Purification and Characterization of Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase (PNP) in Micrococcus luteus

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) was purified in Micrococcus luteus (M. luteus) using streptomycin sulfate and amomonium sulfate fractionation, three times by a Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and a DEAE-Sephadex A-50 ion exchange chromatography. The enzyme was purified 72 folds with a 11% recovery and showed a single band in a nondenaturing gel electrophoresis. The M. W. of PNP turned out to be 1.35 * 10$^{5}$ delton in G-150 gel filtration chromatography. The stability of the enzyme was increased by treatment with both substrates, MgCI$_{2}$ or CaCI$_{2}$, but not significantly kcal/mol. M. luteus PNP catalyzed the phosphorolysis of inosine, deoxyinosine, guanosine and deoxyguanosine with the Km value of 1.5 * 10$^{-3}$ M, 3.0 * 10$^{-3}$ M, 5.0 * 10$^{-4}$ M, respectively. The enzyme was reacted with adenosine, 1-methylnosine and 1-methylguanosine as substrates, which were shown to be poor substrates for mammalian enzyme.