Nitric oxide-dependent modification of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase: localization of cysteine target sites

Skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation is modulated through the reaction of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) protein thiols with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Here, we have utilized high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry and a specific thiol-labeling procedure to identify and quantify cysteine residues of the SR Ca-ATPase that are modified by exposure to nitric oxide (NO). NO and/or NO-derived species inactivate the SR Ca-ATPase and modify a broad spectrum of cysteine residues with highest reactivities towards Cys364, Cys670, and Cys471. The selectivity of NO and NO-derived species towards the SR Ca-ATPase thiols is different from that of peroxynitrite. The efficiency of NO at thiol modification is significantly higher compared with that of peroxynitrite. Hence, NO has the potential to modulate muscle contraction through chemical reaction with the SR Ca-ATPase in vivo.     

Determination of the primary structure of intermolecular cross-linking sites on the Ca2(+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum using 14C-labeled N,N'-(1,4-phenylene)bismaleimide or N-ethylmaleimide

To determine the intermolecular cross-linking site on the primary structure sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca-ATPase, the conditions for the specific binding of 14C-labeled 1,4-phenylene bis maleimide (PBM) or 14C-labeled N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) to the ATPase were explored. SR vesicles were preincubated with nonradioactive PBM in the presence of 1 mM vanadate for 1 h, then washed by centrifugation to remove free PBM and vanadate. When the pretreated SR vesicles were allowed to react with 1 mM [14C]PBM in the presence of 1 mM AMPPNP, the amount of [14C]PBM incorporated into the ATPase increased with time in parallel with the formation of dimeric ATPase and reached the maximum labeling density of 1 mol of [14C]PBM per mol of dimeric ATPase at 40 min after the start of the reaction. When the pretreated SR vesicles were allowed to react with 2 mM [14C]NEM in the absence of AMPPNP, a maximum of about 2 mol of NEM was bound per mol of the ATPase monomer. The labeling density of [14C]NEM decreased from 2 to 1 mol per mol of the ATPase when the SR vesicles were allowed to react with [14C]NEM in the presence of AMPPNP. From the analysis of the amino acid composition of the two major [14C]NEM-labeled peptides isolated from the thermolytic digest of the enzyme after the reaction of SR with [14C]NEM in the absence of AMPPNP, we deduced that [14C]NEM was incorporated into Cys377 and Cys614. On the other hand, the labeling of SR in the presence of AMPPNP resulted in inhibition of the [14C]NEM binding to Cys614, leaving Cys377 unaltered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy resolves the location of maleimide-directed spectroscopic probes within the tertiary structure of the Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

We have used fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize three covalently bound spectroscopic maleimide derivatives with respect to their location within the tertiary structure of the Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). These derivatives include (1) 2-(4'-maleimidoanilino)naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid, (2) 4-(dimethylamino)azobenzene-4'-maleimide, and (3) fluorescein 5'-maleimide. Biochemical assays demonstrate that modification with any of these three derivatives results in the same functional effects, observed following derivatization of cysteines 344 and 364 by N-ethylmaleimide [Saito-Nakatsuka et al. (1987) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 101, 365-376]. These residues bracket the ATPase's phosphorylation site (Asp 351) and thus may provide spectroscopic probes of the protein's conformation in this essential region. In agreement with sequencing results, SDS-polyacrylamide gels show that maleimide-modified SR exhibits fluorescence exclusively on the A1 tryptic fragment of the Ca-ATPase. Extensive tryptic digestion followed by centrifugation demonstrates essentially all of the fluorescence was associated with the soluble rather than insoluble (membrane-associated) peptides, confirming the predicted extramembranous location of these residues. Utilizing frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy, we were able to recover the transient effects associated with a distribution of donor-acceptor distances. We find from these fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements that covalently bound maleimide probes are 36 A apart, independent of whether a discrete distance is assumed or a distance distribution model is utilized, in which the conformational variability of the protein is taken into account. While a unimodal distance distribution is adequate to describe the intensity decay associated with maleimide-directed donor-acceptor pairs, a bimodal distribution of distances is necessary to describe the frequency response associated with the energy transfer between maleimide-directed chromophores and other covalently bound probes on the Ca-ATPase, consistent with the large spatial separation observed between maleimides. We recover mean distances of 42 and 77 A between maleimide sites and bound FITC (Lys 515) and mean distances of 28 and 37 A between the maleimide- and the iodoacetamide-directed probes (Cys 670 and 674, whose close proximity approximates a single locus). The measured distances are presented in a model and have permitted us to describe a unique arrangement of these covalently bound probes within both the secondary and tertiary structure of the Ca-ATPase. The resolution inherent in the frequency-domain fluorescence technique to multiple donor-acceptor distances should be generally applicable to a wide range of biological systems in which specific labeling of single unique donor-acceptor sites is not feasible.     

Altered property of sarcoplasmic Ca-ATPase from vitamin E-deficient dystrophic rabbit is associated with the protein and not the lipid component

The effects of temperature on reconstituted sarcoplasmic Ca-ATPase preparations from vitamin E-deficient dystrophic and control rabbits were studied. Delipidated Ca-ATPase from vitamin E-deficient sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) reconstituted with lipid of control SR exhibited properties similar to preparations reconstituted with lipid of vitamin E-deficient SR, namely low Ca-ATPase activity and a linear Arrhenius plot of enzyme activity. On the other hand, delipidated control SR Ca-ATPase reconstituted with lipid of vitamin E-deficient SR showed a reduction in activity but retained the discontinuity in the Arrhenius plot. These results indicated that the altered property of sarcoplasmic Ca-ATPase from vitamin E-deficient dystrophic rabbit was associated with the protein and not the lipid component.     

Effect of tetracaine and sovcaine on the ATP-dependent calcium accumulation in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles of skeletal muscles

The tetracaine and cinchocaine in concentration less than 2 mM and 0.5 mM, respectively, stimulate ATP-dependent Ca-loading by enhancing the initial rate of Ca2+-accumulation, do not affect the Ca2+-binding and Ca-ATPase activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. These data suggest blocking of Ca2+-efflux from vesicles which occurs during Ca-accumulation. Higher concentrations of the same compounds (above 2 mM and 0.5 mM for tetracaine and cinchocaine, respectively) caused inhibition of the Ca-ATPase activity and decreased the ability of SR vesicles to retain Ca2+, probably, due to their nonspecific lipophilic action.     

Oligomeric interactions between phospholamban molecules regulate Ca-ATPase activity in functionally reconstituted membranes

Phospholamban (PLB) is a major target of the beta-adrenergic cascade in the heart, and functions as an endogenous inhibitor of Ca-ATPase transport activity. To identify whether oligomeric interactions between PLB molecules are involved in regulating Ca-ATPase transport activity, we have investigated functional interactions between PLB and the Ca-ATPase in proteoliposomes of purified PLB functionally co-reconstituted with the SERCA2a isoform of the Ca-ATPase isolated from cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). The calcium sensitivity of this reconstituted preparation and functional stimulation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) are virtually identical to those of the Ca-ATPase in cardiac SR microsomes, ensuring the functional relevance of this reconstituted preparation. Interactions between PLB molecules were measured following covalent modification of the single lysine (i.e., Lys(3)) in PLB isolated from cardiac SR membranes with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) prior to co-reconstitution with the Ca-ATPase. FITC modification of PLB does not interfere with the ability of PLB to inhibit the Ca-ATPase, since FITC-PLB co-reconstituted with the Ca-ATPase exhibits a similar calcium dependence of Ca-ATPase activation to that observed in native SR membranes. Thus, the functional arrangement of PLB with the Ca-ATPase is not modified by FITC modification. Using changes in the anisotropy of FITC-PLB resulting from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between proximal PLB molecules to measure the average size and spatial arrangement of FITC chromophores, we find that PLB self-associates to form oligomers whose spatial arrangement with respect to one another is in agreement with earlier suggestions that PLB exists predominantly as a homopentamer. The inability of PKA to activate PLB following covalent modification with FITC permits functional interactions between PLB molecules associated with the Ca-ATPase activation to be identified. A second-order loss of Ca-ATPase activation by PKA is observed as a function of the fractional contribution of FITC-PLB, indicating that PKA-dependent activation of two PLB molecules within a quaternary complex containing the Ca-ATPase is necessary for activation of the Ca-ATPase. We suggest that the requirement for activation of two PLB molecules by PKA represents a physiological mechanism to ensure that activation of the Ca-ATPase following beta-adrenergic stimulation in the heart only occurs above a threshold level of PKA activation.     

Identification of hydrophobic regions of the calcium-transport ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum after photochemical labeling with adamantane diazirine

The Ca-ATPase from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum was labeled with [3H]adamantane diazirine. Adamantane diazirine is a hydrophobic photoactivated probe that partitions into the cell membrane and can be used to identify regions of proteins that are embedded within the membrane. Digestion of the labeled protein with trypsin and separation of the labeled tryptic fragments by SDS-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis indicated that all of the major tryptic fragments were labeled by the probe. The presence of glutathione in the sample buffer during photolysis did not alter the pattern of labeling, indicating that adamantane diazirine labeled the Ca-ATPase from within the lipid bilayer. These results indicate that the Ca-ATPase polypeptide must cross the membrane at least 3 times.     

Effect of actoprotectors on Ca, Mg-dependent ATPase activity in the sarcoplasmatic reticulum of rabbit muscles

The effect of different chemical compounds on Ca, Mg-dependent ATPase (Ca-ATPase) sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) hydrolytic activity as well as their actoprotecting (AP) activity, the ability to increase organism's resistance under muscle stress and antihypoxanthic (AH) activity to increase the organism's survival under conditions of low pressure has been studied. The compounds with AP-activity have been shown to be strong inhibitors of Ca-ATPase SR hydrolytic activity. No correlation between AP-activity of the compounds and their effect on Ca-ATPase SR has been found. The membranotropic activity of actoprotectors has been shown by electronic paramagnetic resonance method. A suggestion has been made to use Ca-ATPase SR as a tested object during the forecasting actoprotecting activity of new chemical compounds.     

Kinetic analysis of a model of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase, with variable stoichiometry, which enhances the amount and the rate of Ca transport

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca-dependent adenosinetriphosphatase (Ca-ATPase) actively transports Ca2+ from the myoplasm to the SR lumen. Under optimal conditions a 2:1 stoichiometry of Ca transport/ATP hydrolysis has been observed, but lower stoichiometries have been reported under several circumstances. A lower stoichiometry under conditions of high Ca2+ load, although thermodynamically less efficient, could in theory increase the rate and the maximal amount of Ca uptake. We analysed, by computing simulation, the transient kinetics of a model of the SR Ca-ATPase with variable stoichiometry. The model is based on current experimental reports and includes the most relevant properties of the system. The results show an acceleration in the rate of Ca uptake, an increase in the net Ca transport, and an increase in the rate of [Ca2+] reduction in the medium, which might be physiologically useful to increase the rate of Ca pumping at high Ca load of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

Carnosine protection of Ca2+ transport against damage induced by lipid peroxidation

The authors studied the protective action of carnosine on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes from frog skeletal muscles destroyed by ascorbic acid-dependent lipid peroxidation (LPO). It was demonstrated that addition of carnosine to the incubation medium at a concentration of 25 mM sharply decelerated inactivation of Ca-ATPase of SR membranes, maintaining at the same time the coupling of hydrolysing and transport functions of the Ca-pump. When given at the same concentration carnosine inhibited the accumulation of LPO products reacting with 2-thiobarbituric acid. This effect of carnosine was followed by its utilization.     

An autoinhibitory peptide from the erythrocyte Ca-ATPase aggregates and inhibits both muscle Ca-ATPase isoforms.

We have studied the effects of C28R2, a basic peptide derived from the autoinhibitory domain of the plasma membrane Ca-ATPase, on enzyme activity, oligomeric state, and E1-E2 conformational equilibrium of the Ca-ATPase from skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy (TPA) was used to determine changes in the distribution of Ca-ATPase among its different oligomeric species in SR. C28R2, at a concentration of 1-10 microM, inhibits the Ca-ATPase activity of both skeletal and cardiac SR (CSR). In skeletal SR, this inhibition by C28R2 is much greater at low (0.15 microM) than at high (10 microM) Ca2+, whereas in CSR the inhibition is the same at low and high Ca2+. The effects of the peptide on the rotational mobility of the Ca-ATPase correlated well with function, indicating that C28R2-induced protein aggregation and Ca-ATPase inhibition are much more Ca-dependent in skeletal than in CSR. In CSR at low Ca2+, phospholamban (PLB) antibody (functionally equivalent to PLB phosphorylation) increased the inhibitory effect of C28R2 slightly. Fluorescence of fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate-labeled SR suggests that C28R2 stabilizes the E1 conformation of the Ca-ATPase in skeletal SR, whereas in CSR it stabilizes E2. After the addition of PLB antibody, C28R2 still stabilizes the E2 conformational state of CSR. Therefore, we conclude that C28R2 affects Ca-ATPase activity, conformation, and self-association differently in cardiac and skeletal SR and that PLB is probably not responsible for the differences.     

Effect of cholesterol on the cooperativeness of the Ca-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in rabbit skeletal muscle

Cooperative properties of Ca-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of rabbit skeletal muscles were examined in health and hypercholesterolemia. As the concentration of ATP was raised (from 50-100 microM to 5 mM) the Hill ratio (Nh) for ATP increased from 0.4 to 3.2. It is assumed that increased cooperative interaction between Ca-ATPase polymers led to a rise in the efficacy of Ca-pump work. Under the conditions described the Nh for UTP increased from 0.43 to 1.0. During hypercholesterolemia (1 g/kg cholesterol for 1, 3 and 6 months), the maximal values of the Nh for ATP did not exceed 2.0, whereas those for UTP 1.0.     

Thyroid hormone differentially affects mRNA levels of Ca-ATPase isozymes of sarcoplasmic reticulum in fast and slow skeletal muscle

mRNA levels for the type I and type II isoforms of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca-ATPase were determined in soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle of euthyroid (normal), hypothyroid, and hyperthyroid rats. Total Ca-ATPase mRNA content of hyperthyroid muscle was 1.5-fold (EDL) and 6-fold (SOL) higher compared to hypothyroid muscle, with corresponding increases in total SR Ca-ATPase activity. EDL contained only type II Ca-ATPase mRNA. In SOL type I mRNA was the major form in hypothyroidism (98%), but the type II mRNA content was stimulated 150-fold by T3, accounting for 50% of the Ca-ATPase mRNA in hyperthyroidism.     

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.     

Spin labels in the analysis of Ca-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscles in hypercholesteremia

The method of electron paramagnetic resonance with spin-labeled maleimide was used to study variation of the structure of Ca-ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in rabbit skeletal muscles under long-term hypercholesterolemia (HC). The rate of the maleimide spin label binding with Ca-ATPase of the SR was decreased in HC, which correlated with a lesser access of spin-labeled thiol groups for potassium ferricyanide and sodium ascorbate. HC led to a considerable reduction in the lability and to enhancement of hydrophobia of the spin-labeled fragment of the enzyme. It is concluded that the disordered function of the SR Ca-pump is a consequence of structural changes in the Ca-ATPase molecule in HC.     

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.     

3-Nitrotyrosine modification of SERCA2a in the aging heart: a distinct signature of the cellular redox environment

In the aging heart, decreased rates of calcium transport mediated by the SERCA2a isoform of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca-ATPase are responsible for the slower sequestration of cytosolic calcium and consequent prolonged muscle relaxation times. We report a 60% decrease in Ca-ATPase activity in the senescent Fischer 344 rat heart relative to that of young adult hearts; this functional decrease can be attributed, in part, to the 18% lower abundance of SERCA2a protein. Here, we show that the additional loss of activity is a result of increased 3-nitrotyrosine modification of the Ca-ATPase. Age-dependent increases in nitration of cardiac SERCA2a are identified using multiple analytical methods. In the young (adult) heart 1 molar equivalent of nitrotyrosine is distributed over at least five tyrosines within the Ca-ATPase, identified as Tyr(122), Tyr(130), Tyr(497), Tyr(586), and Tyr(990). In the senescent heart, the stoichiometry of nitration increases by more than two nitrotyrosines per Ca-ATPase, coinciding with the appearance of nitrated Tyr(294), Tyr(295), and Tyr(753). The abundant recovery of native analogues for each of the nitrated peptides indicates partial modification of multiple tyrosines within cardiac SERCA2a. In contrast, within skeletal muscle SERCA2a, a homogeneous pattern of nitration appears, with full site (1 mol/mol) nitration of Tyr(753), in young, with additional nitration of Tyr(294) and Tyr(295), in senescent muscle. The nitration of these latter vicinal sites correlates with diminished transport function in both striated muscle types, suggesting that these sites provide a mechanism for downregulation of ATP utilization by the Ca-ATPase under conditions of nitrative stress.     

Endoplasmic reticulum of rat liver contains two proteins closely related to skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase and calsequestrin

Rat liver endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes were investigated for the presence of proteins having structural relationships with sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) proteins. Western immunoblots of ER proteins probed with polyclonal antibodies raised against the 100-kDa SR Ca-ATPase of rabbit skeletal muscle identified a single reactive protein of 100 kDa. Also, the antibody inhibited up to 50% the Ca-ATPase activity of isolated ER membranes. Antisera raised against the major intraluminal calcium binding protein of rabbit skeletal muscle SR, calsequestrin (CS), cross-reacted with an ER peptide of about 63 kDa, by the blotting technique. Stains-All treatment of slab gels showed that the cross-reactive peptide stained metachromatically blue, similarly to SR CS. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (Michalak, M., Campbell, K. P., and MacLennan, D. H. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 1317-1326) of ER proteins showed that the CS-like component of liver ER, similarly to skeletal CS, fell off the diagonal line, as expected from the characteristic pH dependence of the rate of mobility of mammalian CS. In addition, the CS-like component of liver ER was released from the vesicles by alkaline treatment and was found to be able to bind calcium, by a 45Ca overlay technique. From these findings, we conclude that a 100-kDa membrane protein of liver ER is the Ca-ATPase, and that the peripheral protein in the 63-kDa range is closely structurally and functionally related to skeletal CS.     

Effects of peroxynitrite on pig coronary artery smooth muscle

We examined the effects of peroxynitrite pretreatment of pig coronary arteries on their sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) pump function. Pretreating rings from de-endothelialized arteries with peroxynitrite, followed by a wash to remove this agent, led to a decrease in the force of contraction produced in response to the SR Ca(2+) pump inhibitor cyclopiazonic acid (CPA, IC(50) = 87 +/- 6 microM). Inclusion of catalase and superoxide dismutase with the peroxynitrite did not alter its effect indicating that the inhibition was produced by peroxynitrite. Contractions produced by 30 mM KCl were not affected by up to 250 microM peroxynitrite. Smooth muscle cells cultured from this artery gave a transient increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) in response to CPA. Treating the cells with peroxynitrite inhibited this increase. Treating the SR-enriched isolated subcellular membrane fraction with peroxynitrite produced an inhibition of the ATP-dependent azide-insensitive oxalate-stimulated Ca(2+) uptake. Thus, peroxynitrite damages the SR Ca(2+)pump in the coronary artery, and this inhibition appears to lead to an inability of the arteries to respond to CPA. Thus, peroxynitrite produced from superoxide and NO in the arteries may compromise regulation of coronary tone which requires mobilization of Ca(2+) from the SR.     

Anesthetics alter the physical and functional properties of the Ca-ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.

We have studied the effects of the local anesthetic lidocaine, and the general anesthetic halothane, on the function and oligomeric state of the CA-ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Oligomeric changes were detected by time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy (TPA). Lidocaine inhibited and aggregated the Ca-ATPase in cardiac SR. Micromolar calcium or 0.5 M lithium chloride protected against lidocaine-induced inhibition, indicating that electrostatic interactions are essential to lidocaine inhibition of the Ca-ATPase. The phospholamban (PLB) antibody 2D12, which mimics PLB phosphorylation, had no effect on lidocaine inhibition of the Ca-ATPase in cardiac SR. Inhibition and aggregation of the Ca-ATPase in cardiac SR occurred at lower concentrations of lidocaine than necessary to inhibit and aggregate the Ca-ATPase in skeletal SR, suggesting that the cardiac isoform of the enzyme has a higher affinity for lidocaine. Halothane inhibited and aggregated the Ca-ATPase in cardiac SR. Both inhibition and aggregation of the Ca-ATPase by halothane were much greater in the presence of PLB antibody or when PLB was phosphorylated, indicating a protective effect of PLB on halothane-induced inhibition and aggregation. The effects of halothane on cardiac SR are opposite from the effects of halothane observed in skeletal SR, where halothane activates and dissociates the Ca-ATPase. These results underscore the crucial role of protein-protein interactions on Ca-ATPase regulation and anesthetic perturbation of cardiac SR.