| Abstract: | The study deals with the interrelationship of the phosphate-transferring activities of the calcium-transporting sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane vesicles: the phosphate exchange between nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) and nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) (NTP-NDP exchange), the calcium-dependent NTase, and the phosphorylation of NDP by inorganic phosphate in the presence of NTP (NTP-Pi exchange). Different nucleotides were used as phosphate donors and acceptors. It is demonstrated for the phosphate transfer from ITP to GDP that the NTP-NDP exchange exhibits ping-pong kinetics with Mg-ITP and unliganded GDP as substrates. The apparent affinities of the enzyme for the nucleoside diphosphate and triphosphate species are deduced according to this mechanism. The enzyme's affinity for the nucleoside triphosphates and diphosphates depends on its functional state being considerably lower under conditions of NTP-NDP exchange than during NTP splitting or NTP synthesis. ATP and GTP are split with the same low rates when calcium-activated NTPase is inhibited by high internal calcium concentrations after calcium transport has reached steady state. The rates of the NTP-NDP exchange reactions, however, differ by a factor of about 10 being approximately equal to 3 mumol . mg-1 . min-1 for ATP-ADP and only approximately equal to 0.3 mumol . mg-1 . min-1 (22 degrees C) for GTP-GDP. When the sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles are made calcium-permeable, the calcium transport ATPase is turned on and the rates of GTP and ATP splitting increase about tenfold. Yet, while the rate of ATP-ADP exchange is little reduced, the rate of GTP-GDP exchange drops by approximately 50%. The persisting exchange activity of calcium-permeable vesicles demonstrates that high internal calcium concentrations are not required for the transfer of the protein-bound phosphoryl group to NDP during NTP-NDP exchange. |
