Effects of pH on the interaction of ligands with the (H+ + K+)-ATPase purified from pig gastric mucosa

The effects of K⁺, Na⁺ and ATP on the gastric (H⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase were investigated at various pH. The enzyme was phosphorylated by ATP with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 3650 min^?1 at pH 7.4. This rate constant increased to a maximal value of about 7900 min^?1 when pH was decreased to 6.0. Alkalinization decreased the rate constant. At pH 8.0 it was 1290 min^?1. Additions of 5 mM K⁺ or Na⁺, did not change the rate constant at acidic pH, while at neutral or alkaline pH a decrease was observed. Dephosphorylation of phosphoenzyme in lyophilized vesicles was dependent on K⁺, but not on Na⁺. Alkaline pH increased the rate of dephosphorylation. K⁺ stimulated the ATPase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities. At high concentrations K⁺ was inhibitory. Below pH 7.0 Na⁺ had little or no effect on the ATPase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase, while at alkaline pH, Na⁺ inhibited both activities. The effect of extravesicular pH on transport of H⁺ was investigated. At pH 6.5 the apparent K_m for ATP was 2.7 μM and increased little when K⁺ was added extravesicularly. At pH 7.5, millimolar concentrations of K⁺ increased the apparent K_m for ATP. Extravesicular K⁺ and Na⁺ inhibited the transport of H⁺. The inhibition was strongest at alkaline pH and only slight at neutral or acidic pH, suggesting a competition between the alkali metal ions and hydrogen ions at a common binding site on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Two H⁺-producing reactions as possible candidates as physiological regulators of (H⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase were investigated. Firstly, the hydrolysis of ATP per se, and secondly, the hydration of CO₂ and the subsequent formation of H⁺ and HCO₃^?. The amount of hydrogen ions formed in the ATPase reaction was highest at alkaline pH. The H⁺/ATP ratio was about 1 at pH 8.0. When CO₂ was added to the reaction medium there was no change in the rate of hydrogen ion transport at pH 7.0, but at pH 8.0 the rate increased 4-times upon the addition of 0.4 mM CO₂. The results indicate a possible co-operation in the production of acid between the H⁺ + K⁺-ATPase and a carbonic anhydrase associated with the vesicular membrane.     

The interaction of H+ and K+ with the partial reactions of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase

The influence of H+ and K+ on the partial reactions and transport of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase was studied. Using transient kinetics, the effects and sidedness of effects of H+ and K+ on formation and breakdown of phosphoenzyme were determined in intact and lyophilized reconstituted vesicles in the absence and presence of gramicidin. Whereas increasing H+ concentrations on the ATP-binding face of the vesicles accelerates phosphorylation, increasing K+ concentrations inhibits phosphorylation. Increasing H+ on this side reduces K+ inhibition of the phosphorylation rate. At low ATP/K+ ratios, the phosphorylation step can become rate-limiting for steady state hydrolysis. Decreasing H+ accelerates dephosphorylation in the absence of K+. K+ on the internal or luminal face of the vesicles accelerates dephosphorylation, and this rate is reduced with increasing H+ concentrations. At low internal pH, K+-dependent dephosphorylation may become rate-limiting. H+ transport measurements using fluorescence quenching of acridine orange show that whereas internal K+ is required for H+ transport, external K+ inhibits the rate of formation of a pH gradient, and the inhibition is reduced by decreasing medium pH. The pH optimum for ATPase activity and transport correlated in the vesicles, and the K0.5 of K+ for transport correlated with data for intact parietal cells.     

cDNA cloning and sequence determination of pig gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase

Complementary DNA to pig gastric mRNA encoding (H+ + K+)-ATPase was cloned, and its amino acid sequence was deduced from the nucleotide sequence. The enzyme contained 1034 amino acid residues (Mr. 114,285) including the initiation methionine. The sequence of pig (H+ + K+)-ATPase was highly homologous with that of the corresponding enzyme from rat, but had high degree of synonymous codon changes. Potential sites of phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and N-linked glycosylation sites were identified. The amino terminal region contained a lysine-rich sequence similar to that of the alpha subunit of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, although a cluster of glycine residues was inserted into the sequence of the (H+ + K+)-ATPase. As the pig enzyme is advantageous for biochemical studies, the information of the primary structure is useful for further detailed studies.     

Solubilization of active (H+ + K+)-ATPase from gastric membrane

(H+ + K+)-ATPase-enriched membranes were prepared from hog gastric mucosa by sucrose gradient centrifugation. These membranes contained Mg2+-ATPase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities (68 +/- 9 mumol Pi and 2.9 +/- 0.6 mumol p-nitrophenol/mg protein per h) which were insensitive to ouabain and markedly stimulated by 20 mM KCl (respectively, 2.2- and 14.8-fold). Furthermore, the membranes autophosphorylated in the absence of K+ (up to 0.69 +/- 0.09 nmol Pi incorporated/mg protein) and dephosphorylated by 85% in the presence of this ion. Membrane proteins were extracted by 1-2% (w/v) n-octylglucoside into a soluble form, i.e., which did not sediment in a 100 000 X g X 1 h centrifugation. This soluble form precipitated upon further dilution in detergent-free buffer. Extracted ATPase represented 32% (soluble form) and 68% (precipitated) of native enzyme and it displayed the same characteristic properties in terms of K+-stimulated ATPase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities and K+-sensitive phosphorylation: Mg2+-ATPase (mumol Pi/mg protein per h) 32 +/- 9 (basal) and 86 +/- 20 (K+-stimulated); Mg2+-p-nitrophenylphosphatase (mumol p-nitrophenol/mg protein per h) 2.6 +/- 0.5 (basal) and 22.2 +/- 3.2 (K+-stimulated); Mg2+-phosphorylation (nmol Pi/mg protein) 0.214 +/- 0.041 (basal) and 0.057 +/- 0.004 (in the presence of K+). In glycerol gradient centrifugation, extracted enzyme equilibrated as a single peak corresponding to an apparent 390 000 molecular weight. These findings provide the first evidence for the solubilization of (H+ + K+)-ATPase in a still active structure.     

H+ transport by reconstituted gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase

Gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase was reconstituted into artificial phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol liposomes by means of a freeze-thaw-sonication technique. Upon addition of MgATP, active H+ transport was observed, with a maximal rate of 2.1 mumol X mg-1 X min-1, requiring the presence of 100 mM K+ at the intravesicular site. However, in the absence of ATP an H+-K+ exchange with a maximal rate of 0.12 mumol X mg-1 X min-1 was measured, which could be inhibited by the well-known ATPase inhibitors vanadate and omeprazole, giving the first evidence of a passive K+-H+ exchange function of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase. An Na+-H+ exchange activity was also measured, which was fully inhibited by 1 mM amiloride. Simultaneous reconstitution of Na+/H+ antiport and (H+ + K+)-ATPase could explain why reconstituted ATPase appeared less cation-specific than the native enzyme (Rabon, E.C., Gunther, R.B., Soumarmon, A., Bassilian, B., Lewin, M.J.M. and Sachs, G. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 10200-10212).     

Papain fragmentation of the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase

Membrane-bound (H+ + K+)-ATPase purified from hog gastric mucosa was exposed to limited papain digestion. Such treatment resulted in a rapid inhibition of the K+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase and p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activities, with about 90% of these activities lost after 3 min incubation at 37 degrees C with 0.1 units of papain per mg of enzyme protein. Parallel to the inhibition of the enzyme activities, there was a production of a 77 kDa membrane-bound fragment containing the aspartyl phosphate residue of the phospho-intermediate. This fragment accounted for about 45% of the total enzyme protein after the 3 min papain treatment. The digestion barely affected the steady-state level of phosphorylation, allowed the aspartyl phosphate of the 77 kDa fragment to undergo the transition to the E2P form, and did not significantly alter the fraction of ADP-sensitive phosphoenzyme. The presence of KCl, however, depressed the steady-state level of phosphoenzyme formed from [gamma-32P]ATP considerably less than that of the control enzyme. With further exposure to papain the 77 kDa peptide became fragmented into a 28 kDa soluble peptide that retained the phosphorylating site. Binding of fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate (FITC) to the native enzyme did not affect the sites of papain hydrolysis because the same peptide fragments were obtained. The FITC reaction site was also in the 28 kDa soluble peptide fragment.     

The H+/ATP transport ratio of the (K+ + H+)-ATPase of pig gastric membrane vesicles

Various values have been reported for the H+/ATP transport ratio of the (K+ + H+)-ATPase of the gastric parietal cell: 4, 2 and 1. We have, therefore, reinvestigated this matter with a vesicle preparation isolated from pig gastric mucosa. The vesicles are suspended in glycylglycine buffer (pH 6.11) at 22 degrees C, and incubated until equalization of the K+ concentration inside and outside (75 mM). After addition of ATP, the initial rates of H+ uptake and ATP hydrolysis are then measured. Proton uptake is inhibited in the absence of K+ or in the presence of nigericin. The K0.5 value for proton transport is 154 microM and the Km value for ATP hydrolysis is 61 microM. The Lineweaver-Burk plot for ATP hydrolysis vs. ATP concentration is linear with a Vmax of 5.5 nmol/mg protein per s, but that for H+ uptake is not. Thus with increasing ATP concentration (6.7 to 1670 microM) the transport ratio increases from 0.3 to 1.8. Extrapolation to infinite ATP concentration gives a value of 1.89. (S.E. 0.13, N = 5) and a Hill coefficient of n = 1.21 (S.E. 0.06, N = 5) implying that the true transport ratio is 2 H+/ATP with positive cooperativity between the protons.     

Modification of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate

Pig gastric membrane vesicles enriched in (H+ + K+)-ATPase were covalently modified with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). The modification resulted in inhibition of K+-dependent ATP hydrolysis, formation of phosphoenzyme and ATP-driven H+-uptake catalyzed by (H+ + K+)-ATPase. ATP, ADP, and adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate were protective ligands, whereas Mg2+ and K+ were not. Specific PLP-binding of about 4.5 nmol/mg membrane protein was necessary for complete inhibition of the enzyme activity, indicating that the stoichiometry of PLP-binding to the enzyme was about 1:1. Limited proteolysis of the enzyme modified with [3H]PLP by trypsin suggests that PLP specifically modifies the lysine residue located in the 16-kDa fragment of the enzyme cleaved by trypsin. These results suggested that PLP binds to a specific lysine residue in the nucleotide-binding site or a region in its vicinity and inhibits the substrate binding or phosphorylation step of (H+ + K+)-ATPase.     

The action of trypsin on the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase.

The effect of trypsin on gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase and K+-phosphatase was studied. Loss of both enzymic activities was biphasic, consisting of a fast and slow phase. Several peptides were produced from the original 105,000-dalton region of the sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoretic separation, but only two, 87,000 and 47,000 daltons, were labeled following incubation with [gamma-33P]ATP. After a 30-min hydrolysis, 35% of the original peptide remained unaltered and appeared to be a glycoprotein. ATP and ADP abolished the second phase of tryptic inactivation of both activities and only two peptides, of 78,000 and 30,000 daltons, were found on the acrylamide gel in addition to the original 105,000-dalton region, neither of which was labeled by [gamma-33P]ATP. The protection was specific for these nucleotides, AMP, beta, gamma-methylene ATP, TTP, and pNPP being ineffective. Na+ and K+ at high concentrations reduced the rate of loss of activity but no change in the peptides produced was found. The level of phosphoenzyme was increased 2-fold by trypsin treatment, whereas the quantity of K+-sensitive phosphoenzyme remained relatively constant. Thus, the 105,000-dalton region is heterogeneous, consisting of a catalytic subunit (the active site is on a 47,000-dalton fragment), a glycoprotein, and another 105,000-dalton peptide. The action of trypsin is initially to prevent interconversion of a K+-insensitive to a K+-sensitive form of the phosphoenzyme, thus inhibiting hydrolysis.     

Photoaffinity labeling of the lumenal K+ site of the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase

A photoaffinity label for the lumenal K+ site of the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase has been identified. Seven azido derivatives based upon the reversible K+ site inhibitor SCH 28080 were studied, one of which, m-ATIP (8-(3-azidophenylmethoxy)-1,2,3-trimethylimidazo[1,2-a] pyridinium iodide), was subsequently synthesized in radiolabeled form. In the absence of UV irradiation, m-ATIP inhibited K+ -stimulated ATPase activity in lyophilized gastric vesicles competitively with respect to K+, with a Ki value of 2.4 microM at pH 7.0. Irradiation of lyophilized gastric vesicles at pH 7.0 with [14C]m-ATIP in the presence of 0.2 mM ATP resulted in a time-dependent inactivation of ATPase activity that was associated with an incorporation of radioactivity into a 100-kDa polypeptide representing the catalytic subunit of the (H+ + K+)-ATPase. Both inactivation and incorporation were blocked in the presence of 10 mM KCl but not with 10 mM NaCl, consistent with interaction at the K+ site. The level of incorporation required to produce complete inhibition of ATPase activity was 1.9 +/- 0.2 times the number of catalytic phosphorylation sites in the same preparation. Tryptic digestion of gastric vesicle membranes, labeled with [14C]m-ATIP, failed to release the radioactivity from the membranes suggesting that the site of interaction was close to or within the membrane-spanning sections of this ion pump.     

ATP/ADP exchange activity of gastric (H+ +K+)-ATPase

The ATP/ADP exchange is shown to be a partial reaction of the (H+ +K+)-ATPase by the absence of measurable nucleoside diphosphokinase activity and the insensitivity of the reaction to P1, P5-di(adenosine-5') pentaphosphate, a myokinase inhibitor. The exchange demonstrates an absolute requirement for Mg2+ and is optimal at an ADP/ATP ratio of 2. The high ATP concentration (K0.5=116 microM) required for maximal exchange is interpreted as evidence for the involvement of a low affinity form of nucleotide site. The ATP/ADP exchange is regarded as evidence for an ADP-sensitive form of the phosphoenzyme. In native enzyme, pre-steady state kinetics show that the formation of the phosphoenzyme is partially sensitive to ADP while modification of the enzyme by pretreatment with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) in the absence of Mg2+ results in a steady-state phosphoenzyme population, a component of which is ADP sensitive. The ATP/ADP exchange reaction can be either stimulated or inhibited by the presence of K+ as a function of pH and Mg2+.     

Inhibition of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase by unsaturated long-chain fatty acids

Arachidonic acid and unsaturated C18 fatty acids at concentrations near 10(-5) M markedly inhibited (H+ + K+)-ATPase in hog or rat gastric membranes. Arachidonic acid was a more potent inhibitor than unsaturated C18 fatty acids, but the involvement of the metabolites of arachidonic acid cascade was ruled out. Linolenic acid inhibited the formation of phosphoenzyme and the K+ -dependent p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity of the hog ATPase. Treatment with fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin abolished only the inhibitory effect of the fatty acid on the phosphatase activity without restoring the overall ATPase action. These data suggest the existence of at least two groups of hydrophobic binding sites in the gastric ATPase for unsaturated long-chain fatty acids which affect differentially the catalytic reactions of the ATPase. (H+ + K+)-ATPase in rat gastric membranes was found more susceptible to the fatty acid inhibition and also more unstable than the ATPase in hog gastric membranes. The presence of a millimolar level of lanthanum chloride or ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid stabilized the rat ATPase probably via the inhibition of Ca2+ -dependent phospholipases in the gastric membranes.     

Interaction of fluorescein isothiocyanate with the (H+ + K+)-ATPase

Fluorescein isothiocyanate was used to covalently label the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase. FITC treatment of the enzyme inhibited the ATPase activity while largely sparing partial reactions such as the associated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity. ATP protected against inhibition suggesting the ligand binds at or near an ATP binding site. At 100% inhibition the stoichiometry of binding was 1.5 nmol FITC per mg Lowry protein a value corresponding to maximal phosphoenzyme formation. Binding occurred largely to a peptide of 6.2 isoelectric point, although minor labelling of a peptide of pI 5.6 was also noted. Fluorescence was quenched by K+, Rb+ and Tl+ in a dose-dependent manner, and the K0.5 values of 0.28, 0.83 and 0.025 mM correspond rather well to the values required for dephosphorylation at a luminal site. Vanadate, a known inhibitor of the gastric ATPase produced a slow Mg2+-dependent fluorescent quench. Ca2+ reversed the K+-dependent loss of fluorescence and inhibited it when added prior to K+. This may relate to the slow phosphorylation in the presence of ATP found when Ca2+ was substituted for Mg2+ and the absence of K+-dependent dephosphorylation. The results with FITC-modified gastric ATPase provide evidence for a conformational change with K+ binding to the enzyme.     

The H+/ATP stoichiometry of the (H+ +K+)-ATPase of dog gastric microsomes

Gastric microsomal vesicles isolated from dog fundic mucosa were shown to be relatively ion tight and have a low level of proton permeability. The H+ translocase, basal ATPase and K+-activated ATPase activities of these vesicles were measured and the H+/ATP stoichiometry calculated using either the total K+-ATPase or the K+-stimulatable component (total K+-ATPase--basal ATPase). The former estimations consistently gave stoichiometric of approximately one, whereas the use of only the K+-stimulatable component gave widely differing values. Measurement of the dephosphorylation of the enzyme under basal conditions revealed both a labile and a stable phosphoenzyme component. The rate of decay of the labile component completely accounted for the basal ATPase activity observed. We conclude that the basal ATPase associated with our preparations is a spontaneous dephosphorylation of the phosphoenzyme occurring in the absence of K+ and that the H+/ATP stoichiometry of the gastric ATPase is one.     

Depolymerization of solubilized gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase by n-octylglucoside or cholate

We have previously shown that an active (H+ + K+)-ATPase can be extracted from gastric apical membranes using n-octylglucoside (Soumarmon, A., Grelac, F. and Lewin, M.J.M. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 732, 579-585). This extract contained an holomeric enzyme of 390-420 kDa and contained 68% of the K+-stimulated ATPase specific activity originally present. We demonstrate here that inactivation, induced during a more classically designed protocol, is associated with the appearance of smaller, polymorphic structures with molecular mass of 330-360 and 240-250 kDa estimated using molecular sieve chromatography and glycerol gradients. This suggests that (H+ + K+)-ATPase solubilization by n-octylglucoside is a complex process involving first extraction of the enzyme as an active polymer, with subsequent depolymerication and inactivation of this polymer. Depolymerization was specifically studied by treating the large holomeric n-octylglucoside-extracted (H+ + K+)-ATPase with increasing concentrations of either n-octylglucoside or cholate. Detergent-induced changes were characterized by centrifugation on glycerol gradients. Progressive displacement of ATPase activity into three different peaks at 32%, 26% and 20% glycerol was found with increasing detergent concentrations. n-Octylglucoside inhibited enzyme activities and was more deleterious for phosphatase than for ATPase activity. Moreover, it induced the dissociation of phosphatase and ATPase distribution profiles. At concentrations of 0.2 to 1.15%, cholate induced the displacement of the glycerol gradient profiles but no loss of activities and no dissociation of phosphatase and ATPase profiles. Higher concentrations of this detergent (2.5%) also inactivated the ATPase concomitantly with the appearance of a protein peak with no related activity at 16-18% glycerol. From this study we suggest that solubilization of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase can be achieved through the extraction of a polymer by n-octylglucoside and through subsequent depolymerization using cholate. We suggest that the different sizes correspond to monomers, dimers, trimers and perhaps tetramers. The monomers were apparently inactive under present test conditions.     

The mechanism for inhibition of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase by omeprazole

Omeprazole was found to inhibit the K+-stimulated ATPase activity of the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase in parallel with the K+-stimulated p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity and the phosphoenzyme formation. The degree of inhibition of ATPase activity was directly correlated to the amount inhibitor bound to the enzyme preparation down to about 15% of the control enzyme activity. The acid-decomposed form of omeprazole, i.e. the inhibitory form, was found to react with and bind to sulfhydryl groups within the (H+ + K+)-ATPase preparation with close to a 1:1 stoichiometry. beta-Mercaptoethanol, when added beforehand and in a 10-fold excess of omeprazole, completely prevented binding of the inhibitor and its inhibition of the enzyme. In the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol two different reaction products could be detected in addition to omeprazole; the reduced form of omeprazole (H 168/22), and a product formed between beta-mercaptoethanol and a decomposition product, generated from omeprazole. Under those conditions neither inhibition nor binding was obtained, indicating that none of these three compounds was the inhibitor. Rather, the compound generated from omeprazole and reacting rapidly with either beta-mercaptoethanol or the -SH groups of the enzyme was the likely inhibitor compound. In order to reverse already established inhibition higher concentrations of beta-mercaptoethanol were needed than for protection indicating two different reaction pathways for protection and reversal by beta-mercaptoethanol. The reversal reaction was explained by a two-step reaction; in the first step the bound inhibitor was exchanged for a beta-mercaptoethanol molecule resulting in formation of compound H 168/22 and a mixed disulfide between the enzyme and beta-mercaptoethanol. In the second step, attack of another beta-mercaptoethanol molecule results in liberation of active enzyme and generation of the disulfide form of beta-mercaptoethanol. This hypothesis was substantiated by the fact that when 1 mM beta-mercaptoethanol was added to inhibited enzyme the radiolabel was partially displaced, without any change in the concentration of modified -SH groups.     

The H+/ATP stoichiometry of the (H+ + K+)-ATPase of dog gastric microsomes

Gastric microsomal vesicles isolated from dog fundic mucosa were shown to be relatively ion tight and have a low level of proton permeability. The H⁺ translocase, basal ATPase and K⁺-activated ATPase activities of these vesicles were measured and the H⁺/ATP stoichiometry calculated using either the total K⁺-ATPase or the K⁺-stimulatable component (total K⁺-ATPase—basal ATPase). The former estimations consistently gave stoichiometric of approximately one, whereas the use of only the K⁺-stimulatable component gave widely differing values. Measurement of the dephosphorylation of the enzyme under basal conditions revealed both a labile and a stable phosphoenzyme component. The rate of decay of the labile component completely accounted for the basal ATPase activity observed. We conclude that the basal ATPase associated with our preparations is a spontaneous dephosphorylation of the phosphoenzyme occurring in the absence of K⁺ and that the H⁺/ATP stoichiometry of the gastric ATPase is one.     

Inhibition of gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase by the substituted benzimidazole, picoprazole

The substituted benzimidazole, picoprazole, inhibited the gastric (H+ + K+)-ATPase in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. Half-maximal inhibition of the (H+ + K+)-ATPase activity was obtained at about 2 . 10(-6)M under standard conditions. In addition to the inhibition of ATPase activity, parallel inhibition of phosphoenzyme formation and the proton transport activity were achieved. Radiolabelled picoprazole was found to bind to 100 kDa peptide; this peptide was shown by phosphorylation experiments to contain the catalytic centre of the (H+ + K+)-ATPase. Studies on the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase indicated that this enzyme was unaffected by picoprazole. From the data presented and from other pharmacological studies, it is proposed that this compound inhibits acid secretion at the level of the parietal cell by its ability to inhibit the gastric proton pump, the (H+ + K+)-ATPase.     

Lack of immunological cross reactivity between the transport enzymes (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and (K+ + H+)-ATPase

Goat antisera against (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase and its isolated subunits and against (K⁺ + H⁺)-ATPase have been prepared in order to test for immune cross-reactivity between the two enzymes, whose catalytic subunits show great chemical similarity. None of the (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase antisera cross-reacted with (K⁺ + H⁺)-ATPase or inhibited its enzyme activity. The same was true for the (K⁺ + H⁺)-ATPase antiserum with regard to (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase and its subunits and its enzyme activity. So not withstanding the chemical similarity of their subunits, there is no immunological cross-reactivity between these two plasma membrane ATPases.Number LIII in the series Studies on (Na⁺ + K⁺)-Activated ATPase.