Interaction of an aromatic dibromoisothiouronium derivative with the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Isothiouronium compounds [Hoving, S., Bar-Shimon, M., Tijmes, J. J., Goldshleger, R., Tal, D. M., and Karlish, S. J. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 29788-29793] act as high-affinity competitive antagonists for Na(+) and K(+) (Rb(+)) on the renal Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase where they favor the E1 conformation. We have now characterized the effects of 1,3-dibromo-2,4,6-tris(methylisothiouronium)benzene (Br(2)-TITU) on the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. Br(2)-TITU inhibited the Ca(2+)-ATPase, both transport and catalytic activity, with a K(0.5) of 5-15 microM. Maximum inhibition was at 10 min with t(0.5) of 3-5 min. Br(2)-TITU, 100 microM, quenched Trp autofluorescence by 80%, but the residual signal still responded to Ca(2+) binding. Maximum quenching of fluorescence was at pH 9.0. Total E-P levels, during the steady state of turnover of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, were increased from 0.5 to 5.8 nmol x mg(-1) by Br(2)-TITU at pH 6.8. Trinitrophenyl-ATP (TNP-ATP) superfluorescence, which monitors hydrophobicity of the ATP site, was increased 3-4-fold, suggesting that Br(2)-TITU favors an "E2"-like state. Fluorescence was also increased 3-5-fold when E-P was induced with P(i) plus EGTA. Br(2)-TITU increased the rate constants of induction of superfluorescence with ATP plus Ca(2+) from 0.32 to 0.69 s(-1) and with P(i) plus EGTA from 0.84 to 7.45 s(-1). Br(2)-TITU also decreased rate constants for "off" reactions from 2.9 to 0.66 s(-1) and from 10.9 to 0.73 s(-1) for the ATP and P(i) reactions, respectively. Br(2)-TITU, which competitively inhibits the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, has a novel effect on the Ca(2+)-ATPase. It promotes accumulation of E2-P species due to increased rate of formation and decreased rate of hydrolysis and quenches tryptophan autofluorescence. Br(2)-TITU could be a useful inhibitor to probe intermediate reactions of the Ca(2+)-ATPase that link catalysis with Ca(2+) translocation.

Slippage and uncoupling in P-type cation pumps; implications for energy transduction mechanisms and regulation of metabolism.

P-type ATPases couple scalar and vectorial events under optimized states. A number of procedures and conditions lead to uncoupling or slippage. A key branching point in the catalytic cycle is at the cation-bound form of E(1)-P, where isomerization to E(2)-P leads to coupled transport, and hydrolysis leads to uncoupled release of cations to the cis membrane surface. The phenomenon of slippage supports a channel model for active transport. Ability to occlude cations within the channel is essential for coupling. Uncoupling and slippage appear to be inherent properties of P-type cation pumps, and are significant contributors to standard metabolic rate. Heat production is favored in the uncoupled state. A number of disease conditions, include ageing, ischemia and cardiac failure, result in uncoupling of either the Ca(2+)-ATPase or Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase.

Characterisation of thapsigargin-releasable Ca(2+) from the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum at limiting [Ca(2+)].

The Ca(2+) binding sites of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have been identified as two high-affinity sites orientated towards the cytoplasm, two sites of low affinity facing the lumen, and a transient occluded species that is isolated from both membrane surfaces. Binding and release studies, using (45)Ca(2+), have invoked models with sequential binding and release from high- and low-affinity sites in a channel-like structure. We have characterised turnover conditions in isolated SR vesicles with oxalate in a Ca(2+)-limited state, [Ca(2)](lim), where both high- and low-affinity sites are vacant in the absence of chelators (Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1418 (1999) 48-60). Thapsigargin (TG), a high-affinity specific inhibitor of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, released a fraction of total Ca(2+) at [Ca(2+)](lim) that accumulated during active transport. Maximal Ca(2+) release was at 2:1 TG/ATPase. Ionophore, A23187, and Triton X-100 released the rest of Ca(2+) resistant to TG. The amount of Ca(2+) released depended on the incubation time at [Ca(2+)](lim), being 3.0 nmol/mg at 20 s and 0.42 nmol/mg at 1000 s. Rate constants for release declined from 0. 13 to 0.03 s(-1). The rapidly released early fraction declined with time and k=0.13 min(-1). Release was not due to reversal of the pump cycle since ADP had no effect; neither was release impaired with substrates acetyl phosphate or GTP. A phase of reuptake of Ca(2+) followed release, being greater with shorter delay (up to 200 s) following active transport. Reuptake was minimal with GTP, with delays more than 300 s, and was abolished by vanadate and at higher [TG], >5 microM. Ruthenium red had no effect on efflux, indicating that ryanodine-sensitive efflux channels in terminal cisternal membranes are not involved in the Ca(2+) release mechanism. It is concluded that the Ca(2+) released by TG is from the occluded Ca(2+) fraction. The Ca(2+) occlusion sites appear to be independent of both high-affinity cytoplasmic and low-affinity lumenal sites, supporting a multisite 'in line' sequential binding mechanism for Ca(2+) transport.

Regulation of Ca2+ transport by sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase at limiting [Ca2+].

The factors regulating Ca2+ transport by isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles have been studied using the fluorescent indicator Fluo-3 to monitor extravesicular free [Ca2+]. ATP, in the presence of 5 mM oxalate, which clamps intravesicular [Ca2+] at approximately 10 microM, induced a rapid decline in Fluo-3 fluorescence to reach a limiting steady state level. This corresponds to a residual medium [Ca2+] of 100 to 200 nM, and has been defined as [Ca2+]lim, whilst thermodynamic considerations predict a level of less than 1 nM. This value is similar to that measured in intact muscle with Ca2+ fluophores, where it is presumed that sarcoplasmic free [Ca2+] is a balance between pump and leaks. Fluorescence of Fluo-3 at [Ca2+]lim was decreased 70% to 80% by histidine, imidazole and cysteine. The K0.5 value for histidine was 3 mM, suggesting that residual [Ca2+]lim fluorescence is due to Zn2+. The level of Zn2+ in preparations of SR vesicles, measured by atomic absorption, was 0.47+/-0.04 nmol/mg, corresponding to 0.1 mol per mol Ca-ATPase. This is in agreement with findings of Papp et al. (Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 243 (1985) 254-263). Histidine, 20 mM, included in the buffer, gave a corrected value for [Ca2+]lim of 49+/-1.8 nM, which is still higher than predicted on thermodynamic grounds. A possible 'pump/leak' mechanism was tested by the effects of varying active Ca2+ transport 1 to 2 orders with temperature and pH. [Ca2+]lim remained relatively constant under these conditions. Alternate substrates acetyl phosphate and p-NPP gave similar [Ca2+]lim levels even though the latter substrate supported transport 500-fold slower than with ATP. In fact, [Ca2+]lim was lower with 10 mM p-NPP than with 5 mM ATP. The magnitude of passive efflux from Ca-oxalate loaded SR during the steady state of [Ca2+]lim was estimated by the unidirectional flux of 45Ca2+, and directly, following depletion of ATP, by measuring release of 40Ca2+, and was 0.02% of Vmax. Constant infusion of CaCl2 at [Ca2+]lim resulted in a new steady state, in which active transport into SR vesicles balances the infusion rate. Varying infusion rates allows determination of [Ca2+]-dependence of transport in the absence of chelating agents. Parameters of non-linear regression were Vmax=853 nmol/min per mg, K0.5(Ca)=279 nM, and nH(Ca)=1.89. Since conditions employed in this study are similar to those in the sarcoplasm of relaxed muscle, it is suggested that histidine, added to media in studies of intracellular Ca2+ transients, and in the relaxed state, will minimise contribution of Zn2+ to fluophore fluorescence, since it occurs at levels predicted in this study to cause significant overestimation of cytoplasmic free [Ca2+] in the relaxed state. Similar precautions may apply to non-muscle cells as well. This study also suggests that [Ca2+]lim in the resting state is a characteristic feature of Ca2+ pump function, rather than a balance between active transport and passive leakage pathways.

Mechanism of thermal uncoupling of Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum as revealed by thapsigargin stabilization.

Thermal uncoupling of the Ca2+ pump of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum is specifically blocked by binding of Ca2+ to the high affinity sites, having identical characteristics to the Ca2+ transport sites (Berman, M.C., McIntosh, D.B. and Kench, J.E. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 994-1001). The present study has investigated the nature of the decreased net Ca2+ transport in the uncoupling process. Ca2+ uptake in the presence and absence of oxalate, Ca2+ retention following passive Ca2+ loading and Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity were inactivated at pH 7.0 and 37 degrees C, with rate constants of 0.12, 0.047, 0.053 and 0.001 min-1, respectively. Activation energies were in the range 72-76 kcal/mol, indicating a common irreversible protein conformational transition. A thermodynamic analysis of parallel or consecutive inactivation pathways revealed that loss of Ca2+ transfer and ATPase activity occurred on the same pump unit, making the existence of a predominant uncoupled intermediate unlikely. Decreased passive Ca2+ loading, an index of the number of intact vesicles, correlated with decreased active uptake in the absence of oxalate, indicating increased vesicle permeability. Thapsigargin, at a 1:1 stoichiometry, stabilised the Ca-ATPase against thermal inactivation, while previously inactivated Ca-ATPases appeared not to bind TG. Protection by TG suggests that the origin of inactivation is in the transmembrane and stalk regions of the ATPase. We propose that protein unfolding results in inefficient gating of a small percentage of ATPases with subsequent uncoupling of the entire vesicle.

2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azido-AMP and -ATP photolabel Lys-492 at the active site of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase.

2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azido (TNP-8N3)-AMP, -ADP, and -ATP bind tightly to the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum and become covalently attached on irradiation at alkaline pH, concomitant with inactivation of ATPase activity (Seebregts, C. J., and McIntosh, D. B. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 2043-2052). The ATPase is derivatized to the extent of 2-3 nmol/mg protein (i.e. approximately 1/2 maximum phosphoenzyme levels) per irradiation period at equimolar concentrations of ATPase and nucleotide. Stability studies of the adduct formed at alkaline pH revealed that the linkage is labile, particularly if the protein is denatured by brief heat (60 degrees C) treatment (t1/2 = 4-8 h at 40 degrees C). Thermolysin digestion of derivatized vesicles resulted in the release of the majority of the TNP chromaphore as an unstable TNP-peptide adduct (t1/2 = 9 h at 25 degrees C) with the sequence FSRDR*SMS, where the missing residue is Lys-492 and is presumably that which is derivatized. The same peptide adduct, and in similar amounts, was isolated from the ATPase derivatized with either TNP-8N3-AMP or -ATP. Several lines of evidence, including the finding that ATP- and not acetyl phosphate- or Pi-dependent phosphorylation is blocked by derivatization, suggest that the lysyl residue is at the catalytic nucleotide binding site, but is not directly involved in phosphoryl transfer. Lys-492 and Phe-487, as well as neighboring Arg-476 and Lys-515 (labeled with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate), have all been highly conserved and probably contribute to a subdomain binding the purine and/or proximal phosphoryl groups of ATP.

Stoichiometries of calcium and strontium transport coupled to ATP and acetyl phosphate hydrolysis by skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The stoichiometries of Ca2+ and of Sr2+ transport by the Ca2(+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum have been previously reported to be 2 and 1, respectively, when determined by flux ratio methods (Mermier, P. and Hasselbach, W. (1976) Eur. J. Biochem. 69, 79-86; Holguin, J.A. (1986) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 251, 9-16). We have measured transport of Ca2+ and Sr2+ by the pulsed pH-stat method, when supported by ATP or the pseudo-substrate acetyl phosphate (AcP). The stoichiometry of ATP-supported Ca2+ transport, Ca2+/ATP, was pH dependent and varied from 2.0 at pH 6.5 to 1.0 at pH 8.0. Sr2+/ATP ratios showed a similar pH dependence and were approx. 7-18% lower. Ca2+/AcP ratios showed little pH dependence and varied from 2.0 to 1.7 in the pH range 6.5 to 8.0. Sr2+/AcP ratios were 17-34% lower, with maximum differences at the pH extremes. Ruthenium red, which blocks calcium efflux from calcium release channels, increased measured stoichiometries by less than 10%. It is concluded that the transport of both Ca2+ and Sr2+, when supported by either ATP or a pseudo-substrate, have similar stoichiometrics and occurs via identical mechanisms. The relatively low Sr2+ transport ratios have been related to uncoupled reverse flux through the Ca2(+)-ATPase cation transport channel. Subintegral M2+/substrate ratios appear to be an intrinsic feature of active transport by the Ca2+ pump of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Calcium dependence during single-cycle catalysis of the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase.

We have investigated the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum under conditions that result in a single transport cycle. Simultaneous addition of ATP and EGTA to sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, preincubated with calcium, resulted in a transient of intermediate species. In the presence of saturating Ca2+ levels, total E-P species reached a maximum of 2.3 nmol/mg at 100 ms, followed by a monoexponential decay with kobs = 3.6 s-1. The data are interpreted in terms of Ca2+ sequestration, either by occlusion as Ca2+ in the phosphorylated enzyme or chelation by EGTA. Maximum Ca2+ uptake was 8.3 nmol/mg with the release of 4.4 nmol/mg Pi. The ratio of Ca2+ uptake to Pi release approached 1.9 over a wide [Ca2+] range. Equilibrium Ca2+ binding, in the absence of ATP, showed a K0.5 of 0.88 microM with a Hill coefficient of 1.9. The Ca2+ concentration dependence of Ca2+ uptake during single-cycle catalysis showed a 10-fold enhanced affinity (K0.5 = 0.06 microM) and was noncooperative (nH = 0.9). Quench with excess EGTA (greater than 2 mM) decreased Ca2+ uptake to 1 nmol/mg, indicating an "off" rate of Ca2+ from high affinity sites that exceeds 100 s-1. The ATP concentration dependence for a single-cycle catalysis showed an apparent K0.5 of 1.1 microM, similar to that for ATP equilibrium binding. It is proposed that enzyme phosphorylation proceeds only following binding of a second calcium ion to externally oriented sites whose intrinsic affinity is in the same range as the calcium dependence of a single-cycle turnover.

Mechanism of action of the calcium pump of sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle.

The Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum is a single protein species that pumps calcium ions at the expense of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The reaction cycle includes phosphorylated intermediates which change the affinity and orientation of calcium sites. The monomer appears to be fully functional. Cross-linking and fluorescence studies indicate that ATP binds to a domain that approaches the phosphorylation site and becomes occluded during the reaction cycle. Interactions between these and the calcium channel, possibly via an energy transduction domain, ensure efficient coupling of catalytic and transport cycles.

Phosphoenzyme conformational states and nucleotide-binding site hydrophobicity following thiol modification of the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum from skeletal muscle.

Enhanced fluorescence of the ATP analogue 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrocyclohexyldienylidine)adenosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-ATP), bound to the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, is closely related to phosphoenzyme levels (Bishop, J. E., Johnson, J. D., and Berman, M. C. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 15163-15171) and has an emission maximum consistent with decreased polarity of the TNP-ATP-binding site. The phosphoenzyme conformation responsible for increased nucleotide-binding site hydrophobicity has been studied by redistribution of phosphoenzyme intermediates following specific thiol group modification. N-Ethylmaleimide, in the presence of 50 microM Ca2+, 1 mM adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate, pH 7.0, at 25 degrees C for 30 min, selectively modified the SH group essential for phosphoenzyme decomposition, which resulted in decreased ATPase activity, Ca2+ uptake, and a decrease in ATP-induced TNP-ATP fluorescence. Phosphorylated (Ca2+, Mg2+)-ATPase levels from [gamma-32P] ATP remained relatively unaffected (3.1 nmol/mg), but the ADP-insensitive fraction decreased from 56 to 15%. Phosphoenzyme levels from 32Pi were also decreased to the same extent as turnover, with equivalent loss of Pi-induced TNP-ATP fluorescence. The E1 to E2 transition, as monitored by the change in intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, was unaffected. Modification of thiol groups of unknown function did not modify turnover-induced TNP-ATP fluorescence. It is concluded that the ADP-insensitive phosphoenzyme, E2-P, is responsible for enhanced TNP-ATP fluorescence. This suggests that the conformational transition, 2Ca2+outE1 approximately P----2Ca2+inE2-P, is associated with altered properties of the noncatalytic, or regulatory, nucleotide-binding site.

Absorbance and fluorescence properties of 2'(3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine 5'-triphosphate bound to coupled and uncoupled Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Preincubation of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles in the presence of the calcium chelator, [ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)tetraacetic acid] (EGTA), irreversibly uncouples calcium transport from ATP hydrolysis. Uncoupling cannot be explained by increased membrane permeability, but is associated with decreased capacity of the Ca2+-ATPase to bind noncatalytic, tightly bound ATP and ADP (Berman, M. C. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 694, 95-121). The effects of EGTA-induced uncoupling on absorbance and fluorescence properties of the bound ATP analog, 2'(3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-ATP), have been studied under static and turnover conditions. Binding of 4.5-4.9 nmol of TNP-ATP/mg, as determined by absorbance difference titration, was relatively unaffected in the uncoupled state. TNP-ATP, bound to coupled vesicles during turnover, showed 6-8-fold enhanced fluorescence and a shift in the difference absorbance maximum from 510 to 493 nm, indicating increased hydrophobicity of the noncatalytic site. Turnover-dependent fluorescence enhancement was diminished by 60-70% in the uncoupled state, while the absorbance maximum wavelength shift was abolished. These data, correlating changes in the environment of the noncatalytic or regulatory nucleotide binding site on the Ca2+-ATPase with coupling activity, indicate that uncoupling is an intramolecular process, involving a ligand binding site on the ATPase, and that exclusion of H2O from the site occupied by noncatalytic nucleotides, during at least part of the catalytic cycle, is an event associated with energy transduction.

Hypophosphataemia in acute pancreatitis.

Serum phosphate levels were measured in a group of 78 patients admitted to hospital with a confirmed diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Forty-seven (60%) of these patients developed significant hypophosphataemia (less than 0,8 mmol/l) within 4 days of admission. Serum phosphate levels were generally normal on admission, declined on the 2nd-5th days, and returned to normal within 3-14 days. A history of previous excessive alcohol intake was obtained from 42 patients (89%) in the hypophosphataemic group and from 28 (90%) in the normophosphataemic group. In view of the close similarities between the complications of acute pancreatitis and those of hypophosphataemia, including 'toxic psychosis', haematemesis, haematological disturbances, bone infarcts, respiratory failure, abnormal liver function and hyperglycaemia, it is suggested that at least some of these complications could be due to phosphate depletion. Phosphate replacement may be of benefit in their prevention.

Interaction of valinomycin and monovalent cations with the (Ca2+,Mg2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The interactions of monovalent cations and of the K+-specific ionophore, valinomycin, with the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle of sarcoplasmic reticulum have been studied in the absence of cation gradients by their effects on enzyme turnover and on the ATP plus Ca2+-dependent enhanced fluorescence of the ATP analogue, 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrocyclohexyldienylidine)-adenosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-ATP) (Watanabe, T., and Inesi, G. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 11510-11516). Monovalent cations decreased turnover-dependent TNP-ATP fluorescence in the series K+ greater than Rb+ approximately equal to Cs+ greater than Na+ greater than Li+ (K0.5 = 49, 73, 75, 94, and 246 mM, respectively), consistent with the known specificity of the monovalent cation binding site that stimulates turnover and E-P hydrolysis. Valinomycin (200 nmol/mg), in the absence of monovalent cations, decreased ATPase activity by 30% and abolished the stimulatory effects of 150 mM KCl or NaCl on turnover. The ionophore alone enhanced TNP-ATP fluorescence by 20% and altered the specificity and affinity of the site that inhibited TNP-ATP fluorescence to Cs+ greater than Rb+ greater than K+ approximately equal to Na+ greater than Li+ (K0.5 = 79, 111, 134, 136, and 270 mM, respectively), which follows the Hofmeister series for effectiveness of monovalent lyotropic cations. TNP-ATP binding was not affected by either monovalent cations or valinomycin. Inhibition of turnover-dependent TNP-ATP fluorescence appears to be a useful parameter for monitoring monovalent cation binding to the Ca2+-ATPase. It is concluded that the ionophore interacts directly with the Ca2+-ATPase, independent of its K+ conductance effects on the lipid bilayer, and modifies the affinity and specificity of the monovalent cation site, either by direct interaction or by the formation of a valinomycin-monovalent cation-enzyme complex.

Transient kinetic analysis of turnover-dependent fluorescence of 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-ATP bound to Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The fluorescence of 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-ATP (TNP-ATP) bound to the Ca2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum is greatly enhanced during turnover induced by ATP plus Ca2+ (Watanabe, T., and Inesi, G. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 11510-11516). We have studied the kinetics of induction of TNP-ATP fluorescence and of its decay and have found a close correlation with levels of phosphorylated intermediate of the enzyme, E-P. Steady-state kinetic studies suggested competitive binding of ATP and TNP-ATP to the catalytic site, with Km and Ki values of 2.4 and 1.0 microM, respectively. Rate constants for fluorescence enhancement and for E-P formation in the presteady state were 1.2 s-1 or 97-130 s-1 under conditions resulting in TNP-ATP or ATP saturation respectively, of the enzyme at inception of reaction. The slow process was concluded to be the koff for dissociation of TNP-ATP from the catalytic site. Following this dissociation, a second TNP-ATP site was detected, which both formed (97-130 s-1) and decayed (0.22 s-1) synchronously with E-P. TNP-ATP binding to this noncatalytic site was rapid (5 X 10(7) M-1 s-1) and resulted in high fluorescence during steady-state turnover. Fluorescence was found to be dissociated from E-P by KCl (100 mM). KCl had little effect on E-P levels, but decreased fluorescence by 68%. These studies provide independent kinetic evidence for the existence of both catalytic and noncatalytic, or "regulatory," nucleotide-binding sites, but cannot distinguish whether the two sites exist independently or whether the catalytic site is transformed into a regulatory site on phosphorylation. The latter site, which shows relatively high selectivity for TNP-ATP over ATP, and which is simultaneously hydrophobic and freely accessible to the medium, may play a role during energy transduction. The changes occurring at this site during catalysis are conveniently monitored with TNP-ATP fluorescence.

Determination of coupling ratios of the calcium pump of sarcoplasmic reticulum by pulse methods.

Coupling of Ca2+ transport to ATP hydrolysis in isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles has been studied following pulsed additions of either ATP or Ca2+. ATP was infused as a pulse into medium, whose free Ca2+ concentration was maintained constant at saturating levels by a calciumstat procedure, using either a Ca2+-selective electrode or the spectrophotometric arsenazo III technique as Ca2+ indicators. The low ATP levels virtually exclude contributions by "basal" ATPase activity. Passive leakage of Ca2+, monitored after an ATP pulse, does not contribute more than 5% to subintegral coupling ratios. Pulsed additions of Ca2+ were made into medium. containing saturating concentrations of ATP, whose hydrolysis was monitored by a pH-stat procedure. Ca2+-stimulated hydrolysis continued until all the Ca2+ was transported into the vesicles. Values for the coupling ratio, Ca2+/ATP, of 1.82 +/- 0.12 and 1.79 +/- 0.15 were obtained by the ATP- and Ca2+-pulse methods, respectively.