title: A calmodulin-stimulated Ca2+ pump in plasma-membrane vesicles from Trypanosoma brucei; selective inhibition by pentamidine.
abstract: Despite previous reports [McLaughlin (1985) Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 15, 189-201; Ghosh, Ray, Sarkar and Bhaduri (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 11345-11351; Mazumder, Mukherjee, Ghosh, Ray and Bhaduri (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 18440-18446] that the plasma membrane of different trypanosomatids only contains Ca(2+)-ATPase that does not show any demonstrable dependence on Mg2+, a high-affinity (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase was demonstrated in the plasma membrane of Trypanosoma brucei. The enzyme became saturated with micromolar amounts of Ca2+, reaching a Vmax. of 3.45 +/- 0.66 nmol of ATP/min per mg of protein. The Km,app. for Ca2+ was 0.52 +/- 0.03 microM. This was decreased to 0.23 +/- 0.05 microM, and the Vmax. was increased to 6.36 +/- 0.22 nmol of ATP/min per mg of protein (about 85%), when calmodulin was present. T. brucei plasma-membrane vesicles accumulated Ca2+ on addition of ATP only when Mg2+ was present, and released it to addition of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. In addition, this Ca2+ transport was stimulated by calmodulin. Addition of NaCl to Ca(2+)-loaded T. brucei plasma-membrane vesicles did not result in Ca2+ release, thus suggesting the absence of a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in these parasites. Therefore the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase would be the only mechanism so far described that is responsible for the long-term fine tuning of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration of these parasites. The trypanocidal drug pentamidine inhibited the T. brucei plasma-membrane (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase and Ca2+ transport at concentrations that had no effect on the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of human or pig erythrocytes. In this latter case, pentamidine behaved as a weak calmodulin antagonist, since it inhibited the stimulation of the erythrocyte Ca(2+)-ATPase by calmodulin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benaim
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopez-Estraño
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Docampo
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D010419:Pentamidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013552:Swine; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D000001:Calcimycin; D010419:Pentamidine; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D002118:Calcium