The effect of chelating agents on the elemental composition of sarcoplasmic reticulum: the reactivity of SH groups with N-(1-pyrene)maleimide.

Treatment of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles with ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), Chelex-100, 1,10-phenanthroline, 8-hydroxyquinoline, or 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfonic acid increases the reactivity of SH groups with N-(1-pyrene)maleimide (PMI). The effect of Chelex treatment can be reversed by the addition of 10(-6)-10(-5) M Zn2+ to the Chelex-treated microsomes. The activation of the PMI reaction by EGTA was not reversed by subsequent addition of calcium, although the presence of excess calcium during EGTA treatment abolished the effect. Analysis of the elemental composition of sarcoplasmic reticulum by plasma emission spectroscopy indicates the presence of Zn, Cu, Fe, and Hg in amounts of 1-2 nmol/mg protein; of these only the Zn content is reduced significantly by treatment of microsomes with EGTA or Chelex-100. These observations suggest that Zn2+ may play a role in the regulation of the reactivity of SH groups in sarcoplasmic reticulum either by direct interaction with cysteinyl residues or by an effect upon the conformation of a subpopulation of ATPase molecules.