| Abstract: | Carbonate dehydratase was detected dissolved in the hemolymph of the tarantula, Eurypelma californicum. The enzyme was purified 31-fold by gel filtration, anion-exchange chromatography, a second gel filtration, and finally, preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Zinc content increased during purification to up to 2.4 mol Zn/100 000 g of protein (= 1.58 mg Zn/g protein). In the polyacrylamide electrophoresis of tarantula hemolymph under non-denaturing conditions three major protein bands were observed: hemocyanin, a 16 S lipoprotein and the active band which migrated closely behind the 16 S lipoprotein. After treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate both the carbonate dehydratase-active protein and the lipoprotein revealed bands corresponding to Mr = 95 000 and 110 000, respectively, but the enzymatically active protein revealed an additional third band with Mr = 40 000. The latter band is though to represent the 'true' carbonate dehydratase protein. Upon isoelectric focusing of material containing carbonate dehydratase activity and lipoprotein, bands were obtained at pH 5.45, 5.6 and 5.7. The band at pH 5.6 contained the peak of enzyme activity, and upon dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed the highest proportion of the 40-kDa polypeptide. It is concluded that tarantula carbonate dehydratase, instead of forming a high molecular mass aggregate, is associated with the 16 S lipoprotein, the latter serving as a carrier for the enzyme. The lipoprotein is probably also involved in other transport processes. It is present in great excess and may therefore occur in two forms, charged with carbonate dehydratase or uncharged. Tarantula carbonate dehydratase is inhibited by acetazolamide and by dansylamide, but not by a number of other known inhibitors, most notably not by 4-(aminomethyl)benzenesulfonamide. Treatment with 1M urea does not affect specific enzyme activity, while 2M urea inhibits by 50%. 2-Mercaptoethanol inhibits activity by 50% at 0.1M. Like other carbonate dehydratases, the tarantula enzyme shows esterase activity. The Km for 4-nitrophenyl acetate is 5mM. |
