Enzymatic dephosphorylation of retinyl monophosphate by rat liver

Rat liver has been shown to contain an enzyme that catalyzes the dephosphorylation of retinyl monophosphate. This activity was extracted with 0.1 M Tris buffer (pH 7.5). Maximum reaction rate was observed at a pH range of 7.0-7.5. It did not require metal ions for activity and was sensitive to fluoride ion. The retinyl monophosphate phosphatase activity was proportional to time and protein and substrate concentration. Triton X-100 (range of 0.05-0.10%) increased the activity 100%, whereas other detergents (Tween 80, cholate, and deoxycholate) did not activate the enzyme. A number of phosphorylated compounds tested as inhibitors of retinyl monophosphatase activity, such as glucose 6-phosphate (20 mM), glycerophosphate (20 mM), phosphatidic acid (8 mM), and dolichyl phosphate (3 mM), did not compete with retinyl monophosphate as substrate. However, at 20 mM concentration, ATP, ADP, 5'-AMP, and pyrophosphate were inhibitors of the enzyme. It is not possible at present to give further details about the specificity of the phosphatase activity. The enzyme described could play a regulatory role in retinol-mediated glycosylations, by altering the endogenous level of retinyl monophosphate.