Effects of polymyxin B on the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane

Polymyxin B, a cyclic peptide antibiotic, inhibits Ca2+-ATPase, p-nitrophenyl phosphatase and phosphorylase kinase activities associated with rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes; 50% inhibition is induced by 100 microM, 130 microM and 550 microM of polymyxin respectively. The fluorescence intensity of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled Ca2+-ATPase, decreases in the presence of polymyxin (50% of the total decrease at 70 microM polymyxin). On the other hand, the polypeptide inhibits calmodulin-dependent endogenous phosphorylation of 60 kDa, 20 kDa and 14 kDa membrane proteins, while an increase of calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation is observed in 132 kDa and 86 kDa proteins.