title: The sodium-calcium exchanger of bovine rod photoreceptors: K(+)-dependence of the purified and reconstituted protein.
abstract: The K(+)-dependence of the rod photoreceptor sodium-calcium exchanger was investigated using the Ca2(+)-sensitive dye arsenazo III after reconstitution of the purified protein into proteoliposomes. The uptake of Ca2+ by Na(+)-loaded liposomes was found to be greatly enhanced by the presence of external K+ (EC50 approximately 1 mM) in a Michaelis-Menten manner, suggesting that one K+ ion is involved in the transport of one Ca2+ ion. We also found a minimal degree of Ca2+ uptake in the total absence of K+. Other alkali cations, notably Rb+ and, to a lesser extent, Cs+, were also able to stimulate Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange. We also investigated the K(+)-dependence of the photoreceptor Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger by determining the effects of electrochemical K+ gradients on the Na(+)-activated Ca2+ efflux from proteoliposomes. We found that, under conditions of membrane voltage clamp with FCCP, inwardly directed electrochemical K+ gradients (i.e., K0+ greater than Ki+) inhibited, whereas an outwardly directed electrochemical K+ gradient (i.e., Ki+ greater than K0+) enhanced, Na(+)-dependent Ca2+ efflux, consistent with the notion that K+ is cotransported in the same direction as Ca2+. The investigation of the reconstituted exchanger at physiological (i.e. Ki+ = 110 mM, K0+ = 2.5 mM) potassium concentrations revealed that the Na(+)-dependence of Ca2(+)-efflux was highly cooperative (n = 3.01 from Hill plots), indicating that at least three, but possibly four, Na+ ions are exchanged for one Ca2+ ion. Under these conditions the reconstituted exchanger showed a Km for Na+ of 26.1 mM, and a turnover number of 115 Ca2+.s-1 per exchanger molecule. Our results with the purified and reconstituted sodium-calcium exchanger from rod photoreceptors are therefore consistent with previous reports (Cervetto, L., Lagnado, L., Perry, R.J., Robinson, D.W. and McNaughton, P.A. (1989) Nature 337, 740-743; Schnetkamp, P.P.M., Basu, D.K. and Szerencsei, R.T. (1989) Am. J. Physiol. 257, C153-C157) that the sodium-calcium exchanger of rod photoreceptors cotransports K+ under physiological conditions with a stoichiometry of 4 Na+:1 Ca2+, 1K+.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik, Abteilung für Molekulare Membranbiologie, Frankfurt am Main, F.R.G.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Friedel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wolbring
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wohlfart
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D002586:Cesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012413:Rubidium / Q000494:pharmacology; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008081:Liposomes; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger; D002586:Cesium; D012413:Rubidium; D011188:Potassium