Purification and characterization of a carboxylesterase from rabbit liver lysosomes

Carboxylesterase [EC 3.1.1.1] was purified from rabbit liver lysosomes by means of detergent solubilization, and by hydroxyapatite, phenyl-Sepharose and chromatofocusing column chromatographies. The purified enzyme appeared to be homogeneous on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was estimated to be 58,000. This enzyme was eluted at an isoelectric point of approximately 5.8 by chromatofocusing, and exhibited a broad pH optimum of between 6.0 and 9.0. The enzyme hydrolyzed 4-methylumbelliferyl esters of saturated fatty acids (C2-C12), and it also hydrolyzed p-nitrophenylacetate, methyl butyrate, and tributyrin, but not acetanilide. Its activity was completely inhibited by diisopropyl-fluorophosphate (DFP) and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) at 10(-4) M, but was not affected by eserine, or by alpha- or beta-naphthyl acetate at 10(-3) M. Various metal ions (Mg2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+) at 10(-3) M also had no effect on the enzyme activity.