Pancreas, acid phosphatase

Phosphates of pharmaceutical interest are often monoesters (Sect. 9.3), and the enzymes that are able to hydrolyze them include alkaline and acid phosphatases. Alkaline phosphatase (alkaline phosphomonoesterase, EC 3.1.3.1) is a nonspecific esterase of phosphoric monoesters with an optimal pH for catalysis of ca. 8 [140], In the presence of a phosphate acceptor such as 2-aminoethanol, the enzyme also catalyzes a transphosphorylation reaction involving transfer of the phosphoryl group to the alcohol. Alkaline phosphatase is bound extracellularly to membranes and is widely distributed, in particular in the pancreas, liver, bile, placenta, and osteoplasts. Its specific functions in mammals remain poorly understood, but it seems to play an important role in modulation by osteoplasts of bone mineralization. 

Beckman et al. (28) have studied the electrophoretic separation of the acid phosphatase activity in tissue extracts on starch gel at pH 8. They described four electrophoretic bands A, B, C, and D. Table IV (28) shows the distribution of activity in different organ extracts. The ABD pattern predominated in kidney BD in liver, intestine, heart, and skeletal muscle B in skin and D in pancreas. The C component was present in a large number of placentae but not in other adult organs. All four electrophoretic components were inhibited by d-(- -)-tartrate A contained sialic acid, D had a lower pH optimum and was more heat resistant than A, B, and C. Components C and D showed parallel electrophoretic behavior. In human skin fibroblasts grown in tissue culture, the acid phosphatase was generally high and the most common pattern was BD. Almost every culture showed some activity. The BD... 

The centrifugal method of separation employed by Van Lancker and Holtzer (V2) was among the earlier ones in the field, and there was probably considerable cross contamination of the fractions. Nonetheless, the distribution seems more disperse than that obtained by de Duve et al. (DIO) for rat liver with a comparable method. For example, in the case of the mouse pancreas the small mitochondrial fractions, c, d, and e, obtained by centrifugation between 17 X 10 and 263 X 10 gr-min contained 27% of the acid phosphatase and the succeeding microsomal fractions, f and g, obtained by centrifugations between 263 X 10 g-min and 3170 X 10 g-min, contained 24% of the acid phosphatase (V2). For rat liver, comparable fractions, obtained by centrifugation between 33 X 10 to 250 X 10 g-min and 250 X 10 to 3000 X 10 g-min contained 41 and 20%, respectively (DIO). 

Lactate dehydrogenase (human isoenzyme) Prostatic acid phosphatase (hmnan prostate) Alanine aminotransferase (pig heart) r a-Amylase (human pancreas)... 

The following three characteristic mammalian liver and kidney enzymes are absent from muscle catalase, xanthine oxidase, and D-amino oxidase. The distribution of many other enzymes in mammals is limited to particular organs. Thus arginase occurs only in the liver, alkaline phosphatase in the intestinal mucosa, acid phosphatase in kidney, spleen, and prostate, 5-nucleotidase in the testis, and a-mannosidase in the epididymis (see Table 4.6). The blood is disproportionately rich in carbonic anhydrase, and the pancreas in ribonuclease. Glutamine synthetase, which condenses... 

Acid phosphatase r kidney < spleen Ribonuclease Glutamine synthetase pancreas I brain... 

In the small intestine, ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease I, which are secreted in the pancreatic juice, hydrolyze nucleic acids mainly to oligonucleotides. The oligonucleotides are further hydrolyzed by phosphodiesterases, also secreted by the pancreas, to yield 5 - and 3 -mononucleotides. Most of the mononucleotides are then hydrolyzed to nucleosides by various group-specific nucleotidases or by a variety of nonspecific phosphatases. The resulting nucleosides may be absorbed intact by the intestinal mucosa, or they may un-... 

Dietary uptake of purine and pyrimidine bases is minimal. The diet contains nucleic acids and the exocrine pancreas secretes deoxyribonuclease and ribonucle-ase, along with the proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes. This enables digested nucleic acids to be converted to nucleotides. The intestinal epithelial cells contain alkaline phosphatase activity, which will convert nucleotides to nucleosides. Other enzymes within the epithelial cells tend to metabolize the nucleosides to uric acid, or to salvage them for their own needs. Approximately 5% of ingested nucleotides will make it into the circulation, either as the free base or as a nucleoside. Because of the minimal dietary uptake of these important molecules, de novo synthesis of purines and pyrimidines is required. 

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