A Calcium-Activated Phytase from Pollen of Lilium longiflorum.

A phytase was isolated and partially purified from the pollen of Lilium longiflorum Thumb. Optimum activity was at pH 8.0. The phytase was activated by Ca(2+) and Sr(2+) but not by the other divalent cations tested. Activity was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate. The phytase had a temperature optimum of 55 to 60 degrees C and an activation energy of about 12,700 calories/mole. Extraction of L. longiflorum pollen with 0.1% Triton X-100 increased recovery of the phytase by nearly 4-fold. The phytase had a molecular weight of about 88,000 as determined by gel filtration chromatography and a K(m) value of 7.2 micromolar for phytic acid in the presence of Ca(2+).