Redesign of coenzyme B(12) dependent diol dehydratase to be resistant to the mechanism-based inactivation by glycerol and act on longer chain 1,2-diols

Coenzyme B(12) dependent diol dehydratase undergoes mechanism-based inactivation by glycerol, accompanying the irreversible cleavage of the coenzyme Co-C bond. Bachovchin et al. [Biochemistry16, 1082-1092 (1977)] reported that glycerol bound in the G(S) conformation, in which the pro-S-CH(2) OH group is oriented to the hydrogen-abstracting site, primarily contributes to the inactivation reaction. To understand the mechanism of inactivation by glycerol, we analyzed the X-ray structure of diol dehydratase complexed with cyanocobalamin and glycerol. Glycerol is bound to the active site preferentially in the same conformation as that of (S)-1,2-propanediol, i.e. in the G(S) conformation, with its 3-OH group hydrogen bonded to Serα301, but not to nearby Glnα336. k(inact) of the Sα301A, Qα336A and Sα301A/Qα336A mutants with glycerol was much smaller than that of the wild-type enzyme. k(cat) /k(inact) showed that the Sα301A and Qα336A mutants are substantially more resistant to glycerol inactivation than the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that Serα301 and Glnα336 are directly or indirectly involved in the inactivation. The degree of preference for (S)-1,2-propanediol decreased on these mutations. The substrate activities towards longer chain 1,2-diols significantly increased on the Sα301A/Qα336A double mutation, probably because these amino acid substitutions yield more space for accommodating a longer alkyl group on C3 of 1,2-diols. Database Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank under the accession number 3AUJ. Structured digital abstract ? Diol dehydrase gamma subunit, Diol dehydrase beta subunit and Diol dehydrase alpha subunit physically interact by X-ray crystallography (View interaction).     

Histidine-alpha143 assists 1,2-hydroxyl group migration and protects radical intermediates in coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase

Diol dehydratase of Klebsiella oxytoca contains an essential histidine residue. Its X-ray structure revealed that the migrating hydroxyl group on C2 of substrate is hydrogen-bonded to Hisalpha143. Mutant enzymes in which Hisalpha143 was mutated to another amino acid residue were expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and examined for enzymatic activity. The Halpha143Q mutant was 34% as active as the wild-type enzyme. Halpha143A and Halpha143L showed only a trace of activity. Kinetic analyses indicated that the hydrogen bonding interaction between the hydroxyl group on C2 of substrate and the side chain of residue alpha143 is important not only for catalysis but also for protecting radical intermediates. Halpha143E and Halpha143K that did not exist as (alphabetagamma) 2 complexes were inactive. The deuterium kinetic isotope effect on the overall reaction suggested that a hydrogen abstraction step is fully rate-determining for the wild type and Halpha143Q and partially rate-determining for Halpha143A. The preference for substrate enantiomers was reversed by the Halpha143Q mutation in both substrate binding and catalysis. Upon the inactivation of the Halpha143A holoenzyme by 1,2-propanediol, cob(II)alamin without an organic radical coupling partner accumulated, 5'-deoxyadenosine was quantitatively formed from the coenzyme adenosyl group, and the apoenzyme itself was not damaged. This inactivation was thus concluded to be a mechanism-based inactivation. The holoenzyme of Halpha143Q underwent irreversible inactivation by O 2 in the absence of substrate at a much lower rate than the wild type.     

In situ reactivation of glycerol-inactivated coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes, glycerol dehydratase and diol dehydratase.

The catalytic properties of coenzyme B12-dependent glycerol dehydratase and diol dehydratase were studied in situ with Klebsiella pneumoniae cells permeabilized by toluene treatment, since the in situ enzymes approximate the in vivo conditions of the enzymes more closely than enzymes in cell-free extracts or cell homogenates. Both dehydratases in situ underwent rapid "suicidal" inactivation by glycerol during catalysis, as they do in vitro. The inactivated dehydratases in situ, however, were rapidly and continually reactivated by adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and Mn2+ in the presence of free adenosylcobalamin, although in cell-free extracts or in cell homogenates they could not be reactivated at all under the same reaction conditions. ATP was partially replaced by cytidine 5'-triphosphate or guanosine 5'-triphosphate but not by the beta, gamma-methylene analog of ATP in the in situ reactivation. Mn2+ was fully replaced by Mg2+ but only partially by Co2+. Hydroxocoblamin could not replace adenosylcobalamin in reactivation mixtures. The ability to reactivate the glycerol-inactivated dehydratases in situ was only seen in cells grown anaerobically in glycerol-containing media. This suggests that some factor(s) required for in situ reactivation is subject to induction by glycerol. Of the two possible mechanisms of in situ reactivation, i.e., the regeneration of adenosylcobalamin by Co-adenosylation of the bound inactivated coenzyme moiety (B12-adenosylation mechanism) and the displacement of the bound inactivated coenzyme moiety by free adenosyl-cobalamin (B12-exchange mechanism), the former seems very unlikely from the experimental results.     

Structural rationalization for the lack of stereospecificity in coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase

Adenosylcobalamin-dependent diol dehydratase of Klebsiella oxytoca is apparently not stereospecific and catalyzes the conversion of both (R)- and (S)-1,2-propanediol to propionaldehyde. To explain this unusual property of the enzyme, we analyzed the crystal structures of diol dehydratase in complexes with cyanocobalamin and (R)- or (S)-1,2-propanediol. (R)- and (S)-isomers are bound in a symmetrical manner, although the hydrogen-bonding interactions between the substrate and the active-site residues are the same. From the position of the adenosyl radical in the modeled "distal" conformation, it is reasonable for the radical to abstract the pro-R and pro-S hydrogens from (R)- and (S)-isomers, respectively. The hydroxyl groups in the substrate radicals would migrates from C(2) to C(1) by a suprafacial shift, resulting in the stereochemical inversion at C(1). This causes 60 degrees clockwise and 70 degrees counterclockwise rotations of the C(1)-C(2) bond of the (R)- and (S)-isomers, respectively, if viewed from K+. A modeling study of 1,1-gem-diol intermediates indicated that new radical center C(2) becomes close to the methyl group of 5'-deoxyadenosine. Thus, the hydrogen back-abstraction (recombination) from 5'-deoxyadenosine by the product radical is structurally feasible. It was also predictable that the substitution of the migrating hydroxyl group by a hydrogen atom from 5'-deoxyadenosine takes place with the inversion of the configuration at C(2) of the substrate. Stereospecific dehydration of the 1,1-gem-diol intermediates can also be rationalized by assuming that Asp-alpha335 and Glu-alpha170 function as base catalysts in the dehydration of the (R)- and (S)-isomers, respectively. The structure-based mechanism and stereochemical courses of the reaction are proposed.     

Distribution of coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase and glycerol dehydratase in selected genera of Enterobacteriaceae and Propionibacteriaceae.

The presence of diol dehydratase and glycerol dehydratase was shown in several bacteria of Enterobacteriaceae grown anaerobically on 1,2-propanediol and on glycerol, respectively. Diol dehydratases of Enterobacteriaceae were immunologically similar, but distinct from that of Propionibacterium freudenreichii.     

Mechanism of reactivation of coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase by a molecular chaperone-like reactivating factor.

The mechanism of reactivation of diol dehydratase by its reactivating factor was investigated in vitro by using enzyme. cyanocobalamin complex as a model for inactivated holoenzyme. The factor mediated the exchange of the enzyme-bound, adenine-lacking cobalamins for free, adenine-containing cobalamins through intermediate formation of apoenzyme. The factor showed extremely low but distinct ATP-hydrolyzing activity. It formed a tight complex with apoenzyme in the presence of ADP but not at all in the presence of ATP. Incubation of the enzyme.cyanocobalamin complex with the reactivating factor in the presence of ADP brought about release of the enzyme-bound cobalamin, leaving the tight apoenzyme-reactivating factor complex. Although the resulting complex was inactive even in the presence of added adenosylcobalamin, it dissociated by incubation with ATP, forming the apoenzyme, which was reconstitutable into active holoenzyme with added coenzyme. Thus, it was established that the reactivation of the inactivated holoenzyme by the factor in the presence of ATP and Mg2+ takes place in two steps: ADP-dependent cobalamin release and ATP-dependent dissociation of the apoenzyme.factor complex. ATP plays dual roles as a precursor of ADP in the first step and as an effector to change the factor into the low-affinity form for diol dehydratase. The enzyme-bound adenosylcobalamin was also susceptible to exchange with free adeninylpentylcobalamin, although to a much lesser degree. The mechanism for discrimination of adenine-containing cobalamins from adenine-lacking cobalamins was explained in terms of formation equilibrium constants of the cobalamin.enzyme.reactivating factor ternary complexes. We propose that the reactivating factor is a new type of molecular chaperone that participates in reactivation of the inactivated enzymes.     

Energetic feasibility of hydrogen abstraction and recombination in coenzyme B(12)-dependent diol dehydratase reaction.

Coenzyme B(12) serves as a cofactor for enzymatic radical reactions. The essential steps in all the coenzyme B(12)-dependent rearrangements are two hydrogen abstraction steps: hydrogen abstraction of the adenosyl radical from substrates, and hydrogen back-abstraction (recombination) of a product-derived radical from 5'-deoxyadenosine. The energetic feasibility of these hydrogen abstraction steps in the diol dehyratase reaction was examined by theoretical calculations with a protein-free, simplified model at the B3LYP/6-311G* level of density functional theory. Activation energies for the hydrogen abstraction and recombination with 1,2-propanediol as substrate are 9.0 and 15.1 kcal/mol, respectively, and essentially not affected by coordination of the substrate and the radical intermediate to K+. Since these energies can be considered to be supplied by the substrate-binding energy, the computational results with this simplified model indicate that the hydrogen abstraction and recombination in the coenzyme B(12)-dependent diol dehydratase reaction are energetically feasible.     

Homoadenosylcobalamins as probes for exploring the active sites of coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase and ethanolamine ammonia-lyase

[Omega-(Adenosyl)alkyl]cobalamins (homoadenosylcobalamins) are useful analogues of adenosylcobalamin to get information about the distance between Co and C5', which is critical for Co-C bond activation. In order to use them as probes for exploring the active sites of enzymes, the coenzymic properties of homoadenosylcobalamins for diol dehydratase and ethanolamine ammonia-lyase were investigated. The kcat and kcat/Km values for adenosylmethylcobalamin were about 0.27% and 0.15% that for the regular coenzyme with diol dehydratase, respectively. The kcat/kinact value showed that the holoenzyme with this analogue becomes inactivated on average after about 3000 catalytic turnovers, indicating that the probability of inactivation during catalysis is almost 500 times higher than that for the regular holoenzyme. The kcat value for adenosylmethylcobalamin was about 0.13% that of the regular coenzyme for ethanolamine ammonia-lyase, as judged from the initial velocity, but the holoenzyme with this analogue underwent inactivation after on average about 50 catalytic turnovers. This probability of inactivation is 3800 times higher than that for the regular holoenzyme. When estimated from the spectra of reacting holoenzymes, the steady state concentration of cob(II)alamin intermediate from adenosylmethylcobalamin was very low with either diol dehydratase or ethanolamine ammonia-lyase, which is consistent with its extremely low coenzymic activity. In contrast, neither adenosylethylcobalamin nor adeninylpentylcobalamin served as active coenzyme for either enzyme and did not undergo Co-C bond cleavage upon binding to apoenzymes.     

Direct participation of potassium ion in the catalysis of coenzyme B(12)-dependent diol dehydratase.

The direct ion-dipolar interactions between potassium ion (K(+)) and the two hydroxyl groups of the substrate are the most striking feature of the crystal structure of coenzyme B(12)-dependent diol dehydratase. We carried out density-functional-theory computations to determine whether K(+) can assist the 1,2-shift of the hydroxyl group in the substrate-derived radical. Between a stepwise abstraction/recombination reaction proceeding via a direct hydroxide abstraction by K(+) and a concerted hydroxyl group migration assisted by K(+), only a transition state for the latter concerted mechanism was found from our computations. The barrier height for the transition state from the complexed radical decreases by only 2.3 kcal/mol upon coordination of the migrating hydroxyl group to K(+), which corresponds to a 42-fold rate acceleration at 37 degrees C. The net binding energy upon replacement of the K(+)-bound water for substrate was calculated to be 10.7 kcal/mol. It can be considered that such a large binding energy is at least partly used for the substrate-induced conformational changes in the enzyme that trigger the homolytic cleavage of the Co-C bond of the coenzyme and the subsequent catalysis by a radical mechanism. We propose here a new mechanism for diol dehydratase in which K(+) plays a direct role in the catalysis.     

Survey of catalytic residues and essential roles of glutamate-alpha170 and aspartate-alpha335 in coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase

The importance of each active-site residue in adenosylcobalamin-dependent diol dehydratase of Klebsiella oxytoca was estimated using mutant enzymes in which one of the residues interacting with substrate and/or K(+) was mutated to Ala or another amino acid residue. The Ealpha170A and Dalpha335A mutants were totally inactive, and the Halpha143A mutant showed only a trace of activity, indicating that Glu-alpha170, Asp-alpha335, and His-alpha143 are catalytic residues. The Qalpha141A, Qalpha296A, and Salpha362A mutants showed partial activity. It was suggested from kinetic parameters that Gln-alpha296 is important for substrate binding and Gln-alpha296 and Gln-alpha141 for preventing the enzyme from mechanism-based inactivation. The Ealpha221A, Ealpha170H, and Dalpha335A did not form the (alphabetagamma)(2) complex, suggesting that these mutations indirectly disrupt subunit contacts. Among other Glu-alpha170 and Asp-alpha335 mutants, Ealpha170D and Ealpha170Q were 2.2 +/- 0.3% and 0.02% as active as the wild-type enzyme, respectively, whereas Dalpha335N was totally inactive. Kinetic analysis indicated that the presence and the position of a carboxyl group in the residue alpha170 are essential for catalysis as well as for the continuous progress of catalytic cycles. It was suggested that the roles of Glu-alpha170 and Asp-alpha335 are to participate in the binding of substrate and intermediates and keep them appropriately oriented and to function as a base in the dehydration of the 1,1-diol intermediate. In addition, Glu-alpha170 seems to stabilize the transition state for the hydroxyl group migration from C2 to C1 by accepting the proton of the spectator hydroxyl group on C1.     

Substrate-induced conformational change of a coenzyme B12-dependent enzyme: crystal structure of the substrate-free form of diol dehydratase

Substrate binding triggers catalytic radical formation through the cobalt-carbon bond homolysis in coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes. We have determined the crystal structure of the substrate-free form of Klebsiella oxytoca diol dehydratase*cyanocobalamin complex at 1.85 A resolution. The structure contains two units of the heterotrimer consisting of alpha, beta, and gamma subunits. As compared with the structure of its substrate-bound form, the beta subunits are tilted by approximately 3 degrees and cobalamin is also tilted so that pyrrole rings A and D are significantly lifted up toward the substrate-binding site, whereas pyrrole rings B and C are only slightly lifted up. The structure revealed that the potassium ion in the substrate-binding site of the substrate-free enzyme is also heptacoordinated; that is, two oxygen atoms of two water molecules coordinate to it instead of the substrate hydroxyls. A modeling study in which the structures of both the cobalamin moiety and the adenine ring of the coenzyme were superimposed onto those of the enzyme-bound cyanocobalamin and the adenine ring-binding pocket, respectively, demonstrated that the distortions of the Co-C bond in the substrate-free form are already marked but slightly smaller than those in the substrate-bound form. It was thus strongly suggested that the Co-C bond becomes largely activated (labilized) when the coenzyme binds to the apoenzyme even in the absence of substrate and undergoes homolysis through the substrate-induced conformational changes of the enzyme. Kinetic coupling of Co-C bond homolysis with hydrogen abstraction from the substrate shifts the equilibrium to dissociation.     

The crystal structure of coenzyme B12-dependent glycerol dehydratase in complex with cobalamin and propane-1,2-diol.

Recombinant glycerol dehydratase of Klebsiella pneumoniae was purified to homogeneity. The subunit composition of the enzyme was most probably alpha 2 beta 2 gamma 2. When (R)- and (S)-propane-1,2-diols were used independently as substrates, the rate with the (R)-enantiomer was 2.5 times faster than that with the (S)-isomer. In contrast to diol dehydratase, an isofunctional enzyme, the affinity of the enzyme for the (S)-isomer was essentially the same or only slightly higher than that for the (R)-isomer (Km(R)/Km(S) = 1.5). The crystal structure of glycerol dehydratase in complex with cyanocobalamin and propane-1,2-diol was determined at 2.1 A resolution. The enzyme exists as a dimer of the alpha beta gamma heterotrimer. Cobalamin is bound at the interface between the alpha and beta subunits in the so-called 'base-on' mode with 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole of the nucleotide moiety coordinating to the cobalt atom. The electron density of the cyano group was almost unobservable, suggesting that the cyanocobalamin was reduced to cob(II)alamin by X-ray irradiation. The active site is in a (beta/alpha)8 barrel that was formed by a central region of the alpha subunit. The substrate propane-1,2-diol and essential cofactor K+ are bound inside the (beta/alpha)8 barrel above the corrin ring of cobalamin. K+ is hepta-coordinated by the two hydroxyls of the substrate and five oxygen atoms from the active-site residues. These structural features are quite similar to those of diol dehydratase. A closer contact between the alpha and beta subunits in glycerol dehydratase may be reminiscent of the higher affinity of the enzyme for adenosylcobalamin than that of diol dehydratase. Although racemic propane-1,2-diol was used for crystallization, the substrate bound to glycerol dehydratase was assigned to the (R)-isomer. This is in clear contrast to diol dehydratase and accounts for the difference between the two enzymes in the susceptibility of suicide inactivation by glycerol.     

重组依赖辅酶B12的甘油脱水酶基因表达系统构建

采用PCR方法从肺炎克雷伯氏杆菌基因组中分别扩增得到了编码依赖辅酶B12的甘油脱水酶α、β、γ三个亚基的基因gldA、gldB、gld将gldBC基因克隆至pSIM—T载体上,经测序正确后亚克隆至pGEX-4T-1载体中。将gldA进行T-A克隆后测定核苷酸序列正确,亚克隆至连有gldBC基因的pGEX-4T-1载体中。从而成功的构建了gldABC基因的同向串联原核融合表达载体pGEX—gldABC。     

Immunochemical evidence for the difference between coenzyme-B12-dependent diol dehydratase and glycerol dehydratase.

Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 25955 (formerly named Aerobacter aerogenes PZH 572, Warsaw), which is known to produce coenzyme-B12-dependent glycerol dehydratase when grown anaerobically in a glycerol medium, formed coenzyme-B12-dependent diol dehydratase in a 1,2-propanediol-containing medium. Both the diol dehydratase and the glycerol dehydratase produced by the organism catalyzed the conversion of glycerol, 1,2-propanediol and 1,2-ethanediol to the corresponding aldehydes and underwent concomitant inactivation during the catalysis of glycerol dehydration, as does the diol dehydratase of K. pneumoniae (A. aerogenes) ATCC 8724. However, the two enzymes were distinguishable from each other by the monovalent-cation-selectivity pattern and by substrate specificity; that is, glycerol dehydratase preferred glycerol to 1,2-propanediol as a substrate, whereas diol dehydratase preferred 1,2-propanediol to glycerol, as judged from initial velocity studies. Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis and immunochemical titration with rabbit antiserum against diol dehydratase of K. pneumoniae ATCC 8724 established clearly that the diol dehydratase of K. pneumoniae ATCC 25955 is immunologically similar to that of K. pneumoniae ATCC 8724, while the glycerol dehydratase of the former is different from the diol dehydratase of both strains. Both the enzymes were found to be distributed in several bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae.     

Essential histidine residues in coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydrase: dye-sensitized photooxidation and ethoxycarbonylation

The apoenzyme of diol dehydrase was inactivated by photoirradiation in the presence of rose bengal or methylene blue, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. The inactivation rates were markedly reduced under a helium atmosphere, suggesting that the inactivation is due to photooxidation of the enzyme under air. The half-maximal rate of methylene blue-sensitized photoinactivation was observed at pH around 7.5. Amino acid analyses indicated that one to two histidine residues decreased upon the dye-sensitized photoinactivation, whereas the numbers of tyrosine, methionine, and lysine did not change. Ethoxyformic anhydride, another histidine-modifying reagent, also inactivated diol dehydrase, with pseudo-first-order kinetics and a half-maximal rate at pH 7.7. It was shown spectrophotometrically that three histidine residues per enzyme molecule were modified by this reagent with loss of enzyme activity. Two tyrosine residues per enzyme molecule were also modified rapidly, irrespective of the activity. The photooxidation or ethoxycarbonylation of the enzyme did not result in dissociation of the enzyme into subunits, but deprived the enzyme of ability to bind cyanocobalamin. The percentage loss of cobalamin-binding ability agreed well with the extent of inactivation. The enzyme-bound hydroxocobalamin showed only partial protecting effect against photoinactivation and resulting loss of the cobalamin-binding ability. These results provide evidence that diol dehydrase possesses essential histidine residues which are required for the coenzyme binding.     

Reactive sulfhydryl groups of coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydrase: Differential modification of essential and nonessential ones

The apoenzyme of diol dehydrase was inactivated by four sulfhydryl-modifying reagents, p-chloromercuribenzoate, 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) (DTNB), iodoacetamide, and N-ethylmaleimide. In each case pseudo-first-order kinetics was observed. p-Chloromercuribenzoate modified two sulfhydryl groups per enzyme molecule and modification of the first one resulted in complete inactivation of the enzyme. DTNB also modified two sulfhydryl groups, but modification of the second one essentially corresponded to the inactivation. In both cases, the inactivation was reversed by incubation with dithiothreitol. Cyanocobalamin, a potent competitive inhibitor of adenosylcobalamin, protected the essential residue, but not the nonessential one, against the modification by these reagents. By resolving the sulfhydryl-modified cyanocobalamin-enzyme complex, the enzyme activity was recovered, irrespective of treatment with dithiothreitol. From these results, we can conclude that diol dehydrase has two reactive sulfhydryl groups, one of which is essential for catalytic activity and located at or in close proximity to the coenzyme binding site. The other is nonessential for activity. Neitherp-chloromercuribenzoate- nor DTNB-modified apoenzyme was able to bind cyanocobalamin, whereas the iodoacetamide- and N-ethylmaleimide-modified apoenzyme only partially lost the ability to bind cyanocobalamin. The inactivation of diol dehydrase by p-chloromercuribenzoate and DTNB did not bring about dissociation of the enzyme into subunits. Total number of the sulfhydryl groups of this enzyme was 14 when determined in the presence of 6 m guanidine hydrochloride. No disulfide bond was detected.     

Effect of environmental factors on inactivation of B12-dependent glycerol dehydratase from Aerobacter aerogenes]

Effect of temperature, pH and univalent cation on kinetics of self-activation of B12-dependent glycerol dehydratase (GD) from Aerobacter aerogenes with Co alpha-[alpha-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolyl]-Co beta-adenosylcobamide (AdoCbl) was investigated. The activation energy of the process of GD inactivation is found to be 3.9 kkal/M, the effect of pH on GD inactivation being insignificant. Monovalent cation is not required for the formation of GD-AdoCbl complex, but it protects the complex from selfinactivation. The rate of GD inactivation greatly depends on concentration of monovalent cations. Effect of K+, Rb+, Cs+, Tl+ and NH4+ cations, which are enzyme cofactors, qualitatively differs from the effect of Na+ and Li+, which are inactive in a catalytic reaction. The presence of at least two cation-binding sites in GD molecule is suggested. Possible mechanism of the effect of environmental factors in self-inactivation of GD-AdoCbl complex is discussed.     

Glycerol fermentation in Klebsiella pneumoniae: functions of the coenzyme B12-dependent glycerol and diol dehydratases.

Glycerol and diol dehydratases are inducible, coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes found together in Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 25955 during anaerobic growth on glycerol. Mutants of this strain isolated by a novel procedure were separately constitutive for either dehydratase, showing the structural genes for the two enzymes to be under independent control in vivo. Glycerol dehydratase and a trimethylene glycol dehydrogenase were implicated as members of a pleiotropic control system that includes glycerol dehydrogenase and dihydroxyacetone kinase for the anaerobic dissimilation of glycerol (the "dha system"). The dehydratase and dehydrogenases were induced by dihydroxyacetone and were jointly constitutive in mutants isolated as constitutive for either the dha system or glycerol dehydratase. These data and the stimulation of growth by Co2+ suggested that glycerol dehydratase and trimethylene glycol dehydrogenase are obligatory enzymes for anaerobic growth on glycerol as the sole carbon source.