In the present study, the effects of the cytosolic Ca2+ transport inhibitor on ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake by, and unidirectional passive Ca2+ release from, sarcoplassmic reticulum enriched membrane vesicles were examined in parallel experiments to determine whether inhibitor-mediated enhancement in Ca2+ efflux contributes to inhibition of net Ca2+ uptake. When assays were performed at pH 6.8 in the presence of oxalate, low concentrations (<100 μg/mL) of the inhibitor caused substantial inhibition of Ca2+ uptake by SR (28–50%). At this pH, low concentrations of the inhibitor did not cause enhancement of passive Ca2+ release from actively Ca2+-loaded sarcoplasmic reticulum. Under these conditions, high concentrations (>100 μg/mL) of the inhibitor caused stimulation of passive Ca2+ release but to a much lesser extent when compared with the extent of inhibition of active Ca2+ uptake (i.e., twofold greater inhibition of Ca2+ uptake than stimulation of Ca2+ release). When Ca2+ uptake and release assays were carried out at pH 7.4, the Ca2+ release promoting action of the inhibitor became more pronounced, such that the magnitude of enhancement in Ca2+ release at varying concentrations of the inhibitor (20–200 μg/mL) was not markedly different from the magnitude of inhibition of Ca2+ uptake. In the absence of oxalate in the assay medium, inhibition of Ca2+ uptake was observed at alkaline but not acidic pH. These findings imply that the inhibition of Ca2+ uptake observed at pH 6.8 is mainly due to decrease in the rate of active Ca2+ transport into the membrane vesicles rather than stimulation of passive Ca2+ efflux; at alkaline pH (pH 7.4), enhanced Ca2+ efflux contributes substantially, if not exclusively, to the decrease in Ca2+ uptake observed in the presence of the inhibitor. It is suggested that if the cytosolic inhibitor has actions similar to those observed in vitro in intact cardiac muscle, acid–base status of the intracellular fluid would be a major factor influencing the nature of its effects (inhibition of Ca2+ uptake or stimulation of Ca2+ release) on transmembrane Ca2+ fluxes across the sarcoplasmic reticulum.Key words: sarcoplasmic reticulum, Ca2+ uptake, Ca2+ release, endogenous inhibitor, heart muscle.
Relation of sodium pump inhibition to positive inotropy at low concentrations of ouabain in rat heart muscle.