* Studies carried out during the tenure of a Lederle Medical Faculty Award.

A phospholipase A2 acting on phosphatidylinositol (PI) has been purified from the 106 000 × g pellet (microsomal fraction) of bovine grey matter. The purification steps included extraction with Triton X-100 (0.05%), ammonium sulfate fractionation (20–50% fraction), consecutive column chromatographic runs on Sephadex G-200 and DEAE-Sephacel, and preparative gel electrophoresis (on 10.5% polyacrylamide gel). These steps achieved a purification of 1614 times. The purified enzyme ran as a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis. Molecular weight estimations gave values of 18 300 by SDS gel electrophoresis and 18 521 based on amino acid analysis. Amino acid analysis showed the presence of 173 residues with aspartic acid (46), glutamic acid (26) and glycine (21) being the most abundant. Single residues of cysteine, tyrosine, and arginine were measured. The remaining 11 amino acids were present in amounts ranging from 3 to 11 residues.The purified enzyme had a pH optimum of 7.4, was heat stable (to 70 °C), and was activated by Ca2+ (5 mM). Other divalent cations were either slightly inhibitory (Mg2+ and Mn2+) or strongly inhibitory (Zn2+). The nonionic detergents, Triton X-100 (0.02 to 0.03%) and octyl glucoside (30 mM) showed 70 and 25% stimulations, respectively. Other detergents showed no effect (Cutscum), slight inhibition (G3634A), or strong inhibition (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide). Determination of the apparent Km and Vmax by an Eisthenal–Cornish-Bowden plot gave values of 0.52 mM and 1440 nmol [1-14C]oleic acid min −1∙mg protein −1, respectively, for 1-acyl-2-[1-,14C]oleoyl-sn glycerol-3-phosphoinositol as substrate. The above plot confirmed the presence of a strong inhibition by substrate (i.e., PI) beyond 0.4 mM. The properties of this enzyme and its location (microsomal) make it uniquely different from other phospholipase A2 activities reported for brain. The microsomal location and preference for PI shown by this enzyme lend support to the view that it may function to form lyso-PI in a deacylation–reacylation cycle for altering the fatty acid distribution in PI.

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The unequivocal incorporation of radioactive phosphate (32p) into the nucleic acids of brain slices has not as yet been demonstrated. Because of the great interest in the nucleic acids of the nervous system aroused by the work of Caspersson (1947)

Reconstitution of phosphate transport in Escherichia coli was demonstrated. Conversion ofE. coli K10 cells to spheroplasts decreased phosphate transport to about 2%. Addition of purified phosphate-binding protein at physiological levels to these spheroplasts caused a mean 14-fold increase in phosphate transport rate. Crude shock fluid fractions were also stimulatory but not if the shock fluid was obtained from mutants lacking phosphate-binding protein. The effect of the binding protein was abolished by its specific antibody. The phosphate was shown to have entered the cell, where it became esterified. Reconstitution was not possible with cold-shocked or osmotically shocked cells. The role of osmotically shockable binding proteins in metabolite transport of Escherichia coli, and of other species as well, has often been questioned (6). Direct proof of the involvement of binding proteins in transport requires a demonstration of restoration, by the protein, of a specific transport function in cells that have lost it. Although several binding-protein preparations have been reported to stimulate specific transport systems (1, 2, 4, 13, 21), the evidence so far obtained seems to be unconvincing in some instances (6) and, in the case of previous work from this laboratory (13), cannot be repro

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The enzyme, CTP:phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase (EC2.7.7.41) which catalyses formation of CDP-diglyceride from CTP and phosphatidic acid has been studied in rat brain preparations and other tissues. Improvement, as judged by the higher tissue activities obtained, in the assay method for this enzyme was achieved through use of phosphatidic acids sonicated in buffer-detergent solution saturated with ether and containing bovine serum albumin and use of short incubation times which essentially provided a measure of initial rates. The enzyme of rat brain microsomes yielded with 1,2-dioleolphosphatidic acid as substrate a pH optimum of 6.8 with maleate buffer and optimal concentrations of 60mM for MG2+, 6MM for CTP and 250 mug per 0.8 ml for phosphatidic acid. Enzyme activity was mainly located in the 90,000 X g fraction (microsomal) with small but significant activity in the 12,000 X g fraction. Comparison of activities (nanomoles CTP incorporated per milligram protein per minute) amongst tissues showed the following order: brain, 1.87; liver, 1.32; lung, 1.19; small intestine, 1.00; kidney, 0.69; heart, 0.41; diaphragm, 0.07; skeletal muscle, 0.02. Examination of the effect of varying the fatty acid composition in the phosphatidic acids added exogenously gave the following order (activities in parentheses); 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl- (5.58), 1-oleoyl-2-stearoyl- (5.37), 1,2-dioleoyl- (4.49) 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-(3.85), 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-(3.31), 1-arachidonoyl-2-stearoyl-(3.16), 1,2-diarachidonoyl-(0.72), 1,2-dicaproyl-(0.67), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-(0.67) and 1,2-distearoyl-(0.18). The single bis- and lysophosphatidic acids tested were inactive as substrates. Apart from a possible preference for one or more unsaturated fatty acids the transferase enzyme showed no selectivity in respect to the fatty acid distribution of phosphatidic acids.