| Abstract: | 1. Phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3) from Clostridium novyi (oedematiens) type A was purified 2000-fold by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex treatment in a batchwise system and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. 2. The purified preparation had a specific activity of 95 mumol per min per mg protein toward phosphatidylcholine. This preparation was free from protease, lipase and oxygen-labile delta-hemolysin. 3. Phosphatidylcholine was hydrolyzed at the highest rate, while sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine were hydrolyzed at much lower rates. 4. Sodium deoxycholate and divalent cations such as Mg2+ and Ca2+ were extremely effective in stimulating phosphatidylcholine-hydrolyzing activity of this enzyme. 5. This enzyme hemolyzed horse red cells by hydrolyzing phosphatidylcholine, spingomyelin and phosphatidylethanolamine. |
