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Voltage-dependent inhibition of the sodium pump by external sodium: Species differences and possible role of the N-terminus of the α-subunit

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Abstract

Currents generated by the Na+/K+ ATPase were measured under voltage clamp in oocytes of Xenopus laevis. The dependence of pump current on external [Na+] was investigated for the endogenous Xenopus pump as well as for wild-type and mutated pumps of electroplax of Torpedo californica expressed in the oocytes. The mutants had α-subunits truncated before position Lys28 (αΔK28) or Thr29 (αΔT29) of the N-terminus. The currents generated by all variants of pump molecules in the presence of 5 mM K+ show voltage-dependent inhibition by external [Na+]. The apparent K1 values increase with membrane depolarisation, and the potential dependence can be described by the movement of effective charges in the electrical potential gradient across the membrane. Taking into account Na+-K+ competition for external binding to the E2P form, apparent K1 values and effective charges for the interaction of the Na+ ions with the E2P form can be estimated. For the Xenopus pump the effective charge amounts to 1.1 of an elementary charge and the K1 value at 0 mV to 44 mM. For the wild-type Torpedo pump, the analysis yields values of 0.73 of an elementary charge and 133 mM, respectively. Truncation at the N-terminus removing a lysinerich cluster of the a-subunit of the Torpedo pump leads to an increase of the effective charge and decrease of the K1 value. For αΔK28, values of 0.83 of an elementary charge and 117 mM are obtained, respectively. If LyS28 is included in the truncation (α·T29), the effective charge increases to 1.5 of an elementary charge and the apparent K1 value is reduced to 107 mM. The K, values for pump inhibition by external Na+, calculated by taking into account Na+-K+ competition, are smaller than the K/12 values determined in the presence of 5 mM [K+]. The difference is more pronounced for those pump variants that have higher Km, values. The variations of the parameters describing inhibition by external [Na+] are qualitatively similar to those described for the stimulation of the pumps by external [K+] in the absence of extracellular [Na+]. The observations may be explained by an acess channel within the membrane dielectric that has to be passed by the external Na+ and K+ ions to reach or leave their binding sites. The potential-dependent access and/or the interaction with the binding sites shows species differences and is affected by cytoplasmic lysine residues in the N-terminus.

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Author notes

  1. Larisa A. Vasilets

    Present address: Institute of Chemical Physics, Chernogolovka, Russian Academy of Science, Chernogolovka, Noginski distr., reg. 142432, Moscow, Russia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut fur Biophysik, W-6000 Frankfurt/Main 71, Germany

    Larisa A. Vasilets & Wolfgang Schwarz

  2. Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Univ. of Tsukuba, 305, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Toshiko Ohta

  3. Department of Biology, Univ. of Occupational and Environmental Health, 807, Kitakyushu, Japan

    Shunsuke Noguchi & Masaru Kawamura

Authors
  1. Larisa A. Vasilets
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  2. Toshiko Ohta
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  3. Shunsuke Noguchi
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  4. Masaru Kawamura
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  5. Wolfgang Schwarz
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Vasilets, L.A., Ohta, T., Noguchi, S. et al. Voltage-dependent inhibition of the sodium pump by external sodium: Species differences and possible role of the N-terminus of the α-subunit. Eur Biophys J 21, 433–443 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185871

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185871

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