Relation between red cell membrane (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and band 3 protein

This study is designed to examine the participation of the major red cell membrane protein, band 3 protein, in the chain which transmits information from the cardiac glycoside site on the external face of the cell (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to the megadalton glycolytic enzyme complex within the cell. The experiments show that the anion transport inhibitor, 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbenedisulfonic acid, affects the resonance of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, as does the cardiac glycoside cation transport inhibitor, ouabain. Resonance shifts induced by the cardiac glycoside alone are modulated by addition of the anion transport inhibitor which indicates that there is coupling in the red cell between the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and band 3 protein. Band 3 protein was separated from the membrane and partially purified following the technique of Yu and Steck ((1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 9170-9175). When glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was added to the separated band 3 protein preparation, addition of cardiac glycosides caused shifts in the 31P resonance of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. These experiments indicate that there is coupling between the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and band 3 protein in the separated preparation and suggest that the anion and cation transport systems may be closely related spatially and functionally in the intact red cell.