Lymphocyte calcium extrusion: kinetic and thermodynamic measurements using ratiometric dual-emission spectrofluorometry

A method is described for monitoring intracellular ionized calcium (Ca²⁺) and determining kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of Ca⁺-extrusion from intact lymphocytes. The method uses ratiometric spectrofluorometry and the fluorescent Ca²⁺ dye indo-1. Lymphocytes were loaded with calcium and placed in a low calcium medium. A novel formula for calculation of intracellular Ca^2– that corrects for background fluorescence and fluorescence quenching was used. Calcium extrusion resulted in exponential decrease in cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ with a rate constant of 0.031 ± 0.003 sec^–1, maximal rate of 23 ± 7 nM/sec, dissociation constant of 366 ± 63 nM, Hill coefficient of 2.3 ± 0.4, Q₁₀ of 2.58 ± 0.28, and activation energy of 18.3 Kcal/mol. This method should allow for characterization of the Ca²⁺-extrusion system of lymphocytes and may be applicable to other blood cell types.Abbreviations DMSO dimethyl sulfoxide - HEPES [N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulfonic acid],sodium salt - Indo-1/AM acetoxymethyl ester of indo-1 - IP₃ inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate - IP₄ inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate - RPMI Roswell Park Memorial Institute — 1640 culture medium - TPEN tetrakis-[2-pyridylmethyl]-ethylenediamine