Development and pigmentation of chlorosomes in Chloroflexus aurantiacus strain Ok-70-fl

The development of chlorosomes and their pigmentation were studied by growing Chloroflexus aurantiacus strain Ok-7o-fl first under conditions under which BChl c-synthesis is low (50°C, 2000 lux and 30°C, 1500 lux) and subsequently under conditions promoting high BChl c-synthesis (50°C, 400 lux). Electron microscopic observations on and chemical analyses of isolated cell components showed that in BChl c-depleted cells chlorosome-like structures (chlorosome bags) are attached to fragments of cytoplasmic membranes. These chlorosome bags exhibit a periodic fine structure caused by the construction of the baseplates of the chlorosomes. The baseplates are closely attached to the cytoplasmic membrane, they are rich in phospholipids and apparently contain a 790 nm-BChl a-complex. Chlorosome bags of BChl c-depleted cells always contain a limited amount of light-harvesting pigment complexes (BChlc, - and -carotene). The light-harvesting system is restored (50°C, 400 lux) by first refilling the existing chlorosome bags before cell division takes place.Abbreviations BChl Bacteriochlorophyll - LH Light-harvesting complex - RC Reaction center     

Purification,Characterization, and Molecular Cloning of a Thermostable Superoxide Dismutase from Thermoascus aurantiacus

A thermostable superoxide dismutase [(SOD) EC 1.15.1.1] from a Thermoascus aurantiacus var. levisporus was purified to sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) homogeneity by a series of column chromatographies. The molecular mass of a single band of the enzyme was estimated to be 16.8 kDa by SDS–PAGE. The molecular mass was estimated to be 33.2 kDa by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-100, indicating that the enzyme was composed of two identical subunits of 16.8 kDa each. N-terminal amino acid sequencing (seven residues) yielded VKAVAVL. Using RACE-PCR, a Cu, Zn-SOD gene was cloned from T. aurantiacus var. levisporus. The sequence was 705 bp and contained a 468 bp ORF encoding a Cu, Zn-SOD of 155 amino acid residues.     

Purification and Properties of a Maltotetraose- and Maltotriose-Producing Amylase from Chloroflexus aurantiacus

A maltotetraose- and maltotriose-producing amylase which is stable at alkaline pHs and high temperatures was detected in the culture filtrate of a strain of Chloroflexus aurantiacus J-10-F1, a thermophilic, green, photosynthetic bacterium. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity, as demonstrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, by means of ultrafiltration, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and DEAE-cellulose, hydroxyapatite, and high-performance liquid chromatographies. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be about 210,000 Da. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was estimated to be 6.24 by polyacrylamide gel electrofocusing. The amylase was stable up to 55°C and at alkaline pHs of up to 12.0. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme activity were 7.5 and 71°C, respectively. Metal ions such as Hg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Ni²⁺ strongly inhibited the enzyme activity. The enzyme activity was reactivated specifically by Ca²⁺ after the enzyme was treated with 1 mM EDTA. This enzyme could digest various kinds of raw-starch granules from corn, cassava, and potato. Both maltotetraose and maltotriose were formed as the main enzymatic products from soluble starch.     

一种新型具有纤溶活性的沙蚕金属蛋白酶的分离纯化及鉴定

通过硫酸铵分级盐析、DEAE-Sepharose FF阴离子交换色谱、CM-Sepharose FF阳离子交换色谱和Sephacryl S-100 HR凝胶过滤色谱,从沙蚕体内分离纯化出一种新型的具有纤溶活性的金属蛋白酶,命名为NVMP.采用SDS-PAGE和MALDI-TOF MS 质谱检测,该酶是一种分子质量为28~32 kD的单链蛋白,等电聚焦电泳显示其等电点为8.0. NVMP酶活性被EGTA完全性抑制,表明其是一种典型的金属蛋白酶,最适温度为40 ℃,最适pH为6,Cu2+、Co2+和Zn2+可阻断其酶活性,而Ca2+ 和Mg2+可增强蛋白酶活性.经肽指纹图谱分析发现,NVMP是一种未知的新蛋白. NVMP可直接水解纤维蛋白,也可通过激活纤溶酶原转变成纤溶酶的方式,间接水解纤维蛋白.因此,NVMP对预防和治疗血栓性疾病具有一定的药用价值.     

Two-dimensional crystallization of reaction centers from Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Two-dimensional crystals of photosynthetic reaction centers from Chloroflexus aurantiacus were obtained from protein-lipid-detergent micelles by detergent dialysis. The size of crystals was up to 2 microns. Some of them were multilayered crystals. However, other crystal forms were also observed. Preliminary image processing analysis showed that crystals of one crystal form referred to two-sided plane group p2 and had the following unit cell parameters: a = 17.6 nm, b = 18.0 nm, gamma = 84 degrees. The contour map of the crystal stain-excluding region was calculated by the Fourier-filtering procedure at about 2 nm resolution.     

Thermostable Aminoacylase from Bacillus thermoglucosidius: Purification and Characterization

We studied the distribution of aminoacylase, an enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of N-acylamino acids, in thermophilic bacteria, and found Bacillus thermoglucosidius DSM 2542 to be the best producer of the enzyme. The enzyme, purified 13,400-fold to homogeneity in an overall yield of 34%, has a molecular weight of about 175,000, and is composed of four subunits identical in molecular weight (43,000). The enzyme contains 4g atoms of zinc per mol of enzyme protein. The enzyme catalyzes hydrolysis of various kinds of N-acyl-l-amino acids with very high molecular activity compared to those of fungal and mammalian enzymes: V_max and K_m for TV-acetyl-l-methionine are 3410 units/mg protein and 7.9 mm, respectively. Great stability at high temperatures and with organic solvents and protein denaturants is a characteristic of the enzyme.     

Comparison of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chloroflexus aurantiacus</Emphasis> strain J-10-fl proteomes of cells grown chemoheterotrophically and photoheterotrophically

Chloroflexus aurantiacus J-10-fl is a thermophilic green bacterium, a filamentous anoxygenic phototroph, and the model organism of the phylum Chloroflexi. We applied high-throughput, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry in a global quantitative proteomics investigation of C. aurantiacus cells grown under oxic (chemoorganoheterotrophically) and anoxic (photoorganoheterotrophically) redox states. Our global analysis identified 13,524 high-confidence peptides that matched to 1,286 annotated proteins, 242 of which were either uniquely identified or significantly increased in abundance under photoheterotrophic culture condition. Fifty-four of the 242 proteins are previously characterized photosynthesis-related proteins, including chlorosome proteins, proteins involved in the bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis, 3-hydroxypropionate (3-OHP) CO₂ fixation pathway, and components of electron transport chains. The remaining 188 proteins have not previously been reported. Of these, five proteins were found to be encoded by genes from a novel operon and observed only in photoheterotrophically grown cells. These proteins candidates may prove useful in further deciphering the phototrophic physiology of C. aurantiacus and other filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs.     

Partial Purification and Characterization of a Thermostable Actinomycete beta-Amylase

A thermostable amylase, possibly a beta-amylase from Thermoactinomyces sp. no. 2 isolated from soil, is reported. The enzyme was purified 36-fold by acetone precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, and the molecular weight was estimated at 31,600. The enzyme was characterized by demonstration of optimum activity at 60 degrees C and pH 7 and by retention of 70% activity at 70 degrees C (30 min). It was stimulated by Mn and Fe but strongly inhibited by Hg. Maltose was the only detectable product of hydrolysis of starches and was quantitatively highest in plantain starch hydrolysate.     

Purification and Characterization of a Neutral Protease from Saccharomycopsis lipolytica

Saccharomycopsis lipolytica 37-1 produced two inducible extracellular proteases, one under neutral or alkaline growth conditions and the second under acid conditions. Secretion of the neutral protease was repressed in the presence of glycerol or glucose, both of which supported rapid growth of the organism. Ammonium ions also repressed the secretion of the enzyme. The neutral protease activity copurified with esterase activity during ammonium sulfate fractionation, chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 42,000 by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and 38,500 by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The purified enzyme had a pH optimum of 6.8. Phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride inhibited both protease and esterase activities, indicating the presence of a serine residue in the active center. Protease, but not esterase, activity was sensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetate and was significantly activated by divalent ions. Dithiothreitol inhibited both protease and esterase activities, indicating the presence of a critical disulfide bridge. The enzyme hydrolyzed casein (K(m) = 25.6 muM) and hemoglobin as well as the nitrophenyl esters of tyrosine (K(m) = 2.4 mM), glycine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine.     

嗜热菌来源的生淀粉酶分离纯化及其酶学性质

从嗜热菌库中分离到两株能水解生淀粉的菌株173和174,通过扩增和测定两株菌的16S rDNA序列并进行比对结果表明,所分离两株菌属于Geobacillus属的细菌.液体摇瓶发酵菌株173、174,其产生的生淀粉酶(简称RSDE173、RSDE174)活力分别达14.5 U/mL和12.9 U/mL.通过生淀粉吸附-熟淀粉洗脱系统和TOYOPEARL HW-55F系统进行分离纯化,得到纯化的RSDE173和RSDE174,纯化倍数分别为50和29,活力回收率分别为34%和41%.有关RSDE173和RSDE174酶学性质研究显示.对熟淀粉水解的最适作用温度均为70℃,而对生淀粉水解则分别在50℃～60℃和40℃～60℃下表现出高水解活力;对不同底物的最适作用pH值均为5.0～5.5;它们对大多数试验离子的敏感性较低,但个别离子如Co2 、Cu'2 对RSDE173或u'2 对RSDE174的酶活力有一定的抑制作用.纯化的这两种生淀粉酶对不同来源生淀粉的底物专一性并不相同.RSDE173底物专一性顺序为红薯淀粉>小麦淀粉>玉米淀粉>木薯淀粉>糯米淀粉;而RSDE174的糯米淀粉>小麦淀粉>红薯淀粉>玉米淀粉>木薯淀粉.RSDE173对生红薯淀粉有很好的降解,其水解糊化淀粉与生红薯淀粉的比值为1.48;而RSDE174优先降解生糯米淀粉,其相应比值为1.69.     

Structure of Chlorosomes from the Green Filamentous Bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus

The green filamentous bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus employs chlorosomes as photosynthetic antennae. Chlorosomes contain bacteriochlorophyll aggregates and are attached to the inner side of a plasma membrane via a protein baseplate. The structure of chlorosomes from C. aurantiacus was investigated by using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction and compared with that of Chlorobi species. Cryo-electron tomography revealed thin chlorosomes for which a distinct crystalline baseplate lattice was visualized in high-resolution projections. The baseplate is present only on one side of the chlorosome, and the lattice dimensions suggest that a dimer of the CsmA protein is the building block. The bacteriochlorophyll aggregates inside the chlorosome are arranged in lamellae, but the spacing is much greater than that in Chlorobi species. A comparison of chlorosomes from different species suggested that the lamellar spacing is proportional to the chain length of the esterifying alcohols. C. aurantiacus chlorosomes accumulate larger quantities of carotenoids under high-light conditions, presumably to provide photoprotection. The wider lamellae allow accommodation of the additional carotenoids and lead to increased disorder within the lamellae.Chlorosomes (5, 13) are light-harvesting complexes found in three different phyla of photosynthetic bacteria. Chloroflexus aurantiacus belongs to the filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs (green nonsulfur bacteria) comprising members of the phylum Chloroflexi. All members of the green sulfur bacteria (phylum Chlorobi) contain chlorosomes. Very recently, a phototropic chlorosome-containing organism was found in the phylum Acidobacteria (9).Chlorosomes are oblong bodies attached to the inner side of the cytoplasmic membrane. A unique property of chlorosomes is that their main pigment, bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c, d, or e, is organized in the form of an aggregate. A similar self-assembled aggregate can form in the absence of proteins and exhibits spectral and excitonic properties similar to those of pigments in the native chlorosomes (for a review, see reference 3). The BChl aggregates were suggested to form lamellar structures in chlorosomes of green sulfur bacteria with lamellar spacing between 2 and 3 nm, depending on the main BChl (BChl c or e) and the prevailing esterifying alcohol (38, 39). In this model, the lamellar layers are maintained by nonspecific hydrophobic interactions of the interdigitated esterifying alcohols, while the in-layer arrangement is mediated through specific interactions between the stacked chlorin rings. In BChl c-containing chlorosomes of Chlorobaculum tepidum (formerly Chlorobium tepidum), the lamellar system (spacing, ∼2 nm) often remains parallel for the whole length of the chlorosome (33, 38). In Chlorobaculum tepidum the lamellae exhibit considerable curvature, which was initially attributed to undulation (38), but recent end-on micrographs revealed a variety of curved lamellar structures, such as lamellar tubules or multilayered wraps, as well as undulations (33). Recently, when chlorosomes from a Chlorobaculum tepidum mutant with well-ordered BChl aggregates were used as a model for electron microscopy (EM) and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, it was proposed that BChl aggregates form concentric nanotubes with the pigments arranged in helical spirals (14).In contrast, chlorosomes from BChl e-containing bacteria (e.g., Chlorobium phaeovibrioides) contain lamellar pigments that are organized into small domains with random orientations. It has been proposed that this arrangement improves the absorption of photons with different polarizations (39). This, together with aggregation-induced enlargement of the oscillator strength, enables the bacteria to survive under extremely low-light conditions. At this point it is unclear whether these domains also exhibit a multilayer tubular arrangement. The data suggest that while the lamellar nature of BChl aggregates seems to be conserved, the higher-order structure of chlorosomes may be different in different species.Chlorosomes attach to the cytoplasmic membrane via a crystalline baseplate that contains BChl a and carotenoids and acts as an intermediary in energy transfer from the chlorosome to the reaction centers in the membrane. The baseplate consists of multiple CsmA protein subunits (5.7 kDa in C. aurantiacus and 6.2 kDa in Chlorobaculum tepidum [8, 27, 34, 40]). In addition to its role in energy transfer, it has been proposed that the baseplate is essential for the long-range order of lamellar BChl aggregates (2, 19). In addition to CsmA, chlorosomes of C. aurantiacus contain a number of other proteins, all of which are located in the chlorosome envelope (for a review, see reference 13).Recent progress in understanding chlorosome structure has been limited to the Chlorobi, and it is unclear whether there is similar organization in chlorosomes from bacteria belonging to different phyla, such as the Chloroflexi. While Chloroflexi also employ chlorosomes as the main light-harvesting complex, genetically they are only distantly related to the Chlorobi. Chlorobi and Chloroflexi also exhibit substantial differences in the photosynthetic apparatus. The average size of chlorosomes from C. aurantiacus, the model organism of the Chloroflexi, has been reported to be smaller (100 by 30 by 15 nm) than the average size of chlorosomes from the Chlorobi (150 to 200 by 50 by 20 nm) (30, 32). C. aurantiacus chlorosomes contain a single homologue of BChl c (8-ethyl,12-methyl) (16) and several secondary homologues that harbor different esterifying alcohols. The main esterifying alcohol (stearol) and the minor secondary homologues have longer chains than the prevailing alcohol in Chlorobaculum tepidum (farnesol) (11, 16, 22).Carotenoids are thought to play important light-harvesting and protective roles in chlorosomes (10, 13, 26, 36, 37). These hydrophobic molecules were shown to partition into the apolar space between the chlorin planes together with the aliphatic chains of the esterifying alcohols (39), and they also contribute to the hydrophobic driving force during assembly (1, 20). C. aurantiacus exhibits much greater variability of the carotenoid/BChl molar ratio than the Chlorobi. This ratio was observed to increase at most 1.4-fold in the Chlorobi species studied, even if the light intensity was increased more than 2 orders of magnitude (from 0.1 to 50 microeinsteins m⁻² s⁻¹) (6, 7). However, when there was a moderate change in the light intensity (from 400 to 2,000 lx [41] or from 44 to 127 microeinsteins m⁻² s⁻¹ [22]), C. aurantiacus exhibited a robust increase (fivefold) in the carotenoid content. As a result, the carotenoid content can reach levels of approximately one carotenoid molecule per two BChl molecules (41). Thus, a C. aurantiacus chlorosome seems to be able to accumulate significantly more carotenoids than the average Chlorobaculum tepidum chlorosome, which exhibits about one carotenoid molecule per 10 BChl molecules (7, 39).In the present work we examined the overall structure, pigment arrangement, and composition of C. aurantiacus chlorosomes using cryo-electron tomography, X-ray scattering, and quantitative pigment analysis. C. aurantiacus chlorosomes appear to be thin with a distinct two-dimensional baseplate protein array. Our results also demonstrate that BChl c aggregates are lamellar, suggesting that this is a universal feature of chlorosome structure. The greater lamellar spacing is due to the longer esterifying alcohols and allows accommodation of more carotenoids.     

Photosynthetic reaction centre of Chloroflexus aurantiacus. I. Primary structure of L-subunit

The L-subunit primary structure of the reaction centre from Chloroflexus aurantiacus composed of 310 amino acid residues has been determined by parallel analysis of the protein and corresponding DNA. Significant homology between this protein and L-subunits from reaction centres of purple bacteria is observed. This implies close similarity in the tertiary structure of these proteins.     

Autotrophic growth and CO2 fixation of Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Chlorofluexus aurantiacus OK-70 fl was grown photoautotrophically with hydrogen as the electron source. The lowest doubling time observed was 26 h.The mechanism of CO₂ fixation in autotrophically grown cells was studied. The presence of ribulose-1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase and phosphoribulokinase could not be demonstrated. Carbon isotope fractionation (¹³C) was small, and alanine and aspartate but not 3-phosphoglycerate were the major labelled compounds in short term ¹⁴CO₂ labelling. Thus CO₂ is not fixed by the Calvin cycle.Fluoroacetate (FAc) completely inhibited protein synthesis in cultures and caused a slight citrate accumulation. However, CO₂ fixation continued and increased polyglucose formation occurred. Under these conditions added acetate was metabolized to polyglucose, as were glycine, serine, glyoxylate and succinate, but to a lesser extent; little or no formate or CO was utilised.Glyoxylate inhibited CO₂ fixation in vivo, indicating that pyruvate is formed from acetyl-CoA and CO₂ by pyruvate synthase. Two key enzymes of the reductive TCA cycle, citrate lyase and -ketoglutarate synthase were not detected in cell free extracts, but pyruvate synthase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase were demonstrated. It is concluded that acetyl-CoA is a central intermediate in the CO₂ fixation process, but the mechanism of its synthesis is not clear.Abbreviations Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase - TCA cycle tricarboxylic acid cycle - FAc monofluoroacetate - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - MV methyl viologen - TTC triphenyltetrazolium chloride - PMS phenazine methosulfate     

Electron-transport chains of phototrophically and chemotrophically grown Chloroflexus aurantiacus

The membrane-bound electron-transfer chain components of both phototrophically and chemotrophically grown Chloroflexus aurantiacus have been characterized. Membranes isolated from chemotrophically grown Chloroflexus have been shown to contain at least three c-type cytochromes and at least three b-type cytochromes. In addition, these cells appear to lack a photochemical reaction center and the high potential (E_m = +260 mV) cytochrome c-554 that serves as the immediate donor to the reaction center in phototrophically grown Chloroflexus. Phototrophically grown cells contain a CO-binding c-type cytochrome, apparently absent in the chemotrophically grown cells. However, a different CO-binding component, which may function as the terminal oxidase, is present in chemotrophically grown cells.     

Purification and Characterization of Benzonitrilases from Arthrobacter sp. Strain J-1

We found two kinds of benzonitrilases, designated benzonitrilases A and B, in a cell extract of Arthrobacter sp. strain J-1 grown on benzonitrile as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. Benzonitrilases A and B were purified approximately 409-fold and 38-fold, respectively. Purified benzonitrilase A appeared to be homogeneous according to the criteria of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both the enzymes hydrolyzed benzonitrile to benzoic acid and ammonia without forming benzamide as an intermediate. The molecular weights of benzonitrilases A and B were found to be 30,000 and 23,000, respectively. The subunit molecular weight of benzonitrilase A was the same as its molecular weight. The isoelectric points of benzonitrilases A and B were 4.95 and 4.80, respectively. The optimum temperature and pH, respectively, for benzonitrilase A were 40°C and 8.5, and those for benzonitrilase B were 30°C and 7.5. The K_m values for benzonitrilases A and B were 6.7 mM and 4.5 mM, respectively. Both the enzymes degraded p-tolunitrile, 4-cyanopyridine, and p-chlorobenzonitrile, but they did not attack aliphatic nitriles or amides. Both the enzymes were inhibited by thiol reagents.     

Morganella morganii J-8羰基不对称还原酶的分离纯化及性质研究

由本实验室筛选得到的摩尔摩根氏菌J-8菌株可将底物1-苯基-2-甲氨基丙酮专一性地转化为d-伪麻黄碱。以M.morganiiJ-8为出发菌株,菌体超声破碎后,经硫酸铵沉淀、Phenyl Superose疏水柱层析、DEAD阴离子柱层析和非变性凝胶电泳四步纯化获得电泳纯羰基不对称还原酶。亚基分子质量为42.5kD,高效液相色谱分析酶的分子质量约为84.1kD,初步认为该酶为二聚体蛋白。对所得到的部分纯化酶的酶学性质做了初步研究,纯酶进行基质辅助激光解析电离-飞行质谱分析,比对结果显示为与亮氨酸脱氢酶蛋白有很高相似性。     

詹氏甲烷球菌DNA连接酶在大肠杆菌中的表达纯化及连接活性鉴定

对一种耐热性古茵--詹氏甲烷球茵(Methanocaldococcus jannaschii)的DNA连接酶进行了克隆、表达、纯化,并对其生物化学特性和酶学活性进行了初步研究.詹氏甲烷球菌DNA连接酶重组蛋白在ATP及Mg<'2+>二价阳离子存在的条件下具有连接酶活性,能够封闭DNA链上的切割.通过不同温度下的测试,50～80℃为较适合连接温度,其耐热性强,甚至在90℃下加热5 min后仍有连接酶活性;其发挥活性的pH值范围比较宽泛.最适pH值为6.0～9.0.这是国际上对詹氏甲烷球菌DNA连接酶的首次报导.     

Physicochemical Characterization of a Thermostable Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Pyrobaculum aerophilum

In this work we characterize an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum (PyAeADHII). We have previously found that PyAeADHII has no activity when standard ADH substrates are used but is active when α-tetralone is used as substrate. Here, to gain insights into enzyme function, we screened several chemical libraries for enzymatic modulators using an assay employing α-tetralone. The results indicate that PyAeADHII activity in the presence of α-tetralone was inhibited by compounds such as flunarizine. We also examined metal coordination of the enzyme in solution by performing metal substitution of the enzyme-bound zinc (Zn²⁺) with cobalt. The solution-based absorption spectra for cobalt substituted PyAeADHII supports substitution at the structural Zn²⁺ site. To gain structural insight, we obtained the crystal structure of both wild-type and cobalt-substituted PyAeADHII at 1.75 Å and 2.20 Å resolution, respectively. The X-ray data confirmed one metal ion per monomer present only at the structural site with otherwise close conservation to other ADH enzymes. We next determined the co-crystal structure of the NADPH-bound form of the enzyme at 2.35 Å resolution to help define the active site region of the enzyme and this data shows close structural conservation with horse ADH, despite the lack of a catalytic Zn²⁺ ion in PyAeADHII. Modeling of α-tetralone into the NADPH bound structure suggests an arginine as a possible catalytic residue. The data presented here can yield a better understanding of alcohol dehydrogenases lacking the catalytic zinc as well as the structural features inherent to thermostable enzymes.     

Particulate fractions from Chloroflexus aurantiacus and distribution of lipids and polyprenoid forming activities

Two new particulate fractions, wax oleosomes and chlorophyll-free spindle-shaped particles in addition to chlorosomes and plasma membrane vesicles, were isolated and characterized from homogenates of the photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus. The wax oleosomes contained the bulk of cellular wax esters and carotenoids. Wax esters were also present in the spindle-shaped particles, chlorosomes, and plasma membrane vesicles. The spindleshaped particles were the only particulate fraction active in polyprenol and carotene synthesis from [1-¹⁴C]isopentenyl diphosphate. The significance of wax esters and spindle-shaped particles is discussed.     

Morganella morganii J-8羰基不对称还原酶的分离纯化及性质研究

由本实验室筛选得到的摩尔摩根氏菌J-8菌株可将底物1-苯基-2-甲氨基丙酮专一性地转化为d-伪麻黄碱。以M. morganii J-8为出发菌株,菌体超声破碎后,经硫酸铵沉淀、Phenyl Superose疏水柱层析、DEAD阴离子柱层析和非变性凝胶电泳四步纯化获得电泳纯羰基不对称还原酶。亚基分子质量为42.5 kD,高效液相色谱分析酶的分子质量约为84.1 kD,初步认为该酶为二聚体蛋白。对所得到的部分纯化酶的酶学性质做了初步研究,纯酶进行基质辅助激光解析电离-飞行质谱分析,比对结果显示为与亮氨酸脱氢酶蛋白有很高相似性。