Partial purification and characterization of glycogen phosphorylase from Dictyostelium discoideum

Glycogen phosphorylase was isolated from cells of Dictyostelium discoideum in the culmination stage of development and purified 35-fold. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 6.9 and contained sulfhydryl groups essential for activity. The K(m) values for phosphate and glycogen were 3 mm and 0.06% (w/v), respectively. No dependence on, or stimulation by, any nucleotide was observed and a wide variety of nucleotides and glycolytic intermediates did not inhibit the enzyme. Nucleotide sugars competitively inhibited the enzyme. Guanosine diphosphoglucose and adenosine diphosphoglucose were the most effective, and uridine diphosphoglucose was the least effective of the nucleotide sugars tested. The specific activity of glycogen phosphorylase increased from about 0.004 unit per mg of protein in aggregating cells to about 0.024 unit per mg in culminating cells, and then decreased during sorocarp formation. This increase in enzyme specific activity during the starvation and aging of the system can account for the increased rate of glycogen degradation during this period of development. Amylase specific activity, measured at pH 4.8 and 6.9, varied between 0.005 and 0.013 unit per mg of protein during all stages of development.