We investigated the role of creatine kinase bound to sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes of fast skeletal muscle in the local regeneration of ATP and the possible physiological significance of this regeneration for calcium pump function. Our results indicate that ADP produced by sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase is effectively phosphorylated by creatine kinase in the presence of creatine phosphate. This phosphorylation is an important function of the membrane-bound creatine kinase because accumulation of ADP has a depressive effect on Ca2+-uptake by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. The concentration-dependent depression of Ca2+-uptake by ADP was especially pronounced when there was strong back inhibition by high intravesicular [Ca"]. ATP regenerated by endogenous creatine kinase was not in free equilibrium with the ATP in the surrounding medium, but was used preferentially by Ca2+-ATPase for Ca2+-uptake. Efficient translocation of ATP from creatine kinase to Ca2+-ATPase, despite the presence of an ATP trap in the surrounding medium, can be explained by close localization of creatine kinase and Ca2+-ATPase on the sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. These results suggest the existence of functional coupling between creatine kmase and Ca2+-ATPase on skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. Several factors (amount of membrane-bound creatine kinase, oxidation of SH groups of creatine kinase, decrease in [phosphocreatine]) can influence the ability of creatine kinase/phosphocreatine system to support a low ADP/ATP ratio and fuel the Ca2+-pump with ATP. These factors may become operative in the living cells, influencing functional coupling between creatine kinase and Ca2+-ATPase and may have an indirect effect on Ca2+-pump function before Ca2+-ATPase itself is affected.There is ample published evidence to suggest that ATP resynthesis can occur locally on myofibrills and biomembranes due to the activity of creatine kinase and glycolytic enzymes bound to myofibrills [l -41, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) [5-81 and plasma membranes [8-lo]. The existence of site-specific regeneration of ATP, which creates a local pool of ATP in the close vicinity of sites of ATP utilization, provides an explanation for numerous findings where changes in myofibrillar function did not correlate with the cytosolic [ATP] or ATP level in the media [l, 3, 11-13]. Reversible binding of creatine kinase to cardiac and skeletal muscle myofibrils and the involvement of this bound creatine kinase in the energy supply for contraction has been demonstrated in several laboratories [l -41. Recently, creatine kinase has been shown to be attached to highly purified SR membranes from skeletal muscle [5]. These results confirmed earlier findings [6, 71, which demonstrated that creCorrespondence to P. Korge,