Investigation of ribonuclease-catalysed kinetics by a micro-calorimetric method

A rapid micro-calorimetric method for the simultaneous determination of the Michaelis-Menten parameters and the enthalpy of enzymic reactions is developed. The hydrolysis of 2': 3'-cyclic CMP by ribonuclease A is studied to test the proposed method; values obtained are in good agreement with already published data. Enzymic hydrolysis of yeast RNA, unlike that of cyclic phosphates, is shown to be endothermic. This result is explained by the two-step mechanism of this reaction.