Purification and properties of phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthetase from mammalian liver mitochondria.

The enzyme which catalyzes the synthesis of phosphatidylgly cerophosphate from an-glycerol-3-phosphated and cytidine diphosphate diacylglycerol was released from rat or pig liver mitochondrial membranes by extraction with Triton X-100 or Nonidet P-40. The detergent-extracted enzyme, like the activity of intact mitochondria, did not require added cations or lipids. The Triton extracts were fractionated by column chromatography on Bio-Gel A-1.5. The fractions obtained from the columns exhibited little activity in the standard assay system unless divalent cations were included. Additional stimulation (about twofold) was observed in the presence of added phospholipids. The cation requirement of the purified enzyme was relatively nonspecific with Mg2+, Ba2+, or Ca2+ providing maximal activity in the 10mM range. Either Mn2+ or Co2+ were stimulatory at somewhat lower concentrations but higher concentrations were inhibitory. Other cations such as Cd2+, Zn2+,Hg2+, or Cu2+ were ineffective as cofactors, and in the presence of Mg2+ inhibited the reaction at concentrations greater than 0.5 mM. The phospholipik stimulation was obtained specifically with phosphatidylethanolamines from natural or synthetic sources. Other diacylglycerophosphatides or lysophosphatides including lysophosphatidylethanolamine were ineffective.