Temperature-induced change in the Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity and in the state of the ATPase protein of sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane.

The temperature dependence of the Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity and of the conformational fluctuation of the ATPase molecule has been measured for four kinds of preparations: fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum, MacLennan's enzyme (purified ATPase preparation), and DOL and egg PC-ATPase (purified ATPase preparations in which lipids are replaced with dioleoyllecithin and egg yolk lecithin, respectively). It has been found that Arrhenius plots of the Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity show a break at about 18 degrees C for all the preparations. Hydrogen--deuterium exchange kinetics of the peptide NH protons were used to measure the conformational fluctuation of the protein molecules. Van't Hoff plots of the conformational fluctuation amplitude of a region near the surface of the ATPase molecule also show a break at about 18 degrees C for all the preparations. It is concluded that the break at around 18 degrees C is not related to a gel-liquid crystalline transition of lipids but to a change in the conformation of the ATPase molecule existing in fluid lipids.