We have examined the oxidative sensitivity of theCa
2+-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmicreticulum (SR) membranes, exposin
g isolated SR membranes to thethermolabile water soluble free radicalinitiator, 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH).Incubation with up to 702
ges/entities/m
gr.
gif">M AAPH-derived radicals results in a concentration- and time-dependentinhibition of calcium-dependent ATPaseactivity correlatin
g with the loss of monomericCa
2+-ATPase polypeptides, and the concomitantappearanceof hi
gher molecular wei
ght species. However, no oxidant-inducedprotein fra
gmentation is detected. Theobserved formation of oxidant-induced bityrosine accounts for theintermolecular Ca
2+-ATPase cross-links, as well as intramolecular cross-links. The oxidation ofsulfhydryl
groups to disulfides as anotherpossible source of intermolecular cross-links has been ruled out afterexamination of SDS-PAGE performedunder both reducin
g and non-reducin
g conditions. Exposure of theSR membranes to AAPH-derivedradical species results in a small de
gree of lipid peroxidation that isnot correlated with enzyme inactivation,su
ggestin
g that modification of membrane-spannin
g peptides is notrelated to enzyme inactivation. Sixcytoplasmic peptides have been identified that are modified by exposureto AAPH or, alternatively, tohydro
gen peroxide, su
ggestin
g that these re
gions of theCa
2+-ATPase are
generally sensitive tooxidants.These oxidized peptides were identified after separation byreversed-phase HPLC followed by N-terminalsequencin
g and amino acid analysis as correspondin
g to the followin
gsequences of the Ca
2+-ATPase:(i) Glu
121 to Lys
128, (ii) His
190to Lys
218, (iii) Asn
330 to Lys
352,(iv) Gly
432 to Lys
436, (v) Glu
551to Ar
g604,and (vi) Glu
657 to Ar
g671. TheGlu
551 to Ar
g604 peptide, located within thenucleotide bindin
g domain,was found to participate in the formation of intermolecular bityrosinecross-links with the identical Glu
551to Ar
g604 peptide from a nei
ghborin
gCa
2+-ATPase polypeptide chain.