Effect of rubidium, lithium and cesium on brain ATPase and protein kinases.

The authors studied the effect of rubidium, lithium and cesium on the ATPase system and c-AMP protein kinase in brain. They demonstrated that rubidium could replace potassium in the Na+K-ATPase system, whereas lithium and cesium had no effect on this enzyme activity in the absence of potassium. K+-dependent ATPase was activated by even low rubidium concentrations; lithium and cesium inhibited it. None of three (rubidium, lithium and cesium) affected c-AMP protein kinase.