PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF ACID RIBONUCLEASES IN HUMAN-SERUM AND LEUKOCYTES

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38 (7), 2163-2167
Abstract
Acid RNase was purified from normal human serum about 2400-fold by chromatography on phosphocellulose and Sephadex G-75 and rechromatography on Sephadex G-75. Assayed with yeast RNA as substrate, the enzyme showed the maximal activity at about pH 6.5 with sodium phosphate buffer. The reaction was activated by Na+, K+ and spermine, but it was not affected greatly by Mg2+, Co2+ and EDTA. Ca2+, Fe2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+ inhibited the reaction. Among the synthetic substrates examined, the enzyme preferentially hydrolyzed pyrimidine nucleotides, with a higher affinity for polycytidylate than for polyuridylate. The enzyme was thermolabile, but it stabilized with bovine plasma albumin. The MW was approximately 15,000, estimated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and its isoelectric pH was above 11.0. From normal human leukocytes, acid RNase was purified about 400-fold by the same procedure described previously except that rechromatography on Sephadex G-75 was omitted. The properties of leukocytic RNase were found to be similar to those of serum and RNase, but the latter enzyme differed in substrate specificity substantially from leukocytic RNase, preferring polyuridylate to polycytidylate. This evidence shows that serum RNase is not of leukocytic origin under normal physiological conditions.