Phosphatases phenolphthalein phosphate

Alkaline phosphatase catalyzes the dephosphorylation of a mmber of artificial substrates ( ) including 3-glycerophosphate, phenylphosphate, p-nitrophenylphosphate, thymolphthalein phosphate, and phenolphthalein phosphate. In addition, as shown recently for bacterial and human enzymes, alkaline phosphatase simultaneously catalyzes the transphosphorylation of a suitable substance which accepts the phosphoryl radical, thereby preventing the accumulation of phosphate in the reaction mediim (25). 

Alkaline phosphomonoesterase (EC 3.1.3.1). The existence of a phosphatase in milk was first recognized in 1925. Subsequently characterized as an alkaline phosphatase, it became significant when it was shown that the time-temperature combinations required for the thermal inactivation of alkaline phosphatase were slightly more severe than those required to destroy Mycobacterium tuberculosis, then the target micro-organism for pasteurization. The enzyme is readily assayed, and a test procedure based on alkaline phosphatase inactivation was developed for routine quality control of milk pasteurization. Several major modifications of the test have been developed. The usual substrates are phenyl phosphate, p-nitrophenyl-phosphate or phenolphthalein phosphate which are hydrolysed to inorganic phosphate and phenol, p-nitrophenol or phenolphthalein, respectively ... 

H18. Huggins, C., and Talalay, P., Sodium phenolphthalein phosphate as a substrate for phosphatase tests. J. Biol. Chem. 159, 399-410 (1945). 

However, the acid phosphatase activity of rat iiver lysosomes has recently been resolved into at least two enzymes [531]. Acid phosphatase is used in subcellular fractionation studies as a marker enzyme for lysosomes. Both acid phosphatase [E.C. 3.1.3.2] and alkaline phosphatase [E.C. 3.1.3.1] activities should not be confused with other specific phosphatases with high specificity requirements for substrate, e.g. glucose-6-phos-phatase, fructose-l,6-diphosphatase, phosphatidate phosphatase. Several assay procedures are available, u.v. estimation can be achieved using phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate and lactate dehydrogenase in an indicator reaction [539]. Colorimetric assays can be based upon the liberation of phenol from phenylphosphate [540], upon the Uberation of phosphate from sodium /3-glycerophosphate [541], upon the hydrolysis of sodium phenolphthalein phosphate [542], or upon the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate [543]. 

In practice it is often more convenient to measure the release of a phenol from an aryl phosphomonoester. Standard serum phosphatase methods employ phenyl phosphate (188), p-nitrophenyl phosphate (189), phenolphthalein monophosphate (140), or thymolphthalein monophosphate (141) where the phenol released can be determined spectrophoto-metrically [only the Bodansky method (13) uses a Pi determination]. A number of fluorogenic substrates have been used for phosphatase studies, e.g., jS-naphthyl phosphate (30, 148), 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (143), and 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphate (144) The main advantage here is the much greater sensitivity of fluorescence as compared with spectrophotometric assays as little as 1 pmole of 4-methyl-umbelliferone can be detected in continuous assay. 

Appleyard (64) noted that addition of ethanol to incubation mixtures of sodium phenolphthalein diphosphate with prostatic extract increased the rate of free phenolphthalein formation. Phosphate ion failed to show a comparable increase, and this discrepancy was attributed to transphosphorylation. Phosphoryl transfer may be effected by prostatic phosphatase to acceptors other than solvent (65-67). Nigam and Fishman (25) studied phosphoryl transfer under conditions of 60-80% transfer to an acceptor. In the case of 1,4-butanediol, the optimal concentration was 0.8 M. In this experiment, water molecules outnumbered acceptor molecules by 55/0.8 or 70-fold. In spite of this, transfer far exceeded hydrolysis. Phosphoryl transfer to aliphatic alcohols can be easily measured when phosphates are used as donor compounds. The difference between alcohol formation from the substrate and phosphate ion production is a measure of the transfer reaction. Table IX (25) shows that four different substrates can transfer phosphoryl to butanediol with high efficiency. Table X (25) shows that aliphatic alcohols are good acceptors... 

As we have seen, practically all the methods on the determination of acid phosphatase activity in serum are calculated upon the amount of reaction product, such as inorganic phosphate, phenolphthalein, or p-nitrophenol, that would be produced under the conditions stated for the method by 100 ml of serum or, as in the method of Hudson et al. (H15), by 1 liter of serum. In the case of the acid phosphatase activity of tissues, some other basis for calculation is used, although the method may be the same as that used for serum. 

We have already discussed the properties of human erythrocytic acid phosphatase (Section 3.3), and we pointed out that, like acid phosphate in other tissues, it may exist in several isoenzymatic forms. In 1963, Hopkinson et al. (H13) subjected hemolysates of human red cells from an English population to horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis for 17 hours at 5°C. The gels were then sliced horizontally, covered with 0.05 M phenolphthalein sodium diphosphate at pH 6.0, and allowed to incubate for 3 hours at 37°C. Five different electrophoretic patterns of acid phosphatase activity could be distinguished in different individuals. Shortly thereafter Lai and his associates (L2) confirmed these findings and discovered an additional sixth pattern which had been predicted by Hopkinson et al. (H13). The distribution of these patterns in various types of population was assiduously pursued within the next several years, and several new ones were discovered in Negro populations (G3, K2). 

Fig. 3 Structures of chromogenic phosphatase substrates (a) Para-nitrophenyl phosphate (b) phenolphthalein monophosphate (c) thymolphthalein monophosphate...

A number of substrates can be used for this enzyme. Two common ones are />-nitrophenyl phosphate and phenolphthalein diphosphate (Figure 6.8). In the case of />-nitrophenyl phosphate the />-nitrophenol released is bright yellow in alkaline solution and can be assayed spectrophotometrically. The test is used for the differentiation of streptococci. A variation on this test determines the phosphatase present in cow s milk as a measure of the efficiency of pasteurisation. 

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