Divalent cation and lipid-protein interactions of biomembranes

Temperature-sensitive intracellular Mg2+ block of L-type Ca2+ channels in cardiac myocytes

We examined the concentration-dependent blocking effects of intracellular Mg2+ on L-type Ca2+ channels in cardiac myocytes using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The increase of L-type Ca2+ channel current (I(Ca)) (due to relief of Mg2+ block) occurred in two temporal phases. The rapid phase (runup) transiently appeared early (<5 min) in dialysis of the low-Mg2+ solution; the slow phase began later in dialysis (>10 min). Runup was not blocked by intracellular GTP (GTP(i)). The late phase of the I(Ca) increase (late I(Ca)) was suppressed by GTP(i) (0.4 mM) and was observed in myocytes of the guinea pig or frog at higher (32 or 24 degrees C, respectively) rather than lower temperatures (24 or 17.5 degrees C, respectively). At pMg = 6.0, raising the temperature from 24 to 32 degrees C evoked late I(Ca) with a Q10 of 14.5. Restoring the temperature to 24 degrees C decreased I(Ca) with a Q10 of only 2.4. The marked difference in the Q10 values indicated that late I(Ca) (pMg = 5-6) is an irreversible phenomenon. Phosphorylation suppressed the intracellular [Mg2+] dependency of late I(Ca). This effect of phosphorylation together with the inhibitory action of GTP(i) on Mg2+-dependent blocking of I(Ca) are common properties of mammalian and amphibian cardiomyocytes.

Effect of pentacyclic triterpenes on oxalate-induced changes in rat erythrocytes

Investigations were carried out to evaluate the effect of two, structurally related, triterpenes-betulin and lupeol-on the membrane peroxidation and antioxidant systems in red blood cells, during pyridoxine-deficient condition in rats. Increased lipid peroxidation levels in the absence and presence of ferrous sulphate, an inducer of lipid peroxidation, indicated peroxidative damage to the red-cell membrane. Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity was decreased while that of other ion-specific ATPases were increased in the red cells of pyridoxine-deficient rats. Antioxidants, such as reduced glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase were decreased, while superoxide dismutase alone was increased in the pyridoxine-deficient rat red blood cells. The red-cell osmotic fragility was found to be reduced. Treatment with the triterpenes proved effective in restoring the normal condition.

A chelate theory for the mechanism of action of aspirin-like drugs

Two hundred years after the discovery of the pharmaceutical usefulness of aspirin, it and aspirin-like drugs, a family with an ever-increasing number of members, are an indispensable part of modern life. However, the question as to how these drugs work in the body has remained unsettled. It is postulated here that this group of drugs may exert their therapeutic (and adverse) effects by chelating various physiologically important metallic cations in the body. The chelate theory is supported by the vast majority, if not all, of the observations on these drugs made in the past.

The role of ganglioside GM3 in the modulation of conformation and activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase

Rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum does contain trace amounts of gangliosides, and the main species is GM3. Incorporation of GM3 into the SR vesicles or addition of it to the soybean phospholipid used for reconstitution of proteoliposomes obviously increased ATP hydrolysis, as well as, Ca2+ uptake activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase. Conformation changes of Ca(2+)-ATPase induced by GM3 were also observed by circular dichroism, intrinsic fluorescence and fluorescence quenching measurements.

Modulation of the metarhodopsin I/metarhodopsin II equilibrium of bovine rhodopsin by ionic strength--evidence for a surface-charge effect

The effects of ionic strength on formation and decay of metarhodopsin II (MII), the active photointermediate of bovine rhodopsin, were studied in the native membrane environment by means of ultraviolet/ visible and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. By increasing the concentration of KCl in the range from hypotonic to 4 M, the apparent pKa of the metarhodopsin I(MI)/MII equilibrium is shifted by approximately pH three, in favor of the MII intermediate. In addition, the apparent rate of MII formation is enhanced by an increase in ionic strength (about twofold in the presence of 2 M KCl). MIII decay is independent of the salt concentration. Attenuated-total-reflectance/FTIR data show that the high-salt conditions have no effect on the rigidity of the membrane matrix and do not induce structural changes in the intermediates themselves. Different salts were tested for their ability to shift the MI/MII equilibrium; however, no clear ion dependence was observed. We interpret these results as an indication for direct involvement of the cytosolic surface charge in the regulation of the photochemical activity of bovine rhodopsin.

Transmembrane Ca2+ gradient and function of membrane proteins

This review will focus on the recent advance in the study of effect of transmembrane Ca2+ gradient on the function of membrane proteins. It consits of two parts: 1. Transmembrane Ca2+ gradient and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase; 2. Effect of transmembrane Ca2+ gradient on the components and coupling of cAMP signal transduction pathway. The results obtained indicate that a proper transmembrane Ca2+ gradient may play an important role in modulating the conformation and activity of SR Ca(2+)-ATPase and the function of membrane proteins involved in the cAMP signal transduction by mediating the physical state change of the membrane phospholipids.

Effect of transmembrane Ca2+ gradient on Gs function

Gs and adenylate cyclase from bovine brain cortices were co-reconstituted into asolectin liposomes with or without 1000-fold transmembrane Ca2+ gradient. Obtained results showed that Gs activities of both binding GTP gamma S and stimulating adenylate cyclase were the highest in proteoliposomes, with a transmembrane Ca2+ gradient similar to the physiological situation and the lowest while the transmembrane Ca2+ gradient was in the inverse direction. Such a difference could be diminished following the dissipation of the transmembrane Ca2+ gradient by A23187. Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) has been used to compare the physical state of phospholipids among those proteoliposomes. It is suggested that a proper transmembrane Ca2+ gradient is essential for higher membrane fluidity, which may favor Gs function with higher GTP-binding activity and stimulation of adenylate cyclase.

Fluorescence study on transmembrane Ca2+ gradient-mediated conformation changes of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase

The conformational states of Ca(2+)-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles with or without a thousand-fold transmembrane Ca2+ gradient have been studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence quenching. In consequence of the establishment of the transmembrane Ca2+ gradient, the steady-state fluorescence results revealed a reproducible 8% decrease in the intrinsic fluorescence while time-resolved fluorescence measurements showed that 13 tryptophan residues in SR.Ca(2+)-ATPase could be divided into three groups. The fluorescence lifetime of one of these groups increased from 5.5 ns to 5.95 ns in the presence of a Ca2+ gradient. Using KI and hypocrellin B (a photosensitive pigment obtained from a parasitic fungus, growing in Yunnan, China), the fluorescence quenching further indicated that the dynamic change of this tryptophan group, located at the protein-lipid interface, is a characteristic of transmembrane Ca2+ gradient-mediated conformational changes in SR.Ca(2+)-ATPase.

A proper transmembrane Ca2+ gradient is essential for the stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity by stimulatory GTP-binding protein

Stimulatory GTP-binding Protein (Gs) and adenylate cyclase prepared from bovine brain cortices were co-reconstituted into asolectin vesicles with or without 1000-fold transmembrane Ca2+ gradient. The results showed that both basal activity and Gs-stimulated activity of adenylate cyclase were highest in proteoliposomes with a transmembrane Ca2+ gradient similar to physiological condition (1 microM Ca2+ outside and 1 mM Ca2+ inside) and lowest when the transmembrane Ca2+ gradient was in the inverse direction. Such a difference could be diminished following dissipation of the transmembrane Ca2+ gradient by A23187. Comparable conformational changes of Gs in proteoliposomes were also observed when Gs was labeled with the fluorescence probe, acrylodan. These results may indicate that a proper transmembrane Ca2+ gradient is essential not only for higher adenylate cyclase activity but also for its stimulation by Gs.