum results in decreased phospholamban phosphorylation at threonine 17

To investigate the role of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum function, transgenic mice were designed and generated to target the expression of a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II inhibitory peptide in cardiac longitudinal sarcoplasmic reticulum using a truncated phospholamban transmembrane domain. The expressed inhibitory peptide was highly concentrated in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. This resulted in a 59.7 and 73.6% decrease in phospholamban phosphorylation at threonine 17 under basal and beta-adrenergic stimulated conditions without changing phospholamban phosphorylation at serine 16. Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake assays showed that the Vmax was decreased by approximately 30% although the apparent affinity for Ca2+ was unchanged in heterozygous hearts. The in vivo measurement of cardiac function showed no significant reductions in positive and negative dP/dt, but a moderate 18% decrease in dP/dt40, indicative of isovolumic contractility, and a 26.1% increase in the time constant of relaxation (tau) under basal conditions. The changes in these parameters indicate a moderate cardiac dysfunction in transgenic mice. Although the 3 and 4-month-old transgenic mice displayed no overt signs of cardiac disease, when stressed by gestation and parturition, the 7-month-old female mice develop dilated heart failure, suggesting the important role of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II pathway in the development of cardiac disease.     

Calmodulin-mediated regulation of calcium transport and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity in isolated cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

A severalfold activation of calcium transport and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity by micromolar concentrations of calmodulin was observed in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles obtained from canine ventricles. This activation was seen in the presence of 120 mM KCl. The ratio of moles of calcium transported per mol of ATP hydrolyzed remained at about 0.75 when calcium transport and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity were measured in the presence and absence of calmodulin. Thus, the efficiency of the calcium transport process did not change. Stimulation of calcium transport by calmodulin involves the phosphorylation of one or more proteins. The major 32P-labeled protein, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel electrophoresis, was the 22,000-dalton protein called phospholamban. The Ca2+ concentration dependency of calmodulin-stimulated microsomal phosphorylation corresponded to that of calmodulin-stimulated (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-activated ATPase activity. Proteins of 11,000 and 6,000 daltons and other proteins were labeled to a lesser extent. A similar phosphorylation pattern was obtained when microsomes were incubated with cAMP-dependent protein kinase and ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. Phosphorylation produced by added cAMP-dependent protein kinase and calmodulin was additive. These studies provided further evidence for Ca2+-dependent regulation of calcium transport by calmodulin in sarcoplasmic reticulum that could play a role in the beat-to-beat regulation of cardiac relaxation in the intact heart.     

Phosphorylation of phospholamban by calcium-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase. Stimulation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium uptake

Ca2+-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) is able to catalyze the phosphorylation of phospholamban in a canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum preparation. This phosphorylation is associated with a 2-fold stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum similar to that seen following phosphorylation of phospholamban by an endogenous calmodulin-dependent protein kinase or by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Two-dimensional peptide maps of the tryptic fragments of phospholamban indicate that the three protein kinases differ in their selectivity for sites of phosphorylation. However, one common peptide appears to be phosphorylated by all three protein kinases. These findings suggest that protein kinase C may play a role similar to those played by cAMP- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinases in the regulation of Ca2+ uptake by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, and raise the possibility that the effects of all three protein kinases are mediated through phosphorylation of a common peptide in phospholamban.     

Total synthesis and functional properties of the membrane-intrinsic protein phospholamban.

The membrane-intrinsic protein phospholamban (PLN), the regulatory protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase, was chemically synthesized. The synthesis was accomplished by double couplings and efficient capping procedures, thus eliminating hydrophobic failure sequences. The crude peptide was purified by high-performance liquid chromatographic ion exchange and gel permeation chromatography in chloroform-methanol mixtures. Ion spray mass spectroscopy showed that the product had the correct molecular mass. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis runs produced the typical monomer-pentamer structural pattern. A predominantly helical CD spectrum was obtained in 0.075% C12E8 (67.9% helix, 1.8% beta, 12.2% turn, 18.1% random coil). Synthetic PLN was phosphorylated in detergent solutions by protein kinase A with a stoichiometry close to 1:1 (Pi to PLN monomer). Reconstitution of the isolated skeletal muscle SR Ca2+ ATPase in phosphatidylcholine membranes in the presence of PLN using the freezing and thawing technique yielded a preparation with lower Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase activity. The inhibition was mainly due to a decrease in the affinity (Km(Ca)) of the ATPase for Ca2+ and was partially reversed by PLN phosphorylation with protein kinase A. By contrast, addition of PLN to diluted intact SR vesicles uncoupled the Ca(2+)-transport reaction, suggesting an ionophoric effect of PLN. Because this effect was observed at very high PLN-to-SR vesicle ratios and was not influenced by PLN phosphorylation, its biological function is doubtful.     

Helical structure of phospholamban in membrane bilayers.

The regulation of calcium levels across the membrane of the sarcoplasmic reticulum involves the complex interplay of several membrane proteins. Phospholamban is a 52 residue integral membrane protein that is involved in reversibly inhibiting the Ca(2+) pump and regulating the flow of Ca ions across the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane during muscle contraction and relaxation. The structure of phospholamban is central to its regulatory role. Using homonuclear rotational resonance NMR methods, we show that the internuclear distances between [1-(13)C]Leu7 and [3-(13)C]Ala11 in the cytoplasmic region, between [1-(13)C]Pro21 and [3-(13)C]Ala24 in the juxtamembrane region and between [1-(13)C]Leu42 and [3-(13)C]Cys46 in the transmembrane domain of phospholamban are consistent with alpha-helical secondary structure. Additional heteronuclear rotational-echo double-resonance NMR measurements confirm that the secondary structure is helical in the region of Pro21 and that there are no large conformational changes upon phosphorylation. These results support the model of the phospholamban pentamer as a bundle of five long alpha-helices. The long extended helices provide a mechanism by which the cytoplasmic region of phospholamban interacts with residues in the cytoplasmic domain of the Ca(2+) pump.     

Heterogeneous distribution of calmodulin- and cAMP-dependent regulation of Ca2+ uptake in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum subfractions

The activity of the Ca2+-pumping ATPase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum is controlled by the phosphorylation level of the intrinsic membrane protein phospholamban. Phospholamban monomers contain two distinct phosphorylation sites for either the cAMP-dependent or the calmodulin-dependent kinase. The two kinases, however, preferentially phosphorylate different populations of phospholamban molecules and double phosphorylation of the same subunit by their concerted action is a phenomenon that occurs only under particular experimental conditions. This study investigates the phosphorylation pattern of phospholamban in various subfractions derived from dog cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. The results show that the endogenous calmodulin-dependent kinase preferentially phosphorylates the phospholamban population found in association with the cisternal compartments of the reticulum. The differential phosphorylation occurs despite the presence of sufficient amounts of the kinase in all sarcoplasmic reticulum subfractions. On the other hand, phospholamban molecules localized on the longitudinal system are preferential substrates for the cAMP-dependent kinase. Possibly, the different lipid and/or protein microenvironment of phospholamban in the various sarcoplasmic reticulum domains is responsible for the apparent heterogeneity of phosphorylation. The present findings are compatible with the concept of additive and independent action of the cAMP-dependent and calmodulin-dependent kinases on cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. The imply, however, that different regions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum network are controlled by the two regulatory mechanisms.     

Reexamination of the role of the leucine/isoleucine zipper residues of phospholamban in inhibition of the Ca2+ pump of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Phospholamban is a small phosphoprotein inhibitor of the Ca(2+)-pump in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, which shows a distinct oligomeric distribution between monomers and homopentamers that are stabilized through Leu/Ile zipper interactions. A two-faced model of phospholamban inhibition of the Ca(2+)-pump was proposed, in which the Leu/Ile zipper residues located on one face of the transmembrane alpha-helix regulate the pentamer to monomer equilibrium, whereas residues on the other face of the helix bind to and inhibit the pump. Here we tested this two-faced model of phospholamban action by analyzing the functional effects of a new series of Leu/Ile zipper mutants. Pentameric stabilities of the mutants were quantified at different SDS concentrations. We show that several phospholamban mutants with hydrophobic amino acid substitutions at the Leu/Ile zipper region retain the ability to form pentamers but at the same time give the same or even stronger (i.e. L37I-PLB) inhibition of the Ca(2+)-pump than do mutants that are more completely monomeric. Steric constraints prevent the Leu/Ile zipper residues sequestered in the interior of the phospholamban pentamer from binding to the Ca(2+)-pump, leading to the conclusion that the zipper residues access the pump from the phospholamban monomer, which is the active inhibitory species. A modified model of phospholamban transmembrane domain action is proposed, in which the membrane span of the phospholamban monomer maintains contacts with the Ca(2+)-pump around most of its circumference, including residues located in the Leu/Ile zipper region.     

Relationship between phospholamban and nucleotide activation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ adenosinetriphosphatase

A strong connection with nucleotide activation of Ca2+ATPase and phospholamban inhibition has been found. Phospholamban decreases the number of activatable Ca2+ATPase without affecting substrate affinity or the ability of nucleotide to serve its dual modulatory roles, i.e., catalytic and regulatory. Low concentrations of certain nucleotide mimetics, quercetin, tannin, and ellagic acid, with structural similarity to adenine can unmask phospholamban's inhibitory effect while concurrently acting as competitive inhibitors of nucleotide binding. Micromolar concentrations of tannin (EC50 approximately 0.3 microM) and ellagic acid (EC50 approximately 3 microM) stimulated Ca2+ uptake and calcium-activated ATP hydrolysis at submicromolar Ca2+ in isolated cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Stimulation of Ca2+ATPase was followed by pronounced inhibiton at only slightly higher tannin concentrations (IC50 approximately 3 microM), whereas inhibitory effects by ellagic acid were observed at much greater concentrations (IC50 > 300 microM) than the EC50. A complex relationship between compound, SR protein, and MgATP concentration is a major determining factor in the observed effects. Stimulation was only observed under conditions of phospholamban regulation, while the inhibitory effects were observed in cardiac SR at micromolar Ca2+ and in skeletal muscle SR, which lacks phospholamban. Maximal stimulation of Ca2+ATPase was identical to that observed with the anti-phospholamban monoclonal antibody 1D11. Both compounds appear to relieve the Ca2+ATPase from phospholamban inhibition, thereby increasing the calcium sensitivity of the Ca2+ATPase like that observed with phosphorylation of phospholamban or treatment with monoclonal antibody 1D11. Tannin, even under stimulatory conditions, is a competitive inhibitor of MgATP with a linear Dixon plot. The subsequent inhibitory action of higher tannin concentrations results from competition of tannin with the nucleotide binding site of the Ca2+ATPase. In contrast, ellagic acid produced a curvilinear Dixon plot suggesting partial inhibition of nucleotide activation. The data suggest that nucleotide activation of Ca2+ATPase is functionally coupled to the phospholamban interaction site. These compounds through their interaction with the adenine binding domain of the nucleotide binding site prevent or dissociate phospholamban regulation. Clearly, this portion of Ca2+ATPase needs further study to elucidate its role in phospholamban inhibition.     

The pH dependence of the cardiac sarcolemmal Ca2(+)-transporting ATPase: evidence that the Ca2+ translocator bears a doubly negative charge

The pH dependence of the Ca2(+)-transporting ATPase of bovine cardiac sarcolemma was determined in a membrane vesicle preparation. The maximal velocity (Vmax) at saturating external Ca2+ showed a sigmoidal pH dependence with maximal values in the 6.0-6.5 range, a half-maximal value at 7.2 and minimal (less than or equal to 15%) values at pH greater than or equal to 8.0. The apparent affinity for Ca2+ (1/Km) varied over 10(4)-fold for 6.0 less than or equal to pH less than or equal to 8.5, increasing with increasing pH. Plots of log(1/Km) vs. pH were biphasic. In the acid range (6.0 less than or equal to pH less than or equal to 7.2), a slope of 2.6 was observed for the calmodulin-activated form of the pump. For 7.2 less than or equal to pH less than or equal to 8.5, a slope of 0.5 was observed. At pH 7.4, the Km is approx. 48 +/- 19 nM. The Ca2+ pump of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum in the same preparation had a Km of 304 +/- 115 nM and showed a similar pH dependence except that the slope in the acid range was 1.7. When calmodulin was removed from the sarcolemmal pump, its Km was raised to approx. 1.0 microM, the slope in the acid range was reduced to 1.7 and the Vmax was markedly reduced. The results are explicable in terms of a model in which each of the two Ca2+ binding sites on the pump contains two buried COO- groups responsible for high affinity. The Km effect is explained by 2 H+ vs. 1 Ca2+ competition for occupation of each of the two cytoplasmically-oriented translocators (4 H+ vs. 2 Ca2+). The Vmax effect is explained by counter-transport of H+. The findings are considered in terms of the published amino acid sequence of the cardiac sarcolemmal pump and recent site-directed mutagenesis vs. function studies identifying the Ca2+ binding site in the skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum pump. The kinetic data are also applied to pump behavior under conditions of ischemia and acidosis.