Three diadenosine 5',5''-P1,P4-tetraphosphate hydrolytic enzymes from Physarum polycephalum with differential effects by calcium: a specific dinucleoside polyphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase, a nucleotide pyrophosphatase, and a phosphodiesterase.

Two new enzymes that hydrolyze diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) have been isolated from the acellular slime mold Physarum polycephalum. Both enzymes are different from the Physarum Ap4A symmetrical pyrophosphohydrolase previously described on the basis of their substrate specificities, reaction products, molecular weights, and divalent cation requirements. One enzyme is a nucleotide pyrophosphatase that asymmetrically hydrolyzes Ap4A to AMP and ATP. This enzyme hydrolyzes several mono- and dinucleotides with the corresponding nucleotide monophosphate as one of the products. The percentage hydrolysis of NAD+, Ap4A, and Ap4G, each at 10 microM, was 100, 56, and 51, respectively. A divalent cation is required for activity, with Ca2+ yielding 20-30 times greater activity than Mg2+ or Mn2+. Values of Km for Ap4A and Vmax are similar to the corresponding values for Ap4A symmetrical pyrophosphohydrolase. The second enzyme is a phosphodiesterase I with broad substrate reactivity. This enzyme also asymmetrically hydrolyzes Ap4A, but it does not hydrolyze NAD+. Activity of the phosphodiesterase I is stimulated by divalent cations, with Ca2+ being 50-60 times more stimulatory than Mg2+ or Mn2+. The apparent molecular weights of the nucleotide pyrophosphatase and phosphodiesterase are 184,000 and 45,000, respectively. In contrast, the Ap4A pyrophosphohydrolase hydrolyzes Ap4A to ADP, is inhibited by Ca2+ and other divalent cations, and has an apparent molecular weight of 26,000 as previously reported.