Pre-steady-state Phosphorylation of the Human Red Cell Ca2+-ATPase

The pre-steady-state kinetics of phosphorylation of the Ca2+-ATPase by ATP was studied at 37 degrees C and in intact red cell membranes to approach physiological conditions. ATP and Ca2+ activate with K0.5 of 4.9 and 26.4 microM, respectively. Preincubation with Ca2+ did not change the K0.5 for ATP. Preincubation with ATP did not alter the initial velocity of phosphorylation suggesting that binding of ATP was not rate-limiting. Mg2+ added at the start of the reaction increased the initial rate of phosphorylation from 4 to 8 pmol/mg/s. With 30 microM Ca2+, the K0.5 for Mg2+ was 60 microM. Mg2+ and Ca2+ added together beforehand accelerated phosphorylation to 70 pmol/mg/s. Phosphorylation of calmodulin-bound membranes was the fastest (280 pmol/mg/s), and its time course showed a neat overshoot before steady state. The results suggest that either preincubation with Ca2+ plus Mg2+ or calmodulin accelerated phosphorylation shifting toward E1 the equilibrium between the E1 and E2 conformers of the enzyme. K+ had no effect on the initial rate of phosphorylation and lowered by 40% the steady-state level of phosphoenzyme in the absence of Mg2+. Phosphorylation is not rate-limiting for the overall reaction since its initial rate was always higher than ATPase activity. In the absence of K+, the turnover of the phosphoenzyme was 2000 min-1, which is close to the values for other transport ATPases.