Characterization of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum ATP-ADP phosphate exchange and phosphorylation of the calcium transport adenosine triphosphatase

Quantification of calsequestrin 2 (CSQ2) in sheep cardiac muscle and Ca2+-binding protein changes in CSQ2 knockout mice

Calsequestrin 2 (CSQ2) is generally regarded as the primary Ca2+-buffering molecule present inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in cardiac cells, but findings from CSQ2 knockout experiments raise major questions about its role and necessity. This study determined the absolute amount of CSQ2 present in cardiac ventricular muscle to gauge its likely influence on SR free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]) and maximal Ca2+ capacity. Ventricular tissue from hearts of freshly killed sheep was examined by SDS-PAGE without any fractionation, and CSQ2 was detected by Western blotting; this method avoided the >90% loss of CSQ2 occurring with usual fractionation procedures. Band intensities were compared against those for purified CSQ2 run on the same blots. Fidelity of quantification was verified by demonstrating that CSQ2 added to homogenates was detected with equal efficacy as purified CSQ2 alone. Ventricular tissue from sheep (n=8) contained 24±2 μmol CSQ2/kg wet wt. Total Ca2+ content of the ventricular tissue, measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy, was 430±20 μmol/kg (with SR Ca2+ likely<250 μmol/kg) and displayed a linear correlation with CSQ2 content, with gradient of ∼10 Ca2+ per CSQ2. The large amount of CSQ2 bestows the SR with a high theoretical maximal Ca2+-binding capacity (∼1 mmol Ca2+/kg ventricular tissue, assuming a maximum of ∼40 Ca2+ per CSQ2) and would keep free [Ca2+] within the SR relatively low, energetically favoring Ca2+ uptake and reducing SR leak. In mice with CSQ2 ablated, histidine-rich Ca2+-binding protein was upregulated ∼35% in ventricular tissue, possibly in compensation.

Discovery of phospholamban. A personal history

Early efforts to identify mechanisms by which sympathetic stimulation increases myocardial contractility led to studies of effects of beta-adrenergic agonists and cyclic AMP on the cardiac contractile proteins and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR); initial positive reports, however, could not be confirmed. The discovery that cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases (PK-A) mediated intracellular actions of cyclic AMP led at least four groups to test the hypothesis that phosphorylation of the cardiac SR played a role in the actions of beta-adrenergic agonists. Three of them (Wollenberger, Wray et al., and LaRaia & Morkin) demonstrated that cardiac SR was a substrate for PK-A phosphorylation; however, the lability of the Ca2+ pump in these membranes made it difficult to demonstrate a functional significance of this finding. Our group, which had extensive experience in measuring SR Ca2+ transport, began by examining the ability of PK-A to activate the SR Ca2+ pump "poised" at half-saturating Ca2+ concentrations. Our initial positive result led to the discovery that a 22,000-dalton protein, named phospholamban by Phyllis B. Katz, mediated effects on Ca2+ transport by the SR that could explain both the inotropic and lusitropic effects of sympathetic stimulation.

Phosphorylation of the purified cardiac ryanodine receptor by exogenous and endogenous protein kinases

The ryanodine receptor is the main Ca(2+)-release structure in skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. In both tissues, phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor has been proposed to be involved in the regulation of Ca2+ release. In the present study, we have examined the ability of the purified cardiac ryanodine receptor to serve as a substrate for phosphorylation by exogenously added catalytic subunit of the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PK-A), cyclic GMP (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PK-G), or calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (PK-CaM). A large amount of phosphate incorporation was observed for PK-CaM (938 +/- 48 pmol of Pi/mg of purified channel protein), whereas the level of phosphorylation was considerably lower with PK-A or PK-G (345 +/- 139 and 96 +/- 6 pmol/mg respectively). In addition, endogenous PK-CaM activity co-migrates with the ryanodine receptor through several steps of purification, suggesting a strong association of the two proteins. This endogenous PK-CaM activity is abolished by a PK-CaM-specific synthetic peptide inhibitor. Endogenous cAMP- and cGMP-dependent phosphorylation was not observed in the purified ryanodine-receptor preparation. Taken together, these observations imply that PK-CaM is the physiologically relevant protein kinase, capable of phosphorylating the channel protein to a minimum stoichiometry of 2 mol of Pi per mol of tetramer.

Identification, kinetic properties and intracellular localization of the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase from the intracellular stores of chicken cerebellum

The microsomal fraction of chicken cerebellum expresses a large amount of Ca(2+)-ATPase (105 kDa), which is phosphorylated by ATP in the presence of Ca2+. The Ca(2+)-ATPase activity is highly sensitive to temperature and to the presence of detergents. This ATPase has kinetic properties similar to those of chicken skeletal-muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, as (i) it is activated by low (microM) and inhibited by high (mM) Ca2+ concentrations, (ii) it shows biphasic activation with ATP and (iii) it is inhibited by vanadate. However, the vanadate-sensitivity is at least 10 times greater than that observed in chicken skeletal or cardiac sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPases. Thus, despite cross-reacting with antibodies against the cardiac and skeletal isoforms, the cerebellar microsomal Ca(2+)-ATPase appears to be distinct from both muscle enzymes. The Ca(2+)-ATPase is concentrated in, but not exclusive to, Purkinje neurons. In Purkinje neurons the Ca(2+)-ATPase appears to be expressed throughout the cell body, the dendritic tree (and the spines) and the axons. At the electron-microscope level the Ca(2+)-ATPase is found in smooth and rough endoplasmic-reticulum cisternae as well as in other, yet unidentified, smooth-surfaced structures.

Characterization of mammalian heart annexins with special reference to CaBP33 (annexin V)

Porcine heart was observed to express annexins V (CaBP33) and VI in large amounts, and annexins III and IV in much smaller amounts. Annexin V (CaBP33) in porcine heart was examined in detail by immunochemistry. Homogenization and further processing of heart in the presence of EGTA resulted in the recovery of annexin V (CaBP33) in the cytosolic fraction and in an EGTA-resistant, Triton X-100-soluble fraction from cardiac membranes. Including Ca2+ in the homogenization medium resulted in a significant decrease in the annexin V (CaBP33) content of the cytosolic fraction with concomitant increase in the content of this protein in myofibrils, mitochrondria, the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the sarcolemma. The amount of annexin V (CaBP33) in each of these subfractions depended on the free Ca2+ concentration in the homogenizing medium. At the lowest free Ca2+ concentration tested, 0.8 microM, only the sarcolemma appeared to contain bound annexin V (CaBP33). Membrane-bound annexins V (CaBP33) and VI partitioned in two fractions, one EGTA-resistant and Triton X-100-extractable, and one Triton X-100-resistant and EGTA-extractable. Altogether, these data suggest that annexins V and VI are involved in the regulation of membrane-related processes.

Cardiac S-100a0 protein: purification by a simple procedure and related immunocytochemical and immunochemical studies

A simple procedure is described for the purification of the alpha alpha isoform of S-100 proteins (S-100a0) from porcine heart. Purification steps include the following: i) extraction of the tissue with a hypotonic medium containing EDTA; ii) ammonium sulfate fractionation (0-50%) of the extract; iii) Ca2+-dependent affinity chromatography of the supernatant obtained through the preceding step on phenyl-sepharose and elution of absorbed proteins through a two-chamber gradient of 1.0-0.0 mM CaCl2 and 0.0--1.0 mM EGTA, respectively; and iv) chromatography of the resultant S-100-containing fractions on Sephadex G-200. The yield is 20 mg S-100a0/kg porcine heart. The whole procedure takes five days and is highly reproducible. Data obtained from the phenyl-sepharose step suggest that the affinity of Ca2+ for S-100a0 increases by several orders of magnitude once the protein had interacted with that matrix. This observation is discussed in relation to the role of S-100 proteins in amplification of the Ca2+ signal. Immunocytochemical and immunoblotting analyses indicate that S-100a0 is exclusively found at the level of the sarcolemmal membranes, the membranes of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the external mitochondrial membranes, and in the adjacent sarcoplasm. No evidence of S-100a0 being associated with the nuclei or with myofibrils has been obtained. Finally, the cardiac tissue does not contain the Triton X-100-extractable fraction of S-100 normally detected in the brain and in adipocytes. Our data suggest that S-100a0 behaves as a peripheral membrane protein in cardiac tissue.

Smooth muscle expresses a cardiac/slow muscle isoform of the Ca2+-transport ATPase in its endoplasmic reticulum

Smooth muscle expresses in its endoplasmic reticulum an isoform of the Ca2+-transport ATPase that is very similar to or identical with that of the cardiac-muscle/slow-twitch skeletal-muscle form. However, this enzyme differs from that found in fast-twitch skeletal muscle. This conclusion is based on two independent sets of observations, namely immunological observations and phosphorylation experiments. Immunoblot experiments show that two different antibody preparations against the Ca2+-transport ATPase of cardiac-muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum also recognize the endoplasmic-reticulum/sarcoplasmic-reticulum enzyme of the smooth muscle and the slow-twitch skeletal muscle whereas they bind very weakly or not at all to the sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-transport ATPase of the fast-twitch skeletal muscle. Conversely antibodies directed against the fast-twitch skeletal-muscle isoform of the sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-transport ATPase do not bind to the cardiac-muscle, smooth-muscle or slow-twitch skeletal-muscle enzymes. The phosphorylated tryptic fragments A and A1 of the sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-transport ATPases have the same apparent Mr values in cardiac muscle, slow-twitch skeletal muscle and smooth muscle, whereas the corresponding fragments in fast-twitch skeletal muscle have lower apparent Mr values. This analytical procedure is a new and easy technique for discrimination between the isoforms of endoplasmic-reticulum/sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca2+-transport ATPases.

Drug-induced calcium release from heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle

Calcium release from isolated heavy sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscle by several calmodulin antagonistic drugs was measured spectrophotometrically with arsenazo III and compared with the properties of the caffeine-induced calcium release. Trifluoperazine and W7 (about 500 microM) released all actively accumulated calcium (half-maximum release at 129 microM and 98 microM, respectively) in the presence 0.5 mM MgCl2 and 1 mg/ml sarcoplasmic reticulum protein; calmidazolium (100 microM) and compound 48/80 (70 micrograms/ml) released maximally 30-40% calcium, whilst bepridil (100 microM) and felodipin (50 microM) with calmodulin antagonistic strength similar to trifluoperazine (determined by inhibition of the calcium, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum) did not cause a detectable calcium release, indicating that this drug-induced calcium release is not due to the calmodulin antagonistic properties of the tested drugs. Calcium release of trifluoperazine, W7 and compound 48/80 and that of caffeine was inhibited by similar concentrations of magnesium (half-inhibition 1.4-4.2 mM compared with 0.97 mM for caffeine) and ruthenium red (half-inhibition for trifluoperazine, W7 and compound 48/80 was 0.22 microM, 0.08 microM and 0.63 micrograms/ml, respectively, compared with 0.13 microM for caffeine), suggesting that this drug-induced calcium release occurs via the calcium-gated calcium channel of sarcoplasmic reticulum stimulated by caffeine or channels with similar properties.

Electrical pump currents generated by the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles adsorbed on black lipid membranes

Sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles adsorbed on a black lipid membrane generate an electrical current after a fast increment of the concentration of ATP. This demonstrates directly that the sarcoplasmic Ca2+-ATPase from skeletal muscle acts as an electrogenic ion pump. The increment of the concentration of ATP is achieved by the photolysis of caged ATP (P3-1-(2-nitro)phenylethyl adenosine 5'-triphosphate) a protected analogue of ATP (Kaplan, J.H. et al. (1978) Biochemistry 17, 1929-1935), which is split into ATP and 2-nitroso acetophenone. The release of ATP leads to a transient current flow across the lipid membrane indicating that the vesicles are capacitatively coupled to the underlying lipid membrane. In addition to this transient signal, a stationary current flow is obtained in the presence of ionophores which increase the conductance of the bilayer system and prevent the accumulation of Ca2+ in the lumen of the vesicles. The direction of the transient and the stationary current is in accordance with the concept that Ca2+ is pumped into the lumen of the vesicles. The transient current depends on the concentration of ATP, Ca2+ and Mg2+ as would be the case for a current generated by the sarcoplasmic Ca2+-ATPase. Its amplitude is half-maximal at 10 microM ATP and 1 microM Ca2+. At Ca2+ concentrations above 0.1 mM the amplitude of the current signal declines again. The Mg2+ concentration dependence of the current amplitude at a constant ATP concentration indicates that the MgATP complex is the substrate for the activation of the current. The pump current is inhibited by vanadate and ADP. No current signal is observed if caged ATP is replaced by caged ADP. However, the release of ADP from caged ADP generates a pump current in the presence of an ATP generating system such as creatine phosphate and creatine kinase.

Regulation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum function by phospholamban

Calcium fluxes across the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane are regulated by phosphorylation of a 27,000-dalton membrane-bound protein termed phospholamban. Phospholamban is phosphorylated by three different protein kinases (cAMP-dependent, Ca2+.CAM-dependent and Ca2+.phospholipid dependent) at apparently distinct sites. Phosphorylation by each of the protein kinases increases the rates of active calcium transport by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. The stimulatory effects of protein kinases on the calcium pump may be reversed by an endogenous protein phosphatase activity. The phosphoprotein phosphatase can dephosphorylate both the cAMP-dependent and the Ca2+.CAM-dependent sites of phospholamban. Phosphorylation of phospholamban also occurs in situ, in perfused beating hearts, during the peak of the inotropic response to beta-adrenergic stimulation. Reversal of the stimulatory effects is associated with dephosphorylation of phospholamban. Thus, in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that phospholamban is a regulator for the calcium pump in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. The degree of phospholamban phosphorylation determined by the interaction of specific protein kinases and phosphatases may represent an important control for sarcoplasmic reticulum function and, thus, for the contraction-relaxation cycle in the myocardium. In this review, we summarize recent evidence on physical and structural properties of phospholamban, the proposed structural molecular models for this protein, and the significance of its regulatory role both in vitro and in situ.

Calcium release from calmodulin and its C-terminal or N-terminal halves in the presence of the calmodulin antagonists phenoxybenzamine and melittin measured by stopped-flow fluorescence with Quin 2 and intrinsic tyrosine. Inhibition of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Calcium dissociation from the C-terminal and N-terminal halves of calmodulin, intact bovine brain calmodulin and the respective phenoxybenzamine complexes or melittin complexes was measured directly by stopped-flow fluorescence with the calcium chelator Quin 2 and, when possible, also by protein fluorescence using endogenous tyrosine fluorescence by mixing with EGTA. Calcium dissociation from the C-terminal half of calmodulin, which contains only the two high-affinity calcium-binding sites, and from intact calmodulin was monophasic, with good correlation of the rates of calcium dissociation obtained by the two methods. The apparent rates with Quin 2 and endogenous tyrosine fluorescence were 13.4 s-1 and 12.8 s-1, respectively, in the C-terminal half and 10.5 s-1 and 10.8 s-1, respectively, in intact calmodulin (pH 7.0, 25 degrees C, 100 mM KCl). Alkylation of the C-terminal half resulted in a biphasic calcium dissociation (Quin 2: kobs 1.90 s-1 and 0.73 s-1 respectively; tyrosine: kobs 1.65 s-1 and 0.61 s-1 respectively). Alkylation of intact calmodulin resulted in a four-phase calcium dissociation measured with Quin 2 (kobs 85.3 s-1, 11.1 s-1, 1.92 s-1 and 0.59 s-1); the latter two phases are assumed to represent calcium release from high-affinity sites since they correspond to the biphasic tyrosine fluorescence change in intact alkylated calmodulin (kobs 2.04 s-1 and 0.53 s-1 respectively) and the rate parameters determined in the C-terminal half. Evidently perturbation of the calcium-binding sites by alkylation reduces the rate of calcium dissociation and allows a distinction to be made between dissociation from each of the two high-affinity sites as well as the distinct conformational change on dissociation of each calcium. Alkylation of the N-terminal half resulted in biphasic calcium release with rates (kobs 153 s-1 and 10.9 s-1 respectively) similar to those observed in intact alkylated calmodulin. The rates of calcium dissociation from calmodulin-melittin or fragment-melittin complexes, measured with Quin 2, were slower and monophasic in the C-terminal half (kobs 1.12 s-1), biphasic in the N-terminal half (kobs 140 s-1 and 26.8 s-1 respectively) and triphasic in intact calmodulin (kobs 126 s-1, 12.1 s-1 and 1.38 s-1). Calmodulin antagonists thus increase the apparent calcium affinity of high and low-affinity sites mainly due to a reduced calcium 'off rate', presumably because of conformation restrictions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Calcium release from intact calmodulin and calmodulin fragment 78-148 measured by stopped-flow fluorescence with 2-p-toluidinylnaphthalene sulfonate. Effect of calmodulin fragments on cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Calcium release from high and low-affinity calcium-binding sites of intact bovine brain calmodulin (CaM) and from the tryptic fragment 78-148, purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography, containing only the high-affinity calcium-binding sites, was determined by fluorescence stopped-flow with 2-p-toluidinylnaphthalene sulfonate (TNS). The tryptic fragments 1-77 and 78-148 each contain a calcium-dependent TNS-binding site, as shown by the calcium-dependent increase in TNS fluorescence. The rate of the monophasic fluorescence decrease in endogenous tyrosine on calcium dissociation from intact calcium-saturated calmodulin (kobs 10.8 s-1 and 3.2 s-1 at 25 degrees C and 10 degrees C respectively) as well as the rate of equivalent slow phase of the biphasic decrease in TNS fluorescence (kobsslow 10.6 s-1 and 3.0 s-1 at 25 degrees C and 10 degrees C respectively) and the rate of the solely monophasic decrease in TNS fluorescence, obtained with fragment 78-148 (kobs 10.7 s-1 and 3.5 s-1 at 25 degrees C and 10 degrees C respectively), were identical, indicating that the rate of the conformational change associated with calcium release from the high-affinity calcium-binding sites on the C-terminal half of calmodulin is not influenced by the N-terminal half of the molecule. The fast phase of the biphasic decrease of TNS fluorescence, observed by the N-terminal half of the molecule. The fast phase of the biphasic decrease of TNS fluorescence, observed with intact calmodulin only (kobsfast 280 s-1 at 10 degrees C) but not with fragment 78-148, is most probably due to the conformational change associated with calcium release from low-affinity sites on the N-terminal half. The calmodulin fragments 1-77 and 78-148 neither activated calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum nor inhibited calmodulin-dependent activation at a concentration approximately 1000-fold greater (5 microM) than that of the calmodulin required for half-maximum activation (5.9 nM at 0.8 mM Ca2+ and 5 mM Mg2+) of calmodulin-dependent phosphoester formation.

Inhibitory antibodies to plasmalemmal Ca2+-transporting ATPases. Their use in subcellular localization of (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-dependent ATPase activity in smooth muscle

Antibodies directed against the purified calmodulin-binding (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase [(Ca2+ + Mg2+)-dependent ATPase] from pig erythrocytes and from smooth muscle of pig stomach (antral part) were raised in rabbits. Both the IgGs against the erythrocyte (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase and against the smooth-muscle (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase inhibited the activity of the purified calmodulin-binding (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase from smooth muscle. Up to 85% of the total (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity in a preparation of KCl-extracted smooth-muscle membranes was inhibited by these antibodies. The (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity and the Ca2+ uptake in a plasma-membrane-enriched fraction from this smooth muscle were inhibited to the same extent, whereas in an endoplasmic-reticulum-enriched membrane fraction the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity was inhibited by only 25% and no effect was observed on the oxalate-stimulated Ca2+ uptake. This supports the hypothesis that, in pig stomach smooth muscle, two separate types of Ca2+-transport ATPase exist: a calmodulin-binding ATPase located in the plasma membrane and a calmodulin-independent one present in the endoplasmic reticulum. The antibodies did not affect the stimulation of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity by calmodulin.

Phosphorylated intermediates of two Ca++-ATPases in membrane preparations from lens epithelial cells

By incubating preparations enriched in membranes from lens epithelial cells with [gamma 32P]-ATP and Ca++ at 0 degrees C for 15 seconds followed by SDS-PAGE analysis, it was possible to demonstrate a Ca++-dependent [32P]-phosphate incorporation in two polypeptides with Mr 105,000 and 140,000. Treatment of phosphorylated preparations with 0.06 N hydroxylamine at pH 5.4 and 25 degrees C removed the label from both polypeptides indicating that the phosphate was attached to the proteins by an anhydride linkage characteristic of the phosphorylated intermediates of the ATPases. Membrane preparations from sarcoplasmic reticulum and red blood cell studied under the same conditions showed a Ca++-dependent [32P]-phosphate incorporation into polypeptides with Mr 105,000 and 138,000, respectively, corresponding to the phosphorylated intermediates of the Ca++-ATPases present in these preparations. The results suggest the presence of two Ca++-ATPases in lens epithelial cells which, in terms of Mr, appear to be similar to those present in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the red blood cell plasma membrane, respectively.

Thermodynamic and kinetic cooperativity in ligand binding to multiple sites on a protein: Ca2+ activation of an ATP-driven Ca pump

Contrary to common belief, theoretical analysis does not predict any necessary relationship between cooperativity in the equilibrium binding of an ion to multiple binding sites on a protein and cooperativity in the kinetic activation of a reaction for which such binding is prerequisite. The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca pump protein, for example, has two high-affinity binding sites for Ca2+, here considered to be nearly identical and independent. Equilibrium binding to these sites can be highly cooperative in spite of site-independence, as demonstrated by the well-known allosteric mechanism based on Wyman's principle of linked functions. We show in this paper that kinetic activation of the pump reaction cycle by binding of Ca2+ to these same sites can likewise be a cooperative function of Ca2+ concentration but that the criteria that determine cooperativity in the two situations are different. It is possible to observe kinetic cooperativity without concomitant cooperativity in equilibrium binding and vice versa. Application of these theoretical considerations to experimental data for the pump protein raises questions about the Ca2+ binding mechanism.

Antibodies against erythrocyte Ca2+-transport ATPase specifically inhibit the calmodulin-dependent fraction of the enzyme's activity

Antibodies against purified Ca2+-transport ATPase from human erythrocytes were raised in rabbits. Immunodiffusion experiments revealed that precipitating antibodies had been developed. The immunoglobulin fraction inhibited solely the calmodulin-dependent fraction of erythrocyte Ca2+-transport ATPase activity, whereas the basal (in the absence of added calmodulin) activity of the enzyme was not significantly affected by the antibodies. The antibodies produced similar doseresponse curves for the calmodulin- and the oleic acid-stimulated enzyme. However, the immunoglobulin fraction was considerably less effective in inhibiting Ca2+-transport ATPase activated by limited proteolysis. The results obtained with our antibodies are compatible with the interpretation that at least one subpopulation of the antibodies attacks the enzyme at or close to the calmodulin-binding site of the ATPase. The antibodies also inhibited the calmodulin-regulated Ca2+-transport ATPase from pig smooth-muscle plasma membrane, though with lower potency. However, the immunoglobulin fraction failed to suppress pig cardiac sarcoplasmicreticulum Ca2+-transport ATPase activity in the concentration range investigated. In addition, the activity of phosphodiesterase from rat brain, another enzyme modulated by calmodulin, was not at all affected by the immunoglobulin fraction.

Properties of a phosphorylated intermediate of the Ca,Mg-activated ATPase of microsomal vesicles from uterine smooth muscle

A phosphorylated intermediate of the CaMg-ATPase is demonstrated in microsomal preparations from uterine smooth muscle. Characterization included the use of activators, inhibitors, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gel electrophoresis. The phosphorylation was a function of the ATP and Ca concentrations. The dissociation constant KATP was 2.7 X 10(-6) M and KCa was 1.7 X 10(-6) M. Mg was obligatory for the reaction. Na azide, ouabain, or the substitution of NaCl for KCl did not affect the reaction. Phosphorylation was inhibited by Salyrgan, ADP, or 20 mM calcium. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 2.4 demonstrated phosphorylation of predominantly one protein with a molecular weight of 100,000. Hydroxylamine and, to a lesser extent, neutral and alkaline pH caused dephosphorylation. This indicates the presence of an acylphosphate bond in the phosphoprotein. The above findings are consistent with the phosphorylated intermediate being a Ca,Mg-ATPase. The inhibition by 20 mM calcium indicates that the Ca,Mg-ATPase of smooth muscle differs from that of striated muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Calmodulin X (Ca2+)4 is the active calmodulin-calcium species activating the calcium-, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum in the regulation of the calcium pump

Calcium-, calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum increases the rate of calcium transport. The complex dependence of calmodulin-dependent phosphoester formation on free calcium and total calmodulin concentrations can be satisfactorily explained by assuming that CaM X (Ca2+)4 is the sole calmodulin-calcium species which activates the calcium-, calmodulin-dependent, membrane-bound protein kinase. The apparent dissociation constant of the E X CaM X (Ca2+)4 complex determined from the calcium dependence of calmodulin-dependent phosphoester formation over a 100-fold range of total calmodulin concentrations (0.01-1 microM) was 0.9 nM; the respective apparent dissociation constant at 0.8 mM free calcium, 1 mM free magnesium with low calmodulin concentrations (0.1-50 nM) was 2.60 nM. These results are in good agreement with the apparent dissociation constant of 2.54 nM of high affinity calmodulin binding determined by 125I-labelled calmodulin binding to sarcoplasmic reticulum fractions at 1 mM free calcium, 1 mM free magnesium and total calmodulin concentration ranging from 0.1 to 150 nM, i.e. conditions where approximately 98% of the total calmodulin is present as CaM X (Ca2+)4. The apparent dissociation constant of the calcium-free calmodulin-enzyme complex (E X CaM) is at least 100-fold greater than the apparent dissociation constant of the E X CaM X (Ca2+)4 complex, as judged from non-saturation 125I-labelled calmodulin binding at total calmodulin concentrations of up to 150 nM, in the absence of calcium.

Reconstitution of the purified calmodulin-dependent (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase from smooth muscle

The purified calmodulin dependent (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase (CaMg ATPase) from porcine antral smooth muscle transports Ca2+ after reconstitution in lipid vesicles indicating that this enzyme is indeed a Ca2+-transport ATPase. For CaMg ATPase reconstituted in asolectin vesicles a good correlation was found between the time course of Ca2+ accumulation and the corresponding changes in CaMg ATPase activity. The ATPase activity was stimulated 8-fold by A23187, which further indicates a tight coupling between ATP hydrolysis and Ca2+ transport. Asolectin vesicles with incorporated enzyme accumulated Ca2+ with a ratio approaching one Ca2+ ion transported for each ATP hydrolyzed. For CaMg ATPase reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine vesicles on the other hand, Ca2+ transport and CaMg ATPase were poorly coupled as is shown by the approximately 3.5 fold stimulation by A23187. The activity of the CaMg ATPase when reconstituted in asolectin vesicles was stimulated 1.25 fold by calmodulin while in phosphatidylcholine a value of 4.25 was obtained. The CaMg ATPase activity of the enzyme reconstituted either in asolectin or phosphatidylcholine was, after its stimulation by A23187, still further stimulated by detergent by a factor of 5.

Undirectional calcium and nucleotide fluxes in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. II. Experimental results

Unidirectional calcium influx and efflux were evaluated in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by 45Ca-40Ca exchange at steady state calcium uptake in the absence of calcium precipitating anions. Calcium efflux was partitioned into a pump-mediated efflux and a parallel passive efflux by separately measuring passive efflux referable to the steady state. Unidirectional and net ATP-ADP fluxes were measured using [3H]-ATP----ADP and [3H]-ADP----ATP exchanges. Methods are presented that take into account changing specific activities and sizes of the nucleotide pools during the measurement of nucleotide fluxes. The contribution of competent and incompetent vesicles to the unidirectional and net nucleotide fluxes was evaluated from the specific activity of these fluxes in incompetent vesicles and from the fraction of vesicles that were incompetent. The results indicate that, in cardiac SR, unidirectional calcium fluxes are larger than the unidirectional nucleotide fluxes contributed by competent vesicles. Because the net ATPase rate of competent vesicles is similar to the parallel passive efflux, it appears that cardiac SR Ca-ATPase tightly couples ATP hydrolysis to calcium transport even at static head, with a coupling ratio near 1.0.

Comparison of the calmodulin antagonists compound 48/80 and calmidazolium

The two presumed calmodulin antagonists calmidazolium and compound 48/80 were compared for their effects on several calmodulin-dependent and calmodulin-independent enzyme systems. Compound 48/80 and calmidazolium were found to be about equipotent in antagonizing the calmodulin-dependent fraction of brain phosphodiesterase and erythrocyte Ca2+-transporting ATPase. Compound 48/80 combines high potency with high specificity in that: (1) the basal, calmodulin-independent, activity of calmodulin-regulated enzymes was not suppressed; (2) calmodulin-independent enzyme activities, such as Ca2+-transporting ATPases of sarcoplasmic reticulum, Mg2+-dependent ATPases of different tissues and Na+/K+-transporting ATPase of cardiac sarcolemma, were far less altered, or not altered at all, by compound 48/80 as compared with calmidazolium; and (3) antagonism of proteolysis-induced stimulation as opposed to calmodulin-induced activation of erythrocyte Ca2+-transporting ATPase required a 32 times higher concentration of compound 48/80. In all these aspects compound 48/80 was found to be a superior antagonist to calmidazolium since inhibition of calmodulin-independent events by the other agent occurred at considerably lower concentrations. Therefore compound 48/80 is proposed to be a much more specific and useful tool for studying the participation of calmodulin in biological processes than the presently used agents.

Correlation between calmodulin-dependent increase in the rate of calcium transport and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. Characterization of calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation

The aim of the present study was to prove a correlation between the calmodulin-dependent increase in the rate of calcium transport by dog cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation. The dependence of phosphorylation on the total calmodulin concentration at 75 microM and 1 microM free calcium gave apparent calmodulin half-saturation constants Km (CaM) of 9.4 nM and 181 nM, respectively, whilst the apparent Km (CaM) for the rate of calmodulin-stimulated calcium transport carried out at 1 microM calcium, but phosphorylated prior to the calcium uptake at 75 microM or 1 microM calcium, were 12.5 nM and 127 nM, respectively. A positive correlation was obtained between calmodulin-dependent increase in the rate of calcium transport and hydroxylamine-insensitive phosphoester formed by the calcium/calmodulin-regulated, membrane-bound protein kinase. More than 90% of incorporated [32P]phosphate is confined to a 26-28-kDa or 9-11-kDa protein as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis following solubilization in sodium dodecyl sulfate at 37 degrees C and at 100 degrees C, respectively, similar to the results obtained by phosphorylation with cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The data indicate that calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of the above protein(s) is causally related to the stimulation of the rate of calcium transport by cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, which is at least partially due to a shift in the calcium dependence of the rate of calcium transport to lower free calcium concentrations, K(Ca), of 1.25 microM and 0.61 microM in controls and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation, respectively. Activation of calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation by free calcium at total calmodulin concentrations of 300 nM, 100 nM and 30 nM gave apparent K(Ca) values of 0.83 microM, 1.44 microM and 2.3 microM and Hill coefficients of 4.13, 3.76 and 3.79, respectively, indicating that all four calcium binding sites of calmodulin have to be saturated to obtain activation of the calcium/calmodulin-regulated protein kinase. The calmodulin-dependent modulation of calcium transport in vivo is, therefore, determined to great extent by the total calmodulin concentration present in the sarcoplasm.

Calmodulin-dependent elevation of calcium transport associated with calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

The rate of calcium transport by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from dog heart assayed at 25 degrees C, pH 7.0, in the presence of oxalate and a low free Ca2+ concentration (approx. 0.5 microM) was increased from 0.091 to 0.162 mumol . mg-1 . min-1 with 100 nM calmodulin, when the calcium-, calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation was carried out prior to the determination of calcium uptake in the presence of a higher concentration of free Ca2+ (preincubation with magnesium, ATP and 100 microM CaCl2; approx. 75 microM free Ca2+). Half-maximal activation of calcium uptake occurs under these conditions at 10-20 nM calmodulin. The rate of calcium-activated ATP hydrolysis by the Ca2+-, Mg2+-dependent transport ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum was increased by 100 nM calmodulin in parallel with the increase in calcium transport; calcium-independent ATP splitting was unaffected. The calcium-, calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum, preincubated with approx. 75 microM Ca2+ and assayed at approx. 10 microM Ca2+ approaches maximally 3 nmol/mg protein, with a half-maximal activation at about 8 nM calmodulin; it is abolished by 0.5 mM trifluperazine. More than 90% of the incorporated [32P]phosphate is confined to a 9-11 kDa protein, which is also phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase and most probably represents a subunit of phospholamban. The stimulatory effect of 100 nM calmodulin on the rate of calcium uptake assayed at 0.5 microM Ca2+ was smaller following preincubation of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles with calmodulin in the presence of approx. 75 microM Ca2+, but in the absence of ATP, and was associated with a significant degree of calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation. However, the stimulatory effect on calcium uptake and that on calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation were both absent after preincubation with calmodulin, without calcium and ATP, suggestive of a causal relationship between these processes.

Antibodies to the calmodulin-binding Ca2+-transport ATPase from smooth muscle

Antibodies were raised against a calmodulin-binding CaMg-ATPase (Ca2+-transport ATPase) from smooth muscle. The binding of these antibodies to a number of related Ca2+-transport ATPases was studied. Antibodies to the calmodulin-binding ATPase from porcine antrum (stomach) smooth muscle do not only bind to this CaMg-ATPase, but also to the corresponding enzyme in porcine erythrocytes. However, they do not bind to the CaMg-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum of porcine skeletal muscle. The binding of these antibodies to the CaMg-ATPase of smooth muscle, does not inhibit the enzyme activity.

Comparison of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation of sarcolemma and sarcoplasmic reticulum from rat cardiac ventricle muscle

1. The phosphorylation by cAMP and protein kinase I of rat cardiac sarcolemma (SL) and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) isolated from the same homogenate, was compared. 2. In both fractions, the phosphate incorporation is strongly dependent on the ATP and the membrane protein concentration. 3. SDS-gel electrophoresis reveals that in the SL preparation a protein of Mr = 24,500 and a glycoprotein of Mr = 17,500 are mainly phosphorylated, while in the SR fraction the main phosphate incorporation is found in a protein having a Mr = 37,000. 4. Isoprenaline stimulates the phosphorylation of SL but not of SR. Propranolol abolished that stimulatory action of isoprenaline completely, suggesting that the beta-adrenoceptor is involved.

Demonstration of the phosphorylated intermediates of the Ca2+-transport ATPase in a microsomal fraction and in a (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase purified from smooth muscle by means of calmodulin affinity chromatography

Ca2+ -dependent hydroxylamine-sensitive phosphorylated proteins can be demonstrated in a microsomal fraction of porcine antrum (stomach) smooth muscle and in a Ca2+ -transport ATPase ((Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase) purified from this tissue by means of a calmodulin affinity technique. These phosphoproteins represent the phosphorylated intermediates of the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPases. In the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase purified from smooth muscle the phosphorylated intermediate has an Mr of 130000 corresponding to the value found for erythrocyte (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase. In the smooth muscle microsomal fraction this 130 kDa phosphoprotein can also be seen, although its intensity is usually very low compared to a corresponding phosphorylation at Mr 100000. Including La3+ together with Ca2+ during phosphorylation of the microsomes increased selectively the steady state-level of the 130 kDa phosphoprotein over the value of the 100 kDa one. The 100 kDa Ca2+ -dependent phosphoprotein could either indicate the presence of a (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase of the same type of sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle, or it could represent a proteolytic product of the 130 kDa phosphoprotein.

Haemodynamics and myocardial metabolism of phosphorus depleted dogs: effects of catecholamines and angiotensin II

The responses of arterial pressure and myocardial contractile force (VPM) to infusion of angiotensin II, noradrenaline and orciprenaline were examined in twelve dogs during a control phase, after 30 days of dietary phosphorus deprivation and after 21 days of phosphorus repletion. In the phosphorus depletion period, animals had low skeletal and heart muscle Pi content, low magnesium, ATP and creatine phosphate in skeletal and heart muscle with no change of ADP, AMP or energy charge. In the basal state, VPM was diminished with no change of end-diastolic and systolic pressure. Infusion of angiotensin II caused a significantly smaller rise of arterial pressure (angiotensin II resistance), and the stimulatory effect of noradrenaline and orciprenaline on VPM was diminished (catecholamine resistance). These effects were reversible with Pi repletion. In phosphorus depletion, arterial concentrations were increased for lactate, unchanged for FFA and decreased for acetoacetate/beta-hydroxybutyrate. Unchanged myocardial extraction of lactate or beta-hydroxybutyrate and preserved cell Pi uptake for glycogenolysis were observed. The initial rate of uptake of calcium and concentrating ability of myocardial sarcoplasmic reticulum were unchanged.

Formation of magnesium-phosphoenzyme and magnesium-calcium-phosphoenzyme in the phosphorylation of adenosine triphosphatase by orthophosphate in sarcoplasmic reticulum. Models of a reaction sequence

The aim of the present study was to test simple reaction sequences which describe calcium-independent plus calcium-dependent phosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum transport. ATPase by orthophosphate including the function of magnesium in phosphoenzyme formation. The reaction schemes considered were based on the reaction sequence for calcium-independent phosphorylation proposed previously; namely that the transport enzyme (E) forms a ternary complex (Mg . E . Pi), by random binding of free magnesium and free orthophosphate, which is in equilibrium with the magnesium-phosphoenzyme (Mg . E-P). Phosphorylation, performed at pH 7.0 20 degrees C and a constant free orthophosphate concentration using sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles either unloaded or loaded passively with calcium in the presence of 5 mM or 40 mM CaCl2, resulted in a gradual decrease in the apparent magnesium half-saturation constant and an increase in maximum phosphoprotein formation with increasing calcium loads. When phosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles preloaded in the presence of 5 mM CaCl2 was performed at a constant free magnesium concentration, a decrease in the apparent orthophosphate half-saturation constant and an increase in maximum phosphoprotein formation was observed as compared with vesicles from which calcium inside has been removed by ionophore X-537A plus EGTA treatment; however, both parameters remained unchanged by increasing free magnesium from 20 mM to 30 mM. When phosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles passively loaded with calcium in the presence of 40 mM CaCl2, at which the saturation of the low-affinity calcium binding sites of the ATPase is presumably near maximum, was performed at increasing concentrations of free orthophosphate, there was a parallel shift of phosphoprotein formation as a function of free magnesium and vice versa, with no change in the maximum phosphoenzyme formation. Comparison of the experimental data with the pattern of phosphoprotein formation predicted from model equations for various theoretical possible reaction sequences suggests that phosphoenzyme formation from orthophosphate possesses the following features. Firstly, calcium present at the inside of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane binds to the free enzyme and in sequential order to E . Mg . Pi or Mg . E-P or to both, but neither to E. Mg nor to E . Pi. Secondly, calcium-independent and calcium-dependent phosphoproteins are magnesium-phosphoenzymes. Calcium-dependent phosphoenzyme is a magnesium-calcium-enzyme phosphate complex with 1 magnesium, 2 calciums and 1 orthophosphate (the last covalently) bound to the enzyme [Mg . E-P . (Cai)2], and not a 'calcium-phosphoprotein' without bound magnesium.

Vanadate inhibition of the Ca++-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum from pig heart

Ca++-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum from pig heart can be inhibited by vanadate with half maximal inhibition at about 10(-5)M NH4VO3. At the same time vanadate lowers the [Mg++] for maximal activity of the Ca++-ATPase to half, from 8 X 10(-3)M to 4 X 10(-3)M Mg++. At low vanadate concentrations around 5 X 10(-8)M the Ca++-ATPase was activated.

Comparison between ATP-supported and GTP-supported phosphate turnover of the calcium-transporting sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes

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.