Time-resolved charge translocation by the Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum after an ATP concentration jump

Time-resolved measurements of currents generated by Ca-ATPase from fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) are described. SR vesicles spontaneously adsorb to a black lipid membrane acting as a capacitive electrode. Charge translocation by the enzyme is initiated by an ATP concentration jump performed by the light-induced conversion of an inactive precursor (caged ATP) to ATP with a time constant of 2.0 ms at pH 6.2 and 24 degrees C. The shape of the current signal is triphasic, an initial current flow into the vesicle lumen is followed by an outward current and a second slow inward current. The time course of the current signal can be described by five relaxation rate constants, lambda1 to lambda5 plus a fixed delay D approximately 1-3 ms. The electrical signal shows that 1) the reaction cycle of the Ca-ATPase contains two electrogenic steps; 2) positive charge is moved toward the luminal side in the first rapid step and toward the cytoplasmic side in the second slow step; 3) at least one electroneutral reaction precedes the electrogenic steps. Relaxation rate constant lambda3 reflects ATP binding, with lambda(3,max) approximately 100 s(-1). This step is electroneutral. Comparison with the kinetics of the reaction cycle shows that the first electrogenic step (inward current) occurs before the decay of E2P. Candidates are the formation of phosphoenzyme from E1ATP (lambda2 approximately 200 s[-1]) and the E1P --> E2P transition (D approximately 1 ms or lambda1 approximately 300 s[-1]). The second electrogenic transition (outward current) follows the formation of E2P (lambda4 approximately 3 s[-1]) and is tentatively assigned to H+ countertransport after the dissociation of Ca2+. Quenched flow experiments performed under the conditions of the electrical measurements 1) demonstrate competition by caged ATP for ATP-dependent phosphoenzyme formation and 2) yield a rate constant for phosphoenzyme formation of 200 s(-1). These results indicate that ATP and caged ATP compete for the substrate binding site, as suggested by the ATP dependence of lambda3 and favor correlation of lambda2 with phosphoenzyme formation.     

Proton paths in the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase

The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA1a) pumps Ca²⁺ and countertransport protons. Proton pathways in the Ca²⁺ bound and Ca²⁺-free states are suggested based on an analysis of crystal structures to which water molecules were added. The pathways are indicated by chains of water molecules that interact favorably with the protein. In the Ca²⁺ bound state Ca₂E1, one of the proposed Ca²⁺ entry paths is suggested to operate additionally or alternatively as proton pathway. In analogs of the ADP-insensitive phosphoenzyme E2P and in the Ca²⁺-free state E2, the proton path leads between transmembrane helices M5 to M8 from the lumenal side of the protein to the Ca²⁺ binding residues Glu-771, Asp-800 and Glu-908. The proton path is different from suggested Ca²⁺ dissociation pathways. We suggest that separate proton and Ca²⁺ pathways enable rapid (partial) neutralization of the empty cation binding sites. For this reason, transient protonation of empty cation binding sites and separate pathways for different ions are advantageous for P-type ATPases in general.     

Allosteric effect of substrate on sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase]

High concentration of ATP is found to activate Ca-dependent ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum both in membrane fraction and in purified enzyme preparation. The treatment of Ca-ATPase preparation with tripsin results in the elimination of the activating effect of ATP, which is accompanied by the disappearance of 100.000 molecular weight protein and by the appearance of fragments with molecular weight of 45.000 and 55.000. Repeated freezing of the enzyme preparation eliminates activating effect of ATP. ATP action is analysed from the viewpoint of allosteric kinetics, which postulates the existence of two Ca-ATPase conformers, their mutual conversion being induced by ATP binding at allosteric center. Kinetic parameters of the conformers studied are calculated.     

Dependence of thermal stability of Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum on its concentration in the membrane

Chromatography of a mixture of phospholipids and Ca-dependent ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum solubilized by cholate on a column with anionite results in a formation of proteoliposomes. Using the freeze-fracture technique, it was shown that the density of intramembrane particles in fractured proteoliposomes formed is reversely proportional to the lipid--protein ratio. This is indicative of possible changes in ATPase concentration in the membrane, when the above-mentioned method was used. It was shown that dilution of ATPase with phospholipids increases its thermal stability. This is probably due to aggregation of the ATPase molecules and increase in the length of the borderline of lipids around each enzyme molecule.     

Histidine-rich Ca-binding protein interacts with sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase

Depressed cardiac Ca cycling by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) has been associated with attenuated contractility, which can progress to heart failure. The histidine-rich Ca-binding protein (HRC) is an SR component that binds to triadin and may affect Ca release through the ryanodine receptor. HRC overexpression in transgenic mouse hearts was associated with decreased rates of SR Ca uptake and delayed relaxation, which progressed to hypertrophy with aging. The present study shows that HRC may mediate part of its regulatory effects by binding directly to sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase type 2 (SERCA2) in cardiac muscle, which is confirmed by coimmunostaining observed under confocal microscopy. This interaction involves the histidine- and glutamic acid-rich domain of HRC (320-460 aa) and the part of the NH(2)-terminal cation transporter domain of SERCA2 (74-90 aa) that projects into the SR lumen. The SERCA2-binding domain is upstream from the triadin-binding region in human HRC (609-699 aa). Specific binding between HRC and SERCA was verified by coimmunoprecipitation and pull-down assays using human and mouse cardiac homogenates and by blot overlays using glutathione S-transferase and maltose-binding protein recombinant proteins. Importantly, increases in Ca concentration were associated with a significant reduction of HRC binding to SERCA2, whereas they had opposite effects on the HRC-triadin interaction in cardiac homogenates. Collectively, our data suggest that HRC may play a key role in the regulation of SR Ca cycling through its direct interactions with SERCA2 and triadin, mediating a fine cross talk between SR Ca uptake and release in the heart.     

Competitive inhibition of Ca-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum by sodium fluoride

Effect of NaF and AlCl3 the activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATP-ase has been investigated. NaF (mM) completely inhibits the Ca-ATP-ase activity in presence of 0.02% tween-20. The inhibition is time- and NaF-concentration-dependent and increases as affected by AlCl3 (microM). The potentiated action of AlCl3 depends on the NaF concentration. AlCl3 without NaF does not change the Ca-ATP-ase activity. NaF inhibits the Ca-ATP-ase competitively with respect to ATP, but NaF plus AlCl3 make the inhibition combined. The affinity of the Ca-ATP-ase to the NaF + AlCl3 complex, but not to NaF decreases by 5 mM with an increase of the Pi concentration. NaF probably interacts with the ATP-binding site and the NaF + AlCl3 complex interacts with the phosphate-binding site of the ATP-ase.     

Atomic force microscopy of three-dimensional membrane protein crystals. Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

We have observed three-dimensional crystals of the calcium pump from sarcoplasmic reticulum by atomic force microscopy (AFM). From AFM images of dried crystals, both on graphite and mica, we measured steps in the crystal thickness, corresponding to the unit cell spacing normal to the substrate. It is known from transmission electron microscopy that crystal periodicity in the plane of the substrate is destroyed by drying, and it was therefore not surprising that we were unable to observe this periodicity by AFM. Thus, we were motivated to use the AFM on hydrated crystals. In this case, crystal adsorption appeared to be a limiting factor, and our studies indicate that adsorption is controlled by the composition of the medium and by the physical-chemical properties of the substrate. We used scanning electron microscopy to determine the conditions yielding the highest adsorption of crystals, and, under these conditions, we have obtained AFM images of hydrated crystals with a resolution similar to that observed with dried samples (i.e., relatively poor). In the same preparations, we have observed lipid bilayers with a significantly better resolution, indicating that the poor quality of crystal images was not due to instrumental limitations. Rather, we attribute poor images to the intrinsic flexibility of these multilamellar crystals, which apparently allow movement of one layer relative to another in response to shear forces from the AFM tip. We therefore suggest some general guidelines for future studies of membrane proteins with AFM.     

Time-resolved x-ray diffraction studies of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane during active transport.

X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of oriented multilayers of a highly purified fraction of isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have previously provided the separate profile structures of the lipid bilayer and the Ca2+-ATPase molecule within the membrane profile to approximately 10-A resolution. These studies used biosynthetically deuterated SR phospholipids incorporated isomorphously into the isolated SR membranes via phospholipid transfer proteins. Time-resolved x-ray diffraction studies of these oriented SR membrane multilayers have detected significant changes in the membrane profile structure associated with phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase within a single turnover of the Ca2+-transport cycle. These studies used the flash photolysis of caged ATP to effectively synchronize the ensemble of Ca2+-ATPase molecules in the multilayer, synchrotron x-radiation to provide 100-500-ms data collection times, and double-beam spectrophotometry to monitor the Ca2+-transport process directly in the oriented SR membrane multilayer.     

Effect of temperature on Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes: ESR studies

Using spin-labeled fatty acid derivatives and maleimide, the effect of temperature on the structural state of various parts of the lipid bilayer of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes and the segmental motion of the Ca-ATPase molecule were investigated. The mobility of the spin probes localized in the hydrophobic zone and the outer part of the SR membrane was shown to increase with a rise in temperature from 4 to 44 degrees C, the temperature of 20 degrees C being critical for these changes. In the presence of ATP, critical changes in the spin probe mobility occur at lower temperatures, while in the presence of ATP and Ca2+ they are observed at 20 degrees C for a spin probe localized in the outer part of the SR membrane. The mobility of a spin probe localized in the hydrophobic part of the membrane increases linearly with a rise in temperature. In the absence of ligands, the segmental motion of Ca-ATPase changes linearly within a temperature range of 10-30 degrees C. However, when ATP alone or ATP and Ca2+ are simultaneously added to the incubation mixture, the protein mobility undergoes critical changes at 20 degrees C. The Arrhenius plots for ATPase activity and Ca2+ uptake rate in SR membrane preparations also have a break at 20 degrees C. It is assumed that changes in the structural state of membrane lipids produce conformational changes in the Ca-ATPase molecule; the enzyme seems to be unsensitive to the structural state of the membrane lipid matrix in the absence of the ligands.     

Rotational dynamics of the Ca-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum studied by time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy

We have investigated the microsecond rotational motions of the Ca-ATPase in rabbit skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), by measuring the time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy of erythrosin 5-isothiocyanate (ERITC) covalently and specifically attached to the enzyme. Over a wide range of solvent conditions and temperatures, the phosphorescence anisotropy decay was best fit by a sum of three exponentials plus a constant term. At 4 degrees C, the rotational correlation times were phi 1 = 13 +/- 3 microseconds, phi 2 = 77 +/- 11 microseconds, and phi 3 = 314 +/- 23 microseconds. Increasing the solution viscosity with glycerol caused very little effect on the correlation times, while decreasing the lipid viscosity with diethyl ether decreased the correlation times substantially, indicating that the decay corresponds to rotation of the protein within the membrane, not to vesicle tumbling. The normalized residual anisotropy (A infinity) is insensitive to viscosity and temperature changes, supporting the model of uniaxial rotation of the protein about the membrane normal. The value of A infinity (0.20 +/- .02) indicates that each of the three decay components can be analyzed as a separate rotational species, with the preexponential factor Ai equal to 1.25X the mole fraction. An empirically accurate measurement of the membrane lipid viscosity was obtained, permitting a theoretical analysis of the correlation times in terms of the sizes of the rotating species. At 4 degrees C, the dominant correlation time (phi 3) is too large for a Ca-ATPase monomer, strongly suggesting that the enzyme is primarily aggregated (oligomeric).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Modification of the functional properties of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase in hypercholesterolemia

Using alamethicin, permitting the measurement of genuine catalytic enzyme activity, hypercholesterolemia was shown to cause a 10-30% reduction of specific Ca-ATPase activity registered at 37 degrees C and the shift of Arrhenius plot in 20-30 degrees C temperature range. Reconstruction of delipidated Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes by egg lecithin in animals with hypercholesterolemia does not lead to the recovery of Arrhenius plot. The data obtained demonstrate that modification of temperature-dependent Ca-ATPase activity in hypercholesterolemia is associated with the changes in the polypeptide with a catalytic function and is not induced by the changes in phospholipid enzyme surroundings.     

The interaction of vanadate ions with the Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum

The interaction of vanadate ions with the Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was studied in a native and a fluorescein-labeled ATPase preparation (Pick, U., and Karlish, S. J. D. (1980) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 626, 255-261). Vanadate induced a fluorescence enhancement in a fluorescein-labeled enzyme, indicating that it shifts the equilibrium between the two conformational states of the enzyme by forming a stable E2-Mg-vanadate complex (E2 is the low affinity Ca2+ binding conformational state of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase). Indications for tight binding of vanadate to the enzyme (K1/2 = 10 microM) in the absence of Ca2+ and for a slow dissociation of vanadate from the enzyme in the presence of Ca2+ are presented. The enzyme-vanadate complex was identified by the appearance of a time lag in the onset of Ca2+ uptake and by a slowing of the fluorescence quenching response to Ca2+. Ca2+ prevented the binding of vanadate to the enzyme. Pyrophosphate (Kd = 2 mM) and ATP (Kd = 25 microM) competitively inhibited the binding of vanadate, indicating that vanadate binds to the low affinity ATP binding site. Binding of vanadate inhibited the high affinity Ca2+ binding to the enzyme at 4 degrees C. Vanadate also inhibited the phosphorylation reaction by inorganic phosphate (Ki = 10 microM) but had no effect on the phosphorylation by ATP. It is suggested that vanadate binds to a special region in the low affinity ATP binding site which is exposed only in the E2 conformation of the enzyme in the absence of Ca2+ and which controls the rate of the conformation transition in the dephosphorylated enzyme. The implications of these results to the role of the low affinity ATP binding sites are discussed.     

Ca-ATPase self-fluorescence in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of the rabbit skeletal muscle

The quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase from the rabbit skeletal muscles by hydrophylic (NaI, CsCl) or hydrophobic (pyrene, fluorescamine) substances has been studied. CsCl (up to 1 M) has been shown not to affect the intrinsic protein fluorescence while NaI (250 mM) quenches it at 15%, pyrene (8 mkM) decreases the intrinsic fluorescence of Ca-ATPase at 35% and fluorescamine (up to 40 mkM)--at 80%. Possible mechanisms of the interaction of the quenchers with the intrinsic fluorescence of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase are being discussed.     

Reversible inhibition of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase by altered neuromuscular activity in rabbit fast-twitch muscle

A 50% decrease in both the initial rate and the total capacity of Ca2+ uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) occurred 2 days after the onset of chronic (10 Hz) nerve stimulation in rabbit fast-twitch muscle. Prolonged stimulation (up to 28 days) did not lead to further decreases. This reduction, which was detected in muscle homogenates using a Ca2+-sensitive electrode, was reversible after 6 days cessation of stimulation and was not accompanied by changes in the immunochemically (ELISA) determined tissue level or isozyme characteristics of the SR Ca2+-ATPase protein. However, as measured in isolated SR, it correlated with a reduced specific activity of the Ca2+-ATPase. Kinetic analyses demonstrated that affinities of the SR Ca2+-ATPase towards Ca2+ and ATP were unaltered. Positive cooperativity for Ca2+ binding (h = 1.5) was maintained. However, a 50% decrease in Ca2+-dependent phosphoprotein formation indicated the presence of inactive forms of Ca2+-ATPase in stimulated muscle. The reduced phosphorylation of the enzyme was accompanied by an approximately 50% lowered binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate, a competitor at the ATP-binding site. In view of the unaltered affinity for ATP, this finding suggests that active Ca2+-ATPase molecules coexist in stimulated muscle with inactive enzyme molecules, the latter displaying altered properties at the nucleotide-binding site.     

Effect of phenothiazines on Ca-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscles

The phenothiazines trifluoroperazine , chlorpromazine and etmozine inhibit Ca-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscles. The inhibitory action decreases in the order of trifluoroperazine greater than chlorpromazine greater than etmozine . The data are provided, indicating that the inhibitory effects of the phenothiazines on Ca-ATPase of the reticulum of the skeletal muscles are not mediated via calmodulin.     

Decreased conformational stability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase in aged skeletal muscle

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes purified from young adult (4–6 months) and aged (26–28 months) Fischer 344 male rat skeletal muscle were compared with respect to the functional and structural properties of the Ca-ATPase and its associated lipids. While we find no age-related alterations in (1) expression levels of Ca-ATPase protein, and (2) calcium transport and ATPase activities, the Ca-ATPase isolated from aged muscle exhibits more rapid inactivation during mild (37°C) heat treatment relative to that from young muscle. Saturation-transfer EPR measurements of maleimide spin-labeled Ca-ATPase and parallel measurements of fatty acyl chain dynamics demonstrate that, accompanying heat inactivation, the Ca-ATPase from aged skeletal muscle more readily undergoes self-association to form inactive oligomeric species without initial age-related differences in association state of the protein. Neither age nor heat inactivation results in differences in acyl chain dynamics of the bilayer including those lipids at the lipid-protein interface. Initial rates of tryptic digestion associated with the Ca-ATPase in SR isolated from aged muscle are 16( ± 2)% higher relative to that from young muscle, indicating more solvent exposure of a portion of the cytoplasmic domain. During heat inactivation these structural differences are amplified as a result of immediate and rapid further unfolding of the Ca-ATPase isolated from aged muscle relative to the delayed unfolding of the Ca-ATPase isolated from young muscle. Thus age-related alterations in the solvent exposure of cytoplasmic peptides of the Ca-ATPase are likely to be critical to the loss of conformational and functional stability.     

Localization of site-specific probes on the Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum using fluorescence energy transfer

Highly reactive sulfhydryls, previously labeled with an iodoacetamide spin label on the Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum, were labeled with the fluorescent probe, 5-(2-[iodoacetyl)amino)ethyl)aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (IAEDANS), without loss of enzymatic activity. We have selectively measured the apparent distance of the more reactive site, relative to other site-specific probes at both the nucleotide and the high affinity calcium binding sites. Fluorescence energy transfer efficiencies from the donor IAEDANS to two acceptors: fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate or 2',3'-O-(2,4,3-trinitrophenyl)adenosine monophosphate, situated at or near the nucleotide site, were measured using fluorescence lifetimes and yields. Fluorescence on polyacrylamide gels shows that the IAEDANS and fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate labels are both associated with the B tryptic fragment. The energy transfer measurements are consistent with distances of 56 and 68 A between IAEDANS and these respective binding sites. On the other hand, energy transfer measurements using the lanthanide, praseodymium (Pr3+), as an acceptor indicate that IAEDANS is located 16-18 A from the binding site(s) of this calcium analog. Pr3+ is shown to be a good analog for calcium binding to the high affinity sites on the enzyme since it competitively displaces calcium, as evidenced by the reversal of the specific calcium-dependent intrinsic fluorescent signal and inactivation of ATPase activity, over the same narrow range in Pr3+ concentration where energy transfer is observed. Our observations suggest that the portion of the B fragment spanning the cytoplasmic portion of the ATPase is folded onto the A fragment, bringing the IAEDANS label in close proximity to the high affinity calcium binding domain.     

Ionic permeability of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles measured by light scattering method

Summary The volume change of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was followed by measuring the light scattering intensity. When the salt concentration of the suspension of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was increased by using a stopped flow apparatus, the light scattering intensity rapidly increased at the beginning and then decreased. The fast increase in the light scattering intensity is caused by the decrease of the volume of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles due to the outflow of water. The following decrease in the light scattering intensity is caused by the increase of the volume due to the inflow of the solutes and water. From the former and the latter rates, the permeation times of water and the solutes could be calculated, respectively. According to the same method, permeation times of various salts were determined. The rate of the inflow of the salts was dependent on the movement of the slower ions, that is, ions move as a pair.In the case of potassium salts, an increase in the permeation rate of the salts was observed when valinomycin was added to the membrane suspensions. From these experiments, as a measure of permeability, half permeation times of various ions and molecules were determined. The following are typical results: water 0.1, Li⁺ 36, Na⁺ 26, K⁺ 20, Rb⁺ 16, Cl^– 0.4, methanesulfonate 20, phosphate 10.5, oxalate 40 in seconds at room temperature. As a whole, sarcoplasmic reticulum was found to be an anion permeable membrane.     

Functional role of the oligomeric organization of Ca-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum

The analysis of the present-day concepts on the possible physiological role of the oligomeric organization of Ca-ATPase sarcoplasmic reticulum is given. According to the proposed conception the main functional role of the protein-protein interactions is connected with the possibilities of regulation Ca2+ outflux from the lumens reticulum in the region of interprotein contacts.