Phosphorylation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase by microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase kinase

Microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase kinase has been purified to apparent homogeneity by a process involving the following steps: solubilization from microsomes and chromatography on Affi-Gel Blue, phosphocellulose, Bio-Gel A 1.5m, and agarose-hexane-ATP. The apparent M_r of the purified enzyme as judged by gel-filtration chromatography is 205,000 and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis is 105,000. Immunoprecipitation of homogeneous reductase phosphorylated by reductase kinase and [γ-³²P]ATP produces a unique band containing ³²P bound to protein which migrates at the same R_f as the reductase subunit. Incubation of ³²P-labeled HMG-CoA reductase with reductase phosphatase results in a time-dependent loss of protein-bound ³²P radioactivity, as well as an increase in enzymic activity. Reductase kinase, when incubated with ATP, undergoes autophosphorylation, and a simultaneous increase in its enzymatic activity is observed. Tryptic treatment of immunoprecipitated, ³²P-labeled HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylated with reductase kinase produces only one ³²P-labeled phosphopeptide with the same R_f as one of the two tryptic phosphopeptides that have been reported in a previous paper. The possible existence of a second microsomal reductase kinase is discussed.     

Evidence for multiple phosphorylation sites in rat liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase

Microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase (EC 1.1.1.34) was inactivated by [γ-³²P]ATP in the presence of endogenous reductase kinases, solubilized, and purified 575-fold with retention of³²P to a state where phosphoreductase was the only³²P-labeled protein present.³²P comigrated with reductase activity under nondenaturing conditions (polyacrylamide gets, isoelectric focusing gels) and with reductase monomer under denaturing conditions (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels). Polyfunctional antibody to homogeneous reductase precipitated all of the³²P present. The phosphate-reductase bond was acid-stable and base-labile. Following acid hydrolysis and high-voltage electrophoresis,³²P label migrated solely with phosphoserine and inorganic orthophosphate. Exhaustive (>100 h) tryptic digestion of phosphoreductase denatured in 2 M urea yielded two major phosphorylated components as judged by high-performance liquid chromatography or Sephadex G-25 chromatography. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase inactivated in the microsomal state by [γ-³²P]ATP is thus phosphorylated exclusively at seryl residues and contains two structurally distinct phosphorylation sites.     

Cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase from Mucor rouxii: regulation of enzyme activity by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation.

Crude preparations of cyclic adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate phosphodiesterase were activated 1.5 to 2 fold by incubation with ATP, Mg²⁺ and cyclic AMP in a reaction which was both, time and temperature dependent. Cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase remained in an activated state upon filtration of the enzymatic preparation through Sephadex G-25 and ion-exchange chromatography. Activation of the enzyme in the presence of [γ ³²P]ATP resulted in a significant amount of [³²P] protein-bound radioactivity. Reversible deactivation of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase was enhanced by Mg²⁺ and was accompanied by the release of [³²P] protein bound radioactivity. The evidence is consistent with a mechanism for controlling cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase through phosphorylation-dephosphorylation sequence.     

Preparation of highly radioactive homogeneous 32P-labeled hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase from rat liver

A procedure for the preparation of highly radioactive homogeneous ³²P-labeled 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase from rat liver microsomes has been developed. The enzymatic preparation obtained by this procedure has a specific radioactivity 50-fold higher than that reported in previous literature. The purified enzyme was judged to be homogeneous on the basis of comigration of enzyme activity with a single band of protein and ³²P radioactivity on polyacrylamide gels. The ³²P covalently bound to the reductase was removed upon incubation with purified hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase phosphatase from rat liver.     

The adenylate cyclase activity of isolated hepatocytes actions of glucagon and sodium fluoride

Isolated hepatocytes converted exogenous [α-³²P]ATP to cyclic [³²P]AMP at high rates. This system was used for kinetic studies of the effects of glucagon, fluoride, free magnesium and free ATP^4? on adenylate cyclase. In the absence or presence of glucagon, free Mg²⁺ activated adenylate cyclase by decreasing the K_m for MgATP^2? without changing V. Free ATP^4? was not a potent inhibitor of adenylate cyclase and the only effect of glucagon was to increase V.Fluoride also increased the V of adenylate cyclase, but, in contrast to the results obtained with glucagon, the effect increased as the concentration of free Mg²⁺ increased. One explanation of the effect of fluoride, consistent with the idea that free Mg²⁺ activates adenylate cyclase and free ATP is not an inhibitor, is that fluoride increases the affinity of the enzyme for Mg²⁺. Weak inhibition of adenylate cyclase by ATP^4? in the presence of fluoride cannot be excluded.     

A 3-aminobenzamide-resistant labeled protein in [P]NAD-labeled cells

A series of proteins are covalently labeled when human lymphocytes are incubated with [³²P]NAD⁺. The majority of this labeling is effectively inhibited when the lymphocytes are coincubated with 3-aminobenzamide, a potent inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. However, labeling of a 72 000 molecular weight protein was resistant to the inhibitory effect of 3-aminobenzamide. Labeling of this protein from [³²P]NAD⁺ was shown to be Mg²⁺-dependent. The 72 000 molecular weight protein could also be labeled on incubation with [α-³²P]ATP, [γ-³²P]ATP and [³²P]orthophosphate, but not from [³H]NAD⁺ or [¹⁴C]NAD⁺. In the present study, we show that the 72 000 molecular weight protein is not ADP-ribosylated but rather, phosphorylated on incubation with [³²P]NAD⁺. This phosphorylation appears to occur via an Mg²⁺-dependent conversion of NAD⁺ to AMP with the eventual utilization of the α-phosphate for phosphorylation of the 72 000 molecular weight protein.     

An easy and rapid method for the measurement of [γ-P]ATP specific radioactivity in tissue extracts obtained from in vitro rat heart preparations labeled with Pi

A rapid method for the measurement of [γ-³²P]ATP specific radioactivity in tissue extracts containing other ³²P-labeled compounds is described. The neutralized acid extract is incubated with cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, cyclic AMP and casein. The incorporation of ³²P into casein from [γ-³²P]ATP is measured by perchloric acid precipitation of the protein on filter paper. ³²P-Casein formation is linearly related to the specific radioactivity of the [γ-³²P]ATP. Separation of ATP from other ³²P-labeled compounds is not required for the assay. Application of this method in the evaluation of [γ-³²P]ATP specific radioactivity in two rat cardiac muscle preparations exposed to ³²P_i is demonstrated.     

Calcium-pumping ATPases in vesicles from carrot cells : stimulation by calmodulin or phosphatidylserine, and formation of a 120 kilodalton phosphoenzyme

Ca²⁺-ATPases keep cytoplasmic [Ca²⁺] low by pumping Ca²⁺ into intracellular compartments or out of the cell. The transport properties of Ca²⁺-pumping ATPases from carrot (Daucus carota cv Danvers) tissue culture cells were studied. ATP-dependent Ca²⁺ transport in vesicles that comigrated with an endoplasmic reticulum marker, was stimulated three- to fourfold by calmodulin. Cyclopiazonic acid (a specific inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase) partially inhibited oxalate-stimulated Ca²⁺ transport activity; however, it had no effect on calmodulin-stimulated Ca²⁺ uptake driven by ATP or GTP. The results would suggest the presence of two types of Ca²⁺-ATPases, an endoplasmic reticulum- and a plasma membrane-type. Interestingly, incubation of membranes with [gamma³²P]ATP resulted in the formation of a single acyl [³²P]phosphoprotein of 120 kilodaltons. Formation of this phosphoprotein was dependent on Ca²⁺, but independent of Mg²⁺. Its enhancement by La³⁺ is characteristic of a phosphorylated enzyme intermediate of a plasma membrane-type Ca-ATPase. Calmodulin stimulated Ca²⁺ transport was decreased by W-7 (a calmodulin antagonist), ML-7 (myosin light chain kinase inhibitor) or thyroxine. Acidic phospholipids, like phosphatidylserine, stimulated Ca²⁺ transport, similar to their effect on the erythrocyte plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPase. These results would indicate that the calmodulin-stimulated Ca²⁺ transport originated in large part from a plasma membrane-type Ca²⁺ pump of 120 kilodaltons. The possibility of calmodulin-stimulated Ca²⁺-ATPases on endomembranes, such as the endoplasmic reticulum and secretory vesicles, as well as the plasma membrane is suggested.     

Chain extension of ribonucleic acid by enzymes from rat liver cytoplasm

1. The 105000g supernatant fraction of rat liver catalyses the incorporation of ribonucleotides from ribonucleoside triphosphates into polyribonucleotide material. The reaction requires Mg²⁺ ions and is enhanced by the addition of an ATP-generating system and RNA, ATP, UTP and CTP but not GTP are utilized in this reaction. In the case of UTP, the product is predominantly a homopolymer containing 2–3 uridine residues, and there is evidence that these may be added to the 3′-hydroxyl ends of RNA or oligoribonucleotide primers. 2. The microsome fraction of rat liver incorporates ribonucleotides from ATP, GTP, CTP and UTP into polyribonucleotide material. This reaction requires Mg²⁺ ions and is enhanced slightly by the addition of an ATP-generating system, and by RNA but not DNA. Supplementation of the reaction mixture with the three complementary ribonucleoside 5′-triphosphates greatly increases the utilization of a single labelled ribonucleoside 5′-triphosphate. The optimum pH is in the range 7·0–8·5, and the reaction is strongly inhibited by inorganic pyrophosphate and to a much smaller degree by inorganic orthophosphate. It is not inhibited by actinomycin D or by deoxyribonuclease. In experiments with [³²P]UTP in the absence of ATP, GTP and CTP, 80–90% of ³²P was recovered in UMP-2′ or -3′ after alkaline hydrolysis of the reaction product. When the reaction mixture was supplemented with ATP, GTP and CTP, however, about 40% of the ³²P was recovered in nucleotides other than UMP-2′ or -3′. Although the reactions seem to lead predominantly to the synthesis of homopolymers, the possibility of some formation of some heteropolymer is not completely excluded.     

Studies on the metabolism of ATP by isolated bacterial membranes: solubilization and phosphorylation of a protein component of the diglyceride kinase system

A soluble fraction, obtained by extracting E. coli cytoplasmic membrane vesicles with water, transfers radioactivity from [γ-³²P]ATP to a protein present in this soluble fraction. The formation of the [³²P]phosphoprotein appears to be reversible. Thus the protein can transfer its ³²P to ADP to form [³²P]ATP, and the phosphate on the protein can exchange with the phosphate of ATP. Preliminary evidence indicates that the phosphate moiety is linked to a histidine residue of the protein. The Mn²⁺ and ATP dependencies of [³²P]phosphoprotein formation are almost identical to the diglyceride kinase reaction previously reported in intact membrane vesicles. Although indirect evidence supports the involvement of the phosphoprotein in the diglyceride kinase reaction, the soluble fraction catalyzes only a slow formation of [³²P]phosphatidie acid from [γ-³²P]ATP and α,β-diglyceride.     

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

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

Characterization of Mg2+-ATPase from sheep kidney medulla: purification.

Magnesium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase has been purified from sheep kidney medulla plasma membranes. The purification, which is based on treatment of a kidney plasma membrane fraction with 0.5% digitonin in 3 mm MgCl₂, effectively separates the Mg²⁺-ATPase from (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase present in the same tissue and yields the Mg²⁺-ATPase in soluble form. The purified enzyme is activated by a variety of divalent cations and trivalent cations, including Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Co²⁺, Fe²⁺, Zn²⁺, Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺, and VO²⁺. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme shows two bands with R_f values corresponding to molecular weights of 150,000 and 77,000. The larger peptide is phosphorylated by [γ-³²P]ATP, suggesting that this peptide may contain the active site of the Mg²⁺-ATPase. The Mg²⁺-ATPase activity is unaffected by the specific (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase inhibitor ouabain.     

Fluctuations in Spinach Leaf Nitrate Reductase During Light-Dark Transitions

In vivo nitrate reductase (NR) activity declined gradually either in absence or presence of Mg²⁺ In dark grown plants of spinach. The increased sensitivity of the extracted NR from the dark grown plants to Mg²⁺ and ATP is indicative of the post-translational modification as one of the mechanisms to control NR activity. The response of extracted NR was gradual and not instantaneous suggesting a complex interplay of NR regulation, as the dark acclimatized plants when exposed to light caused significant nitrate reduction within 15 min of light exposures even in the presence of Mg²⁺ and ATP.     

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase. A comparison of the modulation in vitro by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation to modulation of enzyme activity by feeding cholesterol- or cholestyramine-supplemented diets

The activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase) was considerably inhibited during incubation with ATP+Mg²⁺. The inactivated enzyme was reactivated on further incubation with partially purified cytosolic phosphoprotein phosphatase. The inactivation was associated with a decrease in the apparent K_m of the reductase for hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA, and this was reversed on reactivation. The slight increase in activity observed during incubation of microsomal fraction without ATP was not associated with a change in apparent K_m and, unlike the effect of the phosphatase, was not inhibited by NaF. Liver microsomal fraction from rats given cholesterol exhibited a low activity of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase with a low apparent K_m for hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA. Mícrosomal fraction from rats fed cholestyramine exhibited a high activity with a high K_m. To discover whether these changes had resulted from phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the reductase, microsomal fraction from rats fed the supplemented diets and the standard diet were inactivated with ATP and reactivated with phosphoprotein phosphatase. Inactivation reduced the maximal activity of the reductase in each microsomal preparation and also reduced the apparent K_m for hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA. There was no difference between the preparations in the degree of inactivation produced by ATP. Treatment with phosphatase restored both the maximal activity and the apparent K_m of each preparation, but never significantly increased the activity above that observed with untreated microsomal fraction. It is concluded that hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase in microsomal fraction prepared by standard procedures is almost entirely in the dephosphorylated form, and that the difference in kinetic properties in untreated microsomal fraction from rats fed the three diets cannot be explained by differences in the degree of phosphorylation of the enzyme.     

Separation of the Mg-ATPases from the Ca-Phosphatase Activity of Microsomal Membranes Prepared from Barley Roots

Two methods for preparing membrane fractions from barley (Hordeum vulgare cv California Mariout 72) roots were compared in order to resolve reported differences between the characteristics of the plasma membrane ATPase of barley and that of other species. When microsomal membranes were prepared by a published procedure and applied to a continuous sucrose gradient, the membranes sedimented as a single broad band with a peak density of 1.16 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³). Activities of NADH cytochrome (Cyt) c reductase, Ca²⁺-ATPase, and Mg²⁺-ATPase were coincident and there was little ATP-dependent proton transport anywhere on the gradient. When the homogenization procedure was modified by increasing the pH of the buffer and the ratio of buffer to roots, the microsomal membranes separated as several components on a continuous sucrose gradient. A Ca²⁺-phosphatase was at the top of the gradient, NADH Cyt c reductase at 1.08 g/cm³, a peak of ATP-dependent proton transport at 1.09 to 1.12 g/cm³, a peak of nitrate-inhibited ATPase at 1.09 to 1.12 g/cm³, and of vanadate-inhibited ATPase at 1.16 g/cm³. The Ca²⁺-phosphatase had no preference for ATP over other nucleoside di- and tri-phosphates and was separated from the vanadate-inhibited ATPase on a sucrose gradient; approximately 70% of the Ca²⁺-phosphatase was removed from the microsomes by washing with 150 millimolar KCl. The vanadate-sensitive ATPase required Mg²⁺, was highly specific for ATP, and was not affected by the KCl wash. These results show that barley roots have a plasma membrane ATPase similar to that of other plant species.     

Phosphorylation of immunopurified rat liver glucocorticoid receptor by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase

We have examined phosphorylation of the rat liver glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and GR-associated protein kinase (PK) activity in the immunopurified receptor preparations. Affinity labeling of hepatic cytosol with [³H]dexamethasone 21-mesylate showed a covalent association of the steroid with a 94 kDa protein. GR was immunopurified with antireceptor monoclonal antibody BuGR2 (Gametchu & Harrison, Endocrinology 114: 274–279, 1984) to near homogeneity. A 23° C incubation of the immunoprecipitated protein A-Sepharose adsorbed GR with [-³²P]ATP, Mg²⁺ and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent PK (cAMP-PK) from bovine heart, led to an incorporation of radioactivity in the 94 kDa protein. Phosphorylation of GR was not evident in the absence of the added kinase. Of the radioinert nucleotides (ATP, GTP, UTP or CTP) tested, only ATP successfully competed with [-³²P]ATP demonstrating a nucleotide specific requirement for the phosphorylation of GR. Other divalent cations, such as Mn²⁺ or Ca²⁺, could not be substituted for Mg²⁺ during the phosphorylation reaction. Phosphorylation of GR was sensitive to the presence of the protein kinase inhibitor, H-8, an isoquinoline sulfonamide derivative. In addition, the incorporation of radioactivity into GR was both time- and temperature-dependent. The phosphorylation of GR by cAMP-PK was independent of the presence of hsp-90 and transformation state of the receptor. The results of this study demonstrate that GR is an effective substrate for action of cAMP-PK and that the immunopurified protein A-Sepharose adsorbed GR lacks intrinsic kinase activity but can be conveniently used for the characterization of the phosphorylation reaction in the presence of an exogenous kinase.Abbreviations BUGR2 anti-GR monoclonal antibody - cAMP-PK cAMP-dependent protein kinase - DMSO dimethyl sulfoxide - EDTA ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid - GR glucocorticoid receptor - H-8 Isoquinoline sulfonamide derivative - hsp-90 90 kDa heat-shock protein - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - PR progesterone receptor - NaF sodium fluoride - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate - SDS-PAGE SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - SR steroid receptor - TA triamcinolone acetonide     

Multiple phosphorylation of rat liver 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase

Rat liver homogeneous ³²P-labeled hydroxy methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, was treated independently with CNBr and trypsin and the resulting [³²P]phosphopeptides were analyzed by disc gel electrophoresis. CNBr treatment produced only one ³²P-fragment of Mr 18,000. The time course of trypsin hydrolysis initially showed the appearance of some phosphopeptides, which were lately converted in two phosphopeptides of low Mr. These results provide direct support for the concept that hydroxy methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase kinase solubilized from microsomes phosphorylates only two sites or set of sites in the reductase molecule.     

Rapid Modulation of Spinach Leaf Nitrate Reductase by Photosynthesis : II. In Vitro Modulation by ATP and AMP

Assimilatory nitrate reductase activity (NRA) in crude spinach leaf (Spinacia oleracea) extracts undergoes rapid changes following fluctuations in photosynthesis brought about by changes in external CO₂ or by water stress (WM Kaiser, E Brendle-Behnisch [1991] Plant Physiol 96:363-367). A modulation of NRA sharing several characteristics (stability, response to Mg²⁺ or Ca²⁺, kinetic constants) with the in vivo modulation was obtained in vitro by preincubating desalted leaf extracts with physiological concentrations of Mg²⁺ and ATP (deactivating) or AMP (activating). When nitrate reductase (NR) was inactivated in vivo by illuminating leaves at the CO₂ compensation point, it could be reactivated in vitro by incubating leaf extracts with AMP. For the in vitro inactivation, ATP could be replaced by GTP or UTP. Nonhydrolyzable ATP analogs (β, γ-imido ATP, β, γ-methyl-ATP) had no effect on NR, whereas γ-S-ATP caused an irreversible inactivation. This suggests that NR modulation involves ATP hydrolysis. In contrast to NR in crude leaf extracts, partially purified NR did not respond to ATP or AMP. ATP and AMP levels in whole leaf extracts changed in the way predicted by the modulation of NRA when leaves were transferred from photosynthesizing (low ATP/AMP) to photorespiratory (high ATP/AMP) conditions. Adenine nucleotide levels in leaves could be effectively manipulated by feeding mannose through the leaf petiole. NRA followed these changes as expected from the in vitro results. This suggests that cytosolic ATP/AMP levels are indeed the central link between NRA in the cytosol and photosynthesis in the chloroplast. Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of NR or of NR-regulating protein factors is discussed as a mechanism for a reversible modulation of NR by ATP and AMP.     

The role of Mg2+ and Ca2+ in the simultaneous binding of vanadate and ATP at the phosphorylation site of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase was reacted with vanadate in the presence of Mg²⁺ and EGTA, and the effect of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and ATP on the kinetics of vanadate release from the enzyme vanadate complex was studied after dilution with vanadate-free media. Ca²⁺ increased, whereas ATP decreased the rate of vanadate release. In absence of free Mg²⁺ in the release media ATP was bound to the vanadate-reacted Ca²⁺-ATPase with high affinity (K_d 4–5 μM), and full saturation with ATP resulted in complete inhibition of vanadate release. In media containing free Mg²⁺, where ATP predominantly was present as MgATP, binding of the nucleotide to vanadate-reacted Ca²⁺-ATPase occurred with low apparent affinity. Mg²⁺ alone did not affect the rate of vanadate release. At saturating ATP concentrations the release rate in the presence of free Mg²⁺ was less inhibited than in its absence. These results indicate that uncomplexed ATP interacts with the same Mg²⁺ at the catalytic site, which is involved in formation of the enzyme-vanadate complex (EMgV), and thereby hinders dissociation of vanadate. Destabilization of the complex by free Mg²⁺ may be caused by the presence of an additional magnesium ion in the catalytic site together with ATP.