Purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Allosteric regulation of a dissociating enzyme.

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.1) from bovine spleen is a trimeric enzyme that readily dissociates to the monomer. Dilution of enzyme from 20 to 0.02 microgram of protein/ml is accompanied by a greater than 50-fold increase in the specific activity (vtrimer = 0.23 nmol/min/microgram; vmonomer = 12.5 nmol/min/micrograms). Gel permeation chromatography in the presence of the substrate phosphate shows the enzyme to be predominantly trimeric at 50 mM Pi and predominantly monomeric at 100 mM Pi, when experiments are done at 24 degrees C. No significant dissociation was observed at 4 degrees C with Pi or at either temperature with the substrate inosine. As measured by dissociation, the L0.5 for Pi is 88 mM and thus significantly higher than the Km of 3.1 mM for Pi. Enzyme activity as a function of phosphate concentration showed negative cooperativity, but the conformational response measured by the change in native Mr during dissociation showed positive cooperatively toward Pi. These data support a model for two separate phosphate binding sites on the enzyme. The activity and stability of purine nucleoside phosphorylase are quite sensitive to the concentration of the enzyme as well as appropriate substrates. Although the monomer is interpreted as being a fully active form of the enzyme, the data in general are most consistent with the enzyme functioning in vivo as a regulated trimer.