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An ATP-hydrolyzing activity with the properties of a Mg(2+)-dependent (Na(+),K(+))-ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) from a 20-fold purified plasma membrane fraction of the marine diatom, Nitzschia alba is described. The basal activity requires Mg(2+) and further stimulation by Na(+) or Na(+) plus K(+) is dependent on the presence of Mg(2+); Mn(2+) or Co(2+) can partially substitute for the divalent cation requirement but Ca(2+) equimolar with Mg(2+) inhibits the activity by 54%. ATP is the preferred substrate for the Na(+) plus K(+) stimulated activity, while CTP, UTP, and ADP are only slightly hydrolyzed. The apparent K(m) is 8 x 10(-4) M ATP. The ATP hydrolysis-rate is dependent on the relative concentrations of Na(+) and K(+); the K(0.5) for Na(+) and K(+) are 2 mM and 50 mM, respectively. Basal activity is synergistically stimulated by Na(+) plus K(+) only at certain ion concentrations and shows a strong specificity for both cations. In the presence of Na(+) at 5 mM and K(+) at 350 mM, the ATPase is completely inhibited by p-chloromercuric benzoic acid 10(-4) M, N-ethyl maleimide 10(-3) M, and iodoacetamide 10(-2) M, but is insensitive to ouabain at 10(-7) to 10(-3) M. This study demonstrates for the first time that algal plasma membrane contains an ATPase that is synergistically stimulated by Na(+) and K(+).

Inhibition of cell-dependent antibody-mediated cytotoxicity has been investigated as a new assay for antibody against cell surface antigens. The cytotoxicity system consisted of effector cells (normal mouse spleen cells), target cells ((61)Cr-labeled chicken erythrocytes), and antitarget cell antibody. Addition of antibody against cell surface antigens in the effector cell population regularly inhibited the cytotoxicity measured in this system. This cytotoxicity inhibition assay (CIA) detected antibody with a variety of specificities: anti-H-2, anti-Thy 1.2, anti-immunoglobulin, and antimouse bone marrow-derived lymphocyte antigen. When the inhibition by anti-H-2 sera was analyzed using effector cells from congenic mice, the activity was found to be directed against specificities mapping in the H-2K, H-2D, and I regions of the H-2 complex, correlating well with the specificities characterized by complement-dependent assays. A comparison between the sensitivity of the CIA and complement-dependent lysis revealed that the CIA was 2-11 times more sensitive for anti-H-2 antisera and 20-780 times more sensitive for certain antisera against subpopulations of the spleen cells (i.e., T cells or B cells). The CIA proved to be precise, sensitive, and reliable. It may become a very useful antibody assay in various species including man.