Structural aspects of ion pumping by Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

Ca²⁺-ATPase of muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum is an ATP-powered Ca²⁺-pump that establishes a >10,000-fold concentration gradient across the membrane. Its crystal structures have been determined for nine different states that cover nearly the entire reaction cycle. Presented here is a brief structural account of the ion pumping process, which is achieved by a series of very large domain rearrangements.