Various 5'-nucleotidases (EC 3.1.3.5) exist in vertebrate tissues. The
sequence and cDNA. cloning of the membrane-bound ecto-5'-nucleotidase
(e-N) and one of the cytosolic isoenzymes, IMP-preferring (c-N-II), b
ut not the cytosolic AMP-preferring form (c-N-I), have been reported.
While c-N-II has a broad tissue distribution, c-N-I is found only in v
ertebrate heart, The published data on substrate specificity involve m
ainly the naturally occurring nucleoside monophosphates, without a sys
tematic structure-activity relationship study. In the present study we
have used a series of AMP and IMP analogues to examine the structure-
activity relationship for c-N-I and c-N-II in detail. The rank order o
f activity of the test compounds differed substantially between c-N-I
and c-N-II. c-N-I and c-N-II varied with respect to the following inte
ractions with substrate: (1) hydrogen-bond formation with the substitu
ent in the 6-position of the purine ring (a donor-type with c-N-I and
an acceptor-type with c-N-II); and (2) hydrophobic attraction of the 6
-position unsubstituted purine ring (more pronounced with c-N-I than w
ith c-N-II). No better substrate than 5'-AMP was found for c-N-I. We p
ropose that c-N-I functions as an AMP-binding protein in the myocardia
l cell with an important role during ischaemic ATP breakdown when AMP
accumulates rapidly.