Thermostable alanine dehydrogenase from thermophilic Bacillus sphaericus DSM 462. Purification, characterization and kinetic mechanism

Alanine dehydrogenase (L-alanine: NAD+ oxidoreductase, deaminating) was simply purified to homogeneity from a thermophile, Bacillus sphaericus DSM 462, by ammonium sulfate fractionation, red-Sepharose 4B chromatography and preparative slab gel electrophoresis. The enzyme had a molecular mass of about 230 kDa and consisted of six subunits with an identical molecular mass of 38 kDa. The enzyme was much more thermostable than that from a mesophile, B. sphaericus, and retained its full activity upon heating at 75 degrees C for at least 60 min and with incubation in pH 5.5-9.5 at 75 degrees C for 10 min. The enzyme can be stored without loss of its activity in a frozen state (-20 degrees C, at pH 7.2) for over 5 months. The optimum pH for the L-alanine deamination and pyruvate amination were around 10.5 and 8.2, respectively. The enzyme exclusively catalyzed the oxidative deamination of L-alanine in the presence of NAD+, but showed low amino acceptor specificity; hydroxypyruvate, oxaloacetate, 2-oxobutyrate and 3-fluoropyruvate are also aminated as well as pyruvate in the presence of NADH and ammonia. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies showed that the reductive amination proceeded through a sequential mechanism containing partially random binding. NADH binds first to the enzyme, and then pyruvate and ammonia bind in a random fashion. The products are sequentially released from the enzyme in the order L-alanine then NAD+. A dead-end inhibition by the formation of an abortive ternary complex which consists of the enzyme, NAD+ and pyruvate was included in the reaction. A possible role of the dead-end inhibition is to prevent the enzyme from functioning in the L-alanine synthesis. The Michaelis constants for the substrates were as follows: NADH, 0.10 mM; pyruvate, 0.50 mM; ammonia, 38.0 mM; L-alanine, 10.5 mM and NAD+, 0.26 mM.     

Alanine dehydrogenase of the N2-fixing blue-green alga, Anabaena cylindrica.

The L-alanine dehydrogenase (ADH) of Anabaena cylindrica has been purified 700-fold. It has a molecular weight of approximately 270,000, has 6 sub-units, each of molecular weight approximately 43,000, and shows activity both in the aminating and deaminating directions. The enzyme is NADH/NAD+ specific and oxaloacetate can partially substitute for pyruvate. The Kampp for NAD+ is 14 muM and 60 muM at low and high NAD concentrations respectively.     

Purification, properties and primary structure of alanine dehydrogenase involved in taurine metabolism in the anaerobe Bilophila wadsworthia

Alanine dehydrogenase [L-alanine:NAD+ oxidoreductase (deaminating), EC 1.4.1.4.] catalyses the reversible oxidative deamination of L-alanine to pyruvate and, in the anaerobic bacterium Bilophila wadsworthia RZATAU, it is involved in the degradation of taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonate). The enzyme regenerates the amino-group acceptor pyruvate, which is consumed during the transamination of taurine and liberates ammonia, which is one of the degradation end products. Alanine dehydrogenase seems to be induced during growth with taurine. The enzyme was purified about 24-fold to apparent homogeneity in a three-step purification. SDS-PAGE revealed a single protein band with a molecular mass of 42 kDa. The apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme was 273 kDa, as determined by gel filtration chromatography, suggesting a homo-hexameric structure. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined. The pH optimum was pH 9.0 for reductive amination of pyruvate and pH 9.0-11.5 for oxidative deamination of alanine. The apparent Km values for alanine, NAD+, pyruvate, ammonia and NADH were 1.6, 0.15, 1.1, 31 and 0.04 mM, respectively. The alanine dehydrogenase gene was sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence corresponded to a size of 39.9 kDa and was very similar to that of the alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis.     

Purification and properties of alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus sphaericus.

1. The bacterial distribution of alanine dehydrogenase (L-alanine:NAD+ oxidoreductase, deaminating, EC 1.4.1.1) was investigated, and high activity was found in Bacillus species. The enzyme has been purified to homogeneity and crystallized from B. sphaericus (IFO 3525), in which the highest activity occurs. 2. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 230 000, and is composed of six identical subunits (Mr 38 000). 3. The enzyme acts almost specifically on L-alanine, but shows low amino-acceptor specificity; pyruvate and 2-oxobutyrate are the most preferable substrates, and 2-oxovalerate is also animated. The enzyme requires NAD+ as a cofactor, which cannot be replaced by NADP+. 4. The enzyme is stable over a wide pH range (pH 6.0--10.0), and shows maximum reactivity at approximately pH 10.5 and 9.0 for the deamination and amination reactions, respectively. 5. Alanine dehydrogenase is inhibited significantly by HgCl2, p-chloromercuribenzoate and other metals, but none of purine and pyrimidine bases, nucleosides, nucleotides, flavine compounds and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate influence the activity. 6. The reductive amination proceeds through a sequential ordered ternary-binary mechanism. NADH binds first to the enzyme followed by ammonia and pyruvate, and the products are released in the order of L-ALANINE AND NAD+. The Michaelis constants are as follows: NADH (10 microM), ammonia (28.2 mM), pyruvate (1.7 mM), L-alanine (18.9 mM) and NAD+ (0.23 mM). 7. The pro-R hydrogen at C-4 of the reduced nicotinamide ring of NADH is exclusively transferred to pyruvate; the enzyme is A-stereospecific.     

Alanine dehydrogenase of the β-lactam antibiotic producer Streptomyces clavuligerus

l-Alanine dehydrogenase was found in extracts of the antibiotic producer Streptomyces clavuligerus. The enzyme was induced by ammonia, and the level of induction was dependend on the extracellular concentration. l-Alanine was the only amino acid able to induce alanine dehydrogenase. The enzyme was characterized from a 38-fold purified preparation. Pyruvate (K _m =1.1 mM), ammonia (K _m =20 mM) and NADH (K _m =0.14 mM) were required for the reductive amination, and l-alanine (K _m =9.1 mM) and NAD (K _m =0.5 mM) for the oxidative deaminating reaction. The aminating reaction was inhibited by alanine, serine and NADPH. Alanine inhibited uncompetitively with respect to NADH (K _i =1.6 mM) and noncompetitively with respect to ammonia (K _i =2.0 mM) and pyruvate (K _i =3.0 mM). In the aminating reaction 3-hydroxypyruvate, glyoxylate and 2-oxobutyrate could partially (6–7%) substitute pyruvate. Alanine dehydrogenase from S. clavuligerus differed with respect to its molecular weight (92000) and its kinetic properties from those described for other microorganisms.Abbreviation Alanine-DH l-alanine:NAD oxidoreductase     

Characterization of an extremely thermostable glutamate dehydrogenase: a key enzyme in the primary metabolism of the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium, Pyrococcus furiosus.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (L-glutamate:NAD(P)+ oxidoreductase, deaminating, EC 1.4.1.3) from the hyperthermophilic Archeon Pyrococcus furiosus was purified to homogeneity by chromatography on anion-exchange, molecular-exclusion and hydrophobic-interaction media. The purified native enzyme had an M(r) of 270,000 +/- 15,000 and was shown to be a hexamer with identical subunits of M(r) 46,000. The enzyme was exceptionally thermostable, having a half-life of 3.5 to more than 10 h at 100 degrees C, depending on the concentration of enzyme. The Km of the enzyme for ammonia was high (9.5 mM), indicating that the enzyme is probably active in the deaminating, catabolic direction. The coenzyme utilization of the enzyme resembled the equivalent enzymes from eukaryotes rather than eubacteria, since both NADH and NADPH were recognized with high affinity. The enzyme displayed a preference for NADP+ over NAD+ that was more pronounced at low assay temperatures (50-70 degrees C) compared with the optimal temperature for enzyme activity, 95 degrees C.     

Purification and properties of three NAD(P)+ isozymes of L-glutamate dehydrogenase of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Three isozymes of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, induced under different trophic and stress conditions, have been purified about 800-1000-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity. They are hexamers of Mr 266,000-269,000 as deduced from gel filtration and sedimentation coefficient data. GDH1 consisted of six identical subunits of 44 kDa each, whereas both GDH2 and GDH3 consisted of six similar-sized monomers (4 of 44 kDa and 2 of 46 kDa). Optimum pH for the three activities with each pyridine nucleotide was identical (8.5 with NADH; 7.7 with NADPH; and 9.0 with NAD+). The isozymes exhibited similar high optimum temperature values (60-62 degrees C) and isoelectric points (7.9-8.1). Activity was enhanced in vitro by Ca2+ ions and strongly inhibited by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, KCN, o-phenanthroline and EDTA, and to a lesser extent by pHMB and methylacetimidate. In the aminating reaction the three isozymes were inhibited in a concentration-dependent process by both NADH and NADPH, with apparent Km values for NH4+ ranging from 13-53 mM; 0.36-1.85 mM for 2-oxoglutarate and 0.07-0.78 mM for NADH and NADPH. In the deaminating reaction apparent Km values ranged from 0.64-3.52 mM for L-glutamate and 0.20-0.32 for NAD+. In addition, the three isozymes exhibited a non-hyperbolic kinetics for NAD+ with negative cooperativity (n = 0.8).     

Glycine and alanine dehydrogenase activities are catalyzed by the same protein in Mycobacterium smegmatis: upregulation of both activities under microaerophilic adaptation

Microaerophilic adaptation has been described as one of the in vitro dormancy models for tuberculosis. Studies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis adapted to low oxygen levels showed an enhancement of glycine dehydrogenase (deaminating) activity. We studied the physiology of the fast-growing, nonpathogenic strain of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 607 under low oxygen by shifting the actively growing M. smegmatis cells to static microaerophilic growth conditions. This shifting of M. smegmatis culture resulted in a similar phenomenon as seen with M. tuberculosis, i.e., elevated glycine dehydrogenase activity. Further purification of glycine dehydrogenase from M. smegmatis demonstrated glyoxylate amination, but failed to demonstrate glycine deamination, even in the purified fraction. Moreover, the purified protein showed pyruvate amination as well as L-alanine deamination activities. By activity staining, the protein band positive for glyoxylate amination demonstrated only pyruvate amination in the presence of NAD. Absence of glycine deamination activity strongly suggested that alanine dehydrogenase of M. smegmatis was responsible for glyoxylate amination in the cell lysate. This was further confirmed by demonstrating the similar level of upregulation of both glyoxylate and pyruvate amination activities in the cell lysate of the adapted culture.     

Purification and properties of NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) (L-glutamate:NADP+ oxidoreductase, deaminating, EC 1.4.1.4) from the cellulolytic ruminal bacterium Ruminococcus flavefaciens has been purified and characterized. The native enzyme and subunit are 280 and 48 kDa, respectively, suggesting that the native enzyme is a hexamer. The enzyme requires 0.5 M KCl for optimal activity and has a pH optimum of 6.9 to 7.0. The Kms for ammonia, alpha-ketoglutarate, and glutamate are 19, 0.41, and 62 mM, respectively. The sigmoidal NADPH saturation curve revealed positive cooperativity for the binding of this coenzyme. The first residue in the N-terminal amino acid sequence from R. flavefaciens GDH was alanine, suggesting that the protein may be modified posttranslationally. Comparison of the N-terminal sequence with those of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Clostridium symbiosum revealed only 39% amino acid homologies. The GDH from R. flavefaciens was unique in that its specific activity was highest during ammonia-limited growth but was not affected by ammonia shock treatment (20 mM).     

Purification and properties of NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1.

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) (L-glutamate:NADP+ oxidoreductase, deaminating, EC 1.4.1.4) from the cellulolytic ruminal bacterium Ruminococcus flavefaciens has been purified and characterized. The native enzyme and subunit are 280 and 48 kDa, respectively, suggesting that the native enzyme is a hexamer. The enzyme requires 0.5 M KCl for optimal activity and has a pH optimum of 6.9 to 7.0. The Kms for ammonia, alpha-ketoglutarate, and glutamate are 19, 0.41, and 62 mM, respectively. The sigmoidal NADPH saturation curve revealed positive cooperativity for the binding of this coenzyme. The first residue in the N-terminal amino acid sequence from R. flavefaciens GDH was alanine, suggesting that the protein may be modified posttranslationally. Comparison of the N-terminal sequence with those of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Clostridium symbiosum revealed only 39% amino acid homologies. The GDH from R. flavefaciens was unique in that its specific activity was highest during ammonia-limited growth but was not affected by ammonia shock treatment (20 mM).     

Purification and properties of L-alanine aminotransferase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

An enzyme which catalyzes the transamination of L-alanine with 2-oxoglutarate has been purified 157-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii 6145c. The enzyme showed maximal activity at pH 7.3 and 50 degrees C, has an apparent molecular mass of 105 kDa as estimated by gel filtration, and consists of two identical subunits of 45 kDa each as deduced from PAGE/SDS studies. A stoichiometry of two moles pyridoxal 5-phosphate/mole enzyme was calculated. The enzyme has an isoelectric point of 8.3 and its absorption spectrum exhibits a maximum at 412 nm which is shifted to 330 nm upon addition of L-alanine. Pyridoxal 5-phosphate protected activity against heat inactivation and, to a minor extent, L-alanine and 2-oxoglutarate, but not L-glutamate. Spectral data and activity inhibition and protection studies strongly support the involvement of pyridoxal 5-phosphate in enzyme catalysis through a Schiff's base formation. The purified enzyme was able to transaminate only L-alanine and L-glutamate with glyoxylate out of ten amino acids tested. L-Alanine aminotransferase exhibited hyperbolic kinetic for 2-oxoglutarate, pyruvate, and L-glutamate, and nonhyperbolic behaviour for L-alanine. Apparent Km values were 0.054 mM for 2-oxoglutarate, 0.52 for L-glutamate, 0.24 mM for pyruvate, and 2.7 mM for L-alanine. Transamination of L-alanine in C. reinhardtii is a bisubstrate reaction with a bi-bi ping-pong mechanism, and is not inhibited by substrates.     

Alanine dehydrogenase from Streptomyces fradiae. Purification and properties

Alanine dehydrogenase was purified to homogeneity from a cell-free extract of Streptomyces fradiae, which produces tylosin. The enzyme was purified 1180-fold to give a 21% yield, using a combination of hydrophobic chromatography and ion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography. The relative molecular mass of the native enzyme was determined to be 210,000 or 205,000 by equilibrium ultracentrifugation or gel filtration, respectively. The enzyme is composed of four subunits, each of Mr 51,000. Using analytical isoelectric focusing the isoelectric point of alanine dehydrogenase was found to be 6.1. The Km were 10.0 mM for L-alanine and 0.18 mM for NAD+. Km values for reductive amination were 0.23 mM for pyruvate, 11.6 mM for NH4+ and 0.05 mM for NADH. Oxidative deamination of L-alanine proceeds through a sequential-ordered binary-ternary mechanism in which NAD+ binds first to the enzyme, followed by alanine, and products are released in the order ammonia, pyruvate and NADH.     

Extremely thermostable glutamate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus furiosus.

The hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus furiosus contains high levels of NAD(P)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase activity. The enzyme could be involved in the first step of nitrogen metabolism, catalyzing the conversion of 2-oxoglutarate and ammonia to glutamate. The enzyme, purified to homogeneity, is a hexamer of 290 kDa (subunit mass 48 kDa). Isoelectric-focusing analysis of the purified enzyme showed a pI of 4.5. The enzyme shows strict specificity for 2-oxoglutarate and L-glutamate but utilizes both NADH and NADPH as cofactors. The purified enzyme reveals an outstanding thermal stability (the half-life for thermal inactivation at 100 degrees C was 12 h), totally independent of enzyme concentration. P. furiosus glutamate dehydrogenase represents 20% of the total protein; this elevated concentration raises questions about the roles of this enzyme in the metabolism of P. furiosus.     

L-alanine: 4,5-dioxovalerate aminotransferase from Pseudomonas riboflavina: purification and inactivation by methylglyoxal

L-Alanine:4,5-dioxovalerate aminotransferase, which catalyzes transamination between L-alanine and 4,5-dioxovalerate to yield delta-aminolevulinate and pyruvate, has been purified from Pseudomonas riboflavina IFO 3140. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 190,000 and consisted of four identical subunits. It was crystallized as pale yellow needles. The enzyme used L-alanine (relative activity 100), beta-alanine (39), and L-ornithine (14) as amino donors. gamma-aminobutyrate (55) and epsilon-aminocaproate (34) were also effective as amino donors. The reaction proceeded according to a ping-pong mechanism and the Km values for L-alanine and 4,5-dioxovalerate were 1.7 and 0.75 mM, respectively. The activity of the enzyme is strongly inhibited by pyruvate, hemin, and methylglyoxal. Methylglyoxal interacted with the enzyme and brought about a complete inactivation.     

NADP-Specific Glutamate Dehydrogenase from Alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. KSM-635: Purification and Enzymatic Properties

An NADP-specific glutamate dehydrogenase [L-glutamate: NADP⁺ oxidoreductase (deaminating), EC 1.4.1.4] from alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. KSM-635 was purified 5840-fold to homogeneity by a several-step procedure involving Red-Toyopearl affinity chromatography. The native protein, with an isoelectric point of pH 4.87, had a molecular mass of approximately 315 kDa consisting of six identical summits each with a molecular mass of 52 kDa. The pH optima for the aminating and deaminating reactions were 7.5 and 8.5, respectively. The optimum temperature was around 60°C for both. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 416units/mg protein for the aminating reaction, being over 20-fold greater than that for deaminating reaction, at the respective pH optima and at 30°C. The enzyme was specific for NADPH (K_m 44 μM), 2-oxoglutarate (K_m 3.13 mM), NADP⁺ (K_m 29 μM), and L-glutamate (K_m 6.06 mM). The K_m for NH₄Cl was 5.96 mM. The enzyme could be stored without appreciable loss of enzyme activity at 5°C for half a year in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 2 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, although the enzyme activity was abolished within 20 h by freezing at ?20°C.     

Regulation of nitrogen catabolic enzymes in Bacillus spp.

The levels of the inducible nitrogen catabolic enzymes arginase (L-arginine amidinohydrolase, EC 3.5.3.1) and alanine dehydrogenase (L-alanine:NAD+ oxidoreductase [deaminating], EC 1.4.1.1) from Bacillus licheniformis and histidase (L-histidine ammonia-lyase, EC 4.3.1.3) from Bacillus subtilis and the ammonia assimilatory enzymes from B. licheniformis were determined in cultures grown in the presence of different nitrogen sources. Although the levels of these enzymes were dependent upon the nitrogen source present, induction of the catabolic enzymes in response to the addition of inducer occurred even in the presence of preferred nitrogen sources. Intracellular pool sizes of ammonia, glutamate, glutamine, and alpha-ketoglutarate were measured in continuous cultures of b. licheniformis growing in the presence of different nitrogen sources. A comparison of the pool sizes of these metabolites with the ammonia assimilatory enzyme levels showed that the pools of the metabolites did not change in a manner consistent with their use as regulators of the synthesis of any of these enzymes.     

Mechanisms of the protective effect of L-alanine to D-galactosamine-induced hepatocellular injury: comparative studies of L-alanine and pyruvate

The addition of L-alanine reduced lactate dehydrogenase leakage from primary cultured rat hepatocytes treated with galactosamine (D-gal), while D-alanine and other amino acids did not. However, the mechanisms have not yet been entirely clarified. In this study, we used various inhibitors of metabolism, i.e., aminooxyacetate, oligomycin, and quinolinic acid, to examine the relation between this protective effect and the metabolism of L-alanine. Quinolinic acid (10 mM) did not affect the hepatoprotective effect of L-alanine, while oligomycin (0.1 mug/ml) and aminooxyacetate (1 mM) eliminated the hepatoprotective effect of L-alanine. L-Alanine also increased the albumin secretion by cultured hepatocytes treated with D-gal, while pyruvate had little effect. It was revealed that the intracellular content of pyruvate did not increase as a result of addition of L-alanine. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that L-alanine metabolism is important for hepatoprotection, but pyruvate cannot be used as a substitute for L-alanine.     

Screening and simple purification of alanine dehydrogenase in Bacillus strains

Alanine dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.1), in the presence of NAD+, catalyzes the reversible deamination of L-alanine. Screening of alanine dehydrogenase in bacillus strains was carried out to develop its utilization as an industrial and analytical catalyst. Eight bacillus strains were used, including Bacillus megaterium LA 199 which abundantly produces enzymes. Alanine dehydrogenase was purified simply from Bacillus megaterium LA 199 by heat treatment at pH 5.4, followed by DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B and Sepharose CL-2B chromotography. The enzyme consisted of six subunits with an identical molecular mass of 42.5 kDa. The Km were 1.17 x 10(-2) mM for NADH and 5.12 x 10(-2) mM for pyruvate.     

Pyridine nucleotide specificity of barley nitrate reductase

NADPH nitrate reductase activity in higher plants has been attributed to the presence of NAD(P)H bispecific nitrate reductases and to the presence of phosphatases capable of hydrolyzing NADPH to NADH. To determine which of these conditions exist in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Steptoe), we characterized the NADH and NADPH nitrate reductase activities in crude and affinity-chromatography-purified enzyme preparations. The pH optima were 7.5 for NADH and 6 to 6.5 for the NADPH nitrate reductase activities. The ratio of NADPH to NADH nitrate reductase activities was much greater in crude extracts than it was in a purified enzyme preparation. However, this difference was eliminated when the NADPH assays were conducted in the presence of lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate to eliminate NADH competitively. The addition of lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate to NADPH nitrate reductase assay media eliminated 80 to 95% of the NADPH nitrate reductase activity in crude extracts. These results suggest that a substantial portion of the NADPH nitrate reductase activity in barley crude extracts results from enzyme(s) capable of converting NADPH to NADH. This conversion may be due to a phosphatase, since phosphate and fluoride inhibited NADPH nitrate reductase activity to a greater extent than the NADH activity. The NADPH activity of the purified nitrate reductase appears to be an inherent property of the barley enzyme, because it was not affected by lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate. Furthermore, inorganic phosphate did not accumulate in the assay media, indicating that NADPH was not converted to NADH. The wild type barley nitrate reductase is a NADH-specific enzyme with a slight capacity to use NADPH.     

Alanine dehydrogenase of the N2-fixing blue-green alga,Anabaena cylindrica

The l-alanine dehydrogenase (ADH) of Anabaena cylindrica has been purified 700-fold. It has a molecular weight of approximately 270000, has 6 sub-units, each of molecular weight approximately 43000, and shows activity both in the aminating and deaminating directions. The enzyme is NADH/NAD⁺ specific and oxaloacetate can partially substitute for pyruvate. The K _m ^app for NAD⁺ is 14 M and 60 M at low and high NAD⁺ concentrations, respectively. The K _m ^app for l-alanine is 0.4 mM, that for pyruvate is 0.11 mM, and that for oxaloacetate is 3.0 mM. The K _m ^app for NH ₄ ⁺ varies from 8–133 mM depending on the pH, being lowest at high pH levels (pH 8.7 or above). Alanine, serine and glycine inhibit ADH activity in the aminating direction. The enzyme is active both in heterocysts and vegetative cells and activity is higher in nitrogen-starved cultures than in N₂-fixing cultures. The data suggest that although alanine is formed by the aminating activity of ADH, entry of newly fixed ammonia into organic combination does not occur primarily via ADH in N₂-fixing cultures of A. cylindrica. Ammonia assimilation via ADH may be important in cultures with an excess of available nitrogen. The deaminating activity of the enzyme may be important under conditions of nitrogen-deficiency.Abbreviations ADH alanine dehydrogenase - DEAE diethylamino ethyl cellulose - EDTA ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid - GDH glutamic dehydrogenase - GS glutamine synthetase - GOT aspartate-glutamate aminotransferase - NAD⁺ nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide - NADH reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide - NADP⁺ nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate - NADPH reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate - SDS sodium dodecyl sulphate - Tris tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane