Local anesthetics induce fast Ca2+ efflux through a nonenergized state of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase.

The effect of the local anesthetics SKF 525-A, dibucaine, tetracaine, procaine, and benzocaine on sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was studied. All the anesthetics tested inhibited the phosphorylation of the Ca(2+)-ATPase by Pi in a competitive manner. Tertiary amine and positively charged anesthetics, in addition to competing with Pi, also decreased the apparent affinity of the ATPase for Mg2+. There was a good correlation between the octanol/water partition coefficients and the inhibitory activity of the different anesthetics. All the anesthetics tested induced a 5- to 10-fold increase in the rate of Ca2+ efflux. This was promoted by the same drug concentration that inhibited the phosphorylation of the ATPase by Pi. The effect on Ca2+ efflux was antagonized by the ligands of the ATPase (Mg2+, K+, Ca2+, MgATP, and ADP) and by the organic polyamines ruthenium red, spermine, spermidine, and putrescine. The natural anion heparin was found to potentiate the effect of the positively charged anesthetics on the rate of Ca2+ efflux. It is concluded that the local anesthetics increase the Ca2+ efflux through a nonenergized state of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, rather than promoting a nonspecific Ca2+ leakage through the membrane.     

Functional evidence of a transmembrane channel within the Ca2+ transport ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Ca2+ efflux can be studied conveniently following dilution of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles preloaded with 45Ca2+ by active transport. The rates of efflux are highly dependent on ATPase substrates and cofactors (Pi, Mg2+, Ca2+ and ADP) in the efflux medium. On the other hand, phenothiazines stimulate efflux through a passive permeability channel with no coupled catalytic events. Efflux activation by manipulation of catalytically active ATPase ligands, as well as by the catalytically inactive phenothiazines, can be prevented by thapsigargin, which is a highly specific inhibitor of the Ca(2+)-ATPase. This demonstrates that the passive channel activated by phenothiazines is an integral part of the ATPase, and can operate either uncoupled or coupled to catalytic events.     

Ca2+ gradient and drugs reveal different binding sites for Pi and Mg2+ in phosphorylation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase.

The first step towards ATP synthesis by the Ca2-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum is the phosphorylation of the enzyme by Pi. Phosphoenzyme formation requires both Pi and Mg2+. At 35 degrees C, the presence of a Ca2+ gradient across the vesicle membrane increases the apparent affinity of the ATPase for Pi more than 10-fold, whereas it had no effect on the apparent affinity for Mg2+. In the absence of a Ca2+ gradient, the phosphorylation reaction is inhibited by both K+ and Na+ at all Mg2+ concentrations used. However, in the presence of 1 mM Mg2+ and of a transmembrane Ca2+ gradient, the reaction is still inhibited by Na+, but the inhibition promoted by K+ is greatly decreased. When the Mg2+ concentration is raised above 2 mM, the enzyme no longer discriminates between K+ and Na+, and the phosphorylation reaction is equally inhibited by the two cations. Trifluoperazine, ruthenium red and spermidine were found to inhibit the phosphorylation reaction by different mechanisms. In the absence of a Ca2+ gradient, trifluoperazine competes with the binding to the enzyme of both Pi and Mg2+, whereas spermidine and ruthenium red were found to compete only with Mg2+. The data presented suggest that the enzyme has different binding sites for Mg2+ and for Pi.     

The effect of phenothiazines on Ca2+ fluxes in skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum

The effect of phenothiazines (trifluoperazine, chlorpromazine, methochlorpromazine, and imipramine) on Ca2+ fluxes in light and heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) isolated from rabbit fast-twitch skeletal muscle was investigated. These drugs inhibited Ca2+ loading and (Ca2+,Mg2+)-ATPase activity, but had no effect on unidirectional Ca2+ efflux from vesicles loaded either actively or passively with Ca2+. Chlorpromazine, which is membrane permeable, and its quaternary analog, methochlorpromazine, which is membrane impermeable, gave identical results. It is concluded that (a) the enhancement of net Ca2+ release by phenothiazines is due to inhibition of Ca2+ influx mediated by the Ca2+ pump rather than to the opening of a Ca2+ channel; and (b) phenothiazines act at the outer (myoplasmic) face of the SR membrane.     

A (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase activity in plasma membrane fragments isolated from squid nerves

A (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase activity and a (Ca2+, Mg2+)-dependent phosphorylation from ATP have been found in plasma membrane fragments from squid optical nerves under conditions where contamination by intracellular organelles is unlikely. The properties of this (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase activity are almost identical to those of the ATP-dependent uncoupled Ca2+ efflux observed in dialyzed squid giant axons. This gives further support to the notion that the mechanism responsible for maintaining the low levels of ionized Ca concentration in nerves at rest is not a Na+-Ca2+ exchange system but an ATP-driven uncoupled Ca2+ pump.     

The enhancement of Ca2+ efflux from sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles by urea.

Urea, in nondenaturing concentrations, inhibited Ca2+ uptake by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles with no concomitant effect on ATP hydrolysis. This inhibition was antagonized by 5 mM oxalate and 20 mM orthophosphate. At concentrations of 0.2 to 1.0 M, urea induced an increase in the Ca2+ efflux from preloaded vesicles diluted in a medium at pH 7.0 containing 2 mM ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)N,N'-tetraacetic acid, 0.1 mM orthophosphate, and 0.1 mM MgCl2. The urea-induced efflux was arrested by ligands of the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+) ATPase, namely, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and ADP, and by ruthenium red and the polyamines spermine, spermidine, and putrescine. In the case of polyamines a dissociation between the effect on the efflux and the net Ca2+ uptake was observed, as only the efflux could be blocked by the drugs. Glycine betaine, trimethylamine-N-oxide, and sucrose antagonized the effects of urea on both the net Ca2+ uptake and the rate of Ca2+ efflux.     

Effects of heavy metal on rat liver microsomal Ca2(+)-ATPase and Ca2+ sequestering. Relation to SH groups.

In isolated hepatic microsomal vesicles the heavy metals Cd2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ inhibit Ca2+ uptake and evoke a prompt efflux of Ca2+ from preloaded vesicles in a dose-dependent manner. N-Ethylmaleimide also inhibits Ca2+ uptake and causes Ca2+ release, but it is less effective in these respects than the heavy metals. Measurement of mannose-6-phosphatase activity indicate that the heavy metal-induced Ca2+ efflux is not caused by a general increase in membrane permeability. Heavy metals also inhibit the Ca2(+)-ATPase activity and the formation of the phosphorylated intermediate of the enzyme. In contrast, the sulfhydryl modifying reagent, N-ethylmaleimide inhibits the Ca2(+)-ATPase activity while it has a relatively small effect on Ca2+ release. Thus, the effects of these agents on Ca2+ sequestering and Ca2(+)-ATPase activity are not strictly proportional. The sulfhydryl group reducing agent dithiothreitol protects the microsomes from the effects of heavy metals, while glutathione is less protective. Addition of vanadate to vesicles, at a concentration which completely blocked the activity of the Ca2(+)-ATPase, resulted in a small and slow release of the accumulated Ca2+. Subsequent additions of heavy metals evoked a massive Ca2+ release. Thus, the effects of heavy metals on Ca2+ efflux cannot be due entirely to their inhibition of the Ca2+ pump. The heavy metal-induced Ca2+ efflux is not inhibited either by ruthenium red or tetracaine.     

Reactive disulfide compounds induce Ca2+ release from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Reactive disulfide compounds (RDSs) with a pyridyl ring adjacent to a disulfide bond, 2,2'dithiodipyridine (2,2' DTDP) and 4,4' dithiodipyridine (4,4' DTDP), induce Ca2+ release from isolated canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles. RDSs are absolutely specific to free sulfhydryl (SH) groups and oxidize SH sites of low pKa via a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction, with the stoichiometric production of thiopyridone in the medium. As in skeletal SR, this reaction caused large increases in the Ca2+ permeability of cardiac SR and the number of SH sites oxidized by RDSs was kinetically and quantitatively measured through the absorption of thiopyridone. RDS-induced Ca2+ release from cardiac SR was characterized and compared to the action of RDSs on skeletal SR and to Ca2(+)-induced Ca2+ release. (i) RDS-induced Ca2+ release from cardiac SR was dependent on ionized Mg2+, with maximum rates of release occurring at 0.5 and 1 mM Mg2+free for 2,2' DTDP and 4,4' DTDP, respectively. (ii) In the presence of adenine nucleotides (0.1-1 mM), the oxidation of SH sites in cardiac SR by exogenously added RDS was inhibited, which, in turn, inhibited Ca2+ release induced by RDSs. (iii) Conversely, when the oxidation reaction between RDSs and cardiac SR was completed and Ca2+ release pathways were opened, subsequent additions of adenine nucleotides stimulated Ca2+ efflux induced by RDSs. (iv) Sulfhydryl reducing agents (e.g., dithiothreitol, DTT, 1-5 mM) inhibited RDS-induced Ca2+ efflux in a concentration-dependent manner. (v) RDSs elicited Ca2+ efflux from passively loaded cardiac SR vesicles (i.e., with nonfunctional Ca2+ pumps in the absence of Mg-ATP) and stimulated Ca2(+)-dependent ATPase activity, which indicated that RDS uncoupled Ca2+ uptake and did not act at the Ca2+, Mg2(+)-ATPase. These results indicate that RDSs selectively oxidize critical sulfhydryl site(s) on or adjacent to a Ca2+ release channel protein channel and thereby trigger Ca2+ release. Conversely, reduction of these sites reverses the effects of RDSs by closing Ca2+ release channels, which results in active Ca2+ reuptake by Ca2+, Mg2(+)-ATPase. These compounds can thus provide a method to covalently label and identify the protein involved in Ca2+ release from cardiac SR.     

Interactions of physiological ligands with the Ca pump and Na/Ca exchange in squid axons

We have studied the interaction of physiological ligands other than Nai and Cai with the Ca pump and Na/Ca exchange in internally dialyzed squid axons. The results show the following. (a) Internal Mg2+ is an inhibitor of the Nao-dependent Ca efflux. At physiological Mg2+i (4 mM), the inhibition amounts to approximately 50%. The inhibition is partial and noncompetitive with Cai, and is not affected by Nai or ATP. The ATP-dependent uncoupled efflux is unaffected by Mgi up to 20 mM. Both components of the Ca efflux require Mg2+i for their activation by ATP. (b) At constant membrane potential, Ki is an important cofactor for the uncoupled Ca efflux. (c) Orthophosphate (Pi) activates the Nao-dependent Ca efflux without affecting the uncoupled component. Activation by Pi occurs only in the presence of Mg-ATP or hydrolyzable ATP analogues. Pi under physiological conditions has no effect on the uncoupled component; nevertheless, at alkaline pH, it inhibits the Ca pump, probably by product inhibition. (d) ADP is a potent inhibitor of the uncoupled Ca efflux. The Nao-dependent component is inhibited by ADP only at much higher ADP concentrations. These results indicate that (a) depending on the concentration of Ca2+i, Na+i Mg2+i, and Pi, the Na/Ca carrier can operate under a low- or high-rate regime; (b) the interactions of Mg2+i, Pi, Na+i, and ATP with the carrier are not interdependent; (c) the effect of Pi on the carrier-mediated Ca efflux resembles the stimulation of the Nao-dependent Ca efflux by internal vanadate; (d) the ligand effects on the uncoupled Ca efflux are of the type seen in the Ca pump in red cells and the sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

Effect of anthelmintics and phenothiazines on adenosine 5'-triphosphatases of filarial parasite Setaria cervi

S. cervi showed particulate bound Ca2+ ATPase and Na+,K(+)-ATPase activities while Mg2+ ATPase was detected in traces. ATPase of S. cervi was also differentiated from the nonspecific p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity. Female parasite and microfilariae exhibited higher Ca2+ ATPase and Na+,K(+)-ATPase activities than the male adults and the enzyme Na+,K(+)-ATPase was mainly concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract of the filarial parasite. Na+,K(+)-ATPase of the filariid was ouabain-sensitive while Ca2(+)-ATPase activity was regulated by concentration of Ca2+ ions and inhibited by EGTA. Phenothiazines, viz. trifluoperazine, promethazine and chlorpromazine caused significant inhibition of Ca2+ ATPase and Na+,K(+)-ATPase. Diethylcarbamazine was a potent inhibitor of these ATPases. Mebendazole, levamisole and centperazine also caused significant inhibition of the ATPases indicating this enzyme system as a common target for the action of anthelmintic drugs.     

Separation of Ca2(+)-ATPase from Mg2(+)-ATPase in plasma membrane-rich fraction of bovine parotid gland

Ca2(+)-ATPase, which does not require Mg2+ for its activation, was separated from Mg2(+)-ATPase by papain treatment of a membrane-rich fraction of bovine parotid gland. The enzyme was partially purified 48-fold by subsequent chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, gel filtration on HPLC, and ion-exchange HPLC. The enzyme showed a molecular weight of 100,000, as estimated by gel filtration on HPLC. The Ca2(+)-ATPase was activated by Ca2+ but not by Mg2+, and this enzyme did not require Mg2+ for its activation by Ca2+. In fact, Mg2+ was inhibitory. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate was not hydrolyzed in the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+, and this enzyme had no activities of other phosphatases tested. These results suggest that the Ca2(+)-ATPase is a separate enzyme from Mg2(+)-ATPase, Ca2(+)-stimulated Mg2(+)-dependent ATPase, and alkaline phosphatase, all of which are well known to be present in other tissues.     

Characterization of the Ca2+- and Mg2+-Dependent ATPases in Electrophorus Electroplax Microsomes

Electrophorus electroplax microsomes were examined for Ca2+- and Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity. In addition to the previously reported low-affinity ATPase, a high-affinity (Ca2+,Mg2+)-ATPase was found. At low ATP and Mg2+ concentrations (200 microM or less), the high-affinity (Ca2+,Mg2+)-ATPase exhibits an activity of 18 nmol Pi mg-1 min-1 with 0.58 microM Ca2+. At higher ATP concentrations (3 mM), the low-affinity Ca2+-ATPase predominates, with an activity of 28 nmol Pi mg-1 min-1 with 1 mM Ca2+. In addition, Mg2+ can also activate the low-affinity ATPase (18 nmol Pi mg-1 min-1). The high-affinity ATPase hydrolyzes ATP at a greater rate than it does GTP, ITP, or UTP and is insensitive to ouabain, oligomycin, or dicyclohexylcarbodiimide inhibition. The high-affinity enzyme is inhibited by vanadate, trifluoperazine, and N-ethylmaleimide. Added calmodulin does not significantly stimulate enzyme activity; rinsing the microsomes with EGTA does not confer calmodulin sensitivity. Thus the high-affinity ATPase from electroplax microsomes is similar to the (Ca2+,Mg2+)-ATPase reported to be associated with Ca2+ transport, based on its affinity for calcium and its response to inhibitors. The low-affinity enzyme hydrolyzes all tested nucleoside triphosphates, as well as diphosphates, but not AMP. Vanadate and N-ethylmaleimide do not inhibit the low-affinity enzymes. The low-affinity enzyme reflects a nonspecific nucleoside triphosphatase, probably an ectoenzyme.     

The effects of Mg2+ on rat liver microsomal Ca2+ sequestration

The effects of Mg2+ on the hepatic microsomal Ca2(+)-sequestering system was tested. Ca2(+)-ATPase activity and Ca2+ uptake were both dependent on the concentration of free Mg2+, reaching maximum levels at 2 mM. The effects of Mg-ATP were also influenced by the concentration of free Mg2+, being maximally effective at a ratio of 1:1. The results suggest that Mg2+ influences Ca2+ sequestration at various steps, namely in addition to forming the substrate of the Ca2(+)-ATPase reaction, Mg-ATP, Mg2+ stimulates the reaction at an additional step, as indicated by its stimulatory effect on the Ca2(+)-ATPase reaction and on Ca2+ uptake, even at optimal Mg-ATP levels. The stimulatory effect of Mg2+ was evident at various pH levels tested, and it was nucleotide specific. The stimulatory effect of Mg2+ might be exerted at the dephosphorylation step of the enzymatic reaction or at an other, yet undefined, site. The results demonstrate a plural effect of Mg2+ on the hepatic microsomal sequestration system. This indicates that, depending on its magnitude, changes in Mg2+ distribution might influence cytosolic Ca2+ levels.     

Uncoupler-stimulated release of Ca2+ from Ehrlich ascites tumor cell mitochondria

Ruthenium red-insensitive, uncoupler-stimulated release of Ca2+ from Ehrlich ascites tumor cell mitochondria is much slower than from rat liver mitochondria under comparable conditions. In the presence of Pi and at moderate or high Ca2+ loads, ruthenium red-insensitive Ca2+ efflux elicited with uncoupler is approximately 20 times more rapid for rat liver than Ehrlich cell mitochondria. This is attributed to resistance of tumor mitochondria to damage by Ca2+ due to a high level of endogenous Mg2+ that also attenuates Ca2+ efflux. Calcium release from rat liver and tumor mitochondria is inhibited by exogenous Mg2+. This applies to ruthenium red-insensitive spontaneous Ca2+ efflux associated with Ca2+ uptake and uncoupling, and (b) ruthenium red-insensitive Ca2+ release stimulated by uncoupling agent. The endogenous Mg2+ level of Ehrlich tumor mitochondria is approximately three times that of rat liver mitochondria. Endogenous Ca2+ is also much greater (six fold) in Ehrlich tumor mitochondria compared to rat liver. Despite the quantitative difference in endogenous Mg2+, the properties of internal Mg2+ are much the same for rat liver and Ehrlich cell mitochondria. Ehrlich ascites tumor mitochondria exhibit slow, metabolically dependent Mg2+ release and rapid limited release of Mg2+ during Ca2+ uptake. Both have been observed with rat liver and other types of mitochondria. The proportions of apparently "bound" and "free" Mg2+ (inferred from release by the ionophore, A23187) do not differ significantly between tumor and liver mitochondria. Thus, the endogenous Mg2+ of tumor mitochondria has no unusual features but is simply elevated substantially. Ruthenium red-insensitive Ca2+ efflux, when expressed as a function of the intramitochondrial Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio, is quite similar for tumor and rat liver. It is proposed, therefore, that endogenous Mg2+ is a major regulatory factor responsible for differences in the sensitivity to damage by Ca2+ and Ca2+ release by Ehrlich ascites tumor mitochondria compared to mitochondria from normal tissues.     

A Ca2(+)-activated, Mg2(+)-dependent ATPase with high affinities for both Ca2+ and Mg2+ in vascular smooth muscle microsomes: comparison with plasma membrane Ca2(+)-pump ATPase

A Ca2(+)-ATPase with a high affinity for free Ca2+ (apparent Km of 0.13 microM) was found and characterized in membrane fractions from porcine aortic and coronary artery smooth muscles in comparison with the plasma membrane Ca2(+)-pump ATPase purified from porcine aorta by calmodulin affinity chromatography. The activity of the high-affinity Ca2(+)-ATPase became enriched in a plasma membrane-enriched fraction, suggesting its localization in the plasma membrane. The enzyme was fully active in the absence of exogenously added Mg2+, but required a minute amount of Mg2+ for its activity as evidenced by the findings that it was fully active in the presence of 0.1 microM free Mg2+ but lost the activity in a reaction mixture containing trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid as a divalent cation chelator which has, unlike EGTA, high affinities for both Ca2+ and Mg2+. It was able to utilize a variety of nucleoside di- and triphosphates as substrates, such as ADP, GDP, ATP, GTP, CTP, and UTP, showing a broad substrate specificity. The activity of the enzyme was not modified by calmodulin (5, 10 micrograms/ml). Trifluoperazine, a calmodulin antagonist, had a partial inhibitory effect on the activity at 30 to 240 microM, but this inhibition could not be reproduced by a more specific calmodulin antagonist, W-7, indicating that this inhibition by trifluoperazine was not specific. Furthermore, the high-affinity Ca2(+)-ATPase activity was not modified either by low concentrations (0.5-9 microM) of vanadate or by 1-100 microM p-chloromercuribenzoic acid. Cyclic GMP, nitroglycerin, and nicorandil did not have any effect on the enzyme activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of compound 48/80 on the Ca2+ release by reversal of the Ca2+ pump and by the Ca2+ channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes

The effect of the calmodulin antagonist, compound 48/80, on the Ca2+ release from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum was investigated. Both the Ca2+ release by reversal of the Ca2+ pump and the Ca2+ release by the Mg2(+)-controlled Ca2+ channel were studied. It was observed that, when reversal of the pump is inoperative and Mg2+ is not present in the reaction medium, 48/80 stimulates Ca2+ release from the vesicles. In contrast, in the presence of Mg2+, which blocks the Ca2+ channel, 48/80 inhibits Ca2+ release induced by ADP and Pi. This effect is strong at low concentrations of Pi (approximately 1 mM), whereas high concentrations (approximately 15 mM) protect the system against the drug. Furthermore, it was observed that 48/80 has a maximum effect on the channel-mediated Ca2+ release at concentrations of about 20 micrograms/ml, whereas maximal inhibition of the pump-mediated Ca2+ release occurs at concentrations of about 60-80 micrograms/ml. The results indicate that both the Ca2+ channel complex and the Ca2(+)-ATPase may be target systems for the effects of 48/80 on the Ca2+ transport activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum. However, the Ca2+ channel is more sensitive to the drug, suggesting an involvement of calmodulin on this mechanism of Ca2+ release.     

EGTA inhibits reverse uniport-dependent Ca2+ release from uncoupled mitochondria. Possible regulation of the Ca2+ uniporter by a Ca2+ binding site on the cytoplasmic side of the inner membrane

When rat liver mitochondria are allowed to accumulate Ca2+, treated with ruthenium red to inhibit reverse activity of the Ca2+ uniporter, and then treated with an uncoupler, they release Ca2+ and endogenous Mg2+ and undergo large amplitude swelling with ultrastructural expansion of the matrix space. These effects are not produced by Ca2+ plus uncoupler alone. Like other "Ca2+-releasing agents" (i.e. N-ethylmaleimide, t-butylhydroperoxide, oxalacetate, etc.), the development of nonspecific permeability produced by ruthenium red plus uncoupler requires accumulated Ca2+ specifically and is antagonized by inhibitors of phospholipase A2. The permeability responses are also antagonized by ionophore A23187, indicating that a rapid pathway for Ca2+ efflux from deenergized mitochondria is necessary to prevent the development of nonspecific permeability. EGTA can be substituted for ruthenium red to produce the nonspecific permeability change in Ca2+-loaded, uncoupler-treated mitochondria. The permeability responses to EGTA plus uncoupler again require accumulated Ca2+ specifically and are antagonized by inhibitors of phospholipase A2 and by ionophore A23187. The equivalent effects of ruthenium red and EGTA on uncoupled, Ca2+-containing mitochondria indicate that reducing the extramitochondrial Ca2+ concentration to the subnanomolar range produces inhibition of reverse uniport activity. It is proposed that inhibition reflect regulation of the uniporter by a Ca2+ binding site which is available from the cytoplasmic side of the inner membrane. EDTA cannot substitute for EGTA to induce nonspecific permeability in Ca2+-loaded, uncoupled mitochondria. Furthermore, EDTA inhibits the response to EGTA with an I50 value of approximately 10 microM. These data suggest that the uniporter regulatory site also binds Mg2+. The data suggest further that Mg2+ binding to the regulatory site is necessary to inhibit reverse uniport activity, even when the site is not occupied by Ca2+.     

Isolation and characterization of the Mg2(+)-ATPase from rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane preparations

Preparations of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, obtained according to the method of Eletr and Inesi (Biochim. Biophys. Acta (1972) 282, 174), contained both Mg2(+)-ATPase and Ca2+, Mg2(+)-ATPase activity. The two enzymes were solubilized by a mixture of digitonin and lysophosphatidylcholine and separated on a DEAE-cellulose column eluted with a discontinuous gradient of NaCl. The Mg2(+)-ATPase activity was eluted with 0.43 M NaCl. The Ca2+,Mg2(+)-ATPase was obtained by increasing the NaCl concentration of the elution medium to 0.40 M. The fraction eluted with 0.043 M NaCl was insensitive to micromolar concentrations of calcium, resistant to oligomycin, ouabain, orthovanadate and thiocyanate, and was inhibited by low concentrations of Triton X-100. The enzyme showed a single apparent Km for MgATP in the range of 0.2 mM and a Vm of 2.9 mumol Pi.min-1.mg-1 protein. Activity was maximal over a broad peak between pH 6.0-8.0. Hydrolysis of ATP was unaffected by dimethylsulfoxide concentrations up to 20% (v/v) and was inhibited at higher concentrations. The enzyme was not phosphorylated by either 32Pi or [gamma-32P]ATP at significant levels when compared with the Ca2+,Mg2(+)-ATPase in an EGTA-containing medium. The kinetic pattern of the Mg2(+)-ATPase was distinctly different from that of the Ca2+,Mg2(+)-ATPase under the same conditions. The fraction eluted from the DEAE-cellulose column was subjected to electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions. Only one band with Mg2(+)-ATPase activity was detected. The Mg2(+)-ATPase migrated much slower than the Ca2+,Mg2(+)-ATPase under non-denaturing conditions, whereas both enzymes had a molecular mass of 105 kDa on SDS gel electrophoresis.     

Inhibition of mitochondrial F1 ATPase and sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase by hydrophobic molecules

The hydrophobic nature of the active site of two energy-transducing ATPases was explored by comparing interactions between Pi and each of three hydrophobic drugs in the absence and presence of organic solvents. The drugs tested were the Fe . bathophenanthroline complex and the anticalmodulin drugs, calmidazolium and trifluoperazine. All inhibit the Pi in equilibrium with ATP exchange reaction catalyzed by submitochondrial particles and the ATPase activity of both submitochondrial particles and soluble F1 ATPase. The inhibition by the three drugs is reversed by either raising the Pi concentration or by adding organic solvent (dimethylsulfoxide, ethyleneglycol or methanol) to the medium. The inhibition of the Pi in equilibrium with ATP exchange by trifluoperazine becomes more pronounced when the electrochemical proton gradient formed across the membrane of the submitochondrial particles is decreased by the addition to the medium of the proton ionophore carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone. The ATPase activity and the Ca2+ uptake by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles are inhibited by the Fe . bathophenanthroline complex, calmidazolium and trifluoperazine. Phosphorylation of the ATPases by Pi, synthesis of ATP from ADP and Pi and the fast efflux of Ca2+ observed during reversal of the Ca2+ pump are inhibited by the three drugs. The inhibition is reversed by raising the concentration of Pi or dimethylsulfoxide. The three drugs tested appear to compete with Pi for a common binding site on the Ca2+-ATPase. The data presented are interpreted according to the proposal that the catalytic site of an enzyme involved in energy transduction undergoes a hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition during the catalytic cycle.     

Regulation of Ca2+ transport in brain mitochondria. I. The mechanism of spermine enhancement of Ca2+ uptake and retention

Spermine enhances electrogenic Ca2+ uptake and inhibits Na(+)-independent Ca2+ efflux in rat brain mitochondria. As a result, Ca2+ retention by brain mitochondria increases greatly and the external free Ca2+ level at steady-state can be lowered to physiologically relevant concentrations. The stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by spermine is more pronounced at low concentrations of Ca2+, effectively lowering the apparent Km for Ca2+ uptake from 3 microM to 1.5 microM. However, the apparent Vmax is also increased. At low Ca2+ concentrations, Ca2+ uptake is diffusion-limited. Spermine strongly inhibits Ca2+ binding to anionic phospholipids and it is suggested that this increases the rate of surface diffusion which reduces the apparent Km for uptake. The same effect could inhibit the Na(+)-independent efflux if the rate of efflux is limited by Ca2+ dissociation from the efflux carrier. In brain mitochondria (but not in liver) the spermine effect depends on the presence of ADP. In a medium that contains physiological concentrations of Pi, Mg+, K+, ADP and spermine, brain mitochondria sequester Ca2+ down to 0.1 microM and below, depending on the matrix Ca2+ load. Moreover, brain mitochondria under the same conditions buffer the external medium at 0.4 microM, a concentration at which the set point becomes independent of the matrix Ca2+ content. Thus, mitochondria appear to be capable of modulating calcium oscillations in brain cells.