Structural organization and energy transduction mechanism of Na+,K+-ATPase studied with transition metal-catalyzed oxidative cleavage.

This chapter describes contributions of transition metal-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of Na+,K+-ATPase to our understanding of structure-function relations. In the presence of ascorbate/H2O2, specific cleavages are catalyzed by the bound metal and because more than one peptide bond close to the metal can be cleaved, this technique reveals proximity of the different cleavage positions within the native structure. Specific cleavages are catalyzed by Fe2+ bound at the cytoplasmic surface or by complexes of ATP-Fe2+, which directs the Fe2+ to the normal ATP-Mg2+ site. Fe2+- and ATP-Fe2+-catalyzed cleavages reveal large conformation-dependent changes in interactions between cytoplasmic domains, involving conserved cytoplasmic sequences, and a change of ligation of Mg2+ ions between E1P and E2P, which may be crucial in facilitating hydrolysis of E2P. The pattern of domain interactions in E1 and E2 conformations, and role of Mg2+ ions, may be common to all P-type pumps. Specific cleavages can also be catalyzed by Cu2+ ions, bound at the extracellular surfaces, or a hydrophobic Cu2+-diphenyl phenanthroline (DPP) complex, which directs the Cu2+ to the membrane-water interface. Cu2+ or Cu2+-DPP-catalyzed cleavages are providing information on alpha/beta subunit interactions and spatial organization of transmembrane segments. Transition metal-catalyzed cleavage could be widely used to investigate other P-type pumps and membrane proteins and, especially, ATP binding proteins.

Equilibrium of phosphointermediates of sodium and potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase: action of sodium ion and Hofmeister effect.

Sodium and potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase accepts and donates a phosphate group in the course of its reaction sequence. The phosphorylated enzyme has two principal reactive states, E1P and E2P. E1P is formed reversibly from ATP in the presence of Na+ and is precursor to E2P, which equilibrates with P(i) in the presence of K+. We studied equilibrium between these states at 4 degrees C and the effect of Na+ on it. To optimize the reaction system we used a Hofmeister effect, replacing the usual anion, chloride, with a chaotropic anion, usually nitrate. We phosphorylated enzyme from canine kidney with [32P]ATP. We estimated interconversion rate constants for the reaction E1P <--> E2P and their ratio. To estimate rate constants we terminated phosphorylation and observed decay kinetics. We observed E1P or E2P selectively by adding K+ or ADP respectively. K+ dephosphorylates E2P leaving E1P as observable species; ADP dephosphorylates E1P leaving E2P as observable species. We fitted a 2-pool model comprising two reactive species or a twin 2-pool model, comprising a pair of independent 2-pool models, to the data and obtained interconversion and hydrolysis rate constants for each state. Replacing Na+ with Tris+ or lysine+ did not change the ratio of interconversion rate constants between E1P and E2P. Thus Na+ binds about equally strongly to E1P and E2P. This conclusion is consistent with a model of Pedemonte (1988. J. Theor. Biol. 134:165-182.). We found that Na+ affected another equilibrium, that of transphosphorylation between ATP x dephosphoenzyme and ADP x E1P. We used the reactions and model of Pickart and Jencks (1982. J. Biol. Chem. 257:5319-5322.) to generate and fit data. Decreasing the concentration of Na+ 10-fold shifted the equilibrium constant 10-fold favoring ADP x E1P over ATP x dephosphoenzyme. Thus Na+ can dissociate from E1P x Na3. Furthermore, we found two characteristics of Hofmeister effects on this enzyme.

Interpretation of extraordinary kinetics of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase by a phase change.

We interpret at a molecular level an extraordinary response in the transient kinetics of the phosphointermediate of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase (I. Klodos, R. L. Post, and B. Forbush III. J. Biol. Chem. 269: 1734-1743, 1994). The phosphointermediate comprises two principal states. The partition between these states varies with salt concentration. A jump in salt concentration changes the partition of some of the molecules more rapidly than they interconvert in a steady state at constant salt concentration. We propose that interconversion is limited by free volume in the lipid of the surrounding membrane. This lipid is partitioned into phases that vary with salt concentration. Free volume is larger at the interface between these phases than within the phases themselves. Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase molecules are distributed at random in the membrane. When the phase boundary moves in response to a jump in salt concentration, it crosses some Na+ -K+ -ATPase molecules, which transiently experience an increase in free volume of the surrounding lipid. Thus their phosphointermediate states equilibrate more rapidly than at a constant salt concentration. Functional and structural heterogeneity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase molecules is discussed.

Kinetic heterogeneity of phosphoenzyme of Na,K-ATPase modeled by unmixed lipid phases. Competence of the phosphointermediate.

Interconversion of phosphoenzyme resistant to K+ and sensitive to ADP (E1P) and phosphoenzyme resistant to ADP and sensitive to K+ (E2P) was studied in bovine brain and dog and pig kidney. The kinetics of dephosphorylation were observed by chasing phosphoenzyme formed from [32P]ATP with unlabeled ATP with or without ADP or K+. Phosphorylation in 0.6-1.0 M NaCl produced mostly ADP-sensitive potassium-insensitive E1P. A potassium chase of this phosphoenzyme exposed its rate of conversion to potassium-sensitive ADP-insensitive E2P. At 20 degrees C the rate constant was approximately 1 s-1. Simultaneous dilution of [NaCl] in the chase to 100 mM increased the constant to approximately 60 s-1, which probably qualifies E1P as an intermediate in Na,K-ATPase activity. Anions inhibited conversion according to a Hofmeister series. Na+ had no specific effect. At 0 degrees C the rate constant was < 0.4 s-1, but downward jumps in [salt] produced an acceleration to > 1 s-1 for < 3 s followed by a return to the slow rate. The rapid rate would qualify E1P to participate in Na,K-ATPase activity if this rapid state participates in the normal reaction cycle. Phosphorylation in 0.02-0.1 M NaCl produced mostly E2P. Upward jumps in [NaCl] converted E2P to E1P equally rapidly and transiently. Oligomycin and high [salt] cooperated in stabilizing E1P. Jumps in [salt] greatly and transiently increased the rate of conversion of one form of the phosphoenzyme to the other. This extraordinary result required heterogeneous kinetics. A model is proposed based on control of enzyme conformation by changes in separate unmixed phases of the lipid of the membrane.

Inhibition and labeling of sodium, potassium ATPase by the dialdehyde derivative of ATP.

Canine renal Na,K-ATPase was treated with ATP dialdehyde, "oxATP" (20 microM), as described by G. Ponzio, B. Rossi, and M. Lazdunski (1983, J. Biol. Chem. 258, 8201-8205). In this system, a by-product, formaldehyde, was the inactivator. We modified the system to minimize such inhibition and to speed up the reaction. oxATP itself inactivated the enzyme at a rate that was slow at first and later speeded up. We fitted a precursor-product model to the data. Labeling with [3H]oxATP indicated about three sites per alpha beta protomer at complete inactivation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the labeled enzyme showed radioactivity in many components, in the alpha and beta subunits and in small molecules at the tracker dye region. ATP (20 mM) prevented all labeling and inactivation. Ponzio et al. concluded that oxATP labels covalently an ATP binding site. Our experiments did not support this conclusion. Ouabain did not affect labeling. Sodium stimulated both inhibition and labeling more than potassium did, indicating a high-affinity ATP binding site, if any. But nucleotide specificity for preventing or producing inhibition did not correspond to nucleotide specificity for binding of ATP to the native enzyme. Blocking the ATP binding center with fluorescein isothiocyanate or fluorosulfonyl benzoyl adenosine had no effect on [3H]oxATP labeling. ATP also prevented [3H]oxATP labeling of bovine serum albumin or of integral-membrane proteins.

Calcium ion as a probe of the monovalent cation center of sodium, potassium ATPase.

Sodium and potassium ion-transport adenosine triphosphatase from dog kidney was incubated with 0.4-2 mM Ca2+ at 23 degrees C for more than 2 min in the absence of monovalent inorganic cations, cooled to 0 degrees C, and phosphorylated from 1 mM Pi with 2.4 mM MgCl2. The resultant phosphoenzyme resembled that obtained by incubating the enzyme with K+ in place of Ca2+ in six respects. It was concluded that Ca2+ can occupy the monovalent cation-binding center for K+. The rate constant for release of Ca2+ from the dephosphoenzyme at 0 degrees C was 0.17 s-1. The rate of release from the phosphoenzyme was at least 7-fold slower. Phosphorylation stabilized the binding of Ca2+ to the enzyme in contrast to its destabilization of the corresponding K X enzyme complex. K-sensitive phosphoenzyme did not respond to free Ca2+. Thus Ca2+ was not easily accepted by nor released from the phosphoenzyme and would not be an effective substrate for transport. A selective barrier against Ca2+ between the monovalent cation binding center and the extracellular solution is proposed. Release of calcium from the dephosphoenzyme yielded a conformation that was not phosphorylated from Pi. The enzyme changed the conformation of its center for phosphorylation before or at the same time that it changed the conformation of its center for ion transport.

Structural relatedness of three ion-transport adenosine triphosphatases around their active sites of phosphorylation.

Three membrane-bound adenosine triphosphatases were investigated for homology in the sequence of four amino acids about the active site of phosphorylation. The ATPases were as follows: sodium-potassium-dependent ATPase from dog kidney, Na,K-ATPase; hydrogen-potassium-dependent ATPase from hog gastric mucosa, H,K-ATPase, an ATPase similar to Na,K-ATPase; and an ATPase activity in the plasma membrane of corn, Zea mays, roots (CR-ATPase), a higher plant ATPase. A membrane preparation containing an ATPase of Acholeplasma laidlawii, a prokaryote, (AL) was also investigated. For most of the experiments, the preparations were phosphorylated from [gamma-32P]ATP, denatured in acid, and subjected to proteolytic digestion. Radioactive phosphopeptides were separated by high voltage paper electrophoresis and characterized by sensitivity to chemical reagents. In gastric H,K-ATPase, the aspartate residue at the active site was determined directly by labeling with [3H]borohydride. A common sequence around the active site was found for Na,K-ATPase, H,K-ATPase, and CR-ATPase. This sequence, -Cys-(Ser/Thr)-Asp(P)-Lys-, is similar to that in the calcium ion-transport ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum. The AL membrane preparation showed an acylphosphate that turned over rapidly after a chase of labeled membranes with unlabeled ATP. The corresponding sequence was different from that of the three ATPases. An acylphosphate was on two polypeptides with molecular weights of about 80,000 and 60,000; these appear not to correspond to subunits of a Na+-stimulated ATPase in this organism (Lewis, R. N. A. H., and McElhaney, R. N. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 735, 113-122).

Inhibition of (Na,K)-ATPase by tetravalent vanadium.

Vanadyl, the tetravalent state of vanadium and a divalent cation, VO2+, was a relatively powerful inhibitor of highly purified membrane-bound sodium and potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase. The sensitivity of the ATPase activity to vanadyl characteristically correlated positively with the specific activity of the enzyme preparation. Inhibition ranged from nearly complete inhibition at less than 5 microM vanadyl for some of the purest fractions (specific activity approximately 45 mumol/min/mg of protein) to no observable inhibition at 300 microM vanadyl in one crude preparation of the enzyme with a specific activity of 10 mumol/min/mg of protein. The level of free vanadyl was reduced by incubation with these membranes, but this reduction was not sufficient to account for the low sensitivity to vanadyl observed in crude preparations. A reduction in specific activity by partial inactivation of a sensitive preparation by treatment with FeCl3 and ascorbate reduced its sensitivity to vanadyl. Anionic ligands of the enzyme, vanadate or ATP, increased the rate of recovery from inhibition after chelation of free vanadyl. At pH 6.1, the inhibition was characteristically fully reversible (t1/2 approximately 10 min), whereas at pH 8.1 it was stable for hours. The degree and stability of enzyme inhibition by vanadyl increased for several hours during incubation of the vanadyl-enzyme mixture, and at pH 6.1 the properties of the inhibitor itself also changed with time. Preincubation of the ion at that pH for 5 h before addition of the enzyme produced a more stable inhibition. The time- and pH-dependent changes in the degree and stability of enzyme inhibition probably relate to the complex chemistry of the vanadyl ion in solution.

Isoelectric focussing of the catalytic subunit of (Na,K)-ATPase from pig kidney.

The catalytic subunit of sodium and potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase was isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis and was subjected to isoelectric focussing on 3.5% acrylamide in 2% Triton X-100, 9 M urea, and 2% Bio-Lyte 3/10 from Bio-Rad Laboratories. At 20 degrees C this resolved 2 equal and closely spaced bands centered at pH 5.5 about 0.04 pH unit apart. The distribution of the polypeptide between the 2 bands came to a temperature-dependent equilibrium during focussing. At 15 degrees C predominantly the acidic band and at 25 degrees C predominantly the alkaline band appeared. Perhaps association of the nonionic detergent with the polypeptide resulted in its partitioning into bands corresponding to different physical states. A change of phase in a polypeptide-detergent complex might have altered its charge. To test functional homogeneity of the subunit in the native enzyme, the active center for ATP binding was covalently labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate, an acidic ligand. Isoelectric focussing of the derivatized subunit at 20 degrees C showed displacement of all of the alkaline band to the position of the acidic band, which was fluorescent. Isoelectric focussing at 25 degrees C showed displacement of almost half of the alkaline band to the position of the acidic band, and both bands were fluorescent. The results suggest that all of the subunit accepted the fluorescent label and that derivatization slightly raised the temperature at which the polypeptide equilibrated between the 2 states. A few experiments on the calcium-dependent ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum indicated that it responded similarly.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance of phosphoenzymes of sodium- and potassium-activated and of calcium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase.

Prior studies identified phosphoenzyme intermediates in the turnover of sodium- and potassium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase [(Na,K)ATPase] from several sources and of the calcium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase [(Ca)-ATPase] of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. In both cases, the transphosphorylation is to a beta-aspartyl carboxyl group at the active site. We now report observation of a K+-sensitive phosphorylated intermediate of purified (Na,-K)ATPase from the salt gland of the duck using high-field 31P nuclear magnetic resonance. Addition of ATP to a suspension of this enzyme in the presence of Mg2+ and Na+ produced a resonance at about +17 ppm relative to 85% phosphoric acid. Addition of inorganic phosphate and Mg2+ to (Na,K)ATPase also produced a resonance at about +17 ppm which was enhanced in the presence of a saturating concentration of the inhibitor, ouabain; again, addition of K+ made this resonance disappear. These findings are consistent with earlier kinetic characterization of an acid-stable (Na,K)ATPase phosphoenzyme intermediate by 32P-labeled phosphate incorporation into a denatured precipitate of the enzyme. We attribute the +17-ppm resonance to formation of an acyl phosphate at an aspartyl residue of the catalytic site of (Na,K)ATPase. This is supported by our finding of a similar resonance at +17 ppm after phosphorylation of another membrane-bound cation transport enzyme, sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca)ATPase, as well as by a similar resonance at about +17 ppm after phosphorylation of the model dipeptide L-seryl-L-aspartate.

Effects of vanadate on ouabain binding and inhibition of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase.

Effects of vanadate on ouabain binding and inhibition of sodium and potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+ + K+)-ATPase) were investigated under various ionic conditions. 1. Vanadate facilitated ouabain binding to (Na+ + K+)-ATPase in the presence of Mg2+ and this facilitation was partially reversed by catechol. 2. Vanadate antagonized the ability of high concentrations of NaCl to inhibit ouabain binding in the presence of magnesium. 3. Ouabain binding to the vanadate-enzyme complex, formed from magnesium and vanadate, was more sensitive to depression by potassium than that to the phosphoenzyme formed from magnesium and inorganic phosphate. 4. Preincubation of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase with vanadate in the presence of magnesium initially formed a potassium-insensitive complex as shown by a rapid initial rate of ouabain binding. However, within 5 min potassium overcame the vanadate potentiation of ouabain binding regardless of the order in which it was added to the reaction mixture. 5. Under conditions of enzyme turnover, vanadate failed to antagonize the inhibitory power of ouabain despite the presence of a high concentration of potassium. This suggests a possible relationship between the sensitivity of the sodium pump in various tissues to the cardiac glycosides and intracellular vanadate concentrations.

Binding of divalent cation to phosphoenzyme of sodium- and potassium-transport adenosine triphosphatase.

In order to study the action of the divalent cation which is essential for phosphorylation of sodium- and potassium-transport adenosine triphosphatase, magnesium ion, the normal ligand, was replaced with calcium ion, which had properties diffeerent from those of Mg2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, or Zn2+. Phosphorylation of the enzyme from ATP at pH 7.4 in the presence of Na+ and Ca2+ yielded a Ca.phosphoenzyme (60% of the maximal level) with a normal rate of dephosphorylation following a chase with unlabeled Ca.ATP (PK = 0.092S-1 at 0 degrees C). In contrast, after a chase by a chelator, namely ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 1,2-cyclohexylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid, or ethylene glycol bis-(beta-aminoethyl ether)N,N'-tetraacetic acid, dephosphorylation slowed within 5 s and half of the initial phosphoenzyme remained with a stability about 5-fold greater than normal. Three states of the phosphoenzyme were distinguished according to their relative sensitivity to ADP or to K+ added during a chase. Normally prepared Mg.phosphoenzyme was sensitive to K+ but not to ADP; Ca.phosphoenzyme was sensitive either to ADP or to K+; and the stabilized phosphoenzyme prepared from Ca.phosphoenzyme by addition of a chelator was sensitive neither to ADP nor to K+ nor to both together. Addition of Ca2+ to the stabilized phosphoenzyme restored the reactivity to that of Ca.phosphoenzyme. Addition of Mg2+ to the stabilized phosphoenzyme changed the reactivity to that of Mg.phosphoenzyme. Therefore, this unreactive, stabilized state of the phosphoenzyme appeared to be a divalent cation-free phosphoenzyme. With respect to sensitivity to ouabain, Ca.phosphoenzyme was as sensitive as Mg.phosphoenzyme but calcium-free phosphoenzyme was much less sensitive. It was concluded that the divalent cation required for phosphorylation normally remains tightly bound to the phosphoenzyme and is required for normal reactivity. Calcium ion was almost unique in dissociating relatively easily from the phosphoenzyme. Strontium ion appeared to act similarly to Ca2+.

Phosphorylation from adenosine triphosphate of sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase. Comparison of enzyme-ligand complexes as precursors to the phosphoenzyme.

The relative effectiveness of the ligands Mg2+, Na+, and ATP in preparing sodium plus potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase for phosphorylation was studied by means of a rapid mixing apparatus. Addition of 2 mM MgC12, 120 mM NaC1, and 5 muM [gamma-32P]ATP simultaneously to the free enzyme gave an initial phosphorylation rate of about 0.3 mu mol-mg-1-min-1 at 25 degrees and pH7.4. Addition of Mg2+ to the enzyme beforehand, separately or in combination with Na+ or ATP, had little effect on the initial rate. Addition of Na+ only to the enzyme beforehand increased this rate 1.5- to 3-fold. Early addition of ATP 130 ms before Na+ plus Mg2+ increased the rate 6- to 7-fold. Early addition of Na+ plus ATP was most effective; it increased the rate about 10-fold. The data indicate that Na+ and ATP bind in a random order and that each ligand potentiates the effect of the other. The rate of dissociation of ATP from the enzyme was estimated by a chase of unlabeled ATP of variable duration. This rate was slowest in the presence of Mg2+ (k = 540 min-1), most rapid in the presence of Na+ (k = 2000 min-1), and intermediate (k = 1100 min-1) in the absence of metal ions. The effect of Na+ concentration on the rate of phosphorylation was estimated when Na+ with Mg2+ was added to the enzyme-ATP complex. The rate followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a maximum of 2.9 mu mol-mg-1 and a Km of 8 mM. The effect of Na+ concentration was also estimated on the increment in the rate of phosphorylation produced by the presence of Na+ with the enzyme-ATP complex beforehand. The increment followed the same kinetics with a maximum of 3.75 mu mol-mg-1-min-1 and a Km of 5.4 mM. In both cases estimation of the Hill coefficient failed to show cooperativity between binding sites for Na+. In contrast, the dependence of ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity on Na+ concentration in the absence of K+ indicated two sites for Na+ with apparent Km values of 0.16 and 8.1 mM, respectively.

Synthesis of adenosine triphosphate and exchange between inorganic phosphate and adenosine triphosphate in sodium and potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase.

Radioactive adenosine triphosphate was synthesized transiently from adenosine diphosphate and radioactive inorganic phosphate by sodium and potassium adenosine triphosphatase from guinea pig kidney. In a first step, K+-sensitive phosphoenzyme was formed from radioactive inorganic phosphate in the presence of magnesium ion and 16 mM sodium ion. In a second step the addition to the phosphoenzyme of adenosine diphosphate with a higher concentration of sodium ion produced adenosine triphosphate. Recovery of adenosine triphosphate from the phosphoenzyme was 10 to 100% in the presence of 96 to 1200 mM sodium ion, respectively. Potassium ion (16mM) inhibited synthesis if added before or simultaneously with the high concentration of sodium ion but had no effect afterward. The half-maximal concentration for adenosine diphosphate was about 12 muM. Ouabain inhibited synthesis. The ionophore gramicidin had no significant effect on the level of phosphoenzyme nor on the rate nor on the extent of synthesis of adenosine triphosphate. The detergent Lubrol WX reduced the rate of phosphoenzyme break-down and the rate of synthesis but did not affect the final recovery. Phospholipase A treatment inhibited synthesis. In a steady state, the enzyme catalzyed a slow ouabain-sensitive incorporation or inorganic phosphate into adenosine triphosphate. These results and other suggest that binding of sodium ion to a low affinity site on phosphoenzyme formed from inorganic phosphate is sufficient to induce a conformational change in the active center which permits transfer of the phosphate group to adenosine diphosphate.

Phosphorylation by inorganic phosphate of sodium plus potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase. Four reactive states.

Native solium and potassium adenosine triphosphatase from guinea pig kidney accepted a phosphate group from radioactive inorganic phosphate to form an acyl phosphate bond at the active site in the presence or absence of sodium ion. Magnesium ion was always required. In the presence of sodium ion and absence of adenosine triphosphate, there was no phosphorylation by inorganic phosphate. Addition of unlabeled adenosine triphosphate produced a potassium-sensitive phosphoenzyme which exchanged its phosphate-group with radioactive inorganic phosphate. The dephosphoenzyme was an intermediate in this exchange. The rate constant for dephosphorylation was about 0.05 per second. Addition of rubidium ion, a congener of potassium ion, to the potassium-sensitive phosphoenzyme produced a phosphoenzyme labeled from inorganic phosphate with a corresponding rate constant of 0.26 per s. This was a rubidium-complexed phosphoenzyme. Addition of magnesium ion to potassium-sensitive phosphoenzyme converted it into insensitive phosphoenzyme, the splitting of which was not accelerated by potassium ion or by adenosine diphosphate. Its rate constant was 0.07 per s. In the absence of sodium ion and adenosine triphosphate, inorganic phosphate was incorporated directly into a similar insensitive phosphoenzyme. In the presence of potassium ion or rubidium ion, inorganic phosphate was incorporated into a potassium-complexed or rubidium-complexed phosphoenzyme which exchanged 32-P with inorganic phosphate completely in less than 3 s. Incorporation of inorganic phosphate into a complex of the enzyme with the inhibitor, ouabain, is already described in the literature. Its rate constant was about 0.02 per s. Thus there appear to be at least four reactive states of the phosphoenzyme which equilibrate measurably with inorganic phosphate, namely, potassium-sensitive phosphoenzyme, potassium-complexed phosphoenzyme, insensitive phosphoenzyme, and ouabain phosphoenzyme. Two of these reactive states are functional intermediates in native sodium and potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase. The results are compatible with control of the reactivity of the active site by conformational changes in the surrounding active center and with regulation of the energy level of the phosphate group according to the kind of monovalent cation bound to the enzyme.

Synthesis of adenosine triphosphate by way of potassium-sensitive phosphoenzyme of sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase.

The sodium and potassium ion pump is an intrinsic enzyme of plasma membranes. In these experiments it was driven backward in a transient two-step operation involving, first, phosphorylation of the enzyme from inorganic phosphate, and second, transfer of the phosphate group from the enzyme to ADP upon addition of a high concentration of Na+. There was no evidence of a significant concentration gradient across the membranes. Na+ presumably reached the solutions on both faces of the membrane simultaneously and provided the energy for synthesis simply as a consequence of ligand binding. An interaction free energy between the free energy of the binding of Na+ and the free energy of hydrolysis of the phosphate group on the enzyme was estimated. The experiments also suggested a feature of the transport mechanism. This is control by phosphorylation of access pathways from the solutions in contact with the faces of the membrane to an active center for cation binding. In the dephosphoenzyme access would be to the intracellular solution and in the phosphoenzyme access would be to the extracellular solution.