Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: Vol. 307 (1973)

The present study evaluates the unsaturated fatty acid requirement in Escherichia coli. A derivative of a double mutant defective both in unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and in fatty acid degradation has been selected which grows equally well on anteisopentadecanoate ($\text{12-Me-14:0}$) or $\text{cis-Δ}{}^9\text{-}\text{octadecenoate}$ ($\text{cis-δ}{}^9\text{-18:1}$). When this strain is grown for many generations on $\text{12-Me-14:0}$, there is extensive incorporation of this analogue into the membrane phospholipid and essentially no detectable unsaturated fatty acids residues in any lipid-containing structures of the cell envelope. Secondly, as the maximal growth temperature of E. coli is approached, the minimum content of unsaturated fatty acid required by this strain for growth decreases to a few percent and is associated with the appearance of substantial amounts of $\text{12:0}$ (8%) and $\text{14:0}$ (50%) in the phospholipid. These experiments demonstrate that the cis unsaturated fatty acids of E. coli phospholipids can be replaced by residues which possess no special electronic configuration. Hence, the unsaturated fatty acids do not participate in specific interactions with other membrane components but serve a general role of controlling the packing of paraffin chains in the membrane bilayer.     

Membrane lipid fatty acids and regulation of membrane-bound enzymes. Allosteric behaviour of erythrocyte Mg2+-ATPase, (Na+ + K2+)-ATPase and acetylcholineasterase from rats fed different fat-supplemented diets

Studies were carried out to determine the Hill coefficients for the inhibition by F^? of the erythrocyte membrane-bound Mg²⁺-ATPase, $\text{(Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-ATPase}$ and acetylcholinesterase from rats fed with seven different diets. Five groups were fed with different natural fats or oil supplements, one with a hydrogenated fat supplement and the other with fat-free diet. The responses of the red cell fatty acids to dietary fats were recorded. The value of $\text{n}$ for the inhibition by F^? of the three enzymes revealed a particular and different behaviour in each group. Correlations between the fatty acid compositions of erythrocyte membranes and cooperativity of each enzyme were calculated. The results indicate that neither the essential fatty acid family nor the non-essential ones are particularly involved in the allosteric phenomena. The increase of the double bond index/saturation ratio of fatty acids, which is taken as indicative of membrane fluidity, was accompanied in an inverse manner by changes in allosteric transitions of the $\text{(Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-ATPase}$ and acetylcholinesterase, whereas the Mg²⁺-ATPase was not dependent on this ratio. Diminution of membrane fluidity, carried out by in vitro increase of its cholesterol content, yields confirmatory results of this regulatory mechanism since the value of $\text{n}$ for acetylcholinesterase shifted as predicted.These facts indicate that the membrane fluidity is a physiological regulator for the allosteric behaviour of the membrane-bound enzymes and that each enzyme exhibits a particular behaviour in this phenomenon.     

Liver plasma membranes from essential fatty acid-deficient rats: Isolation,fatty acid composition,and activities of 5′-nucleotidase,ATPase and adenylate cyclase

To determine whether changes in unsaturation of fatty acids in rat liver plasma membranes might alter activities of membrane-associated enzymes, liver plasma membranes were prepared from rats fed purified diets lacking or supplemented with essential fatty acids. Two methods of membrane purification were used. A similar degree of purification was obtained with both methods for both depleted and control membranes, as indicated by marker enzyme purification. The proportion of essential fatty acids of the linoleate series was significantly lower in phospholipids from depleted rats. The specific activity of 5′-nucleotidase was lower, and the activity, $\text{V}$ and apparent $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>m</mtext>}}$ for total $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{Mg}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ were higher in the depleted liver plasma membranes. Arrhenius plots of total ATPase activity showed a discontinuity at the same temperature for both the depleted and control membranes. Activity with the depleted membranes was higher at all temperatures tested. Supplementation of deficient rats with a source of essential fatty acids (corn oil) restored $\text{V}$ and apparent $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>m</mtext>}}$ values to normal. Adenylate cyclase activity in the presence of fluoride, glucagon or glucagon plus GTP was significantly lower in the depleted plasma membranes.     

The relatioship between plasma membrane lipid composition and physical-chemical properties II. Effect of phospholipid fatty acid modulation on plasma membrane physical properties and enzymatic activities

The fatty acid composition of plasma membrane phospholipids of the murine T lymphocyte tumor EL4 were systematically modified in an attempt to understand the relationship between lipid bilayer composition and plasma membrane physical and biological properties. Two plasma membrane enzyme activities, adenylate cyclase and ouabain-sensitive ($\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$)-ATPase, were measured in normal and fatty acid-substituted EL4 plasma membrane fractions. The fatty acid effect on enzyme activities was similar to previously reported effects of fatty acids on cytotoxic T cell function. The activity of both enzymes was inhibited by saturated fatty acids, while unsaturated fatty acids had a moderate enhancing effect on both enzyme activities. Using two different nitroxide derivatives of stearic acid, the order parameter and approximate rotational correlation times were calculated from ESR spectra of normal and fatty acid-modified plasma membranes. No significant difference was found in either parameter in these membranes. These results, in conjunction with earlier data from our laboratory and others, suggest that caution should be exercised in inferring changes in membrane ‘fluidity’ based on lipid modulation of biological membranes.     

Specificity in the interaction of phospholipids and fatty acids with vesicle reconstituted cytochrome P-450. A spin label study

The association of fatty acids, androstane, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidic acid with purified and phospholipid-vesicle reconstituted cytochrome $\text{P-450}$ was studied by spin labeling. Spin-labeled fatty acids were found to be motionally restricted by cytochrome $\text{P-450}$ in both phospholipid vesicles and in microsomes to a much greater extent than spin-labeled phospholipids. The equilibrium of spin-labeled fatty acid between the bulk membrane lipid and the protein interface could be shifted towards an increased amount in the bulk phospholipid phase by the addition of oleic acid or lysophosphatidylcholine, but not by sodium cholate. Microsomes from different animals showed a variable extent of motional restriction of fatty acids, independent of pretreatment of the animals with phenobarbital or β-naphthoflavone, of cytochrome $\text{P-450}$ content, of the presence of type I and type II substrates for cytochrome $\text{P-450}$. These differences are attributed to the presence of varying amounts of lipid breakdown products in the microsomal membrane such as lysolipids or fatty acids which compete with the externally added spin-labeled fatty acids, or with spin-labeled androstane for the binding to cytochrome $\text{P-450}$. The negative charge of the fatty acid was found to be involved in its association with the protein. Cytochrome $\text{P-450}$ was shown to interact only with a few spin-labeled phospholipid molecules in such a way that the motional restriction of the spin acyl chains can be detected by electron paramagnetic resonance ($\text{τ}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>R</mtext>}}\text{> 10}{}^{\mathrm{?8}}\text{s}$). The number of associated lipid molecules per protein probably is too small to form a complete shell around the protein. This lipid-protein interaction could be destroyed by the addition of sodium cholate, in contrast to the fatty acid-protein interaction.     

The relation between fatty acid mobilization and contractility in the isolated,perfused rat heart

The contractility of hearts from normal fed rats is decreased by 70% during perfusion with 50 μM chloroquine, which is a potent inhibitor of endogenous lipolysis. In triacylglycerol-rich hearts, obtained by feeding rats rapeseed-oil, chloroquine depresses lipolysis much less, while contractility was found to be inhibited only 30%. In both groups of hearts the effect of chloroquine was decreased by adding fatty acids, prostaglandin E₁, the $\text{Ca}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{Mg}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}$ ionophore X-537A or more Ca²⁺ to the perfusion fluid. Norepinephrine and glucagon also stimulate chloroquine-depressed hearts. The conclusion is therefore reached that fatty acids act as Ca²⁺-vehicles in heart cells and that chloroquine, by inhibiting lipolysis, decreases Ca²⁺-transport by lowering unesterified fatty acid levels.     

Synthesis of phosphatidylglycerol by chloroplasts from leaves of Spinacia oleracea L. (spinach)

Purified chloroplasts from leaves of Spinacia oleracea L. (spinach) incorporated glycerol 3-phosphate into diacylglycerol, monoacylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, and lysophosphatidic acid. The omission of ATP or CTP, CoA or illumination decreased the incorporation markedly. The fraction of incorporated glycerol 3-phosphate found in phosphatidylglycerol was greatly reduced by the omission of bicarbonate, acetate, and ATP, or in darkness, low-osmolarity medium, or high magnesium ion concentration (10 mM). Incorporation of glycerol 3-phosphate into lipid and specifically into phosphatidylglycerol was optimal at a $\text{Mg}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{CTP}$ ratio of 1, whereas the optimal ratio for $\text{Mg}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{ATP}$ was closer to 2. The $\text{Mg}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{CTP}$ gave lower total incorporation but a higher fraction of incorporation in phosphatidylglycerol. Triton X-100 inhibited incorporation of glycerol 3-phosphate into lipid, especially into phosphatidylglycerol.     

Effect of alkali ions on the active transport of neutral amino acids into Streptomyces hydrogenans

The active transport of neutral amino acids into Streptomyces hydrogenans is inhibited by external Na⁺. There is no indication that in these cells amino acid accumulation is driven by an inward gradient of Na⁺. The extent of transport inhibition by Na⁺ depends on the nature of the amino acid. It decreases with increasing chain length of the amino acid molecules i.e. with increasing non-polar properties of the side chain. Kinetic studies show that Na⁺ competes with the amino acid for a binding site at the amino acid carrier. There is a close relation between the $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>i</mtext>}}$ values for Na⁺ and the number of C atoms of the amino acids. Other cations also inhibit neutral amino acid uptake competitively; the effectiveness decreases in the order $\text{Li}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{> Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{> K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{> Rb}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{> Cs}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$. Anions do not have a significant effect on the uptake of neutral amino acids. After prolonged incubation of the cells with 150 mM Na⁺, in addition to the competitive inhibition of transport Na⁺ induces an increase in membrane permeability for amino acids.     

A reaction between the superoxide free radical and lipid hydroperoxide in sodium linoleate micelles

The oxidation of unsaturated fatty acid micelles by the superoxide free radical ($\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{?}}{}_2$), during γ irradiation in the presence of formate, is kinetically distinct from oxidation by hydroxyl free radicals (HO.). The evidence suggests that a direct reaction between ($\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{?}}{}_2$) and lipid hydroperoxide initiates a chain oxidation process in the micelles. While tetranitromethane, which reacts rapidly with ($\text{O}{}^{\mathrm{?}}{}_2$), protects the micelles from oxidation, active superoxide dismutase is no more effective than its apoprotein, due to lack of penetration of the micellar environment. We discuss these findings in the light of recent literature, and with reference to their possible significance for biological systems.     

Amino acid stimulation of ATP cleavage by two Ehrlich cell membrane preparations in the presence of ouabain

Two membrane fractions prepared from the Ehrlich ascites-tumor cell show non-identical stimulatory responses to certain amino acids in their Mg²⁺-dependent activity to cleave ATP, despite the presence of ouabain and the absence of Na⁺ or K⁺. The first of these, previously described, shows little ($\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$)-ATPase activity, and is characteristically stimulated by the presence of certain diamino acids with low $\text{pK}{}_2$, and at pH values suggesting that the cationic forms of these amino acids are effective. The evidence indicates that these effects are not obtained through occupation of the kinetically discernible receptor site serving characteristically for the uphill transport of these amino acids into the Ehrlich cell. The second membrane preparation was purified with the goal of concentrating the ($\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$)-ATPase activity. It also is stimulated by the model diamino acid, 4-amino-1-methylpiperidine-4-carboxylic acid, and several ordinary amino acids. The diamino acids were most effective at pH values where the neutral zwitterionic forms might be responsible. Among the optically active amino acids tested, the effects of ornithine and leucine were substantially stronger for the l than for d isomers. The list of stimulatory amino acids again corresponds poorly to any single transport system, although the possibility was not excluded that stimulation might occur for both preparations by occupation of a membrane site which ordinarily is kinetically silent in the transport sequence. The high sensitivity to deoxycholate and to dicyclohexylcarbodiimide of the hydrolytic activity produced by the presence of l-ornithine and 4-amino-1-methyl-piperidine-4-carboxylic acid suggests that the stimulatory effect is not merely a general intensification of the background Mg⁺-dependent hydrolytic activity.     

The kinetics of myofibrillar protein breakdown in perfused rat skeletal muscle

N^t-Methylhistidine, a non-reutilised amino acid present in some myofibrillar proteins, was radioactively labelled in vito with $\text{[}{}^{\mathrm{Me}}\text{-}{}^3\text{H}\text{]}\text{methionine}$. The specific radioactivities of protein-bound methylhistidine and free methylhistidine in perfusate after perfusion of rat hind limbs taken from prelabelled rats was determined. The decrease in urinary methylhistidine activity with time was determined for rats similarly labelled. Comparison of the specific activities of free and bound methylhistidine and the non-linear semilogarithmic plot of urinary methylhistidine activity suggest that the myofibrillar protein catabolism, as indicated by methylhistidine release, may not be a simple exponential process. The possibility of non-random decay is discussed and an alternative model proposed.     

The inactivation of pyruvate dehydrogenase by fatty acid in isolated rat liver mitochondria.

The influence of fatty acid on the interconversion of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH) between its active (dephospho-) and inactive (phospho-) forms and on the intramitochondrial $\text{ATP}\text{ADP}$, $\text{NADH}\text{NAD}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ and $\text{acetyl-CoA}\text{CoASH}$ ratios was studied in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Conditions were found in which the PDH activity was inversely correlated only with the $\text{NADH}\text{NAD}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ ratio. Under other conditions the PDH activity was inversely correlated solely with the $\text{acetyl-CoA}\text{CoASH}$ ratio. These experiments suggest that the activity of the regulatory enzymes involved in the inactivation and reactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex may be controlled by both the intramitochondrial $\text{NADH}\text{NAD}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ and $\text{acetyl-CoA}\text{CoASH}$ ratios.     

Enzyme secretion in E. coli K12 : studies on alkaline phosphatase synthesis using an unsaturated fatty-acid auxotroph.

The role of unsaturated fatty-acid starvation, and of the substitution of $\text{trans}$ for $\text{cis}$ fatty acids in the membrane phospholipid, on the secretion of alkaline phosphatase, has been investigated. A system in which alkaline phosphatase synthesis was initiated by a temperature shift has been used to obviate possible complications resulting from phosphate depletion. In contrast to earlier reports, we find (a) there is very little effect of unsaturated fatty-acid starvation on the synthesis of alkaline phosphatase; (b) the synthesis of both β-galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase synthesis was severely reduced below 27–30°C in cells grown on $\text{trans}\text{Δ}{}^9$ 16:1 fatty-acid, compared to cells grown on the $\text{cis}\text{Δ}{}^9$ 16:1 analogue. Thus no $\text{preferential}$ effect on alkaline phosphatase synthesis was observed.     

35S-Sulphate labelling of glycoproteins and glycolipids in rabbit small intestinal brush borders

Isolated brush borders become labelled within 7.5 hours following injection of $\text{Na}{}_2{}^{35}\text{SO}{}_4$ into rabbits. The label is present in glycoprotein (73%) and in an hydrophobic glycolipid fraction (24%). T.l.c. and DEAE-cellulose chromatography indicate the presence of one principal sulphated glycolipid in which the sugars are glucose, galactose and glucosamine (1:2:2). Sialic acid residues are absent from the glycoproteins and are found only in minor ganglioside components. Ester sulphate is considered to contribute significantly to the anionic character of the membrane.     

Spin labels as enzyme substrates Heterogeneous lipid distribution in liver microsomal membranes

Phenobarbital-stimulated microsomal membranes of rabbit liver, containing the cytochrome P450- cytochrome P450 reductase hydroxylating enzyme system in high concentration, have been studied with a version of the spin label technique which uses nitroxide radicals as enzyme substrates. The reduction kinetics of a phosphate ester of tetramethylpiperidine nitroxide (TEMPO-phosphate) and of stearic acid nitroxide by the cytochrome P450 reductase has been studied as a function of the temperature. The Arrhenius plot of the reduction rate constants reveals a striking difference in the behaviour of the water-soluble TEMPO-phosphate label and the lipid-soluble fatty acid label: The activation energy of the fatty acid reduction decreases abruptly at about 32°C from a value of 30.8 kcal/mole to a value of 8.7 kcal/mole, whereas no such break is observed in the Arrhenius plot of the TEMPO-phosphate reduction which yields a value of the activation energy of $\text{ΔW = 13.8}$ kcal/mole in the whole temperature range investigated. Our results clearly indicate the existence of a mosaic-like structure of the membrane with the whole enzyme system being enclosed by a rather rigid phospholipid halo which is in a quasicrystalline structure below 32 °C and undergoes a crystalline-liquid crystalline phase transition at 32 °C, while the bulk lipid of the membrane is in a rather fluid state as reflected by the measured high diffusion coefficient of $\text{D}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>diff</mtext>}}\text{= 11.0·10}{}^{\mathrm{?8}}\text{cm}{}^2\text{/s}$ at 30 °C and low activation energy of diffusion of $\text{ΔW = 3.85}\text{kcal/mole}$ of a fatty acid spin label incorporated in the membrane.     

An electron spin probe study of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase-Containing membranes

The modulating effect of membrane lipids on enzyme function has been described by several investigators. We have used the spin probe $\text{N-}\text{oxyl}\text{-4′,4′-}\text{dimethyloxazolidine}\text{-12-}\text{keto}$ methyl stearate (M 12-NSE) to study this interaction in ox brain membranes enriched with $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$. This methyl ester of stearic acid is practically insoluble in aqueous media, and consequently spectra of M 12-NSE-labelled preparations are free of “liquid lines”.At least two types of spectra may be obtained when ox brain microsomes are spin labelled with M 12-NSE, indicating the presence of two distinct binding sites. At one site the spin label is relatively unrestricted and gives rise to an isotropic spectrum. A second spectrum, which is obtained from spin label at another site, is similar to that which is observed after incorporation of M 12-NSE into phospholipid bilayers. This suggests that this latter site is within the core of the microsomal membrane.The two binding sites differ in their affinity for the spin probe. The low affinity site is both more abundant in crude preparations and is more easily removed by detergent treatment; spin labels at this site produce isotropic spectra. The high affinity sites are fewer in number and produce broad spectra. In addition these high affinity sites increase in concentration as the enzyme undergoes purification.The two sites are quite distinct in their sensitivity to ascorbic acid, the low affinity site showing a considerably greater rate of reduction by this agent.This study also demonstrates that the delipidation effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium deoxycholate on $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase-enriched}$ microsomes from ox brain are not identical.It is suggested that the two spin probe binding sites represent two different lipid domains, one of which is very closely associated with the $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ enzyme and may reflect a protein-directed phospholipid specificity for this enzyme.     

A non-alkalophilic mutant of Bacillus alcalophilus lacks the Na+/H+ antiporter.

A non-alkalophilic mutant strain of $\text{Bacillus}\text{alcalophilus}$ grows on L-malate over a pH range from 5.0 to 9.0. The mutant does not exhibit the energy-dependent efflux of Na⁺ that has been used to assay a $\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{H}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ antiporter in the wild type organism. The mutant also fails to transport α-aminoisobutyric acid, at pH 9.0, either in the presence or absence of Na⁺; at pH 5.5, the amino acid analogue is taken up by a Na⁺-independent mechanism. The properties of the mutant constitute strong evidence that the $\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{H}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ antiporter is involved in maintaining an acidified cytoplasm in $\text{B}\text{.}\text{alcalophilus}$.     

Inhibition of lymphocyte activation by ouabain Interference with the early activation of membrane phospholipid metabolism

Activation of lymphocytes by antigens and mitogens can effectively be prevented by ouabain, a known inhibitor of $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-ATPase}$. Recently it was shown that lowering of intracellular levels of monovalent cations is not involved in the inhibitory effect of ouabain. $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-ATPase}$ was found to be closely associated with acylCoA: lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase in the plasma membrane of lymphocytes. Both enzymes are activated as an immediate consequence of mitogen binding. Human peripheral lymphocytes were stimulated with concanavalin A. Ouabain suppressed the induction of RNA and DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent way. Increase of RNA synthesis was suppressed only if the glycoside were added within the first hours of activation. If ouabain was added later, incorporation of uridine remained at the rate that was reached at the time of glycoside administration, pointing to an early event where ouabain may be operative. Ouabain, in a dose-dependent manner similar to that affecting RNA and DNA synthesis, inhibited the increase in the incorporation of oleate into phospholipids in stimulated lymphocytes, whereas the turnover of phospholipid fatty acids in resting lymphocytes was unaffected. Increasing extracellular K⁺ concentrations reversed the binding of ouabain to lymphocytes. Simultaneously, the inhibition of stimulated RNA synthesis was decreased and the inhibition of oleate incorporation was reversed. These results suggest that the suppression of lymphocyte activation by ouabain is due to the inhibition of membrane phospholipid metabolism mediated by the $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-ATPase}$.     

Electrophoretic separation of human embryonic globin demonstrates “α-thalassemia” in human leukemia cell line K562

Human embryonic, fetal, and adult globin chains ($\text{ζ, ε,}{}^{\mathrm{A}}\text{γ,}{}^{\mathrm{G}}\text{γ, β, α}$) can be separated by electrophoresis on Triton Acid urea gels. K562, a human leukemia cell line, was induced with hemin, labelled with [³H]-leucine, and globin synthesis analyzed. All globins except β were produced. $\text{ε > ζ;}{}^{\mathrm{G}}\text{γ:}{}^{\mathrm{A}}\text{γ=70:30; non-α:α=>2:1}$. Thus, hemin-induced K562 synthesized embryonic and fetal globin chains, and had globin synthetic imbalance, with “α-thalassemia.”     

Characterization of partially purified (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from porcine lens

The partial purification of $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ from pig lens has been achieved by treatment with deoxycholate followed by density gradient centrifugation. The specific activity of the final preparation, ranging from 300 to 500 nmol/h per mg protein, is increased approx. 100-fold compared to the homogenate. A parallel increase in $\text{p-}\text{nitrophenylphosphatase}$ activity is also observed. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis reveals six major protein bands, one of which is the 93 kDa α subunit of $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ which can be phosphorylated by reaction with [γ-³²P]ATP. A second band contains a glycoprotein which displays an apparent molecular weight of 51 000 and thus appears to be the β subunit of the enzyme. The enzyme is sensitive to ouabain with the $\text{I}{}_{50}$ for $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ and $\text{p-}\text{nitrophenylphosphatase}$ inhibition being 1.2 and 1.3 μM, respectively. Several agents which inhibit $\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ from other tissues such as oligomycin, Ca²⁺, vanadate, $\text{N-}\text{ethylmaleimide}$, $\text{p-}\text{chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid}$ (PCMBS) and 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) also inhibit the lens enzyme. Monovalent cations other than K⁺ are partially effective in activating the ($\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$)-ATPase and $\text{p-}\text{nitrophenylphosphatase}$ activities. The K⁺ congeners were relatively more effective in supporting $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ compared to $\text{p-}\text{nitrophenylphosphatase}$ activity. Other kinetic properties of the lens enzyme are also comparable to those of the enzyme from other tissues. Utilizing the partially purified membrane bound enzyme, discontinuities in Arrhenius plots of $\text{(}\text{Na}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{+}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{)-}\text{ATPase}$ activity, $\text{p-}\text{nitrophenylphosphatase}$ activity and fluoresence polarization of the fluidity probe, 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), are observed near the physiological temperature of lens. The possible significance of these observations for the mechanism of cataract formation are discussed.