Biochemical and immunological arguments for homology between red cell and liver phosphoglyceromutase isozymes

Phosphoglyceromutase (2,3-bisphospho-D-glycerate:2- phospho-D-glycerate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.5.3) from the red cell is compared with the muscle and the liver forms of the enzyme obtained from rabbits. Partially purified samples were used for this study. The electrophoretic mobility of red cell phosphoglyceromutase is completely different from that of muscle and similar to that of liver. The muscle isozyme can hybridize with liver or red blood cell phosphoglyceromutase. N-Ethylmaleimide, an SH group reagent, completely inhibits muscle phosphoglyceromutase activity and slightly inhibits the activity of the enzyme from liver and from red cells. Both liver and red cell isozymes are completely inactivated by heating at 60 degrees C for 15 min, whereas a 25% decrease in inactivity is noted for the muscle enzyme. Finally, chicken antibody directed against human red cell phosphoglyceromutase reacts with the enzyme isolated from rabbit red cells and liver, but not with that obtained from muscle.