Calcium transport by sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase can be investigated on a solid-supported membrane

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) native vesicles incorporating Ca-ATPase are adsorbed on a solid-supported lipid membrane (SSM). Upon adsorption, the ion pumps are chemically activated by concentration jumps of ATP and the capacitive current transients generated by SR Ca-ATPase are measured under potentiostatic conditions. The Michaelis–Menten constant, KM, for ATP is evaluated by varying the concentration of ATP in the activating solution. This preliminary result shows that ion transport by SR Ca-ATPase can be suitably investigated by a technique based on concentration jumps on an SSM.