Phenylalanine Hydroxylase from Human Kidney

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Abstract
In this report the presence, and level, of phenylalanine hydroxylase in the cortex of human kidney is established. The average activity found in 15 surgically removed kidneys was 47.2 ± 11.2 mU/g wet weight of tissue. The average value, determined under the same experimental conditions, for two human liver biopsies was 217 mU/g tissue. Of five autopsy livers obtained 2.5-4 h postmortem, four contained no activity, and only 1-2% of normal was found in the fifth. Autopsy kidneys were similarly inactive. The presence of a highly active degradative enzyme could not be demonstrated in autopsy liver homogenates; it was established that the lack of activity was not due to an inhibitory component. A possible interpretation of this phenomenon is discussed. According to work published elsewhere [3] the kidney and liver enzymes appear to be similar. Thus, surgically removed kidneys provide an alternative source of human phenylalanine hydroxylase which can be used to study phenylketonuria.

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