Activation of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase by a new vitamin E derivative

The effects of sodium alpha-tocopherol phosphate (TPNa), a new vitamin E derivative, on cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases from a soluble supernatant fraction of rat liver were investigated. TPNa produced a dose-dependent increase in cyclic AMP hydrolysis at a low substrate concentration (1 muM cyclic AMP), whereas the compound inhibited the hydrolytic activity at a high substrate level (100 muM cyclic AMP). Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activity was suppressed by TPNa regardless of the substrate concentration. The addition of TPNa did not change the apparent Km value (50 muM) of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase at low substrate level (less than 5 muM). In contrast, at higher substrate concentration, the concave downward curve observed in a Lineweaver-Burk plot became straight in the presence of TPNa. Low concentrations of cyclic GMP, which are known to activate cyclic AMP hydrolysis, showed an additive effect on cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase only when a submaximal concentration of cyclic GMP was present in addition to TPNa. These and other data suggest that TPNa modifies cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in all allosteric fashion.