Stabilization and crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum

Conditions were developed for the long-term stabilization of Ca2+-ATPase in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum, purified Ca2+-ATPase, and purified-delipidated Ca2+-ATPase preparations. The standard storage medium contains 0.1 M KCl, 10 mM K-3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonate, pH 6.0, 3 mM MgCl2, 20 mM CaCl2, 20% glycerol, 3 mM NaN3, 5 mM dithiothreitol, 25 IU/ml Trasylol, 2 micrograms/ml 1,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, 2 mg/ml protein, and 2-4 mg of detergent/mg of protein. Preparations stored under these conditions at 2 degrees C in a nitrogen atmosphere retain significant Ca2+-stimulated ATPase activity for periods of 5-6 months or longer when assayed in the presence of asolectin. The same conditions are also conducive for the formation of three-dimensional microcrystals of Ca2+-ATPase. Of the 49 detergents tested for solubilization, optimal crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase was obtained in sarcoplasmic reticulum solubilized with octaethylene glycol dodecyl ether at a detergent/protein weight ratio of 2, and with Brij 36T, Brij 56, and Brij 96 at a detergent/protein ratio of 4. Similar Ca2+-induced crystals of Ca2+-ATPase were obtained with purified or purified delipidated ATPase preparations at lower detergent/protein ratios. The stabilization of the ATPase activity in the presence of detergents is the combined effect of high Ca2+ (20 mM) and a relatively high glycerol concentration (20%). Ethylene glycol, glucose, sucrose, or myoinositol can substitute for glycerol with preservation of ATPase activity for several weeks in the presence of 20 mM Ca2+.Ca2+-induced association between ATPase molecules may be an essential requirement for preservation of enzymatic activity, both in intact sarcoplasmic reticulum and in solubilized preparations.     

Electron microscope observations on Ca2+-ATPase microcrystals in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum

Crystalline arrays of Ca2+-ATPase molecules develop in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum during incubation for several weeks at 2 degrees C under nitrogen in a medium of 0.1 M KCl, 10 mM K-3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonate, pH 6.0, 3 mM MgCl2, 20 mM CaCl2, 20% glycerol, 3 mM NaN3, 5 mM dithiothreitol, 25 IU/ml Trasylol, 2 micrograms/ml 1,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, 2 mg/ml protein, and 2-4 mg of detergent/mg of protein. Electron microscopy of sectioned, negatively stained, freeze-fractured, and frozen-hydrated Ca2+-ATPase crystals indicates that they consist of stacked lamellar arrays of Ca2+-ATPase molecules. Prominent periodicities of ATPase molecules within the lamellae arise from a centered rectangular lattice of dimensions 164 x 55.5 A. The association of lamellae into three-dimensional stacks is assumed to involve interactions between the exposed hydrophilic headgroups of ATPase molecules, that is promoted by glycerol and 20 mM Ca2+. Similar Ca2+-induced crystals were observed with purified or purified and delipidated Ca2+-ATPase preparations at lower detergent/protein ratios. Cross-linking of Ca2+-ATPase crystals with glutaraldehyde protects the structure against conditions such as low Ca2+, high pH, elevated temperature, SH group reagents, high concentration of detergents, and removal of phospholipids by extraction with organic solvents that disrupt unfixed preparations.     

Effect of calcium on the interactions between Ca2+-ATPase molecules in sarcoplasmic reticulum

The interaction between Ca2+-ATPase molecules in the native sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane and in detergent solutions was analyzed by chemical crosslinking, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and by the polarization of fluorescence of fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate (FITC) covalently attached to the Ca2+-ATPase. Reaction of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles with glutaraldehyde causes the crosslinking of Ca2+-ATPase molecules with the formation of dimers, tetramers and higher oligomers. At moderate concentrations of glutaraldehyde solubilization of sarcoplasmic reticulum by C12 E8 or Brij 36T (approximately equal to 4 mg/mg protein) decreased the formation of higher oligomers without significant interference with the appearance of crosslinked ATPase dimers. These observations are consistent with the existence of Ca2+-ATPase dimers in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum. Ca2+ (2-20 mM) and glycerol (10-20%) increased the degree of crosslinking at pH 6.0 both in vesicular and in solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum, presumably by promoting interactions between ATPase molecules; at pH 7.5 the effect of Ca2+ was less pronounced. In agreement with these observations, high performance liquid chromatography of sarcoplasmic reticulum proteins solubilized by Brij 36T or C12 E10 revealed the presence of components with the expected elution characteristics of Ca2+-ATPase oligomers. The polarization of fluorescence of FITC covalently attached to the Ca2+-ATPase is low in the native sarcoplasmic reticulum due to energy transfer, consistent with the existence of ATPase oligomers (Highsmith, S. and Cohen, J.A. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 154-161); upon solubilization of the sarcoplasmic reticulum by detergents, the polarization of fluorescence increased due to dissociation of ATPase oligomers. Based on its effects on the fluorescence of FITC-ATPase, Ca2+ promoted the interaction between ATPase molecules, both in the native membrane and in detergent solutions.     

The regulation of ATPase-ATPase interactions in sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. I. The effects of Ca2+, ATP, and inorganic phosphate

Two-dimensional crystalline arrays of Ca2+-ATPase molecules develop after treatment of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles with Na3VO4 in calcium-free medium (Dux, L., and Martonosi, A. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 2599-2603). The formation of Ca2+-ATPase crystals is inhibited by Ca2+ (2 microM), or ATP (5 mM), but not by ADP, 5'-adenylylimidodiphosphate, or adenylylmethylenediphosphonate. ATPase crystals did not form at 37 degrees C and exposure of preformed crystals to 37 degrees C for 1 h caused the disappearance of crystal lattice. Inorganic orthophosphate (1 mM at pH 6.0) promoted the formation of a distinct crystal form of Ca2+-ATPase, which was different from that produced by Na3VO4. These observations indicate that Ca2+, ATP, inorganic phosphate, pH, and temperature influence the interactions between ATPase molecules in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane.     

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

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

Effect of solubilization on adenosine 5'-triphosphate induced calcium release from purified sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium adenosinetriphosphatase

ATP-induced Ca2+ release from the purified sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase has been monitored in several different ATPase environments. Arsenazo III was used as a Ca2+ indicator in stopped-flow experiments and was shown to detect the early burst in Ca2+ transport, slower steady-state transport, and release of Ca2+ from fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum. ATP-induced rapid release of Ca2+ followed by a slower rebinding step could be demonstrated for purified Ca2+-ATPase in leaky vesicles if the reaction was slowed by lowering the pH to 6.1 and by including dimethyl sulfoxide in the reaction medium. At a dodecyl octaoxyethylene glycol monoether (C12E8) to protein weight ratio of 0.2, a detergent concentration too low for solubilization to occur, ATP-induced Ca2+ release occurred more rapidly than for native leaky membranes, whereas the rebinding step was slower. In contrast, no Ca2+ release was observed for any soluble preparation. The kinetics of Ca2+ release was studied under conditions where the ATPase was monomeric or aggregated, and also in the presence of added phospholipid. The ATPase was shown to be monomeric by sedimentation equilibrium measurements in the presence of Ca2+, ADP, and beta, gamma-methylene-ATP at a C12E8 to protein weight ratio of 2.0. It is concluded that solubilization of the Ca2+-ATPase may result in uncoupling of ATP hydrolysis from ATP-induced Ca2+ release.     

Ca2+-ATPase membrane crystals in sarcoplasmic reticulum. The effect of trypsin digestion

Vanadate induces the formation of two-dimensional crystalline arrays of Ca2+-ATPase molecules in sarcoplasmic reticulum. The Ca2+-ATPase membrane crystals are evenly distributed among the terminal cisternae and longitudinal tubules of sarcoplasmic reticulum, but very few crystals were observed in the T tubules. Tryptic cleavage of the Ca2+ transport ATPase into two major fragments (A and B) did not interfere with the vanadate-induced formation of membrane crystals. The ability of Ca2+-ATPase to crystallize was lost after further cleavage of the A fragment into the A1 and A2 subfragments that is known to be accompanied by loss of Ca2+ uptake. Vanadate (0.1-5 mM) inhibited the secondary cleavage of Ca2+-ATPase by trypsin suggesting that the susceptibility of the tryptic cleavage sites is influenced either by the conformation of the enzyme or by the formation of ATPase crystals.     

Effects of solutes on the formation of crystalline sheets of the Ca(2+)-ATPase in detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The Ca(2+)-ATPase crystals formed in detergent solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) at 2 degrees C in a crystallization medium of 0.1 M KCl, 10 mM K-Mops (pH 6.0), 3 mM MgCl2, 3 mM NaN3, 5 mM DTT, 25 IU/ml Trasylol, 2 micrograms/ml 1,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, 20% glycerol and 20 mM CaCl2 (J. Biol. Chem. 263, 5277 and 5287 (1988)) contain highly ordered sheets of ATPase molecules, that associate into large multilamellar stacks (greater than 100 layers). When the crystallization is performed in the same medium but in the presence of 40% glycerol at low temperature the stacking is reduced to 4-5 layers and the average diameter of the crystalline sheets is increased from less than 1 micron to 2-3 microns. Glycerol and low temperature presumably reduce stacking by interfering with the interactions between the hydrophilic headgroups of Ca(2+)-ATPase molecules in adjacent lamellae, while not affecting or promoting the ordering of ATPase molecules within the individual sheets. Electron diffraction patterns could be regularly obtained at 8 A and occasionally at 7 A resolution on crystals formed in 40% glycerol, either at 2 degrees C or at -70 degrees C. In the same media but in the absence of glycerol, polyethyleneglycol 1450, 3000 and 8000 (1-8%) induced the formation of ordered crystalline arrays containing 10-12 layers that were similar to those obtained in 40% glycerol. Replacement of 40% glycerol with 10-50% glucose or supplementation of the standard crystallization medium with polyethyleneglycol (PEG 3000 or 8000; 1, 2, 5 and 8%) had no beneficial effect on the order of crystalline arrays compared with media containing 40% glycerol.     

Membrane crystals of Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum of fast and slow skeletal and cardiac muscles

Crystalline arrays of Ca2+ transport ATPase develop in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes after treatment with Na3VO4 in a calcium-free medium [ Dux , L. and Martonosi , A. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 2599-2603]. The proportion of vesicles containing Ca2+-ATPase crystals in microsome preparations isolated from rat muscle of different fiber types (semimembranosus, levator ani, extensor digitorum longus, diaphragm, soleus, and heart) correlates well with the Ca2+-ATPase content and Ca2+-modulated ATPase activity. This implies that the concentration of Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes of fast and slow skeletal or cardiac muscles differs only slightly, and the low Ca2+ transport activity of 'sarcoplasmic reticulum' preparations isolated from slow-twitch skeletal and cardiac muscles is due to the presence of large amount of non-sarcoplasmic-reticulum membrane elements. This is in accord with the relatively small differences in the density of 8.5-nm intramembranous particles seen by freeze-etch electron microscopy in sarcoplasmic reticulum of red and white muscles. The dimensions of the Ca2+-ATPase crystal lattice are similar in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes of different fiber types; therefore if structural differences exist between 'isoenzymes' of Ca2+-ATPase, these are not reflected in the crystal-lattice.     

Structural and functional properties of a Ca2+-ATPase from human platelets

An antibody prepared against highly purified rabbit muscle Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum has been observed to cross-react with proteins in human platelet membrane vesicles. The antibody specifically precipitated Ca2+-ATPase activity from solubilized human platelet membranes and recognized two platelet polypeptides denatured in sodium dodecyl sulfate with Mr = 107,000 and 101,000. Ca2+-ATPase activity from Brij 78-solubilized platelet membranes was purified up to 10-fold. The purified preparation consisted mainly of two polypeptides with Mr approximately 100,000, and 40,000. The lower molecular weight protein appeared unrelated to Ca2+-ATPase activity. The Ca2+-ATPase in human platelet membrane vesicles exhibited "negative cooperativity" with respect to the kinetics of ATP hydrolysis. The apparent Km for Ca2+ activation of ATPase activity was 0.1 microM. Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of platelet vesicles by [gamma-32P]ATP at 0 degrees C yielded a maximum of 0.2-0.4 nmol of PO4/mg of protein that was labile at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C. This result suggests that only about 2-4% of the total protein in platelet membrane vesicles is the Ca2+-ATPase, which agrees with an estimate based on the specific activity of the Ca2+-ATPase in platelet membranes (20-50 nmol of ATP hydrolyzed/min/mg of protein at 30 degrees C). Calmodulin resulted in only a 1.6-fold stimulation of Ca2+-ATPase activity even after extensive washing of membranes with a calcium chelator or chlorpromazine. It is concluded that human platelets contain a Ca2+-ATPase immunochemically related to the Ca2+ pump from rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum and that the enzymatic characteristics and molecular weight of the platelet ATPase are quite similar to those of the muscle ATPase.     

The regulation of ATPase-ATPase interactions in sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. II. The influence of membrane potential

Na3VO4 promotes the crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. The rate of vanadate-induced crystallization is dramatically increased by inside positive membrane potential generated through ion substitution. Negative potential caused the transient disruption of preformed Ca2+-ATPase crystals, followed by slower reappearance of the lattice after the potential was dissipated. We propose that positive transmembrane potential alters the conformation of the Ca2+-ATPase molecules in a manner that favors ATPase-ATPase interactions, while negative potential would have the opposite effect. Changes in enzyme conformation caused by potential changes during the contraction-relaxation cycle could regulate ATPase interactions in a similar manner in vivo, with effects upon the Ca2+ transport activity and permeability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

Effect of urea on the partial reactions and crystallization pattern of sarcoplasmic reticulum adenosine triphosphatase

Steady-state ATPase activity, calcium binding, formation of phosphorylated enzyme intermediate with ATP in the presence of Ca2+, or with Pi in the absence of Ca2+, and association of ATPase molecules into bidimensional crystals, were studied using vesicular fragments of sarcoplasmic reticulum. The vesicles were exposed to increasing concentrations of urea in order to produce stepwise perturbations of protein structure and to test the effect of such perturbations on the partial reactions and crystallization pattern of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase. It was found that low concentrations of urea produce specific inhibition of Pi binding and enzyme phosphorylation with Pi (but not with ATP). Intermediate concentrations of urea reduce calcium binding affinity and cooperativity, while the ability of the enzyme to be phosphorylated with ATP and to form dimeric arrays is retained. These observations demonstrate that the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase is sensitive to physical perturbations producing specific and reversible changes in the Pi and calcium binding domains. These changes interfere with enzyme turnover, indicating that conformational effects related to binding and dissociation of Pi and calcium are tightly coupled to catalysis and energy transduction. Higher concentrations of urea produce irreversible denaturation, accompanied by total inhibition of calcium binding, enzyme phosphorylation with ATP, and association of ATPase chains in bidimensional crystals. Under these conditions, protein unfolding is manifested by a sharp reduction in the fluorescence of intrinsic tryptophan residues and of a covalently bound probe. These observations suggest that dimeric association and a tendency to form bidimensional crystals correspond to a basic property of the enzyme, which is linked to its native structure and whose character may change in the presence of ligands and/or during the catalytic cycle. On the other hand, the decavanadate-induced crystallization pattern cannot be interpreted in terms of a mechanistic relationship of ATPase dimerization with one of the intermediate states of the catalytic cycle.     

Two functional states of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase.

The "total" ATPase activity of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles includes a Ca2+-independent component ("basic") and Ca2+-dependent component ("extra"). Only the "extra" ATPase is coupled to Ca2+ transport. These activities can be measured under conditions in which the observed rates approximate maximal velocities. The "basic" ATPase is predominant in one of the various SR fractions obtained by prolonged density-gradient centrifugation of SR preparations already purified by repeated differential centrifugations and extractions at high ionic strength. This fraction (low dnesity, high cholesterol) has a protein composition nearly identical with that of other SR fractions in which the "extra" ATPase is predominant. In these other fractions the ratio of "extra" to "basic" ATPase activities is temperature dependent, being approximately 9.0 at 40 degrees C and 0.5 at 4 degrees C. In all the fractions and at all temperatures studied, similar steady-state levels of phosphorylated SR protein are obtained in the presence of ATP and Ca2+. Furthermore, in all cases the "basic" (Ca2+-independent) ATPase acquires total Ca2+ dependence upon addition of the nonionic detergent Triton X-100. This detergent also transforms the complex substrate dependence of the SRATPase into a simple dependence, displaying a single value for the apparent Km. The experimental findings indicate that the ATPase of rabbit SR exists in two distinct functional states (E1 and E2), only one of which (E2) is coupled to Ca2+ transport. The E1 in equilibrium E2 equilibrium is temperature-dependent and entropy-driven, indicative of its relation to the physical state of the ATPase protein in its membrane environment. Thenonlinearity of Arrhenius plots of Ca2+-dependent ("extra") ATPase activity and Ca2+ transport is explained in terms of simultaneous contribtuions from both the free energy of activation of enzyme catalysis and the free energy of conversion of E1 to E2. Thermal equilibrium between the two functional states is drastically altered by factors which affect membrane structure and local viscosity.     

Studies on the heterogeneity of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles.

Isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from rabbit white muscle were separated into a light (15--20% of total microsomes) and a heavy (80--85%) fraction by density gradient centifugation. The ultrastructure, chemical composition, enzymic activities and localization of membrane components in the vesicles of both fractions were investigated. From the following results it was concluded that both fractions are derived from the membranes of the sarcoplasmic reticulum system of the muscle: (i) The protein pattern of both fractions is essentially the same, except for different ratios of acidic, Ca2+-binding proteins. (ii) The 105000 dalton protein of the light fraction cross-reacts immunologically with the Ca2+-dependent ATPase of the heavy fraction. (iii) Ca2+-dependent ATPase, although of different specific activity, is found in both fractions. After rendering the vesicles leaky, specific activities in both fractions reach the same value. The light fraction was found to consist of "inside-out" vesicles by the following criteria: (i) No Ca2+ accumulation can be measured and the Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity is low and variable. (ii) The rate of trypsin digestion is lower and, compared to the heavy microsomes, a different ratio of degradation products is obtained. (iii) The sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane has a highly asymmetrical lipid distribution. This distribution of aminophospholipids is opposite to that in vesicles of heavy fraction. The light sarcoplasmic reticulum fraction has a higher phospholipid to protein ratio than the heavy one. This is consistent with the possibility that the two fractions derive from different parts of the sarcoplasmic reticulum system.     

Binding, activation, and solubilization of the Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum by nonionic detergents

Interactions between delipidated Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum and four nonionic detergents--dodecyl octaoxyethyleneglycol monoether (C12E8), Triton X-100, Brij 58, and Brij 35--were characterized with respect to activation of ATPase activity, binding, and solubilization. C12E8 and Triton X-100 activated the delipidated ATPase to at least 80% of the original activity at the critical micelle concentrations (CMCs), whereas Brij 58 and Brij 35 activated no more than 10% of the original activity. The inability of Brij 58 and Brij 35 to activate the delipidated enzyme was probably a result of reduced binding of these detergents below the CMCs; both detergents exhibited a sixteenfold reduction in binding at the CMC compared with C12E8. The two Brij detergents were also unable to solubilize the delipidated enzyme and form monomers, as determined by sedimentation experiments. Thus the reduced binding levels of these detergents may result from an inability to overcome protein/protein interactions in the delipidated preparation. However, the Brij detergents were capable of solubilizing active enzyme from membrane vesicles, although with lower efficiency than C12E8 and Triton X-100. These results suggest that Brij 58 and 35 may be useful for solubilization of membrane proteins without disrupting protein/protein interactions, while Triton X-100 and C12E8 are more useful when bulk solubilization is the goal.     

State of aggregation of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase studied using saturation-transfer electron spin resonance

The state of aggregation of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase in the membrane of sarcoplasmic reticulum and in reconstituted membrane systems has been studied using saturation-transfer electron spin resonance (ST-ESR). Saturation-transfer ESR spectra show that in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the ATPase is relatively free to rotate, with an effective rotational correlation time of approx. 33 microseconds at 4 degrees C, consistent with a monomeric or dimeric structure. The rate of rotation is observed to decrease with decreasing molar ratio of lipid to protein. In reconstituted systems, rotational motion of the ATPase on the millisecond time scale ceases when the lipids are in the gel phase. Addition of decavanadate, which causes the formation of crystalline arrays in negatively stained electron micrographs, results in only a small reduction in rotation rate for the ATPase in the membrane. The experiments are interpreted in terms of a short-lived (on the millisecond time scale) protein-protein interaction, with the formation of crystalline clusters of ATPase molecules which form and melt rapidly.     

Rapid reconstitution and characterization of highly-efficient sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca pump

The Ca pump was reconstituted from the purified sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase and excess soybean phospholipids by the freeze-thaw sonication procedure in the presence of cholate. In the absence of Ca precipitating agents, the reconstituted proteoliposomes accumulated Ca2+ at an initial rate of up to 0.7 mumol/mg per min at 25 degrees C, and a value of 1.54 was obtained for the coupling ratio between Ca uptake and Ca2+-dependent ATPase activities. The proteoliposomes were mainly unilamellar vesicles but were heterogeneous with respect to their size. When reconstituted at a lipid/protein ratio of 40, proteoliposomes had a buoyant density of about 1.04 and their average internal volume was 1.4-1.6 microliters/mg of phospholipids. More than 95% of the ATPase was incorporated randomly into these proteoliposomes and the fraction of proteoliposomes that represented about 50% of the total intravesicular isotope space contained right-side-out oriented enzyme. 86Rb efflux from the 86Rb-loaded proteoliposomes was found to be slow even at 25 degrees C. Therefore, the proteoliposomes prepared by the present simple method should be useful for the study of the side-specific interaction of ions such as alkali metal cations with the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca pump.     

A kinetic model for the Ca2+ + Mg2+-activated ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The Ca2+ + Mg2+-activated ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum exhibits complex kinetics of activation with respect to ATP. ATPase activity is pH-dependent, with similar pH-activity profiles at high and low concentrations of ATP. Low concentrations of Ca2+ in the micromolar range activate the ATPase, whereas activity is inhibited by Ca2+ at millimolar concentrations. The pH-dependence of this Ca2+ inhibition and the effect of the detergent C12E8 (dodecyl octaethylene glycol monoether) on Ca2+ inhibition are similar to those observed on activation by low concentrations of Ca2+. On the basis of these and other studies we present a kinetic model for the ATPase. The ATPase is postulated to exist in one of two conformations: a conformation (E1) of high affinity for Ca2+ and MgATP and a conformation (E2) of low affinity for Ca2+ and MgATP. Ca2+ binding to E2 and to the phosphorylated form E2P are equal. Proton binding at the Ca2+-binding sites in the E1 and E2 conformations explains the pH-dependence of Ca2+ effects. Binding of MgATP to the phosphorylated intermediate E1'PCa2 and to E2 modulate the rates of the transport step E1'PCa-E2'PCa2 and the return of the empty Ca2+ sites to the outside surface of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, as well as the rate of dephosphorylation of E2P. Only a single binding site for MgATP is postulated.     

Cyclopiazonic acid is a specific inhibitor of the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

The mycotoxin, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), inhibits the Ca2+-stimulated ATPase (EC 3.6.1.38) and Ca2+ transport activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum (Goeger, D. E., Riley, R. T., Dorner, J. W., and Cole, R. J. (1988) Biochem. Pharmacol. 37, 978-981). We found that at low ATP concentrations (0.5-2 microM) the inhibition of ATPase activity was essentially complete at a CPA concentration of 6-8 nmol/mg protein, indicating stoichiometric reaction of CPA with the Ca2+-ATPase. Cyclopiazonic acid caused similar inhibition of the Ca2+-stimulated ATP hydrolysis in intact sarcoplasmic reticulum and in a purified preparation of Ca2+-ATPase. Cyclopiazonic acid also inhibited the Ca2+-dependent acetylphosphate, p-nitrophenylphosphate and carbamylphosphate hydrolysis by sarcoplasmic reticulum. ATP protected the enzyme in a competitive manner against inhibition by CPA, while a 10(5)-fold change in free Ca2+ concentration had only moderate effect on the extent of inhibition. CPA did not influence the crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase by vanadate or the reaction of fluorescein-5'-isothiocyanate with the Ca2+-ATPase, but it completely blocked at concentrations as low as 1-2 mol of CPA/mol of ATPase the fluorescence changes induced by Ca2+ and [ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (EGTA) in FITC-labeled sarcoplasmic reticulum and inhibited the cleavage of Ca2+-ATPase by trypsin at the T2 cleavage site in the presence of EGTA. These observations suggest that CPA interferes with the ATP-induced conformational changes related to Ca2+ transport. The effect of CPA on the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase appears to be fairly specific, since the kidney and brain Na+,K+-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.37), the gastric H+,K+-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.36), the mitochondrial F1-ATPase (EC 3.6.1.34), the Ca2+-ATPase of erythrocytes, and the Mg2+-activated ATPase of T-tubules and surface membranes of rat skeletal muscle were not inhibited by CPA, even at concentrations as high as 1000 nmol/mg protein.     

The binding of vanadium (V) oligoanions to sarcoplasmic reticulum

The binding of monovanadate and decavanadate anions to sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was measured by equilibrium sedimentation. The affinity of vanadate binding and the molar amount of vanadium (V) bound at equilibrium is much greater with decavanadate than with monovanadate. The binding data can be rationalized in terms of one binding site per ATPase molecule for monovanadate and two sites per ATPase for decavanadate. The Ca-ATPase crystals formed with monovanadate and with decavanadate are similar in appearance, but decavanadate is particularly effective in promoting the crystallization of Ca2+-ATPase at low V concentration (10-100 microM) in a Ca2+-free medium.