The effect of calcium oxalate crystallization kinetics on the kinetics of calcium uptake and calcium ATPase activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles

The ionophore A23187 is a potent inhibitor of oxalate supported calcium uptake if added before uptake is initiated by ATP and is a much weaker inhibitor of uptake once uptake has been initiated. This observation is shown to be due to a failure of oxalate to capture the transported calcium at the beginning of uptake because the rate of calcium oxalate crystallization is initially slow, thereby allowing the ionophore to release the accumulated calcium. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that calcium oxalate crystallization shows a lag phase which is absent when calcium oxalate seeds are in the reaction system. Once calcium uptake has progressed, calcium oxalate seeds are present in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and calcium oxalate crystallization proceeds sufficiently rapidly that the ionophore cannot compete successfully for calcium. That A23187 and oxalate compete for intravesicular ionic calcium is shown by the stimulation which each produces in ATPase activity and by the dependence of ionophore activity on oxalate concentration.The failure of calcium oxalate crystallization to reach equilibrium during the early phase of calcium uptake caused us to examine whether at any time during calcium uptake, crystallization reaches equilibrium. Skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum accumulated calcium at such a high rate that oxalate, in concentrations up to 20mM, was unable to clamp intravesicular calcium at equilibrium values. The lower rate of calcium accumulation by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum and/or perhaps its greater permeability to oxalate apparently allows intravesicular calcium to be clamped by oxalate.