The Phosphatases of Human Erythrocytes

Hemolysates of human erythrocytes begin to liberate inorganic phosphate as soon as they are lysed. In most cases the process takes place most rapidly at pH 9, but some preparations are about equally active over the entire range from pH 5 to pH 9. The process ceases after incubation for twenty-four hours at 37 C. Hemolysates of human erythrocytes decompose sodium β glycerophosphate and calcium hexose diphosphate about equally. For both substrates there is a well defined maximum of activity at pH 6.0. No other maxima were observed over the range from pH 4 to pH 9. There is some evidence that erythrocytes from patients with various types of anemia liberate more inorganic phosphate when lysed than do those from normal individuals.