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The assay of ATP by the luciferin-luciferase method interference by a bacterial phosphatase enzyme stable to perchlorate treatment

✍ Scribed by J.A. Davison; G.H. Fynn


Publisher
Elsevier Science
Year
1974
Tongue
English
Weight
285 KB
Volume
58
Category
Article
ISSN
0003-2697

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✦ Synopsis


Interference by a Bacterial Phosphatase Enzyme Stable to Perchlorate Treatment

In an investigation of the nucieotide pools in Bacillus brevis we have observed the presence of an unusual ATP-degrading enzyme. This enzyme appears to be stable to perchlorate precipitation and neutralisation procedures commonly used (14) in preparing extracts for ATP assay by the luciferin-luciferase assay. In view of the low levels of ATP being measured by this method, it seems important to establish whether the presence of this enzyme constit,utes a potential source of error in assay procedures of this type.

Methods

Bacillus brevis ATC 10068 was grown from a spore inoculum on an asparagine-glycerol medium under conditions of limiting 0, (5).

Cell-free ext,racts (105 S) were prepared as previously described (6). ATP extracts (ATP-X) were prepared from the cells by the method of Cole et al. (4). Two milliliters of cell suspension was injected into 0.4 ml of 36% ice-cold perchlorate and shaken vigorously. The samples were left for 10 min on ice before neutralisat.ion with 0.48 ml of 6 N KOH. The samples were then centrifuged and frozen at -15°C until required.

More concentrated extracts were prepared by first harvesting the cells by centrifugation at 20,OOOg for 2 min, followed by addition of appropriate volumes of 6% ice-cold perchlorate, and then treating as previously described ( 6).

ATPase assay. The frozen sample containing the enzyme was thawed, and a volume equivalent to 0.2 ml of the original growing culture was added to an incubation medium originally described by Chapman et al.

(2) viz: 3 mM MgCl,; 15 mM potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.4; 1 mM EDTA; H,O to 0.9 ml.