Binding of dihydrodigitoxin to beef and human cardiac (Na+ + K+)-ATPase: evidence for two binding sites in cell membranes

Abstract

The specific binding of three cardiac glycosides, 3H-ouabain, 3H-digitoxin and 3H-dihydrodigitoxin, to beef cardiac (Na+ + K+)-ATPase was compared. Non-specific binding was defined as that in the presence of 0.1 mM unlabelled compound, or in the absence of ligands. The dissociation constants (KD-values) calculated from the inhibition of 3H-ouabain binding were: ouabain, 2.9 X 10(-9)M; digitoxin, 1.1 X 10(-9)M; and dihydrodigitoxin 2.7 X 10(-8)M. The concentrations which inhibited beef cardiac (Na+ + K+)-ATPase by 50% were: ouabain, 5.9 X 10(-9)M; digitoxin, 1.6 X 10(-9)M; and dihydrodigitoxin, 2.5 X 10(-8)M. Ouabain and digitoxin showed straight Scatchard plots for one site of high affinity (ouabain, KD = 2.6 X 10(-9)M; digitoxin, KD = 1.7 X 10(-9)M). However, dihydrodigitoxin gave a curved Scatchard plot. Analysis of this binding by the methods of M. J. Weidemann, H. Erdelt and M. Klingenberger (Eur. J. Biochem. 16, 313 (1970) for two binding sites gave the following results: for Mg2+,Pi-supported binding, the KD of the high affinity site was 1.6 X 10(-8)M with a capacity similar to that for ouabain of about 30 pmole/mg protein. For binding supported by Na+,ATP,Mg2+, the KD-value of the high affinity site was 5.3 X 10(-8)M of similar capacity. The low affinity binding site (KD = 4.0 X 10(-6)M for Mg2+,Pi; KD = 5.5 X 10(-6)M for Na+,ATP,Mg2+) bound about 350 pmole/mg protein. The low affinity site but not the high affinity site was also present in heat-denatured enzyme. Binding supported by Mg2+,Pi showed one low affinity site only for ouabain and dihydrodigitoxin in the presence of 200 mM Na+. The high affinity sites for these three cardiac glycosides were further characterized by measurement of the association and dissociation rate constants. The specific binding of 3H-ouabain and 3H-dihydrodigitoxin to human cardiac (Na+ + K+)-ATPase was measured. 3H-Ouabain showed a straight Scatchard plot for one high affinity site only (KD = 4.5 X 10(-9) M, capacity about 15 pmole/mg protein). 3H-Dihydrodigitoxin gave two binding sites: a high affinity site (KD = 1.8 X 10(-8) M) of similar capacity to ouabain, and a low affinity site (KD = 2.0 X 10(-6) M) of about 10-fold greater capacity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)