Studies on nucleotidases in plants: dimerization of the crystalline mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase by 5′-adenosine monophosphate and the properties of the dimerized enzyme

Abstract

The addition of AMP to the crystalline and homogeneous mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase [EC 3.6.1.9]altered its electrophoretic mobility. AMP was tightly bound to the enzyme and was not removed on passage through a column of Sephadex G-25 or on electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the native and AMP-modified enzymes were 65,000 and 136,000, respectively. The properties of the native enzyme such as the pH (9.4) and temperature (49°C) optima, inhibition by EDTA, reversal of EDTA-inhibition by Zn²⁺ and Co²⁺, were not altered on dimerization by AMP. The AMP-modified enzyme had a linear time-course of reaction, unlike the native enzyme which exhibited a biphasic time-course of reaction. The AMP-modified enzyme was irreversibly denatured by urea. AMP concentrations larger than 100 μM inhibited linearly the activity of the AMP-modified enzyme. ADP and ATP inhibited the activity in a sigmoidal manner. K_m and V of the native and AMP-modified enzymes were, 0.25mM and 0.58mM ; and 3.3 and 2.5, respectively.