Developmental and environmental influences in the production of a single NAD-dependent fermentative alcohol dehydrogenase by the zygomycete Mucor rouxii

A soluble NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was detected in mycelium and yeast cells of wild-type Mucor rouxii. In the mycelium of cells grown in the absence of oxygen, the enzyme activity was high, whereas in yeast cells, ADH activity was high regardless of the presence or absence of oxygen. The enzyme from aerobically or anaerobically grown mycelium or yeast cells exhibited a similar optimum pH for the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde (∼pH 8.5) and for the reduction of acetaldehyde to ethanol (∼pH 7.5). Zymogram analysis conducted with cell-free extracts of the wild-type and an alcohol-dehydrogenase-deficient mutant strain indicated the existence of a single ADH enzyme that was independent of the developmental stage of dimorphism, the growth atmosphere, or the carbon source in the growth medium. Purified ADH from aerobically grown mycelium was found to be a tetramer consisting of subunits of 43 kDa. The enzyme oxidized primary and secondary alcohols, although much higher activity was displayed with primary alcohols. K _m values obtained for acetaldehyde, ethanol, NADH₂, and NAD⁺ indicated that physiologically the enzyme works mainly in the reduction of acetaldehyde to ethanol. Received: 11 March 1999 / Accepted: 14 July 1999     

Colloidal bismuth subcitrate and omeprazole inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase mediated acetaldehyde production by Helicobacter pylori

We have recently shown that Helicobacter pylori possesses marked alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity and is capable - when incubated with an ethanol containing solution in vitro - of producing large amounts of acetaldehyde. In the present study we report that some drugs commonly used for the eradication of H. pylori and for the treatment of gastroduodenal diseases are potent ADH inhibitors and, consequently, effectively prevent bacterial oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. Colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS), already at a concentration of 0.01 mM, inhibited H. pylori ADH by 93% at 0.5 M ethanol and decreased oxidation of 22 mM ethanol to acetaldehyde to 82% of control. At concentrations above 5 mM, CBS almost totally inhibited acetaldehyde formation. Omeprazole, a drug also known to suppress growth of H. pylori, also inhibited H. pylori ADH and suppressed bacterial acetaldehyde formation significantly to 69% of control at a drug concentration of 0.1 mM. By contrast, the H₂-receptor antagonists ranitidine and famotidine showed only modest effect on bacterial ADH and acetaldehyde production. We suggest that inhibition of bacterial ADH and a consequent suppression of acetaldehyde production from endogenous or exogenous ethanol may be a novel mechanism by which CBS and omeprazole exert their effect both on the growth of H. pylori as well as on H. pylori associated gastric injury.     

Heterologous Expression and Characterization of an Alcohol Dehydrogenase from the Archeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermoplasma acidophilum</Emphasis>

Analysis of the Thermoplasma acidophilum DSM 1728 genome identified two putative alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) open reading frames showing 50.4% identity against each other. The corresponding genes Ta0841 and Ta1316 encode proteins of 336 and 328 amino acids with molecular masses of 36.48 and 36.01 kDa, respectively. The genes were expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant enzymes were functionally assessed for activity. Throughout the study only Ta1316 ADH resulted active in the oxidative reaction in the pH range 2–8 (optimal pH 5.0) and temperatures from 25 to 90°C (optimal 75°C). This ADH catalyzes the oxidation of several alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, 2-propanol, butanol, and pentanol during the reduction of the cofactor NAD⁺. The highest activity was found in the presence of ethanol producing optically pure acetaldehyde. The specific enzyme activity of the purified Ta1316 ADH with ethanol as a substrate in the optimal conditions was 628.7 U/mg.     

Allyl Alcohol Selection for Lower Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Cultured Cells

One cell strain with stable tolerance to allyl alcohol (AA^r) was selected from 6 × 10⁸ suspension cultured Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viviani cells. The selected strain contained one-half the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity of the wild type (NP) due to the loss of two of three bands of ADH activity seen on starch gels following electrophoresis of wild-type cell extracts. Anaerobic conditions, simulated by not shaking the suspension cultures, increased the ADH specific activity to more than 3-fold the initial level in both strains but did not change the number of activity bands or the relative levels of activity. The cell strain with decreased ADH activity lost viability more rapidly than the wild type under the anaerobic conditions. The AA^r cells were 10 times more tolerant to ethanol than the NP cells and were also somewhat more tolerant to acetaldehyde and antimycin A. The substrate specificities of the ADH enzymes from both strains were very similar. Further selection of AA^r cells with allyl alcohol produced strains with even lower ADH activity and selection under anaerobic conditions produced strains with increased ADH activity. Genetic studies indicate that the N. plumbaginifolia ADH activity bands arise from subunits produced by two nonallelic genes. This is the first example of the use of allyl alcohol to select for decreased ADH using cultured plant cells.     

Oxidation of ethanol by methanogenic bacteria

Methanogenium organophilum, a non-autotrophic methanogen able to use primary and secondary alcohols as hydrogen donors, was grown on ethanol. Per mol of methane formed, 2 mol of ethanol were oxidized to acetate. In crude extract, an NADP⁺-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) with a pH optimum of about 10.0 catalyzed a rapid (5 mol/min·mg protein; 22°C) oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde; after prolonged incubation also acetate was detectable. With NAD⁺ only 2% of the activity was observed. F₄₂₀ was not reduced. The crude extract also contained F₄₂₀: NADP⁺ oxidoreductase (0.45 mol/min·mg protein) that was not active at the pH optimum of ADH. With added acetaldehyde no net reduction of various electron acceptors was measured. However, the acetaldehyde was dismutated to ethanol and acetate by the crude extract. The dismutation was stimulated by NADP⁺. These findings suggested that not only the dehydrogenation of alcohol but also of aldehyde to acid was coupled to NADP⁺ reduction. If the reaction was started with acetaldehyde, formed NADPH probably reduced excess aldehyde immediately to ethanol and in this way gave rise to the observed dismutation. Acetate thiokinase activity (0.11 mol/min·mg) but no acetate kinase or phosphotransacetylase activity was observed. It is concluded that during growth on ethanol further oxidation of acetaldehyde does not occur via acetylCoA and acetyl phosphate and hence is not associated with substrate level phosphorylation. The possibility exists that oxidation of both ethanol and acetaldehyde is catalyzed by ADH. Isolation of a Methanobacterium-like strain with ethanol showed that the ability to use primary alcohols also occurs in genera other than Methanogenium.Non-standard abbreviations ADH alcohol dehydrogenase - Ap₅ALi₃ P¹,P⁵-Di(adenosine-5-)pentaphosphate - DTE dithioerythritol (2,3-dihydroxy-1,4-dithiolbutane) - F₄₂₀ N-(N-l-lactyl--l-glutamyl)-l-glutamic acid phosphodiester of 7,8-dimethyl-8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin-5-phosphate - Mg. Methanogenium - OD₅₇₈ optical density at 578 nm - PIPES 1,4-piperazine-diethanesulfonic acid - TRICINE N-(2-hydroxy-1,1-bis[hydroxymethyl]methyl)-glycine - Tris 2-amino-2-hydroxy-methylpropane-1,3-diol - U unit (mol substrate/min)     

Mouse alcohol dehydrogenase 4: kinetic mechanism,substrate specificity and simulation of effects of ethanol on retinoid metabolism

Mouse ADH4 (purified, recombinant) has a low catalytic efficiency for ethanol and acetaldehyde, but very high activity with longer chain alcohols and aldehydes, at pH 7.3 and temperature 37°C. The observed turnover numbers and catalytic efficiencies for the oxidation of all-trans-retinol and the reduction of all-trans-retinal and 9-cis-retinal are low relative to other substrates; 9-cis-retinal is more reactive than all-trans-retinal. The reduction of all-trans- or 9-cis-retinals coupled to the oxidation of ethanol by NAD⁺ is as efficient as the reduction with NADH. However, the Michaelis constant for ethanol is about 100 mM, which indicates that the activity would be lower at physiologically relevant concentrations of ethanol. Simulations of the oxidation of retinol to retinoic acid with mouse ADH4 and human aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1), using rate constants estimated for all steps in the mechanism, suggest that ethanol (50 mM) would modestly decrease production of retinoic acid. However, if the K_m for ethanol were smaller, as for human ADH4, the rate of retinol oxidation and formation of retinoic acid would be significantly decreased during metabolism of 50 mM ethanol. These studies begin to describe quantitatively the roles of enzymes involved in the metabolism of alcohols and carbonyl compounds.     

Environmental regulation of alcohol metabolism in thermotolerant methylotrophic Bacillus strains

The thermotolerant methylotroph Bacillus sp. C1 possesses a novel NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase (MDH), with distinct structural and mechanistic properties. During growth on methanol and ethanol, MDH was responsible for the oxidation of both these substrates. MDH activity in cells grown on methanol or glucose was inversely related to the growth rate. Highest activity levels were observed in cells grown on the C₁-substrates methanol and formaldehyde. The affinity of MDH for alcohol substrates and NAD, as well as V _max, are strongly increased in the presence of a M _r 50,000 activator protein plus Mg²⁺-ions [Arfman et al. (1991) J Biol Chem 266: 3955–3960]. Under all growth conditions tested the cells contained an approximately 18-fold molar excess of (decameric) MDH over (dimeric) activator protein. Expression of hexulose-6-phosphate synthase (HPS), the key enzyme of the RuMP cycle, was probably induced by the substrate formaldehyde. Cells with high MDH and low HPS activity levels immediately accumulated (toxic) formaldehyde when exposed to a transient increase in methanol concentration. Similarly, cells with high MDH and low CoA-linked NAD-dependent acetaldehyde dehydrogenase activity levels produced acetaldehyde when subjected to a rise in ethanol concentration. Problems frequently observed in establishing cultures of methylotrophic bacilli on methanol- or ethanol-containing media are (in part) assigned to these phenomena.Abbreviations MDH NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase - ADH NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase - A1DH CoA-linked NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase - HPS hexulose-6-phosphate synthase - G6Pdh glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase     

Kinetics of the reaction catalysed by rape alcohol dehydrogenase

The kinetics of the enzyme reaction of ethanol oxidation and acetaldehyde reduction catalysed by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) (EC 1.1.1.1) isolated from germinating rape seeds obeys the bi-bi ordered mechanism of Theorell and Chance. The enzyme reaction depends on the pH and temperature. The K_m values for the basic substrates have the lowest values around the pH optimum of the reaction. The enzyme is most stable at pH 6.5–7. The K_m values for ethanol and NAD increase with increasing temperature. The maximum rate of the ethanol oxidation satisfies the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy for the given temperature range is 40.11 kJ/mol. The rape ADH is denatured by heating above 60° but the enzyme-NAD complex is thermally more stable than the enzyme alone.     

Ethanol formation in adh0 mutants reveals the existence of a novel acetaldehyde-reducing activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been constructed which is deficient in the four alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isozymes known at present. This strain (adh0), being irreversibly mutated in the genes ADH1, ADH3, and ADH4 and carrying a point mutation in the gene ADH2 coding for the glucose-repressible isozyme ADHII, still produces up to one third of the theoretical maximum yield of ethanol in a homofermentative conversion of glucose to ethanol. Analysis of the glucose metabolism of adh0 cells shows that the lack of all known ADH isozymes results in the formation of glycerol as a major fermentation product, accompanied by a significant production of acetaldehyde and acetate. Treatment of glucose-growing adh0 cells with the respiratory-chain inhibitor antimycin A leads to an immediate cessation of ethanol production, demonstrating that ethanol production in adh0 cells is dependent on mitochondrial electron transport. Reduction of acetaldehyde to ethanol in isolated mitochondria could also be demonstrated. This reduction is apparently linked to the oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetate. Preliminary data suggest that this novel type of ethanol formation in S. cerevisiae is associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane.     

Formation of acetaldehyde-derived DNA adducts due to alcohol exposure

Epidemiological studies have identified chronic alcohol consumption as a significant risk factor for cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, including the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and esophagus, and for cancer of the liver. Ingested ethanol is mainly oxidized by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), cytochrome P-450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and catalase to form acetaldehyde, which is subsequently oxidized by aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) to produce acetate. Polymorphisms of the genes which encode enzymes for ethanol metabolism affect the ethanol/acetaldehyde oxidizing capacity. ADH1B*2 allele (ADH1B, one of the enzyme in ADH family) is commonly observed in Asian population, has much higher enzymatic activity than ADH1B*1 allele. Otherwise, approximately 40% of Japanese have single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ALDH2 gene. The ALDH2 *2 allele encodes a protein with an amino acid change from glutamate to lysine (derived from the ALDH2*1 allele) and devoid of enzymatic activity. Neither the homozygote (ALDH2*2/*2) nor heterozygote (ALDH2*1/*2) is able to metabolize acetaldehyde promptly. Acetaldehyde is a genotoxic compound that reacts with DNA to form primarily a Schiff base N²-ethylidene-2′-deoxyguanosine (N²-ethylidene-dG) adduct, which may be converted by reducing agents to N²-ethyl-2′-deoxyguanosine (N²-ethyl-dG) in vivo, and strongly blocked translesion DNA synthesis. Several studies have demonstrated a relationship between ALDH2 genotypes and the development of certain types of cancer. On the other hand, the drinking of alcohol induces the expression of CYP2E1, resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative DNA damage. This review covers the combined effects of alcohol and ALDH2 polymorphisms on cancer risk. Studies show that ALDH2*1/*2 heterozygotes who habitually consume alcohol have higher rates of cancer than ALDH2*1/*1 homozygotes. Moreover, they support that chronic alcohol consumption contributes to formation of various DNA adducts. Although some DNA adducts formation is demonstrated to be an initiation step of carcinogenesis, it is still unclear that whether these alcohol-related DNA adducts are true factors or initiators of cancer. Future studies are needed to better characterize and to validate the roles of these DNA adducts in human study.     

Purification, molecular weight, amino acid, and subunit composition of arylsulfatase A from human liver.

In isolated hepatic mitochondria, the oxidation of NAD⁺-dependent substrates was decreased after chronic consumption of ethanol or by the addition of acetaldehyde in vitro. Reversed electron transport from succinate to NAD^?, which requires transfer of electrons through the NADH dehydrogenase complex and energy transduction through coupling site 1, was depressed by ethanol feeding and by acetaldehyde in vitro, whereas NADH formation from glutamate, which is mediated directly by substrate oxidation and is not energy-dependent, was slightly increased. By contrast, reactions involving the terminal portion of the phosphorylation chain, e.g., ATP-³²P exchange or dinitrophenolstimulated ATPase activity, were not affected. Adenine nucleotide translocase activity was not altered by chronic consumption of ethanol or the addition of acetaldehyde in vitro. These data suggest that the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex of the respiratory chain, a segment which contains several iron-sulfur centers which participate in electron transport and energy transduction, may be impaired by chronic consumption of ethanol and is especially sensitive to inhibition by acetaldehyde in vitro. Neither energy coupling sites II or III, nor the terminal reactions of oxidative phosphorylation share this sensitivity. CO₂ production from various labeled intermediates of the citric acid cycle was depressed after chronic consumption of ethanol and after the addition of acetaldehyde. Acetate had no effect on these reactions, indicating that the inhibition by acetaldehyde is not mediated via acetate. Impairment of the activities of the respiratory chain and the citric acid cycle, or both, may explain the decreases in oxygen uptake and CO₂ production from citric acid cycle intermediates and fatty acids, as well as the increase in ketone body production, found in mitochondria from ethanolfed rats.     

Aldehyde Derivatives of Indoleamines and the Enhancement of their Binding onto Brain Macromolecules by Pentobarbital and Acetaldehyde

ALDEHYDE derivatives of catecholamines and of indoleamines, for example, of serotonin, are formed in the brain by the action of monoamine oxidase (MAO)^1,2. Further metabolic transformation proceeds via an NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH)^3,4 and an NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase (ADR)⁵, which has been shown to be inhibited by low concentrations of barbiturates, both in vitro^6,7 and in vivo⁸. Aldehyde dehydrogenase, on the other hand, has a wide substrate specificity and a given substrate may compete for oxidation with others (such as competition between acetaldehyde and 5-hydroxyindoleacetaldehyde⁹). These metabolic relationships would be expected, in proper circumstances (that is, in the presence of barbiturates or acetaldehyde), to increase the steady state concentration of aldehyde intermediates of biogenic amines.     

Characterization of alcohol dehydrogenase from the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natronomonas pharaonis

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC: 1.1.1.1) is a key enzyme in production and utilization of ethanol. In this study, the gene encoding for ADH of the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natronomonas pharaonis (NpADH), which has a 1,068-bp open reading frame that encodes a protein of 355 amino acids, was cloned into the pET28b vector and was expressed in Escherichia coli. Then, NpADH was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The recombinant enzyme showed a molecular mass of 41.3 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The enzyme was haloalkaliphilic and thermophilic, being most active at 5 M NaCl or 4 M KCl and 70°C, respectively. The optimal pH was 9.0. Zn²⁺ significantly inhibited activity. The K _m value for acetaldehyde was higher than that for ethanol. It was concluded that the physiological role of this enzyme is likely the catalysis of the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde.     

Peculiarities of Ethanol Metabolism in an Acinetobacter sp. Mutant Strain Defective in Exopolysaccharide Synthesis

Activities of the key enzymes of ethanol metabolism were assayed in ethanol-grown cells of an Acinetobacter sp. mutant strain unable to synthesize exopolysaccharides (EPS). The original EPS-producing strain could not be used for enzyme analysis because its cells could not to be separated from the extremely viscous EPS with a high molecular weight. In Acinetobacter sp., ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde proved to be catalyzed by the NAD⁺-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1.). Both NAD⁺ and NADP⁺ could be electron accepters in the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase reaction. Acetate is implicated in the Acinetobacter sp. metabolism via the reaction catalyzed by acetyl-CoA-synthetase (EC 6.2.1.1.). Isocitrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.1.) activity was also detected, indicating that the glyoxylate cycle is the anaplerotic mechanism that replenishes the pool of C₄-dicarboxylic acids in Acinetobacter sp. cells. In ethanol metabolism by Acinetobacter sp., the reactions involving acetate are the bottleneck, as evidenced by the inhibitory effect of sodium ions on both acetate oxidation in the intact cells and on acetyl-CoA-synthetase activity in the cell-free extracts, as well as by the limitation of the C₂-metabolism by coenzyme A. The results obtained may be helpful in developing a new biotechnological procedure for obtaining ethanol-derived exopolysaccharide ethapolan.     

Degradation of Acetaldehyde and Its Precursors by Pelobacter carbinolicus and P. acetylenicus

Pelobacter carbinolicus and P. acetylenicus oxidize ethanol in syntrophic cooperation with methanogens. Cocultures with Methanospirillum hungatei served as model systems for the elucidation of syntrophic ethanol oxidation previously done with the lost “Methanobacillus omelianskii” coculture. During growth on ethanol, both Pelobacter species exhibited NAD⁺-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase activity. Two different acetaldehyde-oxidizing activities were found: a benzyl viologen-reducing enzyme forming acetate, and a NAD⁺-reducing enzyme forming acetyl-CoA. Both species synthesized ATP from acetyl-CoA via acetyl phosphate. Comparative 2D-PAGE of ethanol-grown P. carbinolicus revealed enhanced expression of tungsten-dependent acetaldehyde: ferredoxin oxidoreductases and formate dehydrogenase. Tungsten limitation resulted in slower growth and the expression of a molybdenum-dependent isoenzyme. Putative comproportionating hydrogenases and formate dehydrogenase were expressed constitutively and are probably involved in interspecies electron transfer. In ethanol-grown cocultures, the maximum hydrogen partial pressure was about 1,000 Pa (1 mM) while 2 mM formate was produced. The redox potentials of hydrogen and formate released during ethanol oxidation were calculated to be E_H2 = -358±12 mV and E_HCOOH = -366±19 mV, respectively. Hydrogen and formate formation and degradation further proved that both carriers contributed to interspecies electron transfer. The maximum Gibbs free energy that the Pelobacter species could exploit during growth on ethanol was −35 to −28 kJ per mol ethanol. Both species could be cultivated axenically on acetaldehyde, yielding energy from its disproportionation to ethanol and acetate. Syntrophic cocultures grown on acetoin revealed a two-phase degradation: first acetoin degradation to acetate and ethanol without involvement of the methanogenic partner, and subsequent syntrophic ethanol oxidation. Protein expression and activity patterns of both Pelobacter spp. grown with the named substrates were highly similar suggesting that both share the same steps in ethanol and acetalydehyde metabolism. The early assumption that acetaldehyde is a central intermediate in Pelobacter metabolism was now proven biochemically.     

Dietary Ethanol Mediates Selection on Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Ethanol is an important environmental variable for fruit-breedingDrosophila species, serving as a resource at low levels anda toxin at high levels. The first step of ethanol metabolism,the conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde, is catalyzed primarilyby the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). The second step,the oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetate, has been a sourceof controversy, with some authors arguing that it is carriedout primarily by ADH itself, rather than a separate aldehydedehydrogenase (ALDH) as in mammals. We review recent evidencethat ALDH plays an important role in ethanol metabolism in Drosophila.In support of this view, we report that D. melanogaster populationsmaintained on ethanol-supplemented media evolved higher activityof ALDH, as well as of ADH. We have also tentatively identifiedthe structural gene responsible for the majority of ALDH activityin D. melanogaster. We hypothesize that variation in ALDH activitymay make an important contribution to the observed wide variationin ethanol tolerance within and among Drosophila species.     

Regulation of alcohol-oxidizing capacity in chemostat cultures of Acetobacter pasteurianus

Acetobacter pasteurianus LMG 1635 was studied for its potential application in the enantioselective oxidation of alcohols. Batch cultivation led to accumulation of acetic acid and loss of viability. These problems did not occur in carbon-limited chemostat cultures (dilution rate = 0.05 h^–1) grown on mineral medium supplemented with ethanol, L-lactate or acetate. Nevertheless, biomass yields were extremely low in comparison to values reported for other bacteria. Cells exhibited high oxidation rates with ethanol and racemic glycidol (2,3-epoxy-1-propanol). Ethanol- and glycidol-dependent oxygen-uptake capacities of ethanol-limited cultures were higher than those of cultures grown on lactate or acetate. On all three carbon sources, A. pasteurianus expressed NAD-dependent and dye-linked ethanol dehydrogenase activity. Glycidol oxidation was strictly dye-linked. In contrast to the NAD-dependent ethanol dehydrogenase, the activity of dye-linked alcohol dehydrogenase depended on the carbon source and was highest in ethanol-grown cells. Cell suspensions from chemostat cultures could be stored at 4°C for over 30 days without significant loss of ethanol- and glycidol-oxidizing activity. It is concluded that ethanol-limited cultivation provides an attractive system for production of A. pasteurianus biomass with a high and stable alcohol-oxidizing activity.     

Heterologous Overexpression, Purification and Characterisation of an Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH2) from Halobacterium sp. NRC-1

Replacement of chemical steps with biocatalytic ones is becoming increasingly more interesting due to the remarkable catalytic properties of enzymes, such as their wide range of substrate specificities and variety of chemo-, stereo- and regioselective reactions. This study presents characterisation of an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from the halophilic archaeum Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 (HsADH2). A hexahistidine-tagged recombinant version of HsADH2 (His-HsADH2) was heterologously overexpressed in Haloferax volcanii. The enzyme was purified in one step by immobilised Ni-affinity chromatography. His-HsADH2 was halophilic and mildly thermophilic with optimal activity for ethanol oxidation at 4 M KCl around 60 °C and pH 10.0. The enzyme was extremely stable, retaining 80 % activity after 30 days. His-HsADH2 showed preference for NADP(H) but interestingly retained 60 % activity towards NADH. The enzyme displayed broad substrate specificity, with maximum activity obtained for 1-propanol. The enzyme also accepted secondary alcohols such as 2-butanol and even 1-phenylethanol. In the reductive reaction, working conditions for His-HsADH2 were optimised for acetaldehyde and found to be 4 M KCl and pH 6.0. His-HsADH2 displayed intrinsic organic solvent tolerance, which is highly relevant for biotechnological applications.     

Purification and characterization of two NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) induced in the quinoprotein ADH-deficient mutant of Acetobacter pasteurianus SKU1108

High NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was found in the cytoplasm when a membrane-bound, quinoprotein, ADH-deficient mutant strain of Acetobacter pasteurianus SKU1108 was grown on ethanol. Two NAD-dependent ADHs were separated and purified from the supernatant fraction of the cells. One (ADH I) is a trimer, consisting of an identical subunit of 42 kDa, while the other (ADH II) is a homodimer, having a subunit of 31 kDa. One of the two ADHs, ADH II, easily lost the activity during the column chromatographies, which could be stabilized by the addition of DTT and MgCl2 in the column buffer. ADH I but not ADH II contained approximately one zinc atom per subunit. The N-terminal amino acid analysis indicated that ADH I and ADH II have homology to the long-chain and short-chain ADH families, respectively. ADH I showed a preference for primary alcohols, while ADH II had a preference for secondary alcohols. The two ADHs showed clear difference in their kinetics on ethanol, acetaldehyde, NAD, and NADH. The physiological function of both ADH I and ADH II are also discussed.