Isolation of a low molecular weight Ca2+ carrier from calf heart inner mitochondrial membrane.

A protein was isolated from calf heart inner mitochondrial membrane with the aid of an electron paramagnetic resonance assay based on the relative binding properties of Ca2+, Mn2+, and Mg2+ to the protein. The molecular weight of this protein has been estimated to be about 3000 by urea/sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and amino acid analysis. The protein is shown to have two classes of binding sites for Ca2+ by flow dialysis studies and can extract Ca2+ into an organic phase. The selectivity sequence of this protein determined from the organic solvent extraction experiments shows that it favors divalent cations over monovalent cations. Also, the relative selectivity sequence for divalent cations is Ca2+, Sr2+ greater than Mn2+ greater than Mg2+. Ruthenium red and La3+ are shown to inhibit the protein-mediated extraction of Ca2+ into the organic solvent. The calcium translocation in a Pressman cell by this protein is selectively driven by a hydrogen ion gradient. Control experiments indicate that the Ca2+ trnsport properties of the protein are not due to the contaminating phospholipids. It appears that we have isolated from the inner mitochondrial membrane a calcium carrier, which we have named "calciphorin."