Purification and properties of an acid phosphatase from Lactobacillus curvatus DPC2024

An acid phosphatase was purified to homogeneity from a cell-free extract of Lactobacillus curvatus DPC2024 by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-Sephacel, Phenyl Sepharose, chelating Sepharose Fast Flow and MonoQ. The purified enzyme was a tetramer with a subunit molecular mass of ~26 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration chromatography. Its optimum activity was at pH 4.5 and 70°C, with more than 65% of its activity retained after pre-heating for 30 min at 70°C. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by NaF (0.1 mm) and ZnCl₂ (1.0 mm); slightly inhibited by hexametaphosphate, tripolyphosphate or pyrophosphate at 1.0 mM concentrations; but unaffected by 10 mM ascorbic acid. The acid phosphatase hydrolysed a number of phosphate esters but not bis(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate nor uridine-5'-monophosphate. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the first 20 residues of this enzyme showed 65% homology with an acid phosphatase from Lactobacillus plantarum DPC2739 and some homology with other phosphatases from mammals, yeasts and Escherichia coli. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.