The distance between the ß-subunits of Na + /K + -ATPase isolated from pig dark red kidney medulla was determined by Forster energy transfer. First, oligosaccharides of the ß-subunit were shown to be labelled with three fluorophores: Lucifer yellow (LY), Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl hydrazine (LRSH) and Cascade blue (CB). Further, LY and LRSFI were used as the donor and the acceptor, respectively, for Forster energy transfer studies to determine the localization of the ß-subunit in the native enzyme which is known to be formed as a tetramer (aß)2. It was found that the ß-subunits in the functional enzyme complex in the membrane are not localized next to each other but are spatially separated. The distance between fluorophores covalently attached to the ß-subunits was found to be 5.1 nm. This conclusion was confirmed by measurements with another donor- acceptor pair CB-LY. The results also support the idea of a direct interaction of the ß-subunit with the extracellular part of the a-subunit. These interactions were modified in the presence of millimolar concentrations of magnesium ions. This indicates a crucial role of magnesium in extracellular interactions between the alpha and beta subunits.