Purification of an insulin-sensitive cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase from rat liver

A low-Km cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase solubilised from rat liver membranes by mild proteolysis with chymotrypsin has been purified to apparent homogeneity. The purification included chromatography on cellulose phosphate, Ecteola-cellulose, hydroxyapatite, a theophylline affinity matrix and HPLC on a DEAE-substituted column. The purified enzyme has linear kinetic plots with a Km of 0.24 microM and a Vmax of 6.2 mumol mg-1 min-1 with cyclic AMP as a substrate. It also hydrolyses cyclic GMP with a Km of 0.17 microM and a Vmax which is about a third of that with cyclic AMP. Cyclic GMP is also a competitive inhibitor of cyclic AMP hydrolysis with a Ki of 0.18 microM. The proteolytically solubilised enzyme has a subunit molecular mass of 73 kDa by SDS gel electrophoresis and of 130 kDa by HPLC size-exclusion chromatography, suggesting that it exists as a dimer. A partially purified preparation of this enzyme was used to raise antiserum in a sheep. The antiserum immunoprecipitated activity from liver and adipose tissue of rat and mouse. It had little activity against phosphodiesterase from other rat tissues or other species. Insulin-activated phosphodiesterase from both adipocytes and hepatocytes was immunoprecipitated by the antiserum suggesting that the purified enzyme was an insulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase.