Properties of an alkaline phosphatase from the dinoflagellate Peridinium cinctum

• 1.1. Alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) from the dinoflagellate Peridinium cinctum, the Lake Kinneret bloom alga, has been partially purified by gel filtration.
• 2.2. The enzyme could be easily extracted using a distilled water/chloroform mixture suggesting that the alkaline phosphatase of Peridinium is particularly labile.
• 3.3. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated as 158,000 ± 5000. The enzyme showed a broad pH optimum (in the range pH 8.0–8.5), had a K_m of 0.45 mM for p-nitrophenylphosphate as substrate and was stable to repeated freeze/thawing cycles.
• 4.4. The enzyme was strongly activated by Mg²⁺ whereas Zn²⁺ (and to a lesser extent Cd²⁺) was an effective inhibitor of the enzyme. Cu²⁺ activated the enzyme at low concentrations, although at higher concentrations inhibited the enzyme. This effect of metals on the Peridinium alkaline phosphatase could be environmentally important since underwater hot springs, containing high concentrations of copper, enter the lake.