Conformation of Ca(2+)-ATPase in two crystal forms. Effects of Ca2+, thapsigargin, adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-methylene)triphosphate), and chromium(III)-ATP on crystallization.

The structure of Ca(2+)-ATPase has been studied by electron microscopy of two different crystal forms: one tubular form induced by vanadate in native sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes and another multilamellar form grown from detergent-solubilized SR. To determine the conformation of Ca(2+)-ATPase within each crystal form, the respective effects of Ca2+, thapsigargin, adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-methylene)triphosphate) (AMP-PCP), and chromium(III) (Cr-ATP) on crystallization have been studied. Vanadate-induced tubes were prevented from forming by micromolar Ca2+, but if preformed in the absence of Ca2_, millimolar Ca2+ was required to disrupt these crystals. Thapsigargin promoted tube formation even in the presence of 10 mM Ca2+. Neither AMP-PCP nor Cr-ATP prevented tube formation, and the Ca2+ sensitivity of tube formation from Cr-ATP-inhibited SR was identical to controls. Multilamellar crystals required at least 0.2 mM Ca2+ and were prevented from forming by thapsigargin, AMP-PCP, or Cr-ATP. It is concluded that helical tubes are composed of the Ca(2+)-free, dephosphorylated conformation (E), and the nucleotide-bound conformation (E-ATP) is also tolerated. In contrast, multilamellar crystals are composed of the Ca(2+)-bound conformation (E.Ca2) and do not tolerate nucleotide binding. Thus, comparison of structures obtained from the two crystal forms should reveal physiologically relevant conformational differences.