The highly conserved amino acids of rat Na,K-ATPase, Thr-774 in the transmembrane helices M5, Val-920 and Gln-923 in M8, and Glu-953 and Glu-954 in M9, the side chains of which appear to be in close proximity, were mutated, and the resulting proteins, T774A, E953A/K, and E954A/K, V920E and Q923N/E/D/L, were expressed in HeLa cells. Ouabain-resistant cell lines were obtained from T774A, V920E, E953A, and E954A, whereas Q923N/ E/D/L, E953K, and E954K could only be transiently expressed as fusion proteins with an enhanced green fluorescent protein. The apparent K 0.5 values for Na ؉ , as estimated by the Na ؉ -dependent phosphoenzyme formation (K 0.5 Na,EP ) or Na,K-ATPase activity (K 0.5 Na,ATPase ), were increased by around 2ϳ8-fold in the case of T774A, V920E, and E954A. The apparent K 0.5 values for K ؉ , as estimated by the Na,K-ATPase (K 0.5 K,ATPase ) or p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity (K 0.5 K,pNPPase ), were affected only slightly by the 3 mutations, except that V920E showed a 1.7-fold increase in the K 0.5 K,ATPase . The apparent K 0.5 values for ATP (K 0.5 EP ), as estimated by phosphorylation (a high affinity ATP effect), were increased by 1.6ϳ2.6-fold in the case of T774A, V920E, and E954A. Those estimated by Na,K-ATPase activity (K 0.5 ATPase ) and ATP-induced inhibition (K i,0.5 pNPPase ) of K-pNPPase activity (low affinity ATP effects) were, respectively, increased by 1.8-fold and unchanged in the case of T774A but decreased by 2-and 4.8-fold in the case of V920E and were slightly changed and increased by 1.7-fold in the case of E954A. The E953A showed little significant change in the apparent affinities. These results suggest that Gln-923 in M8 is crucial for the active transport of Na ؉ and/or K ؉ across membranes and that the side chain oxygen atom of Thr-774 in M5, the methyl group(s) of Val-920 in M8, and the carboxyl oxygen(s) of Glu-954 in M9 mainly play some role in the transport of Na ؉ and also in the high and low affinity ATP effects rather than the transport of K ؉ .