L-myo-Inositol-1-phosphate synthase from bovine testis: purification to homogeneity and partial characterization.

L-myo-Inositol-1-phosphate synthase has been purified to homogeneity from bovine testis by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation on Celite followed by reverse (NH4)2SO4 gradient elution, DEAE chromatography, gel filtration, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The enzyme is then pure by the criteria of elution profile from the hydroxylapatite, electrophoresis, and sedimentation properties. We find no overall (gluconeogenic) reversibility of the enzyme using 6 mM DL-myo-inositol-1-P. The first three steps of the reaction are reversible as determined by uptake of isotope from a D2O incubation medium into the 6 position of D-glucose-6-P. Thus, substrate binding, dehydrogenation, and proton removal prior to the aldol cyclization are all reversible steps. The enzyme is less than 5% NAD+ independent and is not inhibited by substrate or product (5 mM D-glucose-6-P or 0.8 mM DL-myo-inositol-1-P). The enzyme is twofold stimulated by either 50 mM NH4+ or 50 mM K+; the activation by these ions is not additive. Sodium ions inhibit the enzyme by 78% at 153 mM. The effect of sodium and potassium is not on the Km of D-glucose-6-P but on Vmax. We propose that K+ activates the enzyme by stabilizing a carbanion intermediate. Ethanol stimulates the enzyme 2-fold and 2.5-fold with added K+. The effect of ethanol appears to be via lowering of the D-glucose-6-P Km. In the presence of ethanol the effect of salt on Vmax disappears.

Incubations of testis myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase with D-(5-18O)glucose 6-phosphate and with H218O show no evidence of Schiff base formation.

myo-Inositol-1-P synthase (EC 5.5.1.4) purified from rat testis and from bovine testis was allowed to react with D-[5-18O]glucose-6-P. myo-Inositol, obtained in these reactions, retained all of the 18O originally in the glucose-6-P. When these enzyme preparations were incubated with unlabeled glucose-6-P in a medium enriched in H2 18O no uptake of the oxygen isotope occurred that could be ascribed to the myo-inositol-1-P synthase reaction. By these criteria this enzyme, which is considered to use an aldolase mechanism in the cyclization step, cannot form a Schiff base during the reaction. In addition, these enzymes are not inhibited by 10 mM EDTA. One interpretation of this evidence is that the myo-inositol-1-P synthases we have studied are neither Class I nor Class II aldolases, and simply use base catalysis in the cyclization step.