Activity and thermal stability of acid phosphatase in homogenates of Amoeba proteus, acclimated to various temperatures

Activity and thermoresistance of acid phosphatase were determined in supernatant of Amoeba proteus homogenates using 1-naphthyl phosphate (pH 4.0) and p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pH 5.5). Although tartrate-resistant and tartrate-sensitive acid phosphatases hydrolyse both substrates, the former mainly hydrolyses p-nitrophenyl phosphate and the latter 1-naphthyl phosphate. A decrease in the activity of the total and tartrate-sensitive acid phosphatases, when using 1-naphthyl phosphate, and of the total and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases, when using p-nitrophenyl phosphate, was found in amoebae acclimated to 10 degrees C (10 degrees-amoebae) compared to those acclimated to 25 degrees C (25 degrees-amoebae). Using 1-naphthyl phosphate, the thermoresistance of the total acid phosphatase was lower in 10 degrees-amoebae than in 25 degrees-amoebae, but the thermostability of tartrate-resistant enzyme was the same in both groups of amoebae. Using p-nitrophenyl phosphate, the thermoresistance of the total and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases was lower (the latter only slightly) in 10 degrees-amoebae than in 25 degrees-amoebae. It is suggested that at least with the use of 1-naphthyl phosphate a decrease in thermostability of the total acid phosphatase may be due to a decrease in thermoresistance of tartrate-sensitive enzyme. The results obtained confirm the author's previous data on the activity and thermostability of electrophoretic forms of acid phosphatase using 2-naphthyl phosphate in 10- and 25 degrees-amoebae (Sopina, 2001). It is the first case of discovering a correlation between changes in primary cell thermoresistance of amoebae cultured at different temperatures and changes in the activity and thermostability of acid phosphatase in their homogenates, with the number of electrophoretic forms of this enzyme and their mobility being permanent.     

Purification and properties of an acid phosphoprotein phosphatase from Tetrahymena pyriformis

A cytosolic acid phosphoprotein phosphatase was purified by ion exchange (DEAE-Biogel A, DE-52) and hydrophobic (Phenyl-Sepharose) chromatography. The purified phosphoprotein phosphatase was homogeneous as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under native or denature conditions. The enzyme has a Mr of 90.000. The Km value and the optimum pH determined with p-nitrophenyl phosphate was 0.3 mM and 4.0, respectively. The enzyme is inhibited by NaF, ATP, 5'-pyridoxal phosphate and slightly activated by divalent cations.     

A dolichyl phosphate-cleaving acid phosphatase from Tetrahymena pyriformis.

Tetrahymena pyriformis contains an enzyme which hydrolyzed dolichyl phosphate. This activity was solubilized from lyophilized samples of this organism and was relatively stable when stored frozen. The soluble enzyme preparation had an acid pH optimum and hydrolyzed both dolichyl and phytanyl phosphates at equivalent rates. The polyprenylphosphate phosphatase activity was compared with the acid phosphatases which hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl phosphate and marked differences were found. Dolichyl phosphate hydrolysis required Mg2+ for maximum activity while the bulk of the phosphatase activity was not effected by the absence of this ion. Other differences were that the polyprenylphosphate phosphatase was relatively insensitive to inhibitors such as tartrate and vanadium oxide sulfate which had a pronounced effect on the rate of p-nitrophenyl phosphate hydrolysis. The two activities also appeared to have different subcellular distributions. The polyprenylphosphate phosphatase was markedly inhibited by ethoxy formic anhydride, a reagent which is active against enzymes containing a histidine residue at their active site, while p-nitrophenyl phosphate hydrolysis was unaffected. The polyprenylphosphate phosphatase may be important in regulating the level of dolichyl phosphate in T. pyriformis and thus the rate of glycoprotein synthesis. It is also a useful tool which is capable of liberating dolichol from dolichyl phosphate under mild conditions which will permit the further characterization of the polyprenols.     

Role of ATP and enzyme-bound nascent peptides in the control of elongation for mycobacillin synthesis.

The presence of a Zn2+-dependent acid p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) in bovine liver was described. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity and migrates as a single band during electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. The enzyme requires Zn2+ ions for catalytic activity, other bivalent cations have little or no effect. The enzyme, of Mr 118,000, optimum pH 6-6.2 and pI 7.4-7.5, was inhibited by EDTA, tartrate, adenine and ATP, but not by fluoride. The common phosphate esters are poor substrates for the enzyme, which hydrolyses preferentially p-nitrophenyl phosphate and o-carboxyphenyl phosphate. The Zn2+-dependent acid p-nitrophenyl phosphatase of bovine liver was different from the high-Mr acid phosphatases previously detected in mammalian tissues.     

Phosphotyrosyl-specific protein phosphatase activity of a bovine skeletal acid phosphatase isoenzyme. Comparison with the phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase activity of skeletal alkaline phosphatase

A partially purified bovine cortical bone acid phosphatase, which shared similar characteristics with a class of acid phosphatase known as tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, was found to dephosphorylate phosphotyrosine and phosphotyrosyl proteins, with little activity toward other phosphoamino acids or phosphoseryl histones. The pH optimum was about 5.5 with p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate but was about 6.0 with phosphotyrosine and about 7.0 with phosphotyrosyl histones. The apparent Km values for phosphotyrosyl histones (at pH 7.0) and phosphotyrosine (at pH 5.5) were about 300 nM phosphate group and 0.6 mM, respectively, The p-nitrophenyl phosphatase, phosphotyrosine phosphatase, and phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase activities appear to be a single protein since these activities could not be separated by Sephacryl S-200, CM-Sepharose, or cellulose phosphate chromatographies, he ratio of these activities remained relatively constant throughout the purification procedure, each of these activities exhibited similar thermal stabilities and similar sensitivities to various effectors, and phosphotyrosine and p-nitrophenyl phosphate appeared to be alternative substrates for the acid phosphatase. Skeletal alkaline phosphatase was also capable of dephosphorylating phosphotyrosyl histones at pH 7.0, but the activity of that enzyme was about 20 times greater at pH 9.0 than at pH 7.0. Furthermore, the affinity of skeletal alkaline phosphatase for phosphotyrosyl proteins was low (estimated to be 0.2-0.4 mM), and its protein phosphatase activity was not specific for phosphotyrosyl proteins, since it also dephosphorylated phosphoseryl histones. In summary, these data suggested that skeletal acid phosphatase, rather than skeletal alkaline phosphatase, may act as phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase under physiologically relevant conditions.     

High affinity of acid phosphatase encoded by PHO3 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for thiamin phosphates

The enzymatic properties of acid phosphatase (orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.2) encoded by PHO3 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is repressed by thiamin and has thiamin-binding activity at pH 5.0, were investigated to study physiological functions. The following results led to the conclusion that thiamin-repressible acid phosphatase physiologically catalyzes the hydrolysis of thiamin phosphates in the periplasmic space of S. cerevisiae, thus participating in utilization of the thiamin moiety of the phosphates by yeast cells: (a) thiamin-repressible acid phosphatase showed Km values of 1.6 and 1.7 microM at pH 5.0 for thiamin monophosphate and thiamin pyrophosphate, respectively. These Km values were 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than those (0.61 and 1.7 mM) for p-nitrophenyl phosphate; (b) thiamin exerted remarkable competitive inhibition in the hydrolysis of thiamin monophosphate (Ki 2.2 microM at pH 5.0), whereas the activity for p-nitrophenyl phosphate was slightly affected by thiamin; (c) the inhibitory effect of inorganic phosphate, which does not repress the thiamin-repressible enzyme, on the hydrolysis of thiamin monophosphate was much smaller than that of p-nitrophenyl phosphate. Moreover, the modification of thiamin-repressible acid phosphatase of S. cerevisiae with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide resulted in the complete loss of thiamin-binding activity and the Km value of the modified enzyme for thiamin monophosphate increased nearly to the value of the native enzyme for p-nitrophenyl phosphate. These results also indicate that the high affinity of the thiamin-repressible acid phosphatase for thiamin phosphates is due to the thiamin-binding properties of this enzyme.     

Polyamine-mediated turnover of ornithine decarboxylase in Chinese-hamster ovary cells.

The major secreted isoenzyme of human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP) (EC 3.1.3.2), which catalyses p-nitrophenyl phosphate (PNPP) hydrolysis at acid pH values, was found to have phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase activity since it dephosphorylated three different phosphotyrosine-containing protein substrates. Several lines of evidence are presented to show that the phosphotyrosyl phosphatase and PAcP are the same enzyme. A highly purified PAcP enzyme preparation which contains a single N-terminal peptide sequence was used to test for the phosphotyrosyl phosphatase activity. Both activities comigrated during gel filtration by high performance liquid chromatography. Phosphotyrosyl phosphatase activity and PNPP acid phosphatase activity exhibited similar sensitivities to different effectors. Both phosphatase activities showed the same thermal stability. Specific anti-PAcP antibody reacted to the same extent with both phosphatase activities. PNPP acid phosphatase activity was competitively inhibited by the phosphotyrosyl phosphatase substrate. To characterize further the phosphotyrosyl phosphatase activity, the Km values using different phosphoprotein substrates were determined. The apparent Km values for phosphorylated angiotensin II, anti-pp60src immunoglobulin G and casein were in the nM range for phosphotyrosine residues, which was about 50-fold lower than the Km for phosphoserine residues in casein.     

Human liver acid phosphatases.

Human liver contains three chromatographically distinct forms of non-specific acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2). Acid phosphatases I, II and III have molecular weights of greater than 200 000, of 107 000, and of 13 400, respectively. Following partial purification, isoenzyme II was obtained as a single activity band, as assessed by activity staining with p-nitrophenyl phosphate and alpha-naphthyl phosphate on polyacrylamide gels run at several pH values. With 50mM p-nitrophenyl phosphate as a substrate, enzymes II and III exhibit plateaus of activity over the pH range 3 - 5 and 3.5 - 6, respectively.Acid phosphatase II is not significantly inhibited by 0.5% formaldehyde. The activity of human liver acid phosphatase II and of human prostatic acid phosphatase towards several substrates is compared. The liver enzyme, is marked contrast to the prostatic enzyme, does not hydrolyze O-phosphoryl choline.     

Release and activation of a particulate bound acid phosphatase from Tetrahymena pyriformis.

A sedimentable form of acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) from Tetrahymena pyriformis was found to be solubilized by Triton X-100. The total enzyme activity in the insoluble cell fraction increased almost 200% upon solubilization with Triton X-100 or Nonidet P-40. Removal of membrane lipids and Triton X-100 from the particulate wash solution with a chloroform extraction resulted in non-specific enzyme-protein aggregation which was reversible upon addition of Triton X-100. The results indicate that this acid phosphatase is an integral membrane protein. The pH optima for this particulate bound acid phosphatase was 3.5 with o-carboxyphenyl phosphate and 4.0 with p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrates. The Km values of each substrate were 3.1 and 0.031 mM, respectively.     

Isolation and biochemical characteristics of a molecular form of epididymal acid phosphatase of boar seminal plasma

The fluid of boar epididymis is characterized by a high activity of acid phosphatase (AcP), which occurs in three molecular forms. An efficient procedure was developed for the purification of a molecular form of epididymal acid phosphatase from boar seminal plasma. We focused on the epididymal molecular form, which displayed the highest electrophoretic mobility. The purification procedure (dialysis, ion exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography and hydroxyapatite chromatography) used in this study gave more than 7000-fold purification of the enzyme with a yield of 50%. The purified enzyme was homogeneous by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The purified molecular form of the enzyme is a thermostable 50kDa glycoprotein, with a pI value of 7.1 and was highly resistant to inhibitors of acid phosphatase when p-nitrophenyl phosphate was used as the substrate. Hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate by the purified enzyme was maximally active at pH of 4.3; however, high catalytic activity of the enzyme was within the pH range of 3.5-7.0. Kinetic analysis revealed that the purified enzyme exhibited affinity for phosphotyrosine (K(m)=2.1x10(-3)M) and was inhibited, to some extent, by sodium orthovanadate, a phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of boar epididymal acid phosphatase is ELRFVTLVFR, which showed 90% homology with the sequence of human, mouse or rat prostatic acid phosphatase. The purification procedure described allows the identification of the specific biochemical properties of a molecular form of epididymal acid phosphatase, which plays an important role in the boar epididymis.     

Steady state kinetics and effect of SH inhibitors on acid phosphatase from bovine brain.

1. Product inhibition studies and transphosphorylation to methanol using two different substrates indicate that acid phosphatase from bovine brain forms a phosphoryl enzyme and that the phosphorylation step can not be rate limiting. 2. Acid phosphatase from bovine brain is inhibited by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid); this inhibition can be counteracted by inorganic phosphate. Incubation of the enzyme with p-nitrophenyl phosphate in the presence of p-chloromercuribenzoate leads, initially, to a higher degree of inhibition than that found with the same concentration of inhibitor in the absence of substrate. Both the titration by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) and inhibition by p-chloromercuribenzoate are consistant with the presence of 2 SH groups per mol of enzyme.     

Isolation and characterization of a high molecular weight protein phosphatase from rabbit skeletal muscle

A high molecular weight protein phosphatase (phosphatase H-II) was isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle. The enzyme had a Mr = 260,000 as determined by gel filtration and possessed two types of subunit, of Mr = 70,000 and 35,000, respectively, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. On ethanol treatment, the enzyme was dissociated to an active species of Mr = 35,000. The purified phosphatase dephosphorylated lysine-rich histone, phosphorylase a, glycogen synthase, and phosphorylase kinase. It dephosphorylated both the alpha- and beta-subunit phosphates of phosphorylase kinase, with a preference for the dephosphorylation of the alpha-subunit phosphate over the beta-subunit phosphate of phosphorylase kinase. The enzyme also dephosphorylated p-nitrophenyl phosphate at alkaline pH. Phosphatase H-II is distinct from the major phosphorylase phosphatase activities in the muscle extracts. Its enzymatic properties closely resemble that of a Mr = 33,500 protein phosphatase (protein phosphatase C-II) isolated from the same tissue. However, despite their similarity of enzymatic properties, the Mr = 35,000 subunit of phosphatase H-II is physically different from phosphatase C-II as revealed by their different sizes on sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. On trypsin treatment of the enzyme, this subunit is converted to a form which is a similar size to phosphatase C-II.     

Enzymatic catalysis in a supercritical fluid

The enzyme alkaline phosphatase, EC 3. 1. 3. 1, was found to be active in a supercritical carbo dioxide solvent system. A batch reaction of disodium p-nitrophenyl phosphate with a 0.1 vol. % water solution in supercritical CO₂ at 100 atm and 35°C produced p-nitrophenol when catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase.     

Presence and androgen control of an alkaline phosphatase in the nucleus of rat ventral prostate.

The presence of alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) activity has been demonstrated in nuclei of rat ventral prostate. This enzyme activity remained after washing of isolated nuclei with 0.5% Triton X-100; an acid phosphatase initially present with the nuclear fraction was removed by this treatment. The nuclear alkaline phosphatase, examined by utilizing p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate, had a pH optimum of 9.5-10.3, and a broad substrate specificity: p-nitrophenyl phosphate greater than phosphothreonine greater than beta-glycerophosphate greater than phosphoserine. The nuclear phosphatase was sensitive to denaturation by heat or urea treatments and was also inhibited by Pi, L-phenylalanine, homoarginine, dithiothreitol, and EDTA. The EDTA-inhibited enzyme was maximally reactivated by Zn2+, although Mg2+, or Ca2+ were also effective at somewhat higher concentrations. Orchiectomy of adult rats resulted in an increase in the nuclear alkaline phosphatase activity (2-3-fold at 24 or 48 h postorchiectomy). A decline in the protein: DNA ratio also occurred following orchiectomy, but the increase in phosphatase specific activity was evident whether expressed per unit of protein or per unit of DNA. Testosterone replacement following orchiectomy abolished the increase in nuclear phosphatase activity. The results suggest that the prostatic nuclear alkaline phosphatase may be involved in events related to inactivation of the prostate nucleus following androgen deprivation.     

Staphylococcal acid phosphatase: preliminary physical and chemical characterization of the loosely bound enzyme

At temperatures between 45 and 50 C, staphylococcal acid phosphatase purified 44-fold had maximal activity at pH 5.2 to 5.3. However, the enzyme was most stable in the alkaline range (pH 8.5 to 9.5) at temperatures below 50 C. Iodoacetate and ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid were effective inhibitors, whereas mercaptoethanol and Cu(2+) acted as stimulators. The energy of activation for hydrolytic cleavage of the synthetic substrate, p-nitrophenyl phosphate, was 19.5 Kcal/mole. K(m) for the same substrate was 4.5 x 10(-4)m. The purified enzyme was most active against the substrates p-nitrophenyl phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate.     

Comparative studies of acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in nonvascular smooth muscle membranes

Acid and alkaline phosphosphatase activities of subcellular fractions isolated from rat gastric muscle and vas deferens by differential centrifugation, sucrose density gradient and cation-induced aggregation methods were studied using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate. Alkaline phosphatase and a large portion of acid phosphatase activities were found to be of plasmalemmal origin. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were different in the effect of Mg2+, fluoride, vanadate, EDTA and resistance to heat inactivation suggesting that these two phosphatase activities were not expressed by the same enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of acid phosphatase from cotyledons of germinating soybean seeds

Soybean acid phosphatase (orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.2) was completely separated from phytase (EC 3.1.3.8) isolated from cotyledons of germinating seeds and purified to homogeneity. A four-step purification regimen consisting of ammonium sulfate fractionation, and ion-exchange, affinity, and chromatofocusing gel chromatographies was employed to achieve a homogeneous preparation. Acid phosphatase activity appeared as a major band of the three forms of acid phosphatase identified on native gels. The purified enzyme had a molecular weight of 53,000 when electrophoresed on 8% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a molecular weight of 53,000 from its mobility in a Fracto-gel TSK HW-50F gel permeation column. The molar extinction coefficient of the enzyme at 278 nm was estimated to be 4.2 X 10(4) M-1 cm-1. The isoelectric point of the protein, as revealed by chromatofocusing, was about 6.7. The optimal pH for activity, like other plant acid phosphatases, was 5.0. While the enzyme failed to accommodate phytate as a substrate, the enzyme did exhibit a broad substrate selectivity. The affinity of the enzyme for p-nitrophenyl phosphate was high (Km = 70 microM), and activity was competitively inhibited by orthophosphate (Ki = 280 microM). The estimated catalytic turnover number (Kcat) of the enzyme for p-nitrophenyl phosphate was about 430 per second. Although the purified enzyme was stable at 0 degrees C and exhibited maximum catalytic activity at 60 degrees C, thermal inactivation studies indicated that the enzyme lost 100% activity after treatment at 68 degrees C for 10 min.     

Purification and characterization of an esterase isozyme involved in hydrolysis of organophosphorus compounds from an insecticide resistant pest, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctüidae)

An esterase isozyme was purified from the insecticide resistant pest, Helicoverpa armigera collected from field crops. Purification involved ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic interaction and ion exchange chromatography followed by gel filtration chromatography. The purification was 212-fold with 1% yield of the enzyme. The optimum pH of the isozyme was found to be 10.5 and 8.5 for p-nitrophenyl phosphate and paraoxon, respectively. The enzyme was unstable at temperature >50 degrees C. The molecular mass determined by SDS-PAGE was 66 kDa. Cations such as Hg(+2), Ag(+2), Cd(+2) inhibited the activity while Zn(+2) stimulated it. Kinetic studies indicated that the enzyme had low K(m) values of 0.238 and 0.348 mM for p-nitrophenyl phosphate and paraoxon, respectively. The enzyme had broad substrate specificity with high K(m) values for ATP, ADP and beta-glycerophosphate. This enzyme was partially sequenced and identified as an alkaline phosphatase.     

The Aspergillus nidulans pyrG89 mutation alters glycosylation of secreted acid phosphatase

The glycosylation level of the pacA-encoded acid phosphatase secreted by Aspergillus nidulans was reduced in strains pabaA1 pyroA4and pabaA1 pyroA4 pyrG89, compared to strains carrying these mutations singly. The molecular mass of the enzyme secreted by the triple mutant grown at pH 5.0 was 105 and 45 kDa as determined by exclusion chromatography and SDS-PAGE, respectively. In contrast, the pabaA1 strain secreted acid phosphatases of 119 and 62 kDa. The enzyme also had an altered electrophoretic mobility and glycosylation had a protective effect against its heat inactivation. Thus, this combination of mutants alters glycosylation of the enzyme, leading to changes in their structural properties. In spite of this, no deviation was observed in the apparent optimum pH and Michaelis kinetics for enzymatic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate or alpha-naphthyl phosphate.     

An azophenolic colorimetric reagent for use in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

A colorimetric reagent, 4-(4'-nitro-2'-methylsulfonylphenylazo)phenyl phosphate (NMPP), has been shown to be an effective substrate of alkaline phosphatase. NMPP and p-nitrophenyl phosphate were applied in comparative studies using enzyme immunoassays for the detection of viral antigens and antiviral antibodies. The new substrate exhibited similar, or even higher, sensitivity than p-nitrophenyl phosphate depending on the substrate concentrations used. Positive and negative reactions were easier to define, even without cumbersome equipment. The enzyme reaction was terminated by the uncompetitive inhibitor, theophylline.