The Class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are lipid kinases that phosphorylate the 3-hydroxyl group of the inositol ring of phosphatidylinositides. Although closely related, experimental evidence suggests that the four Class 1 PI3Ks may be functionally distinct. To further study their unique biochemical properties, the three human Class la PI3K (alpha, P, and 6) p I 10 catalytic domains were cloned and co-expressed with the p85alpha regulatory domain in SO cells. None of the p110 subunits were successfully expressed in the absence of p85alpha Successful expression and purification of each p85alpha/p110 protein required using an excess of the p110 vector over the p85 vector during co-infection of Sf9 cells. Proteins were purified as the p85alpha/p110 complex by nickel affinity chromatography through an N-terminal His-tag on the p 110 subunit using an imidazole gradient. The purification yields were high using the optimized ratio of p85/p110 vector and small culture volumes, with 24 mg/L cell culture media for p85alpha/p110alpha, 17.5 mg/L for p85alpha/p110delta, and 3.5mg/L for p85alpha/p110beta. The identity of each purified isoform was confirmed by mass spectral analysis and immunoblotting. The activities of the three p85alpha/p110 proteins and the Class Ib p110gamma catalytic domain were investigated using phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) as the substrate in a PIP2/phosphatidyiserine (PS) liposome. All four enzymes exhibited reaction velocities that were dependent on the surface concentration of PIP2. The surface concentrations that gave maximal activity for each human isoform with 0.5 mM PIP2 were 2.5 mol% PIP2 for p110gamma, 7.5 mol% for p85alpha/p110beta, and 10 mol% PIP2 for p85alpha/p110alpha and p85alpha/p110delta. The specific activity of p85alpha/p110alpha was three to five times higher than that of the other human isoforms. These kinetic differences may contribute to the unique roles of these isoforms in cells. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.