Electrogenic sodium-sodium exchange carried out by Na,K-ATPase containing the amino acid substitution Glu779Ala

R. Daniel Peluffo, José M. Argüello, Jerry B. Lingrel, Joshua R. Berlin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Na,K-ATPase containing the amino acid substitution glutamate to alanine at position 779 of the α subunit (Glu779Ala) supports a high level of Na- ATPase and electrogenic Na+-Na+ exchange activity in the absence of K+. In microsomal preparations of Glu779Ala enzyme, the Na+ concentration for half maximal activation of Na-ATPase activity was 161 ± 14 mM (n = 3). Furthermore, enzyme activity with 800 mM Na+ was found to be similar in the presence and absence of 20 mM K+. These results showed that Na+, with 10W affinity, could stimulate enzyme turnover as effectively as K+. To gain further insight into the mechanism of this enzyme activity, HeLa cells expressing Glu779Ala enzyme were voltage clamped with patch electrodes containing 115 mM Na+ during superfusion in K+-free solutions. Electrogenic Na+-Na+ exchange was observed as an ouabain-inhibitable outward current whose amplitude was proportional to extracellular Na+ (Na(o)+) concentration. At all Na(o)+ concentrations tested (3-148 mM), exchange current was maximal at negative membrane potentials (V(M)), but decreased as V(M) became more positive. Analyzing this current at each V(M) with a Hill equation showed that Na+-Na+ exchange had a high-affinity, low-capacity component with an apparent Na(o)+ affinity at 0 mV (K0.50) of 13.4 ± 0.6 mM and a low-affinity, high-capacity component with a K0.50 of 120 ± 13 mM (n = 17). Both high- and low-affinity exchange components were V(M) dependent, dissipating 30 ± 3% and 82 ± 6% (n = 17) of the membrane dielectric, respectively. The low-affinity, but not the high-affinity exchange component was inhibited with 2 mM free ADP in the patch electrode solution. These results suggest that the high-affinity component of electrogenic Na+-Na+ exchange could be explained by Na(o)+ acting as a low-affinity K+ congener; however, the low-affinity component of electrogenic exchange appeared to be due to forward enzyme cycling activated by Na(o)+ binding at a Na+-specific site deep in the membrane dielectric. A pseudo six-state model for the Na,K-ATPase was developed to simulate these data and the results of the accompanying paper (Peluffo, R.D., J.M. Arguello, and J.R. Berlin. 2000. J. Gen. Physiol. 116:47-59). This model showed that alterations in the kinetics of extracellular ion-dependent reactions alone could explain the effects of Glu779Ala substitution on the Na,K-ATPase.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)61-73
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of General Physiology
Volume116
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2000

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology

Keywords

  • HeLa cells
  • Na,K-pump
  • Na-Naexchange current
  • Voltage clamp

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