Purification and properties of the allophanate hydrolase from Chlamydomonas reinhardii

Allophanate hydrolase was purified to homogeneity from extracts of Chlamydomonas reinhardii grown phototrophically using urea as sole source of nitrogen. The following sequence of steps comprised the purification procedure: (1) protamine sulfate precipitation; (2) ammonium sulfate fractionation; (3) poly(ethylene glycol) fractionation; (4) batch-wise DEAE-cellulose adsorption; (5) Sepharose 6-B gel filtration; (6) hydroxyapatite chromatography. This procedure yielded an allophanate hydrolase preparation which was homogenous as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight, as determined by gradient polyacrylamide electrophoresis and gel filtration, was 110 000 and 100 000, respectively. The pH optimum of this enzyme was approximately 9.0, while the K_m for allophanate was 0.55 mM. Allophanate hydrolase was sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide but was protected from this inhibition by allophanate. Malonic acid, oxaloacetic acid, and acetoacetic acid were inhibitory to allophanate hydrolysis.