First apyrase splice variants have different enzymatic properties

LALP70 is a novel lysosomal membrane protein belonging to the apyrase protein family. The apyrase protein family comprises enzymes capable of cleaving nucleotide tri- and diphosphates in a calcium- or magnesium-dependent manner, not being altered by P-type, F-type, or V-type NTPase inhibitors. In this study we have cloned and sequenced the human LALP70 gene to determine the genomic structure. The gene is organized in 11 introns and 12 exons covering a genomic region of approximately 16 kilobase pairs. By fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis, the hLALP70 gene was mapped to the human chromosome 8p21.1-p21.3. We further show that there is at least one alternatively spliced variant, hLALP70v, which can be generated via an alternative splice side at the 3'-end of exon 7, leading to a protein variant differing in 8 amino acids (VSFASSQQ). This is the first splice variant that has been described in the apyrase protein family. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis showed an ubiquitous expression of both variants, with different relative mRNA expression levels in different tissues. Comparison of the enzymatic properties of the splice variants revealed a broader substrate specificity for hLALP70v with CTP, UDP, CDP, GTP, and GDP as preferred substrates, while hLALP70 utilized UTP and TTP preferentially. Furthermore, enzyme activity of hLALP70v was equally dependent on Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), being saturated already at 1 mm concentration. In contrast, hLALP70 enzymatic activity were unsaturated up to 10 mm Ca(2+), while Mg(2+) showed a saturation at already 1 mm concentration with 2-3-fold lower enzymatic activity as observed with Ca(2+). Our data suggest that the presence or absence of the 8-amino acid motif VSFASSQQ provoke differences in substrate specificity and divalent cation dependence of hLALP70/hLALP70v.