Phosphoglycolate phosphatase. Effect of cation and pH on activity

P-glycolate phosphatase requires divalent cations for activity. Activity-pH curves identified 2 active site residues with pK values at pH 5.7 and pH 9.1 in the presence of magnesium and at pH 5.7 and pH 7.5 in the presence of manganese or cobalt. Saturation velocity kinetics enabled the identification of two distinct divalent cation binding sites. The first, nonspecific site has a K0.5 of 2 to 7 x 10(-5) M, depending on the cation and the pH. The second site, which is specific for magnesium, binds this cation in a negatively cooperative fashion. The affinity at pH 8.1 varies approximately 100-fold from the first magnesium bound to the fourth. The negative cooperativity is greatest at high pH. Because the pH range of activity is very broad, both the phosphate monoanion and dianion of P-glycolate must be bound as the substrate. The concentration of these two species at the apparent Km is independent of magnesium concentration. The P-glycolate.magnesium complex is kinetically inactive.