JBC, Vol. 252, Issue 6, 1950-1956, Mar, 1977
Dependence of calcium permeability of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles on external and internal calcium ion concentrations
A. M. Katz, D. I. Repke, J. Dunnett and W. Hasselbach
The ability of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles to retain calcium following
ATP-supported calcium uptake in the presence of the calcium-precipitating
anions oxalate and phosphate depends on Cao (calcium ion concentration
outside the vesicles) and Cai (calcium ion concentration within the
vesicles). Calcium efflux rates at any level of Cai are accelerated when
Cao is increased. Higher Cao at the time that calcium uptake reactions
reach steady state is associated with a spontaneous calcium release that
reflects this effect of increased Cao. Increasing Cai at any level of Cao
causes little or no acceleration of calcium efflux rate so that calcium
permeability coefficients, estimated by dividing calcium efflux rates by
Cai, the "driving force", are inversely proportional to Cai. Calcium
permability coefficients thus correlate, as a first approximation, with the
ratio Cai/Cao, decreasing 1000-fold as this ratio increases over a
3000-fold range (Cao = 0.1 to 3.3 muM, Cai =4 to 750 muM). Oscillations in
both the calcium content of the vesicles and Cao are seen as calcium uptake
reactions approach steady state, suggesting that calcium permeability
undergoes time-dependent variations. Sudden reduction of Cao to levels that
markedly inhibit calcium influx via the calcium pump unmasks a calcium
efflux that decreases slowly over 60 to 90 s.The maximal calcium
permeability observed in the present study would allow the calcium efflux
rate from the sarcoplasmic reticulum at a Cai of 100 muM to be
approximately 10(-10) mol/cm2/s, which is about 1 order of magnitude less
than that estimated for the sarcoplasmic reticulum of activated skeletal
muscle in vivo. The release of most of the stored calcium in some
experiments indicates that the observed permeability changes can occur over
a large portion of the surface of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.