Biotransformation of eugenol to ferulic acid by a recombinant strain of Ralstonia eutropha H16

The gene loci ehyAB, calA, and calB, encoding eugenol hydroxylase, coniferyl alcohol dehydrogenase, and coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase, respectively, which are involved in the first steps of eugenol catabolism in Pseudomonas sp. strain HR199, were amplified by PCR and combined to construct a catabolic gene cassette. This gene cassette was cloned in the newly designed broad-host-range vector pBBR1-JO2 (pBBR1-JO2ehyABcalAcalB) and transferred to Ralstonia eutropha H16. A recombinant strain of R. eutropha H16 harboring this plasmid expressed functionally active eugenol hydroxylase, coniferyl alcohol dehydrogenase, and coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase. Cells of R. eutropha H16(pBBR1-JO2ehyABcalAcalB) from the late-exponential growth phase were used as biocatalysts for the biotransformation of eugenol to ferulic acid. A maximum conversion rate of 2.9 mmol of eugenol per h per liter of culture was achieved with a yield of 93.8 mol% of ferulic acid from eugenol within 20 h, without further optimization.     

Enhancement of glycerol utilization ability of Ralstonia eutropha H16 for production of polyhydroxyalkanoates

Ralstonia eutropha H16 is a well-studied bacterium with respect to biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which has attracted attentions as biodegradable bio-based plastics. However, this strain shows quite poor growth on glycerol of which bulk supply has been increasing as a major by-product of biodiesel industries. This study examined enhancement of glycerol assimilation ability of R. eutropha H16 by introduction of the genes of aquaglyceroporin (glpF) and glycerol kinase (glpK) from Escherichia coli. Although introduction of glpFK _Ec into the strain H16 using a multi-copy vector was not successful, a recombinant strain possessing glpFK _Ec within the chromosome showed much faster growth on glycerol than H16. Further analyses clarified that weak expression of glpK _Ec alone allowed to establish efficient glycerol assimilation pathway, indicating that the poor growth of H16 on glycerol was caused by insufficient kination activity to glycerol, as well as this strain had a potential ability for uptake of extracellular glycerol. The engineered strains expressing glpFK _Ec or glpK _Ec produced large amounts of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] [P(3HB)] from glycerol with much higher productivity than H16. Unlike other glycerol-utilizable wild strains of R. eutropha, the H16-derived engineered strains accumulated P(3HB) with no significant decrease in molecular weights on glycerol, and the polydispersity index of the glycerol-based P(3HB) synthesized by the strains expressing glpFK _Ec was lower than those by the parent strains. The present study demonstrated possibility of R. eutropha H16-based platform for production of useful compounds from inexpensive glycerol.     

Elevated poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) synthesis in mutants of Ralstonia eutropha H16 defective in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis

Several independent transposon Tn5-induced mutants of Ralstonia eutropha H16 exhibited a poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) elevated phenotype and accumulated substantial amounts of PHB already in the exponential growth phase. The insertion loci of Tn5 in these six mutants were mapped in the genes hldA (twice), hldC (twice), rfaF2, and rfaF3, which are all involved in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), an important component of the outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria. The generated defined deletion mutant ΔhldA confirmed the PHB elevated phenotype. According to the literature,such a truncated LPS may cause an increased permeability of the OM; thereby, the mutations may lead to a facilitated uptake of carbon source from the medium as exemplarily shown for gluconate and succinate. Thus, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the cell is increased. Proteome analyses revealed reinforcement of the Entner–Doudoroff pathway and of subsequent reactions that finally may lead to higher concentrations of acetyl-CoA in the cells. Due to the impaired synthesis of complete LPS, intermediates of LPS biosynthesis might be recycled by reactions yielding higher levels of NADPH and acetyl-CoA. Since the latter are precursors for synthesis of PHB, this could explain the elevated synthesis and accumulation of this polymer in case of the LPS mutants.     

重组菌Ralstonia eutropha W50-EAB D-木糖代谢相关的限速靶点

【目的】通过代谢工程改造真养罗氏菌(Ralstonia eutropha)W50-EAB木糖代谢的相关限速靶点,进一步提高R.eutropha W50-EAB的D-木糖利用效率,为获得高效利用纤维素水解液的菌株奠定基础。【方法】利用PCR技术扩增R.eutropha转酮酶基因tkt A,cbb T2和转醛酶基因tal,将扩增的tkt A,cbb T2和tal基因分别构建到表达载体p BBR1MCS-3上,获得重组质粒p WL1-TKT,p WL1-CBBT2,p WL1-TAL。通过电转的方式将质粒分别转化W50-EAB获得重组菌W50-KAB,W50-CAB和W50-TAB。利用基因敲除的方法,获得醛还原酶基因h16_A3186敲除株W50’-EAB。通过电转的方式将重组质粒p WL1-TAL导入敲除株W50’-EAB获得重组菌株W50’-TAB。通过摇瓶发酵研究重组菌株W50-KAB,W50-CAB,W50-TAB,W50’-EAB以及W50’-TAB的发酵特性。【结果】酶活分析结果表明,转酮酶和转醛酶基因实现表达。摇瓶发酵结果表明,转酮酶基因过表达菌株W50-KAB和W50-CAB相比于对照菌株W50-EAB/p3,表现出降低的木糖利用能力;而转醛酶基因过表达重组菌株W50-TAB以及敲除菌株W50’-EAB对木糖的利用得到一定的提高。在0.1 mol/L木糖的发酵培养基中,W50-EAB的最大比生长速率为0.035 h-1,PHB干重比为16.2±1.01%;而W50-TAB的最大比生长速率提高到0.039 h-1,PHB干重比达到20.5±0.76%;醛还原酶基因敲除菌株W50’-EAB最大比生长速率提高到0.040 h-1,PHB含量提高到19.8±1.05%。结果显示转醛酶基因的过表达与醛还原酶基因的敲除对木糖利用均表现出一定的优势,将这两种优势组合获得菌株W50’-TAB,摇瓶发酵分析结果为最大比生长速率达到0.042 h-1,PHB积累达到27.9±0.47%,相比于对照菌株提高了72.2%。另外,在含有葡萄糖(0.01 mol/L)和木糖(0.09 mol/L)的混合糖培养下,重组菌株W50-TAB,W50’-EAB和W50’-TAB相比于在纯木糖培养下都表现出更高的生物量和胞内PHB积累量。【结论】磷酸戊糖途径关键酶转醛酶基因的过表达加速了木糖代谢流,从而可以高效利用木糖积累一定量的PHB。醛还原酶对木糖代谢有阻碍作用,敲除该酶基因后木糖代谢能力有了一定的提高,而两者协同作用可以进一步提高重组菌株的木糖利用效率和PHB积累能力。     

A proteomic view of the facultatively chemolithoautotrophic lifestyle of Ralstonia eutropha H16

Ralstonia eutropha H16 is an H₂‐oxidizing, facultative chemolithoautotroph. Using 2‐DE in conjunction with peptide mass spectrometry we have cataloged the soluble proteins of this bacterium during growth on different substrates: (i) H₂ and CO₂, (ii) succinate and (iii) glycerol. The first and second conditions represent purely lithoautotrophic and purely organoheterotrophic nutrition, respectively. The third growth regime permits formation of the H₂‐oxidizing and CO₂‐fixing systems concomitant to utilization of an organic substrate, thus enabling mixotrophic growth. The latter type of nutrition is probably the relevant one with respect to the situation faced by the organism in its natural habitats, i.e. soil and mud. Aside from the hydrogenase and Calvin‐cycle enzymes, the protein inventories of the H₂‐CO₂‐ and succinate‐grown cells did not reveal major qualitative differences. The protein complement of the glycerol‐grown cells resembled that of the lithoautotrophic cells. Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxykinase was present under all three growth conditions, whereas PEP carboxylase was not detectable, supporting earlier findings that PEP carboxykinase is alone responsible for the anaplerotic production of oxaloacetate from PEP. The elevated levels of oxidative stress proteins in the glycerol‐grown cells point to a significant challenge by ROS under these conditions. The results reported here are in agreement with earlier physiological and enzymological studies indicating that R. eutropha H16 has a heterotrophic core metabolism onto which the functions of lithoautotrophy have been grafted.     

Characterization of an extracellular lipase and its chaperone from Ralstonia eutropha H16

Lipase enzymes catalyze the reversible hydrolysis of triacylglycerol to fatty acids and glycerol at the lipid–water interface. The metabolically versatile Ralstonia eutropha strain H16 is capable of utilizing various molecules containing long carbon chains such as plant oil, organic acids, or Tween as its sole carbon source for growth. Global gene expression analysis revealed an upregulation of two putative lipase genes during growth on trioleate. Through analysis of growth and activity using strains with gene deletions and complementations, the extracellular lipase (encoded by the lipA gene, locus tag H16_A1322) and lipase-specific chaperone (encoded by the lipB gene, locus tag H16_A1323) produced by R. eutropha H16 was identified. Increase in gene dosage of lipA not only resulted in an increase of the extracellular lipase activity, but also reduced the lag phase during growth on palm oil. LipA is a non-specific lipase that can completely hydrolyze triacylglycerol into its corresponding free fatty acids and glycerol. Although LipA is active over a temperature range from 10 °C to 70 °C, it exhibited optimal activity at 50 °C. While R. eutropha H16 prefers a growth pH of 6.8, its extracellular lipase LipA is most active between pH 7 and 8. Cofactors are not required for lipase activity; however, EDTA and EGTA inhibited LipA activity by 83 %. Metal ions Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mn²⁺ were found to stimulate LipA activity and relieve chelator inhibition. Certain detergents are found to improve solubility of the lipid substrate or increase lipase-lipid aggregation, as a result SDS and Triton X-100 were able to increase lipase activity by 20 % to 500 %. R. eutropha extracellular LipA activity can be hyper-increased, making the overexpression strain a potential candidate for commercial lipase production or in fermentations using plant oils as the sole carbon source.     

Purification and characterization of the single-component nitric oxide reductase from Ralstonia eutropha H16

Nitric oxide (NO) reductase was purified from Ralstonia eutropha (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus) using a two step chromatographic procedure. Unlike the common NO reductases, the enzyme consists of a single subunit of 75 kDa which contains both high-spin and low-spin heme b, but lacks heme c. One additional iron atom, probably a ferric non-heme iron, was identified per enzyme molecule. Whereas reduced cytochrome c was ineffective as electron donor, NO was reduced at a specific activity of 2.3 micromol/min per mg of protein in the presence of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinol.     

Genome sequence of the bioplastic-producing "Knallgas" bacterium Ralstonia eutropha H16

The H(2)-oxidizing lithoautotrophic bacterium Ralstonia eutropha H16 is a metabolically versatile organism capable of subsisting, in the absence of organic growth substrates, on H(2) and CO(2) as its sole sources of energy and carbon. R. eutropha H16 first attracted biotechnological interest nearly 50 years ago with the realization that the organism's ability to produce and store large amounts of poly[R-(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate] and other polyesters could be harnessed to make biodegradable plastics. Here we report the complete genome sequence of the two chromosomes of R. eutropha H16. Together, chromosome 1 (4,052,032 base pairs (bp)) and chromosome 2 (2,912,490 bp) encode 6,116 putative genes. Analysis of the genome sequence offers the genetic basis for exploiting the biotechnological potential of this organism and provides insights into its remarkable metabolic versatility.     

Whole-Genome Microarray and Gene Deletion Studies Reveal Regulation of the Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production Cycle by the Stringent Response in Ralstonia eutropha H16

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production and mobilization in Ralstonia eutropha are well studied, but in only a few instances has PHB production been explored in relation to other cellular processes. We examined the global gene expression of wild-type R. eutropha throughout the PHB cycle: growth on fructose, PHB production using fructose following ammonium depletion, and PHB utilization in the absence of exogenous carbon after ammonium was resupplied. Our results confirm or lend support to previously reported results regarding the expression of PHB-related genes and enzymes. Additionally, genes for many different cellular processes, such as DNA replication, cell division, and translation, are selectively repressed during PHB production. In contrast, the expression levels of genes under the control of the alternative sigma factor σ⁵⁴ increase sharply during PHB production and are repressed again during PHB utilization. Global gene regulation during PHB production is strongly reminiscent of the gene expression pattern observed during the stringent response in other species. Furthermore, a ppGpp synthase deletion mutant did not show an accumulation of PHB, and the chemical induction of the stringent response with dl-norvaline caused an increased accumulation of PHB in the presence of ammonium. These results indicate that the stringent response is required for PHB accumulation in R. eutropha, helping to elucidate a thus-far-unknown physiological basis for this process.     

Comparative Proteome Analysis Reveals Four Novel Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) Granule-Associated Proteins in Ralstonia eutropha H16

Identification of proteins that were present in a polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granule fraction isolated from Ralstonia eutropha but absent in the soluble, membrane, and membrane-associated fractions revealed the presence of only 12 polypeptides with PHB-specific locations plus 4 previously known PHB-associated proteins with multiple locations. None of the previously postulated PHB depolymerase isoenzymes (PhaZa2 to PhaZa5, PhaZd1, and PhaZd2) and none of the two known 3-hydroxybutyrate oligomer hydrolases (PhaZb and PhaZc) were significantly present in isolated PHB granules. Four polypeptides were found that had not yet been identified in PHB granules. Three of the novel proteins are putative α/β-hydrolases, and two of those (A0671 and B1632) have a PHB synthase/depolymerase signature. The third novel protein (A0225) is a patatin-like phospholipase, a type of enzyme that has not been described for PHB granules of any PHB-accumulating species. No function has been ascribed to the fourth protein (A2001), but its encoding gene forms an operon with phaB2 (acetoacetyl-coenzyme A [CoA] reductase) and phaC2 (PHB synthase), and this is in line with a putative function in PHB metabolism. The localization of the four new proteins at the PHB granule surface was confirmed in vivo by fluorescence microscopy of constructed fusion proteins with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP). Deletion of A0671 and B1632 had a minor but detectable effect on the PHB mobilization ability in the stationary growth phase of nutrient broth (NB)-gluconate cells, confirming the functional involvement of both proteins in PHB metabolism.     

Biotransformation of Eugenol to Ferulic Acid by a Recombinant Strain of Ralstonia eutropha H16

The gene loci ehyAB, calA, and calB, encoding eugenol hydroxylase, coniferyl alcohol dehydrogenase, and coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase, respectively, which are involved in the first steps of eugenol catabolism in Pseudomonas sp. strain HR199, were amplified by PCR and combined to construct a catabolic gene cassette. This gene cassette was cloned in the newly designed broad-host-range vector pBBR1-JO2 (pBBR1-JO2ehyABcalAcalB) and transferred to Ralstonia eutropha H16. A recombinant strain of R. eutropha H16 harboring this plasmid expressed functionally active eugenol hydroxylase, coniferyl alcohol dehydrogenase, and coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase. Cells of R. eutropha H16(pBBR1-JO2ehyABcalAcalB) from the late-exponential growth phase were used as biocatalysts for the biotransformation of eugenol to ferulic acid. A maximum conversion rate of 2.9 mmol of eugenol per h per liter of culture was achieved with a yield of 93.8 mol% of ferulic acid from eugenol within 20 h, without further optimization.     

The genome organization of Ralstonia eutropha strain H16 and related species of the Burkholderiaceae

Ralstonia eutropha strain H16 is a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic, hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium belonging to the family Burkholderiaceae of the Betaproteobacteria. The genome of R. eutropha H16 consists of two chromosomes (Chr1, Chr2) and one megaplasmid (pHG1), and thus shows a multi-replicon architecture, which is characteristic for all members of the Burkholderiaceae sequenced so far. The genes for housekeeping cell functions are located on Chr1. In contrast, many characteristic traits of R. eutropha H16 such as the ability to switch between alternative lifestyles and to utilize a broad variety of growth substrates are primarily encoded on the smaller replicons Chr2 and pHG1. The latter replicons also differ from Chr1 by carrying a repA-associated origin of replication typically found on plasmids. Relationships between the individual replicons from various Burkholderiaceae genomes were studied by multiple sequence alignments and whole-replicon protein comparisons. While strong conservation of gene content and order among the largest replicons indicate a common ancestor, the resemblance between the smaller replicons is considerably lower, suggesting a species-specific origin of Chr2. The megaplasmids, however, in most cases do not show any taxonomically related similarities. Based on the results of the comparative studies, a hypothesis for the evolution of the multi-replicon genomes of the Burkholderiaceae is proposed.     

Engineering of Ralstonia eutropha H16 for Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Production of Methyl Ketones

Ralstonia eutropha is a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic bacterium able to grow with organic substrates or H₂ and CO₂ under aerobic conditions. Under conditions of nutrient imbalance, R. eutropha produces copious amounts of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB). Its ability to utilize CO₂ as a sole carbon source renders it an interesting new candidate host for the production of renewable liquid transportation fuels. We engineered R. eutropha for the production of fatty acid-derived, diesel-range methyl ketones. Modifications engineered in R. eutropha included overexpression of a cytoplasmic version of the TesA thioesterase, which led to a substantial (>150-fold) increase in fatty acid titer under certain conditions. In addition, deletion of two putative β-oxidation operons and heterologous expression of three genes (the acyl coenzyme A oxidase gene from Micrococcus luteus and fadB and fadM from Escherichia coli) led to the production of 50 to 65 mg/liter of diesel-range methyl ketones under heterotrophic growth conditions and 50 to 180 mg/liter under chemolithoautotrophic growth conditions (with CO₂ and H₂ as the sole carbon source and electron donor, respectively). Induction of the methyl ketone pathway diverted substantial carbon flux away from PHB biosynthesis and appeared to enhance carbon flux through the pathway for biosynthesis of fatty acids, which are the precursors of methyl ketones.     

Ralstonia eutropha H16 flagellation changes according to nutrient supply and state of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) accumulation

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D PAGE), in combination with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight analysis, and the recently revealed genome sequence of Ralstonia eutropha H16 were employed to detect and identify proteins that are differentially expressed during different phases of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) metabolism. For this, a modified protein extraction protocol applicable to PHB-harboring cells was developed to enable 2D PAGE-based proteome analysis of such cells. Subsequently, samples from (i) the exponential growth phase, (ii) the stationary growth phase permissive for PHB biosynthesis, and (iii) a phase permissive for PHB mobilization were analyzed. Among several proteins exhibiting quantitative changes during the time course of a cultivation experiment, flagellin, which is the main protein of bacterial flagella, was identified. Initial investigations that report on changes of flagellation for R. eutropha were done, but 2D PAGE and electron microscopic examinations of cells revealed clear evidence that R. eutropha exhibited further significant changes in flagellation depending on the life cycle, nutritional supply, and, in particular, PHB metabolism. The results of our study suggest that R. eutropha is strongly flagellated in the exponential growth phase and loses a certain number of flagella in transition to the stationary phase. In the stationary phase under conditions permissive for PHB biosynthesis, flagellation of cells admittedly stagnated. However, under conditions permissive for intracellular PHB mobilization after a nitrogen source was added to cells that are carbon deprived but with full PHB accumulation, flagella are lost. This might be due to a degradation of flagella; at least, the cells stopped flagellin synthesis while normal degradation continued. In contrast, under nutrient limitation or the loss of phasins, cells retained their flagella.     

The synthesis of hydroxybutyrate and hydroxyvalerate copolymers by the bacterium Ralstonia eutropha

The paper deals with the study of the synthesis of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) copolymers by the bacterium Ralstonia eutropha B-5786 grown under different carbon nutrition conditions (growth on carbon dioxide, fructose, and CO2-valerate and fructose-valerate mixtures). The parameters to be analyzed included the yield of biomass, the yield, synthesis rate, and composition of copolymers, the activity of the key enzymes of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis (beta-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, and PHA synthase), the maximum tolerable concentration of valerate to the bacterium, and the conditions that govern the incorporation of hydroxyvalerate to copolymers. This allowed the relationship between cultivation conditions and the proportion of monomers in the copolymers to be deduced. We were able to synthesize a range of 3HB/3HV copolymers and found that the thermal characteristics and the degree of crystallinity of these copolymers depend on the molar fraction of 3HV.     

The synthesis of hydroxybutyrate and hydroxyvalerate copolymers by the bacterium Ralstonia eutropha

The paper deals with the study of the synthesis of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) copolymers by the bacterium Ralstonia eutropha B-5786 grown under different carbon nutrition conditions (growth on carbon dioxide, fructose, and CO₂-valerate and fructose-valerate mixtures). The parameters to be analyzed included the yield of biomass; the yield, synthesis rate, and composition of copolymers; the activity of the key enzymes of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis -ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, and PHA synthase); the maximum tolerable concentration of valerate to the bacterium; and the conditions that govern the incorporation of hydroxyvalerate into copolymers. This allowed the relationship between cultivation conditions and the proportion of monomers in the copolymers to be deduced. We were able to synthesize a range of 3HB/3HV copolymers and found that the thermal characteristics and the degree of crystallinity of such copolymers depend on the molar fraction of 3HV.Translated from Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 74, No. 1, 2005, pp. 63–69.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Volova, Kalacheva.     

Formation of Polyphosphate by Polyphosphate Kinases and Its Relationship to Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Accumulation in Ralstonia eutropha Strain H16

A protein (PhaX) that interacted with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase PhaZa1 and with PHB granule-associated phasin protein PhaP2 was identified by two-hybrid analysis. Deletion of phaX resulted in an increase in the level of polyphosphate (polyP) granule formation and in impairment of PHB utilization in nutrient broth-gluconate cultures. A procedure for enrichment of polyP granules from cell extracts was developed. Twenty-seven proteins that were absent in other cell fractions were identified in the polyP granule fraction by proteome analysis. One protein (A2437) harbored motifs characteristic of type 1 polyphosphate kinases (PPK1s), and two proteins (A1212, A1271) had PPK2 motifs. In vivo colocalization with polyP granules was confirmed by expression of C- and N-terminal fusions of enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) with the three polyphosphate kinases (PPKs). Screening of the genome DNA sequence for additional proteins with PPK motifs revealed one protein with PPK1 motifs and three proteins with PPK2 motifs. Construction and subsequent expression of C- and N-terminal fusions of the four new PPK candidates with eYFP showed that only A1979 (PPK2 motif) colocalized with polyP granules. The other three proteins formed fluorescent foci near the cell pole (apart from polyP) (A0997, B1019) or were soluble (A0226). Expression of the Ralstonia eutropha ppk (ppk_Reu) genes in an Escherichia coli Δppk background and construction of a set of single and multiple chromosomal deletions revealed that both A2437 (PPK1a) and A1212 (PPK2c) contributed to polyP granule formation. Mutants with deletion of both genes were unable to produce polyP granules. The formation and utilization of PHB and polyP granules were investigated in different chromosomal backgrounds.     

Substrate and Cofactor Range Differences of Two Cysteine Dioxygenases from Ralstonia eutropha H16

Cysteine dioxygenases (Cdos), which catalyze the sulfoxidation of cysteine to cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA), have been extensively studied in eukaryotes because of their roles in several diseases. In contrast, only a few prokaryotic enzymes of this type have been investigated. In Ralstonia eutropha H16, two Cdo homologues (CdoA and CdoB) have been identified previously. In vivo studies showed that Escherichia coli cells expressing CdoA could convert 3-mercaptopropionate (3MP) to 3-sulfinopropionate (3SP), whereas no 3SP could be detected in cells expressing CdoB. The objective of this study was to confirm these findings and to study both enzymes in detail by performing an in vitro characterization. The proteins were heterologously expressed and purified to apparent homogeneity by immobilized metal chelate affinity chromatography (IMAC). Subsequent analysis of the enzyme activities revealed striking differences with regard to their substrate ranges and their specificities for the transition metal cofactor, e.g., CdoA catalyzed the sulfoxidation of 3MP to a 3-fold-greater extent than the sulfoxidation of cysteine, whereas CdoB converted only cysteine. Moreover, the dependency of the activities of the Cdos from R. eutropha H16 on the metal cofactor in the active center could be demonstrated. The importance of CdoA for the metabolism of the sulfur compounds 3,3′-thiodipropionic acid (TDP) and 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid (DTDP) by further converting their degradation product, 3MP, was confirmed. Since 3MP can also function as a precursor for polythioester (PTE) synthesis in R. eutropha H16, deletion of cdoA might enable increased synthesis of PTEs.