Description
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP, ALKP, ALPase, Alk Phos) (EC 3.1.3.1) is a hydrolase enzyme responsible for removing phosphate groups from many types of molecules, including nucleotides, proteins, and alkaloids. The process of removing the phosphate group is called dephosphorylation. As the name suggests, alkaline phosphatases are most effective in an alkaline environment. It is sometimes used synonymously as basic phosphatase.
Applications
Alkaline phosphatase is used for conjugation to antibodies and other proteins for ELISA, Western blotting, and hist ochemical detection. It is routinely used to dephosphorylate proteins and nucleic acids. It may be used for protein labeling when high sensitivity is required. Alkaline phosphatase may be also be used to dephosphorylate the 5′-termini of DNA or RNA to prevent self-ligation. DNA or RNA can also be tagged with radiolabeled phosphate (via T4 polynucleotide kinase) after dephosphorylation with alkaline phosphatase.
Enzyme Commission Number
EC 3.1.3.1
Activity
> 10 units/mg solid (in glycine buffer)
Unit Definition
One unit will hydrolyze 1 μmole of 4-nitrophenyl phosphate per minute at pH 10.4 at 37°C.
Pathway
Folate biosynthesis, organism-specific biosystem; Folate biosynthesis, conserved biosystem; Metabolic pathways, organism-specific biosystem
Function
alkaline phosphatase activity; alkaline phosphatase activity; hydrolase activity; metal ion binding
Synonyms
Alkaline phosphatase; ALP; ALKP; ALPase; Alk Phos; EC 3.1.3.1; Alkaline phosphomonoesterase; Glycerophosphatase; Phosphomonoesterase
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