Crystal structures of the calcium pump and sarcolipin in the Mg2+-bound E1 state

P-type ATPases are ATP-powered ion pumps that establish ion concentration gradients across biological membranes, and are distinct from other ATPases in that the reaction cycle includes an autophosphorylation step. The best studied is Ca2+-ATPase from muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCA1a), a Ca2+ pump that relaxes muscle cells after contraction, and crystal structures have been determined for most of the reaction intermediates(1,2). An important outstanding structure is that of the El intermediate, which has empty high-affinity Ca2+-binding sites ready to accept new cytosolic Ca2+. In the absence of Ca2+ and at pH 7 or higher, the ATpase is predominantly in El, not in E2 (low affinity for ce(2+), and if millimolar Mg2+ is present, one Mg2+ is expected to occupy one of the Ca2+-binding sites with a millimolar dissociation constant(4,5). This Mg2+ accelerates the reaction cycle(4), not permitting phosphorylation without Ca2+ binding. Here we describe the crystal structure of native SERCA1a (from rabbit) in this El-Mg2+ state at 3.0 A resolution in addition to crystal structures of SERCA1a in E2 free from exogenous inhibitors, and address the structural basis of the activation signal for phosphoryl transfer. Unexpectedly, sarcolipin(6), a small regulatory membrane protein of Ca2+-ATPase, is bound, stabilizing the El Mg2+ state. Sarcolipin is a close homologue of phospholamban, which is a critical mediator of P-adrenergic signal in Ca2+ regulation in heart (for reviews, see, for example, refs 8-10), and seems to play an important role in muscle-based thermogenesis(11). We also determined the crystal structure of recombinant SERCA1a devoid of sarcolipin, and describe the structural basis of inhibition by sarcolipim/phospholamban. Thus, the crystal structures reported here fill a gap in the structural elucidation of the reaction cycle and provide a solid basis for understanding the physiological regulation of the calcium pump.