Fluorescence measurements of nucleotide association with the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase

The Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, a membrane-associated ion pump, uses energy from the hydrolysis of ATP to pump 3 Na(+) ions out of and 2 K(+) into cells. The dependence of ATP hydrolysis on ATP concentration was measured using a fluorescence coupled-enzyme assay. The dependence on concentration of nucleotide association with the ATPase was examined using ADP and ATP-induced quenching of the fluorescence of ATPase labeled with Cy3-maleimide (Cy3-ATPase) or Alexa Fluor 546 carboxylic acid, succinimidyl ester (AF-ATPase). The kinetics of ATP hydrolysis in the presence of Na(+) and K(+) exhibited negative cooperativity with a Hill coefficient (n(H)) of 0.66 and a half-maximal concentration (K(0.5)) of 61 microM; in the absence of K(+), n(H) was 0.58 and K(0.5) was 13 microM. Nucleotide-induced fluorescence quenching exhibited negative cooperativity with an n(H) of 0.3-0.5. These results suggest that negative cooperativity observed in ATP hydrolysis is attributable to negative cooperativity in nucleotide association to the ATPase. Interaction between AF-ATPase and ATP labeled with Alexa Fluor 647 (AF-ATP) showed significant Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). These results indicate that the ATPase exists as oligoprotomeric complexes in this preparation, and that this aggregation has significant effects on enzyme function.