Properties of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-pump in coronary artery skinned smooth muscle

Pig coronary artery cultured smooth muscle cells were skinned using saponin. In the presence of an ATP-regenerating system and oxalate, the skinned cells showed an ATP-dependent azide insensitive Ca2+-uptake which increased linearly with time for >1 h. The Ca2+-uptake occurred with Km values of 0.20±0.03 μM for Ca2+ and 400±34 μM for MgATP2−. Thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid inhibited this uptake with IC50 values of 0.13±0.02 and 0.56±0.04 μM, respectively. These properties of SR Ca2+-pump are similar to those reported for membrane fractions isolated from fresh smooth muscle of coronary artery and other arteries. However, optimum pH of the uptake in the skinned cells (6.2) was lower than that reported previously using isolated membranes (6.4–6.8).