Alkaline phosphatases function best in alkaline environments, catalyzing the hydrolysis of monoesters of phosphoric acid and a transphosphorylation reaction in the presence of large concentrations of phosphate acceptors. With few exceptions, they are homodimeric enzymes and each catalytic site contains three metal ions, i.e., two Zn and one Mg, necessary for enzymatic activity. They have broad substrate specificity. (Adapted from
PMID:18404473.)
