One could also ask if the Ca pump is disabled during the action
potential, because Ca ions also enter cells during the AP. But these are
somewhat ridiculous questions because the ion channels Na and Ca,
respectively, are separate and distinct from the ion transport ATPases
for Na/K and Ca respectively.
Think of the AP like the starter motor on an automobile. It draws a huge
current for a short time. In the background the alternator recharges the
battery (resting membrane potential). That is what the pumps do. They
are not inactivated during the AP, but in the long haul repay the
thermodynamic debt of letting Na, K and Ca move down their
A more common misconception, often held by medical students, is that the
Na/K pump causes repolarization of the membrane (phase 3 of the AP).
This is, of course, erroneous but it is difficult to convince students
that the AP is an entirely passive process once the membrane is charged
(by the pumps) and once threshold is achieved. Ouabain and other potent
and specific inhibitors of the Na/K pump do not prevent the AP (although
they will, by virtue of preventing recharging of the membrane potential
cause the system to fail eventually). Unfortunately, I am unaware of any
potent and specific inhibitor of the plasma membrane calcium pump. I
anybody out there has any suggestions I would appreciate hearing them.