Determination of covalently bound myo-inositol in bovine erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase and porcine kidney alkaline phosphatase.

Bovine erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase and porcine kidney alkaline phosphatase were purified to a homogeneous state. By using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we demonstrated the presence of covalently bound myo-inositol in these purified enzymes. The quantitative data suggest that one molecule of myo-inositol is bound to each subunit of these enzyme proteins. The covalently bound inositol was removed from these enzyme molecules by deamination with nitrous acid, suggesting the possibility that myo-inositol is directly bound to amino sugar.