MEMBRANE TOPOLOGY AND OMEPRAZOLE LABELING OF THE GASTRIC H+,K+-ADENOSINE-TRIPHOSPHATASE

The gastric H+,K+-ATPase is an alphabeta heterodimer with close homology to the Na+,K+-ATPase. Digestion of intact cytoplasmic-side-out vesicles at a trypsin to protein ratio of 1/4 removed most of the cytoplasmic protein, leaving membrane-spanning pairs in high yield. These were visualized on gels and poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) membranes by sodium dodecyl sulfate solubilization of the membrane-embedded segments and labeling of the cysteine residues with fluorescein maleimide prior to electrophoresis. The membrane-spanning residues of the alpha subunit were found between positions 104 and 162 (M1/M2), 291 and 358 (M3/M4), 776 and 835 (M5/M6), and 853 and 946 (M7/M8). Although this method did not detect membrane retention of the hydrophobic sequences subsequent to position 946, it provided biochemical evidence for at least eight membrane segments in the catalytic subunit. Intact vesicles containing this enzyme transport acid in the presence of KCl, valinomycin, and MgATP. Omeprazole accumulates in these acidified vesicles and converts to a cationic sulfenamide. This forms disulfides with accessible cysteines. The reaction with this extracytoplasmic thiol reagent inhibits ATPase activity. Full inhibition was obtained with a stoichiometry of 2.2 mol of omeprazole bound/mg of protein. Only the alpha subunit was labeled. The cysteines reacting with omeprazole were defined by proteolytic cleavage of H-3- or C-14-omeprazole-labeled enzyme followed by peptide sequencing of fragments separated on tricine gradient gels and transferred to PVDF membranes. Tryptic digestion at a 1/40 trypsin to protein ratio in the presence of ligands that stabilize the E2P form of the enzyme produced two large fragments, one of 68 kDa stretching from Glu47 to probably Arg666 that contained minor labeling and the other of 33 kDa beginning at Ala671 and extending to probably Arg946 that contained greater than 85% of the label. Digestion of labeled vesicles at 1/75 or 1/4 trypsin to protein ratios gave radioactive patterns consistent with labeling at Cys813 and/or Cys822 and at Cys892 and/or Cys927 and/or Cys938. V8 protease digestion of the solubilized alpha subunit produced a fragment extending from Ser838 to possible Asp900 that was omeprazole-labeled, showing that Cys892 was labeled and Cys927 and Cys938 were not. Hence, omeprazole labels the H+,K+-ATPase at cysteines within the M5/M6 and M7/M8 regions of the alpha subunit, accounting for its inhibitory action in vivo and in vitro.