The distribution of enzymes involved in purine metabolism in rat kidney.

Adenosine produced from 5'-AMP has been proposed as a mediator of intrinsic renal regulation. The rates of 5'-AMP and adenosine metabolism are dependent on the activities of enzyme involved in purine metabolism. The activities of adenosine kinase (AK), adenosine deaminase (ADA), 5'-nucleotidase (5'-NT), AMP deaminase, xanthine oxidase and purine nucleoside phosphorylase were measured in cytosolic and membrane fractions from glomeruli, cortical tubules, medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (MTAL) and collecting duct prepared from rat kidney by combinations of sieving and sucrose density gradient centrifugation techniques. In the cytoplasm of glomeruli cells, the activity ratios of ADA/AK and AMP deaminase/5'-NT were 70 and 2.4, respectively. The highest activity of 5'-NT was found in membrane fractions of cortical tubules where it was equally distributed between luminal and antiluminal membranes. Membrane fractions of MTAL did not contain detectable amounts of adenosine deaminase activity. The highest activity of xanthine oxidase and purine nucleoside phosphorylase was in the cytoplasm fraction of glomeruli. These results suggest that deamination of AMP and adenosine may be favored in the cytoplasm of glomeruli cells. In contrast, in the extracellular space of glomeruli and especially in the cortical tubule, AMP can be converted preferentially to adenosine by 5'-NT.