5-Methylthioribose kinase activity in plants

The presence of a previously unidentified plant enzyme, 5-methylthioribose kinase, has been demonstrated to exist in cell-free extracts from several fruit tissues. The enzyme catalyzes the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of 5-methylthioribose to 5-methylthioribose-1-phosphate. Enzyme activity has been found in avocado, pear, apple, strawberry and tomato tissues. The significance of the presence of this enzyme in relation to ethylene biosynthesis is discussed.     

Plant 5-methylthioribose kinase: properties of the partially purified enzyme from yellow lupin (lupinus luteus L.) seeds

Activity of 5-methylthioribose kinase, the enzyme which catalyzes the ATP-dependent formation of 1-phospho-5-methylthioribose, has been revealed in the extracts from various higher plant species. Almost 2,000-fold-purified enzyme has been obtained from yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L. cv Topaz) seed extract. Molecular weight of the native enzyme is 70,000 as judged by gel filtration. The lupin 5-methylthioribose kinase exhibits a strict requirement for divalent metal ions. Among the ions tested, only Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ acted as cofactors. The curve of kinase initial velocity versus pH reaches plateau at pH 10 to 10.5. The K_m values calculated for 5-methylthioribose and ATP are 4.3 and 8.3 micromolar, respectively.

Among nucleoside triphosphates tested as potential phosphate donors, only dATP could substitute in the reaction for ATP. 5-Isobutylthioribose, an analog of 5-methylthioribose, proved to be the γ-ATP-phosphate acceptor, too. The compound inhibits competitively synthesis of 1-phospho-5-methylthioribose (K_i = 1.4 micromolar). Lupin 5-methylthioribose kinase is completely and irreversibly inhibited by the antisulfhydryl reagent, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. As in bacteria (Ferro, Barrett, Shapiro 1978 J Biol Chem 253: 6021-6025), the enzyme may be involved in a new, alternative pathway of methionine synthesis in plant tissues.

     

5-methylthioribose 1-phosphate: a product of partially purified, rat liver 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase activity.

5'-Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase from rat liver has been purified 112-fold. A molecular weight of 90 000 for the enzyme was estimated from gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. The Km for 5'-methylthioadenosine was 4.7 . 10(-7) M, while the Km for phosphate was 2 . 10(-4) M. The products of the reaction were isolated and identified as adenine and 5-methylthioribose 1-phosphate. In addition to 5'-methylthioadenosine the nucleoside analogues 5'-ethylthioadenosine and 5'-n-propylthioadenosine also served as substrates for the enzyme. The 7-deaza analogue 5'-methylthiotubercidin was found to be an inhibitor of the reaction, but was inactive as a substrate.     

Binding activity regulation of rabbit skeletal muscle adenosine 3'-5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinases.

A cAMP-dependent protein kinase has been isolated from rabbit muscle and purified. The affinity constant of the enzyme for the nucleotide is Ka = 9.3 X 10(-9) M, with a Vmax = 0.013 X 10(12) moles bound cAMP/1 microgram protein. The influence exerted by different factors is studied: a) Inhibitor (I) of kinase activity: increases the binding capacity for cAMP, by percentages which depend on the amount of I. In the presence of inhibitor (120 microgram/100 microliter) the affinity constant is Ka = 4.1 X 10(-9) M, without change in Vmax. b) Effect of pH: it has a complex influence over binding, being also regulated by cAMP concentration. The positive effect on binding of ionic and bovine serum albumin concentrations, and the negative effect of enzyme preincubation before additions of (H3) cAMP, have also been studied. The importance of these effectors to obtain a high degree of sensitivity in the binding protein method has been assertained.     

Purification and characterization of NADPH-dependent flavin reductase. An enzyme required for the activation of chorismate synthase in Bacillus subtilis.

NADPH-dependent flavin reductase (required for the activation of chorismate synthase) was purified to homogeneity from cell-free extracts of Bacillus subtilis. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 13,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, is specific for NADPH, and requires a divalent metal ion and either FMN or FAD for maximal rates of NADPH oxidation. The enzyme is able to reduce 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCIP) in the presence of NADPH and a divalent metal ion. Both catalytic activities were completely inhibited by EDTA. The Km for FMN is 1.25 X 10(-5) M and for NADPH 7.8 X 10(-5) M with oxygen as the final electron acceptor, and 3.85 X 10(-4) M with DCIP as the final electron acceptor. The enzyme was also isolated in association with chorismate synthase and dehydroquinate synthase. The enzyme associated with the complex has the same catalytic properties as the dissociated enzyme except that it requires both a divalent metal ion and FMN for DCIP reduction. Maximal enzyme activity was observed when the enzyme was preincubated with FMN and the divalent metal ion. The enzyme complex is easily dissociable and the dissociation of the enzyme complex resulted in the failure of NADPH-dependent flavin reductase to adsorb to phosphocellulose.     

Purification and characterization of phosphoglycerate mutase from methanol-grown Hyphomicrobium X and Pseudomonas AM1.

Phosphoglycerate mutase has been purified from methanol-grown Hyphomicrobium X and Pseudomonas AMI by acid precipitation, heat treatment, ammonium sulphate fractionation, Sephadex G-50 gel filtration and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The purification attained using the Hyphomicrobium X extract was 72-fold, and using the Pseudomonas AMI extract, 140-fold. The enzyme purity, as shown by analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was 50% from Hyphomicrobium X and 40% from Pseudomonas AMI. The enzyme activity was associated with one band. The purified preparations did not contain detectable amounts of phosphoglycerate kinase, phosphopyruvate hydratase, phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase or glycerate kinase activity. The molecular weight of the enzymic preparation was 32000 +/- 3000. The enzyme from both organisms was stable at low temperatures and, in the presence of 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid, could withstand exposure to high temperatures. The enzyme from Pseudomonas AMI has a broad pH optimum at 7-0 to 7-6 whilst the enzyme from Hyphomicrobium X has an optimal activity at pH 7-3. The cofactor 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid was required for maximum enzyme activity and high concentrations of 2-phosphoglyceric acid were inhibitory. The Km values for the Hyphomicrobium X enzyme were: 3-phosphoglyceric acid, 6-0 X 10(-3) M: 2-phosphoglyceric acid, 6-9 X 10(-4) M; 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid, 8-0 X 10(-6) M; and for the Pseudomonas AMI ENzyme: 3-4 X 10(-3) M, 3-7 X 10(-4) M and 10 X 10(-6) M respectively. The equilibrium constant for the reaction was 11-3 +/- 2-5 in the direction of 2-phosphoglyceric acid to 3-phosphoglyceric acid and 0-09 +/- 0-02 in the reverse direction. The standard free energy for the reaction proceeding from 2-phosphoglyceric acid to 3-phosphoglyceric acid was -5-84 kJ mol(-1) and in the reverse direction +5-81 kJ mol(-1).     

A cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent histone kinase from pig brain. Purification and some properties of the enzyme.

A cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent histone kinase (ATP: protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) was isolated from pig brain. The enzyme has been purified 1140-fold; it is homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration. The estimated molecular weight of the enzyme is 120 000. Histone kinase dissociates into a catalytic subunit and a regulatory one (molecular weights 40 000 and 90 000, respectively). The catalytic subunit has been obtained in homogeneous state as evidenced by sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. At all purification steps, enzymatic activity is stimulated 5-fold by cyclic AMP. An apparent Km value for cyclic AMP is about 3.3 - 10- minus 7 M. In the presence of cyclic AMP(5 - 10- minus 6 M), the Km value for ATP and F1 histone were 1.2 - 10- minus five and 3 - 10- minus 5 M, respectively. Optimum pH value for histone kinase is 6.5, its isoelectric point is situated at pH 4.6. The purified enzyme displays high specificity for the lysine-rich and moderately lysine-rich histones F1, F2a2 and F2b. Arginine-rich histones and other known protein substrates for cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases (casein, Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, etc.) are extremely poor substrates for this enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase from human placenta

5'-Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase has been purified to homogeneity (30,000-fold) from human full-term placenta by a procedure involving covalent chromatography on organomercurial-agarose as the major step. The specific activity of the homogeneous enzyme is 10.2 mumol of 5'-methylthioadenosine cleaved per min per mg of protein, and the overall yield is about 20%. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 98,000, as determined by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and Superose 6B, and is composed by three apparently identical subunits with a molecular weight of 32,500. The isoelectric point is 5.5, and the optimal pH ranges from 7.2 to 7.6. The resistance of the enzyme to thermal inactivation is increased remarkably by the addition of 5'-methylthioadenosine or phosphate. The homogeneous enzyme shows an absolute requirement for -SH-reducing agents and is specifically and rapidly inactivated by thiol-blocking compounds. The reaction catalyzed by the enzyme is fully reversible with a Keq of 1.39 X 10(-2) (in the direction of phosphorolysis) at 37 degrees C and pH 7.4. The Km values for 5'-methylthioadenosine, phosphate, adenine, and 5-methylthioribose 1-phosphate are 5, 320, 23, and 8 microM, respectively.     

Purification and characterization of N-acetylglutamate 5-phosphotransferase from pea (Pisum sativum) cotyledons.

N-Acetylglutamate 5-phosphotransferase (acetylglutamate kinase, EC 2.7.2.8) has been isolated from pea (Pisum sativum) cotyledons and purified 312-fold by using heat treatment, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, affinity chromatography on ATP--Sepharose and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. This preparation was shown on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis to yield one band staining with Coomassie Blue. The enzyme was shown by a variety of techniques to be composed of two different kinds of subunits, of mol.wts. 43000 and 53000 respectively. These subunits are arranged to give either a dimeric or tetrameric enzyme composed of equal numbers of each type of subunit. The dimeric and tetrameric enzyme forms are thought to be interconvertible, the equilibrium between these forms being influenced by the type of ligand bound to the subunits. Kinetic studies performed on the purified enzyme, indicated a random Bi Bi type of mechanism. The enzyme displayed apparent negative co-operativity with respect to one of its substrates, N-acetylglutamate; as a result, two Km values were found for this substrate, one at 1.9 X 10(-3) M and the other at 6.2 X 10(-3) M. A single Km value for ATP was found to be 1.7 X 10(-3) M. Allosteric regulation by arginine was also shown. A model, based on the Koshland, Némethy & Filmer [(1966) Biochemistry 5, 365-385] Sequential model, which adequately describes the kinetic and structural properties of N-acetylglutamate 5-phosphotransferase, is presented.     

Metabolism of 5-fluorouracil in sensitive and resistant Novikoff hepatoma cells.

N1-S1/FdUrd Novikoff hepatoma cells, which lack thymidine kinase activity, are resistant to 5-fluorouracil (FUra) as well as 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd), suggesting that the pathway, FUra leads to FdUrd leads to FdUMP, is utilized for the conversion of FUra to FdUMP. However, the inhibition of thymidylate synthetase activity, the presumed target of FdUMP, by 1 X 10(-4) M FUra in intact N1-S1 Novikoff hepatoma cells, which have significant levels of thymidine kinase activity, is completely eliminated by 5 X 10(-4) M hydroxyurea, which is a potent inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase. These results imply that the formation of ribonucleotides and does not involve thymidine kinase. This apparent dichotomy can be explained by the fact that, in addition to the well known lack of thymidine kinase activity, [14C]FUra conversion to ribonucleotides is greatly depressed in the N1-S1/FdUrd cells. Hence, the formation of FdUMP from FUra in Novikoff hepatoma cells apparently proceeds primarily via the intermediate formation of ribonucleotides. The decreased conversion of FUra to ribonucleotides in N1-S1/FdUrd cells decreases not only the ability of the analog to inhibit DNA synthesis, but also its effect on RNA metabolism. FUra, at a concentration of 1 X 10(-5) M, inhibits rRNA maturation in N1-S1 cells, but not in N1-S1/FdUrd cells. Since N1-S1/FdUrd cells are completely resistant to 1 X 10(-5) M FUra, whereas N1-S1 cells are completely inhibited by 1 X 10(-5) M FUra, even in the presence of 1 X 10(-4) M thymidine, the effects of FUra on RNA metabolism appear to contribute significantly to the cytotoxicity of the analog at higher drug concentrations.     

Adenylate kinase activity in Mycobacterium leprae

Adenylate kinase (ATP:AMP phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.4.3) was detected in partially purified preparations of cell-free extracts of Mycobacterium leprae. The apparent Km values of M. leprae adenylate kinase for ADP and Mg2+ were 1 X 10(-4) M, respectively. The enzyme was heat-labile: loss of activity by 80% at 45 degrees C and over 90% at 60 degrees C occurred within 5 min. M. leprae adenylate kinase was distinct from armadillo adenylate kinase in respect of affinity for substrate and heat-sensitivity.     

Respiratory resistance of methylotrophic bacteria to formate and cyanide

Whole cells and cell-free preparations of the methylotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. AM 1 and Achromobacter parvulus, can oxidize formate at tis concentration in the reaction medium up to 1 M. The respiration of whole cells is registered at a concentration of formate greater than 10(-2) M, while that of cell-free extracts at a formate concentration greater than 5 X 10(-5) M. This seems to be due to the presence of a permeability barrier in cells for formate. The oxidation of reduced TMPD and exogenous cytochrome c by the membrane preparations of the two bacteria is inhibited by formate and cyanide; Ki50% = 2.5 X 10(-2) and 10(-6) M, respectively. The oxidation of NADH by the membrane preparations of the bacteria is not inhibited by 1 M formate and 5 X 10(-4) M cyanide but is inhibited by formaldehyde with Ki50% = 3 X 10(-2) M. Formaldehyde has no effect on the oxidation of reduced TMPD and cytochrome c at concentrations greater than 2 X 10(-1) M. These data indicate that respiration of the studied methylotrophic bacteria in the presence of high formate concentrations should be attributed in the presence of a branched electron transport chain in them; one branch of the chain is resistant to formate and cyanide, but is sensitive to formaldehyde.     

Isolation and properties of beta-lactamase of the cephalosporinase type from cells of Enterobacter aerogenes 6803

beta-Lastamase with the molecular weight of 32500 was isolated from the cells of clinical strain 6803 of Enterobacter aerogenes and purified. By the substrate profile determined microiodometrically beta-lactamase was classified as belonging to the cephalosporinase type. The activity of the electrophoretically homogenous enzyme was equal to 430 microM a minute per mg protein with respect to benzylpenicillin. The Km for benzylpenicillin, dicloxacillin, cephaloridin and cephalothin was 6.5410(-5), 3 X 10(-4), 2.1 X 10(-5) and 5.7 X 10(-5) M, respectively. The isoelectric point of the enzyme equal to 5.45 was estimated with the method of preparative isoelectrofocusing. The presence of the serine residue or residues was shown with the use of selective reagents applied to the functionally important groups. With the method of circular dichroism the ratio of alpha- and beta-structures in the enzyme molecule was determined, the slow hydrolysis of cephazolin was demonstrated and the values of Km and Kcat for this process were estimated.     

Evidence for absence of an interaction between purified 3-phosphoglycerate kinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The possibility of a functional complex formation between glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12) and 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (EC. 2.7.2.3), enzymes catalysing two consecutive reactions in glycolysis has been investigated. Kinetic analysis of the coupled enzymatic reaction did not reveal any kinetic sign of the assumed interaction up to 4 X 10(-6) M kinase and 10(-4) M dehydrogenase. Fluorescence anisotrophy of 10(-7) M or 2 X 10(-5) M glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase labeled with fluorescein isothiocynate did not change in the presence of non-labeled 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (up to 4 X 10(-5) M). The frontal gel chromatographic analysis of a mixture of the two enzymes (10(-4) M dehydrogenase) could not reveal any molecular species with the kinase activity having a molecular weight higher than that of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. Both types of physicochemical measurements were also performed in the presence of substrates of the kinase and gave the same results. The data seem to invalidate the hypothesis that there is a complex between purified pig muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and 3-phosphoglycerate kinase.     

Purification and properties of glutamate dehydrogenase from a thermophilic bacillus.

A 250- to 300-fold purification of a nicotinamide adenine denucleotide phosphate (NADP)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH, E.C. 1.4.1.4) with a yield of 60% from a thermophilic bacillus is described. More than one NADP-specific GDH was detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme is of high molecular weight (approximately 2 X 10-6), similar to that of the beef and frog liver GDH. The pI of the thermophilic GDH is at pH 5.24. The enzyme is highly thermostable at the pH range of 5.8 to 9.0. The purified GDH, unlike the crude enzyme, was very labile at subzero temperatures. An unidentified factor(s) from the crude cell-free extract prevented the inactivation of the purified GDH at -70 C. Various reactants of the GDH system and D-glutamate also protected, to some extent, the enzyme from inactivation at -70 C. From the Michaelis constants for glutamate (1.1 X 10-2M), NADP (3 X 10-4M), ammonia (2.1 X 10-2M), alpha-ketoglutarate (1.3 X 10-3M), and reduced NADP (5.3 X 10-5M), it is suggested that the enzyme catalyzes in vivo the formation of glutamate from ammonia and alpha-ketoglutarate. The amination of alpha-ketoglutarate and deamination of glutamate by the thermophilic GDH are optimal at the pH values of 7.2 and 8.4, respectively.     

Brain pyridoxal kinase. Purification, substrate specificities, and sensitized photodestruction of an essential histidine.

Pyridoxal kinase has been purified 2,000-fold from pig brain. The enzyme preparation migrates as a single protein and activity band on analytical gel electrophoresis. Pyridoxal kinase, 60,000 molecular weight, catalyzes the phosphorylation of pyridoxal (Km = 2.5 x 10(-5) M) and pyridoxine (Km = 1.7 x 10(-5) M). Pyridoxamine is not a substrate of the purified kinase. Irradiation of the kinase in the presence of riboflavin leads to irreversible loss of catalytic activity. Riboflavin binds to the kinase with a KD = 5 microM as shown by fluorometric titrations. Singlet excited oxygen, generated by energy transfer from the lowest triplet of riboflavin to oxygen, acts as the oxidizing agent of approximately one histidine residue per mol of enzyme. The amino acid residues tyrosine, tryptophan, and cysteine are not photooxidized by the sensitizer bound to the enzyme. It is postulated that histidine is involved in the binding of the substrate ATP to the catalytic site of pyridoxal kinase.     

Cyclid 3':5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase. Interconvertible multiple forms and their effects on enzyme activity and kinetics.

An extract of rat liver or human platelet displayed three cyclic 3':5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity peaks (I, II, and III) in a continuous sucrose density gradient when assayed with millimolar adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP) or guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cGMP). The three fractions obtained from each nucleotide were not superimposable. The molecular weights corresponding to the three activity peaks of cAMP phosphodiesterase in rat liver were approximately: I, 22,000; II, 75,000; and III, 140,000. In both tissues, fraction I was barely detectable when assayed with micromolar concentrations of either nucleotide, presumably because fraction I has low affinity for cAMP and cGMP. Any one of the three forms upon recentrifugation on the gradient generated the others, indicating that they were interconvertible. The multiple forms appear to represent different aggregated states of the enzyme. The ratio of the three forms of cAMP phosphodiesterase in the platelet was shifted by dibutyryl cAMP (B2cAMP) and by the enzyme concentration. B2cAMP enhanced the formation of fraction I. Low enzyme concentration favored the equilibrium towards fraction I, while high enzyme concentration favored fraction III. When phosphodiesterase activities in the extract of rat liver, human platelets, or bovine brain were examined as a function of enzyme concentration, rectilinear rates were observed with micromolar, but not with millimolar cAMP or cGMP. The specific activity with millimolar cAMP was higher with low than with high protein concentrations, suggesting that the dissociated form catalyzed the hydrolysis of cAMP faster than that of the associated form. In contrast, the specific activity with millimolar cGMP was lower with low than with high protein concentrations. Supplementing the reaction mixture with bovine serum albumin to a final constant protein concentration did not affect the activity, suggesting that the concentration of the enzyme rather than that of extraneous proteins affected the enzyme activity. A change in enzyme concentration affected the kinetic properties of phosphodiesterase. A low enzyme concentration of cAMP phosphodiesterase yielded a linear Lineweaver-Burk plot, and a Km of 1.2 X 10(-4) M (bovine), 3 X 10(-5) M (platelet), or 5 X 10(-4) M (liver), while a high enzyme concentration yielded a nonlinear plot, and apparent Km values of 1.4 X 10(-4) M and 2 X 10(-5) M (brain), 4 X 10(-5) M and 3 X 10(-6) M (platelet), or 4 X 10(-5) M and 3 X 10(-6) (liver). Since a low enzyme concentration favored fraction I, the dissociated form, whereas a high enzyme concentration favored fraction III, the associated form, these kinetic constants suggest that the dissociated form exhibits a high Km and the associated form exhibits a low Km. In contrast, a high enzyme concentration gave a linear kinetic plot for cGMP phosphodiesterase, while a low enzyme concentration gave a nonlinear plot...     

Purification and various properties of pantothenate kinase from the rat liver

Homogeneous (according to disc gel electrophoresis data) ATP: D-pantothenate-4'-phosphotransferase (pantothenate kinase, EC 2.7.1.33) was obtained from rat liver cytosol of heterogeneous stock rats. The enzyme was purified 199-fold with a 9.3% yield. The enzyme was relatively unstable but retained its activity in the presence of 10% glycerol containing 5.10(-4) M ATP over 10 days at 4 degrees C. The pH optimum was 6.5; the apparent Km values were equal to 1.2 X 10(-5) M and 1.4 X 10(-3) M for pantothenate and ATP, respectively, at the ATP/Mg2+ ratio of 1. Pantetheine produced a competitive inhibition of pantothenate kinase. Pantethine or pantetheine disulfide did not inhibit the enzyme.     

beta-Galactosidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Several strains of thermophilic aerobic spore-forming bacilli synthesize beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) constitutively. The constitutivity is apparently not the result of a temperature-sensitive repressor. The beta-galactosidase from one strain, investigated in cell-free extracts, has a pH optimum between 6.0 and 6.4 and a very sharp pH dependence on the acid side of its optimum. The optimum temperature for this enzyme is 65 degrees C and the Arrhenius activation energy is about 24 kcal/mol below 47 degrees C and 16 kcal/mol above that temperature. At 55 degrees C the Km is 0.11 M for lactose and 9.8 X 10(-3) M for 9-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside. The enzyme is strongly product-inhibited by galactose (Ki equals 2.5 X 10(-3) M). It is relatively stable at 50 degrees C, losing only half of its activity after 20 days at this temperature. At 60 degrees C more than 60% of the activity is lost in 10 min. However, the enzyme is protected somewhat against thermal inactivation by protein, and in the presence of 4 mg/ml of bovine serum albumin the enzyme is only 18% inactivated in 10 min at 60 degrees C. Its molecular weight, estimated by disc gel electrophoresis, is 215 000.     

Purification and general properties of guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase from guinea pig fetal lung.

Guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic GMP)-dependent protein kinase was purified from the guinea pig fetal lung, a tissue shown to be the richest in this enzyme in all mammalian sources examined, and its general properties studied. The enzyme was purified 150-fold from crude extract by steps of pH 5.4 isoelectric precipitation, Sephadex G-200 filtration, hydroxylapatite treatment and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The purified enzyme, free from contamination with adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP)-dependent protein kinase, had a specific activity at least equivalent to 600-fold purification of the enzyme from the adult lung. The pulmonary enzyme exhibited an absolute requirement of protein kinase modulator (prepared from various mammalian tissues with an exception of skeletal muscle) for its activity. Inhibitor protein of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase purified from rabbit skeletal muscle could not stimulate nor inhibit the cyclic GMP target enzyme, indicating the factors from mammalian sources regulating the two classes of protein kinases may not be the same. The enzyme had Ka values of 1.3 times 10(-8) and 3.3 times 10(-8) M for 8-bromo cyclic GMP and cyclic GMP, respectively, compared to 3.0 times 10(-6) M for cyclic AMP. Cyclic GMP lowered the Km of the enzyme for ATP from 6.3 times 10(-5) M in its absence to 2.1 times 10(-5) M in its presence, accompanied by an approximate doubling of the Vmax. The molecular weight of the enzyme (assayed by its catalytic and cyclic GMP-binding abilities) was estimated to be 123,000, corresponding to a sedimendation coefficient of 7.06 S, by means of sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. The cyclic GMP-dependent enzyme required Mg2+ and Co2+ for its activity with optimal concentrations of about 30 and 0.7 mM, respectively. The maximal activity seen in the presence of Mg2+, however, was nearly twice as high as that seen in the presence of Co2+. Histones were generally effective substrates for the enzyme, whereas protamine, casein, phosvitin, phosphorylase kinase, and activator protein of phosphodiesterase were not. The cyclic GMP-dependent enzyme exhibited a greater affinity for histones than did the cyclic AMP-dependent enzyme in the presence of Mg2+.