Purification and properties of AMP-deaminase from human kidney

AMP-deaminase from human kidney (cortex and medulla) was purified and the physicochemical properties were characterized. The enzyme from both portions of the kidney exhibited identical kinetics and regulatory properties. At optimal pH (6.6), the AMP-deaminase studied exhibited a distinctly sigmoidal substrate saturation kinetics, with the half-saturation parameter (S0.5) as high as 10 mM. ATP at 1 mM strongly activated the enzyme, decreasing S0.5 nearly 10-fold. The activating effect of ADP was less strong. Orthophosphate inhibited the enzyme, but the inhibition observed was weak (Ki approximately 16 mM) and had a pure competitive character. At pH 7.2, physiological for the kidney cortex, orthophosphate inhibition became even weaker and became partially competitive. Variations in the adenylate energy charge had potent effects on the activity of AMP-deaminase, depending on the size of the total adenine nucleotide pool examined. The results of gel filtration and SDS-PAGE indicated that human kidney AMP-deaminase is an oligomeric enzyme composed of four, probably identical, subunits weighing about 37 kDa each.