THE ROLE OF ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE IN INTESTINAL ABSORPTION I. THE KINETICS OF PHOSPHATASE ACTION ON VARIOUS SUBSTRATES
The kinetics of intestinal alkaline phosphatase action on sodium β-glycerophosphate, glucose 6-phosphate, and egg lecithin have been studied and compared. The Michaelis constants indicate that the enzyme shows considerably less affinity for lecithin than for the other two substrates, and the approximate ratio of activity with lecithin, glucose 6-phosphate, and sodium β-glycerophosphate is 11 : 78.5 : 100. The energies of activation for the hydrolysis of the three substrates do not differ appreciably and the average energy of activation is 14,500 calories per gram-mole. The similarity of the energies of activation together with results from inhibition studies indicate that in all probability the same enzyme is responsible for the release of inorganic phosphorus from each of the three substrates.