Phosphatidate phosphatase--a key enzyme in glycerolipid biosynthesis. Studies on the yeast enzyme

Phosphatidate phosphatase is an important enzyme in glycerolipid biosynthesis, but difficult to purify. A purified preparation of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive phosphatidate phosphatase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was obtained by a five-step protocol, using chromatography on DE-53/DEAE FF, Affi-Gel Blue, hydroxyapatite, Mono-Q, and Superdex 200. A protease-deficient yeast strain gave preparations similar to those of the wild-type strain. In exclusion chromatography, the enzyme activity of all preparations eluted at approximately the same position as albumin. However, the behavior on SDS/PAGE differed considerably among preparations, suggesting a multimeric subunit structure or degradation during purification. A 35-kDa and a 40-kDa protein band which coincided with activity were found in all preparations. Glycerol in the buffers could be excluded without rapid loss of enzyme activity, and Tris could be substituted for ammonium bicarbonate, while at least 0.6% sodium cholate in the buffers was essential.