We have studied several properties of rat liver L-threonine deaminase:
(1) the affinity for the two substrates, L-serine and L-threonine; (2
) the threonine/serine activity ratio which changes with increasing pH
; (3) the activation, by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate which is linked to the
nonprotonated form of the coenzyme and to at least an -SH group of th
e enzyme, and (4) the reactivation by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and pyrid
oxamine 5'-phosphate after dissociation of the coenzyme. The mechanism
of the reactivation by pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate is the most interest
ing problem opened by the present research.