1. L-Lactate dehydrogenase from lettuce (Lactuca sativa) leaves was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by affinity chromatography. 2. In addition to its NAD(H)-dependent activity with L-lactate and pyruvate, the enzyme also catalyses the reduction of hydroxypyruvate and glyoxylate. The latter activities are not due to a contamination of the enzyme preparations with hydroxypyruvate reductase. 3. The enzyme shows allosteric properties that are markedly by the pH. 4. ATP is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme. The kinetic data suggest that the inhibition by ATP is competitive with respect to NADH at pH 7.0 and 6.2. The existence of regulatory binding sites for ATP and NADH is discussed. 5. Bivalent metal cations and fructose 6-phosphate relieve the ATP inhibition of the enzyme. 6. A function of leaf L-lactate dehydrogenase is proposed as a component of the systems regulating the cellular pH and/or controlling the concentration of reducing equivalents in the cytoplasm of leaf cells.
