Estimation of correlation of lactate dehydrogenase subunits mole quota based on differences in substrate inhibition

Summary A kinetic method of estimating the mole quota ratios of the human lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) H and M subunits based on differences in substrate inhibition of LDH isoenzymes by lactate is proposed. Stability of kinetic constants for a prolonged period of time is demonstrated. The dependence of the activity ratios on the contribution of the mole quota of the M-subunit of LDH is studied under conditions of low and high substrate concentrations. The experimental and theoretical values show the following correlation: r = 0.998; p < 0.001. A comparison of the method proposed with the electrophoretic method of LDH subunit estimation is made, the values obtained being in good agreement. No effect of the components of human diploid cell homogenate and only an insignificant effect of the blood serum components on the kinetic constants of LDH isoenzymes are shown. The applicability of the method to the estimation of the quantitative content of both LDH subunits in natural samples is demonstrated. The informational value of the method is compared to that of other standard methods of LDH isoenzyme estimation.The need of the rapid and reliable method for determination the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity of the H and M subunits has long been a matter of great importance, since the study of LDH isoenzymes is an indispensable part of clinical, genetical, cytological and herontological investigations.In 1960 PLAGEMANN et al. ¹ ,making use of different substrate inhibition of H₄ and M₄ isoenzymes LDH, developed a method for the estimation of the percent composition H and M subunits LDH within any given mixture of them. The method involves the assay of mixture of LDH isoenzymes in the presence of two different levels of pyruvate. The authors calculated the percent of each subunit in a mixture from the ratio of enzymatic activities at both high and a low concentration of pyruvate. Although this method was subsequently improved, both experimentally^2–S and theoretically⁶, its application was still impossible without first eliminating a great many problems. The problem of subunit interactions inside the enzyme molecule has not been settled. In addition, questions have not been raised about stability of the kinetic parameters', the reproducibility of the method, its applicability to the study of different objects and also the informational value of the experimental data.In our previous investigation^7,8, we have studied the kinetic properties of five purified isoenzymes of human lactate dehydrogenase and demonstrated the catalytic independence of the active sites of the LDH tetrameric molecules with respect to substrate inhibition.In the present report an attempt has been made to develop a kinetic method for the assay of M-polypeptide chains mole quotum of lactate dehydrogenase in natural specimens.