Catalytic site interactions in yeast OMP synthase.

The enigmatic kinetics, half-of-the-sites binding, and structural asymmetry of the homodimeric microbial OMP synthases (orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.10) have been proposed to result from an alternating site mechanism in these domain-swapped enzymes [R.W. McClard et al., Biochemistry 45 (2006) 5330-5342]. This behavior was investigated in the yeast enzyme by mutations in the conserved catalytic loop and 5-phosphoribosyl-1-diphosphate (PRPP) binding motif. Although the reaction is mechanistically sequential, the wild-type (WT) enzyme shows parallel lines in double reciprocal initial velocity plots. Replacement of Lys106, the postulated intersubunit communication device, produced intersecting lines in kinetic plots with a 2-fold reduction of kcat. Loop (R105G K109S H111G) and PRPP-binding motif (D131N D132N) mutant proteins, each without detectable enzymatic activity and ablated ability to bind PRPP, complemented to produce a heterodimer with a single fully functional active site showing intersecting initial velocity plots. Equilibrium binding of PRPP and orotidine 5'-monophosphate showed a single class of two binding sites per dimer in WT and K106S enzymes. Evidence here shows that the enzyme does not follow half-of-the-sites cooperativity; that interplay between catalytic sites is not an essential feature of the catalytic mechanism; and that parallel lines in steady-state kinetics probably arise from tight substrate binding.

Transition states of Plasmodium falciparum and human orotate phosphoribosyltransferases.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferases (OPRT) catalyze the formation of orotidine 5'-monophosphate (OMP) from alpha-D-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) and orotate, an essential step in the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines. Pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis is required in Plasmodium falciparum , and thus OPRT of the parasite (PfOPRT) is a target for antimalarial drugs. De novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines is also a feature of rapidly proliferating cancer cells. Human OPRT (HsOPRT) is therefore a target for neoplastic and autoimmune diseases. One approach to the inhibition of OPRTs is through analogues that mimic the transition states of PfOPRT and HsOPRT. The transition state structures of these OPRTs were analyzed by kinetic isotope effects (KIEs), substrate specificity, and computational chemistry. With phosphonoacetic acid (PA), an analogue of pyrophosphate, the intrinsic KIEs of [1'-(14)C], [1, 3-(15)N(2)], [3-(15)N], [1'-(3)H], [2'-(3)H], [4'-(3)H], and [5'-(3)H(2)] are 1.034, 1.028, 0.997, 1.261, 1.116, 0.974, and 1.013 for PfOPRT and 1.035, 1.025, 0.993, 1.199, 1.129, 0.962, and 1.019 for HsOPRT, respectively. Transition state structures of PfOPRT and HsOPRT were determined computationally by matching the calculated and intrinsic KIEs. The enzymes form late associative D(N)*A(N)(double dagger) transition states with complete orotate loss and partially associative nucleophile. The C1'-O(PA) distances are approximately 2.1 A at these transition states. The modest [1'-(14)C] KIEs and large [1'-(3)H] KIEs are characteristic of D(N)*A(N)(double dagger) transition states. The large [2'-(3)H] KIEs indicate a ribosyl 2'-C-endo conformation at the transition states. p-Nitrophenyl beta-D-ribose 5'-phosphate is a poor substrate of PfOPRT and HsOPRT but is a nanomolar inhibitor, supporting a reaction coordinate with strong leaving group activation.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase exist as multienzyme complex in human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most lethal form of human malaria, totally depends on de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC), the fifth and sixth enzymes in the pathway catalyzing formation of uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP), remain largely uncharacterized in the protozoan parasite. In this study, we achieved purification of OPRT and OMPDC to near homogeneity from P. falciparum cultivated in vitro. The OPRT and OMPDC activities were co-eluted in all chromatographic columns during purification, suggesting the purified proteins exist as a multienzyme complex with a molecular mass of 140+/-8 kDa and contain two subunits each of OPRT and OMPDC. Monomeric forms of OPRT and OMPDC had molecular masses of 32+/-3 and 38+/-3 kDa, respectively, in agreement with those of proteins predicted from P. falciparum genome database. Interestingly, kinetic parameters and inhibitory constants of both OPRT and OMPDC activities were found to be different to those of the bifunctional human red cell UMP synthase. Our evidence provides the first example of OPRT and OMPDC existing as a multienzyme complex.

Medium temperature, 310 K, provides single crystals of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Thermus thermophilus.

Crystallization of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from a thermophilic organism, Thermus thermophilus, was achieved using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method coupled with a macroseeding starter. Small needle-like microcrystals were grown in a fresh protein solution in the presence of 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol at 298 K or below. Although these normal temperature conditions caused stacking crystallization, an increase of temperature to 310 K permitted crystal growth. This was because of increased enzyme solubility at the higher temperature. The crystal was found to belong to the monoclinic space group P21with unit-cell parameters a = 44.4, b = 59.6, c = 67.8 A and beta = 98.3 degrees.

Cloning, overproduction, and purification of native and mutant recombinant yeast orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and the demonstration from magnetization inversion transfer that a proposed oxocarbocation intermediate does not have a kinetic lifetime.

The gene for orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been subcloned into an Escherichia coli overexpression vector and the enzyme has been produced in large quantities, thus simplifying the purification to one step. We were able to repeat the published (J. Victor, L. B. Greenberg, and D. L. Sloan J. Biol. Chem. 254, 2647-2655, 1979). 32PPi/5-phosphorylribose 1-alpha-diphosphate exchange experiments and could demonstrate the exchange by magnetization inversion transfer NMR experiments as well. However, when contaminating orotidine 5'-monophosphate (OMP) was eliminated with OMP decarboxylase, any evidence of magnetization transfer vanished. Consequently, it is concluded that a ping pong mechanism is not operable and that a previously proposed oxocarbocation intermediate along the pathway to OMP does not persist long enough in the catalytic cycle of this enzyme to be recognized by NMR exchange experiments.

Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii pyrE gene, overproduction, purification and characterization of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase.

The pyrE gene of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii (Rl) was subcloned and its sequence is presented. The nucleotide sequence analysis suggests that this gene is not regulated by transcriptional attenuation as seen for the pyrE and pyrB genes of Escherichia coli (Ec) and Salmonella typhimurium. The Rl pyrE gene was subcloned into Ec AT2538 pyrE60 where the Rl pyrE gene product, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase), was overproduced. Using Ec AT2538 pyrE60 overproducing Rl OPRTase, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity utilizing ammonium sulfate fractionation and affinity chromatography with an orotate monophosphate agarose matrix. The electrophoretically pure OPRTase was characterized and found to be a 24.7 +/- 0.3-kDa protein with a K(m) of 27.6 micromol l(-1). The deduced amino acid sequence for OPRTase was compared with OPRTases from other organisms and found to be most similar to that of Bacillus subtilis (Bs). The Rl OPRTase exhibits 37% identity and 46% similarity to the Bs OPRTase.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Thermus thermophilus: overexpression in Escherichia coli, purification and characterization.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase, EC2.4.2.10) plays a role in de novo synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotide and transfers orotate to 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to form orotidine-5'-monophosphate (OMP). To obtain heat-stable OPRTase and to elucidate the mechanism of heat stability, this enzyme from Thermus thermophilus was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The pyrE gene of T. thermophilus which encodes OPRTase, contains an open reading frame of 549 base pairs with 69% G+C content. Since this gene expressed itself inefficiently in E. coli, the 5' and 3' ends of the coding regions were replaced with synonymous codons which contain more A+T and corresponds to major codons for E. coli. Introduction of the modified gene fragments into a plasmid having a tac promoter resulted in production of a polypeptide of molecular weight (M(r)) 20,000 in the presence of isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) in E. coli. This protein represented as much as 16% of the bacterial total protein and showed the OPRTase activity. Three purification steps, consisting of heat treatment at 65 degrees C, 40% ammonium sulfate fractionation, and KCl gradient elution from DEAE-Sephadex A-50, resulted in highly purified single polypeptide. The optimum activity of the purified OPRTase was observed at 150 mM KCl, pH 9.0, 75-80 degrees C, and in the presence of 100 microM PRPP. The activation energy of this enzyme reaction was 20.3 kJ/mol. The Km of this enzyme for orotate as a substrate was 75 microM and the maximum specific activity was 300 units/mg protein under the optimum conditions. The purified OPRTase was stable for 20 min at 85 degrees C.

Human uridine monophosphate synthase: baculovirus expression, immunoaffinity column purification and characterization of the acetylated amino terminus.

Human uridine monophosphate (UMP) synthase, a bifunctional protein containing orotate phsophoribosyltransferase (OPRTase, EC 2.4.2.10) and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (ODCase, EC 4.1.1.23) activities, has been overproduced by construction and use of a recombinant baculovirus containing the cDNA for this protein. Expression of the virus in cabbage looper larvae produces a crude larval homogenate having UMP synthase enriched about 180-fold over human placental homogenates and allows larger quantities of this human protein as well as analog proteins to be prepared for structure/function studies. A vastly improved purification procedure using a monoclonal immunoaffinity column was developed. Human UMP synthase purified from larval extracts yielded a product which comigrates in SDS gel electrophoresis with UMP synthase purified from human placenta; pure proteins prepared from these two tissue sources have the same specific activities. We found that OPRTase requires Pi ions in the assay buffers for optimal OPRTase activity; BSA in the assay vessel increases to a lesser degree both OPRTase and ODCase activities. These changes in the assay are essential to observe a parallel enrichment of the two enzyme activities. The baculovirus system was used to express human UMP synthase because it usually yields a product with posttranslational modifications that reflect those of the organism that provided the cDNA. We report data to show that human UMP synthase derived from either human placenta or larval extracts both have a sequence in which the N-terminal methionine has been removed and the formerly penultimate alanine has been acetylated.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies on the Apo form of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Escherichia coli.

Three different crystal forms of the apoenzyme orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, with M(r) = 23,552 from Escherichia coli have been grown. The crystals, which are all suitable for X-ray diffraction analysis, have been grown by the hanging drop vapour diffusion method. The first form crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2, with cell dimensions: a = 136.34 A, b = 75.98 A and c = 40.32 A; the second form in the monoclinic space group P2, with unit cell dimensions: a = 101.61 A, b = 40.49 A, c = 79.05 A and beta = 87.33 degrees; and the third form in P2(1)2(1)2(1), the cell dimensions being a = 70.27 A, b = 103.53 A, c = 53.83 A.

Kinetic mechanism of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Salmonella typhimurium.

The chemical mechanism of the phosphoribosyltransferases (PRTases), although largely unknown, may proceed either via a concerted direct-transfer mechanism or with a two-step mechanism involving a carboxonium-like intermediate. To study this question, we have cloned the Salmonella typhimurium pyrE gene, coding for the enzyme orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.2.4.10, OPRTase), and developed a bacterial strain that overproduces the enzyme, which we have purified to homogeneity. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies indicated that S. typhimurium OPRTase follows a random sequential kinetic mechanism. This result was further confirmed by equilibrium isotope exchange studies on two substrate-product pairs, PRPP-PPi and OMP-orotate. In addition, the rates of the individual equilibrium isotope exchanges allowed us to conclude that PPi release and PRPP release were the rate-determining steps in the forward and reverse reactions, respectively. Although partial reactions between the two substrate-product pairs, PRPP-PPi and OMP-orotate, were observed, further studies revealed that these exchanges were a result of contaminations. Our results are significant in that S. typhimurium OPRTase, like most PRTases but in contrast to its yeast homologue, follows sequential kinetics. The artifactual partial isotope exchanges found in this work may have implications for similar prior work on the yeast enzyme. In view of the careful isotope effect studies of Parsons and co-workers [Goitein, R.K., Chelsky, D., & Parsons, S.M. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 2963-2971] and the results obtained by us, we propose that PRTases may involve a direct-transfer mechanism but with low bond order to the leaving pyrophosphate moiety and attacking base.

The purification and preliminary characterization of UMP synthase from human placenta.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.23) are the final two of six enzymatic steps required in the de novo biosynthesis of uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP). Earlier work of this laboratory showed that, in the mouse Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, both of these enzymatic activities were contained on the single multifunctional polypeptide chain, UMP synthase. We report here that the placenta provided an available human source for UMP synthase with 40-fold higher orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase specific activities than erythrocytes, a human source previously used by others. By using the placenta as a source of UMP synthase and by developing a novel purification procedure different from that used in the purification of UMP synthase from the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (the only other homogeneous preparation of a mammalian UMP synthase), we achieved the purification of human UMP synthase to apparent homogeneity. This represents the first publication to homogeneity of UMP synthase from a human source as well as from a source other than malignant cell lines. Contrary to earlier reports human placental UMP synthase was found to be a multifunctional protein containing both enzymatic activities on a single polypeptide of 51,000 molecular weight. Preliminary characterization of the human placental UMP synthase showed it to be similar to UMP synthase from the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in subunit molecular weight, native molecular weight, isozyme pattern (although not absolute pI values), pH optima of enzymatic activities, and kinetic constants for orotidine 5'-monophosphate (Km) and 6-azauridine 5'-monophosphate (Ki) at the decarboxylase site.

Study of the kinetic and physical properties of the orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase domain from mouse UMP synthase produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In mammals, the bifunctional protein UMP synthase contains the final two enzymatic activities, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (ODCase), for de novo biosynthesis of UMP. The plasmid pMEJ contains a cDNA for the ODCase domain of mouse Ehrlich ascites UMP synthase. The cDNA from pMEJ was joined to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae iso-1-cytochrome c (CYC1) promoter and the first four CYC1 coding nucleotides in the plasmid pODCcyc. ODCase-deficient yeast cells (HF200x1) transformed with pODCcyc expressed an active ODCase domain with a specific activity of 20 nmol/min/mg in cell extracts. The expressed ODCase domain has a lower affinity for the substrate orotidine 5'-monophosphate and the inhibitor 6-azauridine 5'-monophosphate than intact UMP synthase or an ODCase domain isolated after proteolysis of homogenous UMP synthase. Sucrose density gradient sedimentation experiments showed that the expressed ODCase domain forms a dimer in the presence of ligands which bind at the catalytic site. These studies support the existence of an ODCase structural domain which contains the ODCase catalytic site and a dimerization surface of UMP synthase, but the domain may not have the regulatory site required to form the altered dimer form.

Purification and properties of orotate phosphoribosyltransferases from Escherichia coli K-12, and its derivative purine-sensitive mutant.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPT) was purified from both Escherichia coli K-12 strain and its derivative, a purine-sensitive mutant. The wild-type OPT had a molecular weight (M.W.) of 47,000 and was composed of two identical subunits (M.W. 23,500). The wild-type OPT showed maximum activity at pH 9.5, and no activity was seen in the absence of Mg2+ or Mn2+ ion. It also catalyzed a reverse reaction, namely orotidine-5'-monophosphate (OMP) pyrophosphorolysis. In this reverse reaction, tripolyphosphate, tetrapolyphosphate, and trimetaphosphate were also effective as pyrophosphate donors. The apparent Km values of the wild-type OPT were 30 microM for orotate and 40 microM for 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRib-PP), and also 3.6 microM for OMP and 13 microM for PPi. On the other hand, the mutant OPT showed increased apparent Km values for all four substrates, 440 microM for orotate, 360 microM for PRib-PP, 33 microM for OMP, and 250 microM for PPi. The mutant OPT required a higher concentration of Mg2+ ion for maximum activity than the wild-type OPT. The nature of the purine-sensitive phenotype of the mutant is discussed from the standpoint of the reactivity of the mutant OPT, which has an increased Km value for PRib-PP (about 9-fold).

Isolation and characterization of the orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase domain of the multifunctional protein uridine 5'-monophosphate synthase.

The multifunctional protein uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP) synthase catalyzes the final two reactions of the de novo biosynthesis of UMP in mammalian cells by the sequential action of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) and orotidine 5'-monophosphate (OMP) decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.23). This protein is composed of one or two identical subunits; the monomer weighs of 51,500 daltons. UMP synthase from mouse Ehrlich ascites cells can exist as three distinct species as determined by sucrose density gradient centrifugation: a 3.6 S monomer, a 5.1 S dimer, and a 5.6 S conformationally altered dimer. Limited digestion of each of these three species with trypsin produced a 28,500-dalton peptide that was relatively resistant to further proteolysis. The peptide appears to be one of the two enzyme domains of UMP synthase for it retained only OMP decarboxylase activity. Similar results were obtained when UMP synthase was digested with elastase. OMP decarboxylase activity was less stable for the domain than for UMP synthase; the domain can rapidly lose activity upon storage or upon dilution. The size of the mammalian OMP decarboxylase domain is similar to that of yeast OMP decarboxylase. If the polypeptides which are cleaved from UMP synthase by trypsin are derived exclusively from either the amino or the carboxyl end of UMP synthase, then the size of a fragment possessing the orotate phosphoribosyltransferase domain could be as large as 23,000 daltons which is similar in size to the orotate phosphoribosyltransferase of yeast and of Escherichia coli.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidylate decarboxylase from Crithidia luciliae: subcellular location of the enzymes and a study of substrate channeling.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase) and orotidylate decarboxylase (ODCase) have been found to be particulate in the kinetoplastid protozoan, Crithidia luciliae. Sucrose density centrifugation indicated that these two enzymes are associated with the glycosome, a microbody which appears to be unique to the Kinetoplastida and which contains many of the glycolytic enzymes. The particulate location of OPRTase and ODCase was considered to be favorable for channeling of orotidine-5'-monophosphate (OMP), the product of the first enzyme and substrate for the second. The degree of channeling was determined by double radioactively labeled experiments designed to determine the relative efficiency of endogenous and exogenous OMP as substrates of ODCase. The efficiency of channeling was high, with an approximate 50-fold preference for endogenous OMP. By comparison, the degree of channeling for the yeast enzymes, which are soluble and unassociated, was less than 2-fold. The OPRTase-ODCase enzyme complex was solubilized using Triton X-100 in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, and phosphoribosyldiphosphate. The percentage recovery of the overall enzyme activity was approximately 20%. The degree of channeling was reduced by approximately 10-fold for the solubilized complex. The Km for OMP changed from 7.5 (+/- 1.8) to 1.6 (+/- 0.3) microM in the ODCase reaction. There was no alteration in the Km for orotate in the OPRTase reaction.

Nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli pyrE gene and of the DNA in front of the protein-coding region.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from a strain of Escherichia coli containing the pyrE gene cloned on a multicopy plasmid. The relative molecular masses (Mr) of the native enzyme and its subunit were estimated by means of gel filtration and electrophoresis in the presence of dodecyl sulfate. The amino acid sequences at the N and C termini, as well as the amino acid composition, were determined. The nucleotide sequence of the structural pyrE gene, including 394 nucleotide residues preceding the beginning of the coding frame, was also established. From the results the following conclusions may be drawn. Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase is a dimeric protein with subunits of Mr 23 326 consisting of 211 amino acid residues. The pyrE gene is transcribed in a counter-clock wise direction from the E. coli chromosome as an mRNA with a considerable leader segment in front of the protein-coding region. This leader contains a structure with features characteristic for a (translated?) rho-independent transcriptional terminator, which is preceded by a cluster of uridylate residues. This indicates that the frequency of pyrE transcription is regulated by an RNA polymerase (UTP) modulated attenuation.

Orotidylate-metabolizing enzymes of the human malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, differ from host cell enzymes.

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidylate decarboxylase from mammalian sources reside on a bifunctional protein. In such a system, orotidylate, the product of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase is preferentially channeled to orotidylate decarboxylase and does not equilibrate with the assay medium. In contrast, we found that orotidylate was released into the medium during the conversion of orotate to uridylate by cell-free extract of Plasmodium falciparum. Furthermore, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidylate decarboxylase from this parasite were resolved from each other by biospecific elution from blue Sepharose, indicating that the parasite enzymes do not exist as a bifunctional protein. Finally, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from P. falciparum was found to be much more sensitive to inhibition by mercurial reagents than the red blood cell enzyme. These biochemical differences between host and parasite enzymes offer a possible basis for the design of novel antimalarial agents.

Isolation and partial characterization of a 5'-nucleotidase specific for orotidine-5'-monophosphate.

A previously unknown 5'nucleotidase (5'-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.5) (5'-Nase) specific for orotidine 5'-monophosphate (OMP) hs been discovered. This enzyme orotidine 5'-monophosphate phosphohydrolase (OMPase), was isolated from mouse liver microsomes as a separate entity from the nonspecific 5'-Nase. OMPase was partially purified and is shown to cleave OMP to orotidine and inorganic phosphate. The enzyme has negligible activity towards UMP, CMP, dTMP, AMP, IMP, GMP, XMP, 6-azauridine 5'-monophosphate, 1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbarbituric acid 5'-monophosphate (BMF), 2'-UMP, 3'-UMP, 2'-AMP, 3'-AMP, ribose 5-phosphate and beta-glycerophosphate, all of which--with the exception of the 2' or 3' monophosphates, ribose 5'-phosphate, and beta-glycerophosphate--are substrates for 5'-Nase. Both enzymes are inhibited by NaF, but only OMPase is inhibited by SF reagents. OMPase is not inhibited by orotidine, orotate, BMP, concanavalin A, or tetramisole (an alkaline phosphatase inhibitor). OMPase had a Mr 53,000, Km value of 1 mM for OMP, and Vmax value of 49 nmol/min . mg of protein at the present stage of purification. OMPase activity has also been detected in various mammalian tissues including normal human tissues, human tumor xenografts, lymphocytes, and rat liver. OMPase may be responsible, in part, for the low levels of intracellular "free" OMP and for orotidine accumulation in cells treated with 6-azauridine and patients suffering from aortic aciduria.

Isolation and initial characterization of the single polypeptide that synthesizes uridine 5'-monophosphate from orotate in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma. Purification by tandem affinity chromatography of uridine-5'-monophosphate synthase.

UMP synthase, or multienzyme pyr-5,6 (orotate phosphoribosyltransferase:orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase), has been purified from Ehrlich ascites carcinoma to apparent homogeneity. The purification was achieved by the use of 5-[2-[N-(2-aminoethyl)carbamyl]ethyl]-6-azauridine 5'-monophosphate-agarose and phosphocellulose affinity columns linked in tandem by a flow dialysis system. The purified protein has amolecular weight of approximately 51500 as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Both enzyme activities cosediment with an S20,w value of 3.7 S, which corresponds to a molecular weight of about 50000. Two-dimensional electrophoresis of UMP synthase shows that the protein exists as two isomeric forms with isoelectric points of 5.85 (major form) and 5.65 (minor form). Both forms have the same molecular weight of 51500 and contain both active centers. These results clearly show that the last two enzyme activities of de novo UMP biosynthesis occur on a single polypeptide chain of approximately 51500 daltons and that this polypeptide exists in at least two isomeric forms.