Aliphatic alcohol dehydrogenase from potato tubers

Potato tubers are shown to contain at least 3 alcohol dehydrogenases, one active with NAD and aliphatic alcohols, one active with NADP and terpene alcohols and one active with NADP and aromatic alcohols. The purification of the aliphatic alcohol dehydrogenase is described and its activity with a wide range of substrates is reported. On the basis of substrate specificity, the enzyme is shown to resemble yeast alcohol dehydrogenase rather than liver alcohol dehydrogenase. The enzyme shows high activity with and high affinity for ethanol, activity and affinity decline as the chain length is increased from ethanol to butanol, but a further increase in chain length leads to increased affinity for the alcohol. The physiological significance of the results is briefly discussed.     

Characterization of a zinc-containing alcohol dehydrogenase with stereoselectivity from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus guaymasensis

An alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus guaymasensis was purified to homogeneity and was found to be a homotetramer with a subunit size of 40 ± 1 kDa. The gene encoding the enzyme was cloned and sequenced; this gene had 1,095 bp, corresponding to 365 amino acids, and showed high sequence homology to zinc-containing ADHs and l-threonine dehydrogenases with binding motifs of catalytic zinc and NADP(+). Metal analyses revealed that this NADP(+)-dependent enzyme contained 0.9 ± 0.03 g-atoms of zinc per subunit. It was a primary-secondary ADH and exhibited a substrate preference for secondary alcohols and corresponding ketones. Particularly, the enzyme with unusual stereoselectivity catalyzed an anti-Prelog reduction of racemic (R/S)-acetoin to (2R,3R)-2,3-butanediol and meso-2,3-butanediol. The optimal pH values for the oxidation and formation of alcohols were 10.5 and 7.5, respectively. Besides being hyperthermostable, the enzyme activity increased as the temperature was elevated up to 95°C. The enzyme was active in the presence of methanol up to 40% (vol/vol) in the assay mixture. The reduction of ketones underwent high efficiency by coupling with excess isopropanol to regenerate NADPH. The kinetic parameters of the enzyme showed that the apparent K(m) values and catalytic efficiency for NADPH were 40 times lower and 5 times higher than those for NADP(+), respectively. The physiological roles of the enzyme were proposed to be in the formation of alcohols such as ethanol or acetoin concomitant to the NADPH oxidation.     

Degradation pathway of 2-chloroethanol in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas stutzeri</Emphasis> strain JJ under denitrifying conditions

The pathway of 2-chloroethanol degradation in the denitrifying Pseudomonas stutzeri strain JJ was investigated. In cell-free extracts, activities of a phenazine methosulfate (PMS)-dependent chloroethanol dehydrogenase, an NAD-dependent chloroacetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and a chloroacetate dehalogenase were detected. This suggested that the 2-chloroethanol degradation pathway in this denitrifying strain is the same as found in aerobic bacteria that degrade chloroethanol. Activity towards primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, diols, and other chlorinated alcohols could be measured in cell-free extracts with chloroethanol dehydrogenase (CE-DH) activity. PMS and phenazine ethosulfate (PES) were used as primary electron acceptors, but not NAD, NADP or ferricyanide. Cells of strain JJ cultured in a continuous culture under nitrate limitation exhibited chloroethanol dehydrogenase activity that was a 12 times higher than in cells grown in batch culture. However, under chloroethanol-limiting conditions, CE-DH activity was in the same range as in batch culture. Cells grown on ethanol did not exhibit CE-DH activity. Instead, NAD-dependent ethanol dehydrogenase (E-DH) activity and PMS-dependent E-DH activity were detected.     

Cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenases from yeast Torulopsis candida]

A comparative study of cell cytosol alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from yeast Torulopsis candida IBFM-Y-127 grown on glucose and hexadecane which were the only source of carbon, was made. In both cases ADH had a pH optimum within the range of 7.0--10.0, when various normal primary alcohols (C2--C16) were used. The enzyme was active only in the presence of NAD, which cannot be substituted by NADP. The total activity of ADH decreased approximately 8-fold when the length of hydrocarbon radicals was changed from C2 up to C16. When the cells were grown on hexadecane, only ethyl, n-buthyl, n-amyl and n-hexyl alcohols were active as substrates. The dehydration rate of each alcohol was far lower than that for the cytosol of glucose-grown cells. In the latter case the enzyme activity also decreased with an increase in the alcohol radical from C2 to C6. In all cases studied methyl alcohol and cyclic (cinnamyl alcohol--C8) alcohol were not dehydrated at all. Disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, involving gel colouration for the assay of enzyme activity showed that glucose--grown cell cytosol contained three forms of ADH. One of those forms was highly active when short--chain normal primary alcohols were used; this form may be probably regarded as "classical" ADH (EC 1.1.1.1). The two other forms caused intensive dehydration of long-chain alcohols (the best substrates were C7--C10 alcohols for one form and C10--C14 for the others). The two forms of ADH are probably isoenzymes of octanol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.73). Cytosol of cells grown on n-alcane, had a reduced number of ADH forms. The data obtained are discussed in terms of the regulatory role of carbon and energy source (glucose or hexadecane) in the redistribution of alcohol dehydrogenases between structural components of cells (mitochondria) and cytosol.     

Analysis of glycerol dehydrogenase activities present in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mucor circinelloides</Emphasis> YR-1

Two inducible NADP⁺-dependent glycerol dehydrogenase (GlcDH) activities were identified in Mucor circinelloides strain YR-1. One of these, denoted iGlcDH2, was specifically induced by n-decanol when it was used as sole carbon source in the culture medium, and the second, denoted iGlcDH1, was induced by alcohols and aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons when glycerol was used as the only substrate. iGlcDH2 was found to have a much broader substrate specificity than iGlcDH1, with a low activity as an ethanol dehydrogenase with NAD⁺ or NADP⁺ as cofactor. Both isozymes showed an optimum pH for activity of 9.0 in Tris-HCl buffer and are subject to carbon catabolite repression. In contrast, the constitutive NADP⁺-dependent glycerol dehydrogenases (GlcDHI, II, and III) were only present in cell extracts when the fungus was grown in glycolytic carbon sources or glycerol under oxygenation, and their optimum pH was 7.0 in Tris-HCl buffer. In addition to these five NADP⁺-dependent glycerol dehydrogenases, a NAD⁺-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase is also present in glycerol or n-decanol medium; this enzyme was found to have weak activity as a glycerol dehydrogenase.     

The specificities and configurations of ternary complexes of yeast and liver alcohol dehydrogenases

1. Some aspects of the substrate specificities of liver and yeast alcohol dehydrogenases have been investigated with pentan-3-ol, heptan-4-ol, (+)-butan-2-ol, (+/-)-butan-2-ol, (+/-)-hexan-3-ol and (+/-)-octan-2-ol as potential substrates. The liver enzyme is active with all substrates tested, including both isomers of each optically active alcohol. In contrast, the yeast enzyme is completely inactive towards those secondary alcohols where both alkyl groups are larger than methyl and active with only the (+)-isomers of butan-2-ol and octan-2-ol. 2. The absence of stereospecificity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase towards optically active secondary alcohols and its broad specificity towards secondary alcohols in general are explained in terms of an alkyl-binding site that will react with a variety of alkyl groups and the ability of the enzyme to accommodate a fairly large unbound alkyl group in an active enzyme-NAD(+)-secondary alcohol ternary complex. The absolute optical specificity of the yeast enzyme towards n-alkylmethyl carbinols and its unreactivity towards pentan-3-ol, hexan-3-ol and heptan-4-ol are explained by its inability to accept alkyl groups larger than methyl in the unbound position in a viable ternary complex. 3. Comparison of the known configurations of the n-alkylmethyl carbinols and [1-(2)H]ethanol and [1-(3)H]geraniol, which have been used in stereospecificity studies with these enzymes by other workers, provides strong evidence for which alkyl group of the substrate is bound to the enzyme in the oxidation of n-alkylmethyl carbinols. The conclusions reached are, for butan-2-ol oxidation with the liver enzyme, confirmed by deductions from kinetic data obtained with (+)-butan-2-ol and a sample of butan-2-ol containing 66% of (-)-butan-2-ol. 4. Initial-rate parameters for the oxidations of (+)-butan-2-ol, 66% (-)-butan-2-ol and pentan-3-ol by NAD with liver alcohol dehydrogenase are presented. The data are completely consistent with a general mechanism of catalysis previously proposed for this enzyme.     

Isolation and characterization of an aldehyde dehydrogenase encoded by the aldB gene of Escherichia coli

An aldehyde dehydrogenase was detected in crude cell extracts of Escherichia coli DH5alpha. Growth studies indicated that the aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was growth phase dependent and increased in cells grown with ethanol. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme identified the latter as an aldehyde dehydrogenase encoded by aldB, which was thought to play a role in the removal of aldehydes and alcohols in cells that were under stress. The purified enzyme showed an estimated molecular mass of 220 +/- 8 kDa, consisting of four identical subunits, and preferred to use NADP and acetaldehyde. MgCl2 increased the activity of the NADP-dependent enzyme with various substrates. A comparison of the effect of Mg2+ ions on the bacterial enzyme with the effect of Mg2+ ions on human liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase revealed that the bacterial enzyme shared kinetic properties with the mammalian enzyme. An R197E mutant of the bacterial enzyme appeared to retain very little NADP-dependent activity on acetaldehyde.     

Growth characteristics and metabolic flux analysis of Candida milleri

The growth characteristics of the sourdough yeast Candida milleri was studied in a carbon-limited aerobic chemostat culture on defined medium. The effect of glucose, xylose, and glucose-xylose mixture on metabolite production and on key enzyme activities was evaluated. Xylose as a sole carbon source was not metabolized by C. milleri. Glucose as a sole carbon source produced only biomass and carbon dioxide. When a glucose-xylose mixture (125:125 C-mM) was used as a carbon source, a small amount of xylose was consumed and a low concentration of xylitol was produced (7.20 C-mM). Enzymatic assays indicated that C. milleri does not possess xylitol dehydrogenase activity and its xylose reductase is exclusively NADPH-dependent. In glucose medium both NAD(+)- and NADP(+)-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were found, whereas in a glucose-xylose medium only NADP(+)-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was detected. The developed metabolic flux analysis corresponded well with the experimentally measured values of metabolite production, oxygen consumption (OUR), and carbon dioxide production (CER). Turnover number in generation and consumption of ATP, mitochondrial and cytosolic NADH, and cytosolic NADPH could be calculated and redox balance was achieved. Constraints were imposed on the flux estimates such that the directionality of irreversible reactions is not violated, and cofactor dependence of the measured enzyme activities were taken into account in constructing the metabolic flux network.     

Protein engineering of alcohol dehydrogenases: effects of amino acid changes at positions 93 and 48 of yeast ADH1

By protein engineering we have investigated changes to two amino acid residues (Trp93 and Ser48) in the substrate pocket of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase 1. Upon changing Thr48 to serine we produced an enzyme which has markedly greater activity towards aliphatic alcohols with chain length up to 8, together with a general increase in catalytic activity (V/K). Changes at position 93 were less pronounced, with the Phe enzyme being more active than the parent towards the range of alcohols but with the alanine enzyme showing very little difference from the wild-type. Enzymes with the double changes at 48 and 93 showed increased activity towards alcohols with 3-8 carbons but the increases were not additive over the single changes. The enzymes with changes at the two positions would metabolize both stereoisomers of 2-octanol whereas the parent ADH would attack only one of them. None of the engineered enzymes would attack cyclohexanol or aromatic alcohols. The results are in general agreement with the prediction that reducing the size of amino acids in the substrate pocket would enhance the ability to oxidize alcohols larger than ethanol.     

Microbial metabolism of amino alcohols. Aminoacetone metabolism via 1-aminopropan-2-ol in Pseudomonas sp. N.C.I.B. 8858

1. Pseudomonas sp. N.C.I.B. 8858 grew well on d- and l-1-aminopropan-2-ol and on aminoacetone. 2. Cell-free extracts possessed high activities of inducibly formed l-1-aminopropan-2-ol-NAD(+) oxidoreductase, amino alcohol-ATP phosphotransferase, dl-1-aminopropan-2-ol O-phosphate phospho-lyase and aldehyde-NAD(+) oxidoreductase, but no 1-aminopropan-2-ol racemase or d-1-aminopropan-2-ol-NAD(+) oxidoreductase. 3. The amino alcohol kinase (activated by ADP) was non-stereospecific towards 1-aminopropan-2-ol and was one-third as active with ethanolamine. The phospho-lyase was active with l- and d-1-aminopropan-2-ol O-phosphate, but ethanolamine O-phosphate was only one-tenth as active as its higher homologues. The purified aldehyde dehydrogenase was active with propionaldehyde, acetaldehyde and also with methylglyoxal. The previously observed 2-oxo aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was considered to be due to the broadly specific aldehyde dehydrogenase. 4. Mutants of Pseudomonas sp. N.C.I.B. 8858 deficient in 1-aminopropan-2-ol kinase, 1-aminopropan-2-ol O-phosphate phospho-lyase, aldehyde dehydrogenase or an enzyme involved in propionate metabolism were incapable of growth on aminoacetone or 1-aminopropan-2-ol as carbon source, although all except the kinase- or phospho-lyasedeficient mutants could use these compounds and ethanolamine as nitrogen sources. The aldehyde dehydrogenase-deficient mutants produced copious amounts of propionaldehyde and acetaldehyde during growth on the corresponding amino alcohols. 5. The path of aminoacetone metabolism in Pseudomonas sp. N.C.I.B. 8858 was concluded to involve l-1-aminopropan-2-ol, the O-phosphate ester of this compound, propionaldehyde and propionate as obligatory intermediates. d-1-Aminopropan-2-ol was metabolized by the same route as the l-isomer, gratuitously inducing formation of the stereospecific l-1-aminopropan-2-ol dehydrogenase. 6. Extracts of the pseudomonad grown with ethanolamine as the nitrogen source were devoid of 1-aminopropan-2-ol dehydrogenase, the kinase and the phospho-lyase, but exhibited cobamide coenzyme-dependent deaminase activity. Mutants deficient in kinase or phospho-lyase (deaminating) grew well on ethanolamine as the nitrogen source. Ethanolamine deaminase was inactive with, but inhibited by, 1-aminopropan-2-ol.     

Isocitrate Dehydrogenases and NADP-Alcohol Dehydrogenase of Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris*

SYNOPSIS. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) linked isocitrate dehydrogenase and NADP linked alcohol dehydrogenase have been detected in Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris. The NADP isocitrate dehydrogenase showed half-maximal activity at a concentration of 3 × 10^?5 M DL-isocitrate, but did not follow simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to substrate concentration. The optimal NADP concentration was about 0.06 mM, and activity fell off sharply on either side of this optimum. Fresh preparations of the enzyme migrated as single bands in disc electrophoresis, but two enzymatically active bands were present after frozen storage. The NAD isocitrate dehydrogenase followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to substrate. In crude extracts, no requirement for adenosine monophosphate, adenosine diphosphate, or sulfhydryl compounds could be found. NADP alcohol dehydrogenase activity could be found with either ethanol or propanol as substrate. Low concentrations of coenzyme A were moderately inhibitory. In tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane buffer (tris buffer), Euglena extracts reduced NAD slowly in the absence of exogenous substrate. In the absence of tris, no such reduction occurred. A similar phenomenon was observed with NADP.     

NAD and NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase in Hydrogenomonas H 16

Summary Hydrogenomonas H 16 synthetized two chromatographically distinct forms of glutamate dehydrogenase which differed in their thermolability. One glutamate dehydrogenase utilized NAD, the other NADP as a coenzyme.Low specific activity of NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase was found in cells grown with glutamate as sole nitrogen source or in cells grown with a high concentration of ammonium ions. In the presence of a low concentration of ammonium ions or in a nitrogen free medium, the specific activity of the NAD-dependent enzyme increased. Corresponding to the formation of the NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase the enzyme glutamine synthetase was synthesized. The ratio of NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase to glutamine synthetase activity differed only slightly in cells grown with different nitrogen and carbon sources.The NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase was found in high specific activity in cells grown with an excess of ammonium ions. Under nitrogen starvation the formation of the NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase ceased and the enzyme activity decreased.     

A Long-Chain Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Rhodococcus erythropolis ATCC 4277

A NAD-dependent secondary alcohol dehydrogenase has been purified from the alkane-degrading bacterium, Rhodococcus erythropolis ATCC 4277. The enzyme was found to be active against a broad range of substrates, particularly long-chain secondary aliphatic alcohols. Although optimal activity was observed with linear 2-alcohols containing between 6 and 11 carbon atoms, secondary alcohols as long as 2-tetradecanol were oxidized at 25% of the rate seen with mid-range alcohols. The purified enzyme was specific for the S-(+) stereoisomer of 2-octanol and had a specific activity for 2-octanol of over 200 (mu)mol/min/mg of protein at pH 9 and 37(deg)C, 25-fold higher than that of any previously reported S-(+) secondary alcohol dehydrogenase. Linear primary alcohols containing between 3 and 13 carbon atoms were utilized 20- to 40-fold less efficiently than the corresponding secondary alcohols. The apparent K(infm) value for NAD(sup+) with 2-octanol as the substrate was 260 (mu)M, whereas the apparent K(infm) values for the 2-alcohols ranged from over 5 mM for 2-pentanol to less than 2 (mu)M for 2-tetradecanol. The enzyme showed moderate thermostability (half-life of 4 h at 60(deg)C) and could potentially be useful for the synthesis of optically pure stereoisomers of secondary alcohols.     

Induction and Regulation of a Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide-Specific 6-Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase in Streptococcus faecalis

Streptococcus faecalis grown with glucose as the primary energy source contains a single, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)-specific 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Extracts of gluconate-adapted cells, however, exhibited 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activity with either NADP or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). This was shown to be due to the presence of separate enzymes in gluconate-adapted cells. Although both enzymes catalyzed the oxidative decarboxylation of 6-phosphogluconate, they differed from one another with respect to their coenzyme specificity, molecular weight, pH optimum, K(m) values for substrate and coenzyme, and electrophoretic mobility in starch gels. The two enzymes also differed in their response to certain effector ligands. The NADP-linked enzyme was specifically inhibited by fructose-1,6-diphosphate, but was insensitive to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and certain other nucleotides. The NAD-specific enzyme, in contrast, was insensitive to fructose-1,6-diphosphate, but was inhibited by ATP. The available data suggest that the NAD enzyme is involved primarily in the catabolism of gluconate, whereas the NADP enzyme appears to function in the production of reducing equivalents (NADPH) for use in various reductive biosynthetic reactions.     

Efficient regeneration of NADPH using an engineered phosphite dehydrogenase

The in situ regeneration of reduced nicotinamide cofactors (NAD(P)H) is necessary for practical synthesis of many important chemicals. Here, we report the engineering of a highly stable and active mutant phosphite dehydrogenase (12x-A176R PTDH) from Pseudomonas stutzeri and evaluation of its potential as an effective NADPH regeneration system in an enzyme membrane reactor. Two practically important enzymatic reactions including xylose reductase-catalyzed xylitol synthesis and alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed (R)-phenylethanol synthesis were used as model systems, and the mutant PTDH was directly compared to the commercially available NADP(+)-specific Pseudomonas sp. 101 formate dehydrogenase (mut Pse-FDH) that is widely used for NADPH regeneration. In both model reactions, the two regeneration enzymes showed similar rates of enzyme activity loss; however, the mutant PTDH showed higher substrate conversion and higher total turnover numbers for NADP(+) than mut Pse-FDH. The space-time yields of the product with the mutant PTDH were also up to fourfold higher than those with mut Pse-FDH. In particular, a space-time yield of 230 g L(-1) d(-1) xylitol was obtained with the mutant PTDH using a charged nanofiltration membrane, representing the highest productivity compared to other existing biological processes for xylitol synthesis based on yeast D-xylose converting strains or similar in vitro enzyme membrane reactor systems.     

Substrate activation and inhibition in coenzyme–substrate reactions. Cyclohexanol oxidation catalysed by liver alcohol dehydrogenase

1. The activity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase with cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone as substrates was studied, and the initial-rate parameters were determined from measurements at low substrate concentrations. In contrast with aliphatic ketones, cyclohexanone is a fairly good substrate, although less active than aliphatic aldehydes. The Michaelis constant for cyclohexanol is of the same order as that for ethanol, and the maximum rate and Michaelis constant for NAD(+) obtained with cyclohexanol are very similar to those obtained with primary aliphatic alcohols. The data for this substrate at low concentrations are therefore consistent with a compulsory-order mechanism in which ternary complexes are not rate-limiting. 2. With large concentrations of NAD(+), substrate activation is observed with increasing concentrations of cyclohexanol, whereas with small NAD(+) concentrations substrate inhibition is observed. This complex behaviour is explained by a mechanism previously proposed for this enzyme, which also satisfactorily described the kinetics of oxidation of primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols and aldehydes, including the substrate inhibition exhibited by primary alcohols, and the reduction of aldehydes. The activation with large concentrations of both NAD(+) and cyclohexanol is attributed to the formation of an abortive complex, E.NADH.ROH, from which NADH dissociates more rapidly than from the normal product complex E.NADH. Substrate inhibition in the presence of small NAD(+) concentrations is attributed to the formation of an active complex E.ROH, with which NAD(+) reacts more slowly than with the free enzyme. 3. Some support for these mechanisms of substrate activation and inhibition is obtained by approximate theoretical calculations, and their applicability to other two-substrate reactions that exhibit complex initial-rate behaviour, as a more likely alternative to the postulate of a second binding site for the substrate, is suggested.     

Studies of NADP(+)-preferred secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobium brockii

Alcohol dehydrogenase has been purified from the cell-free preparation of Thermoanaerobium brockii to homogeneity, employing combined DEAE, Sephadex, and affinity chromatographic procedures. The enzyme is tetrameric having subunit molecular weight of 40.4 x 10(3). The purified alcohol dehydrogenase is capable of utilizing either NAD+ or NADP+ to oxidize primary and secondary alcohols, although it prefers NADP+ as the coenzyme and secondary alcohols as substrates. Inactivation of the enzymic activity by sensitized photooxidation and carboxymethylation implicates the presence of catalytically important histidine and cysteine residues. Kinetic studies indicate that Thermoanaerobium alcohol dehydrogenase catalyzes NADP(+)-linked oxidations of secondary alcohols by an ordered bi-bi mechanism with NADP+ as the leading reactant. The preference of the Thermoanaerobium enzyme for NADP+ is correlated with its low dissociation constants (KA and KiA) and high turnover rate (V/Et). The corresponding kinetic parameters also contribute to the preference of this enzyme for secondary alcohols.     

A study of the control of NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity during gonadotropin-induced development of the rat ovary

The concentration of cytoplasmic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase increased 20.2-fold during gonadotropin-induced development of the immature rat ovary. Measurement was by protein (Western) blotting using polyclonal antibodies raised against purified enzyme from the porcine corpus luteum. The increase in enzyme concentration during development correlated well with the 18.5-fold increase observed for the specific activity of the enzyme in the cytosolic fraction. An immunochemical similarity was demonstrated between the cytoplasmic enzyme from the ovary, testes, placenta, skeletal muscle, brain, liver, kidney, mammary and adrenal gland. However the mitochondrial NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from these tissues was found to be immunochemically distinct from the cytoplasmic enzyme. The concentration of the substrate D(+/-)-threo-isocitrate in the ovaries was measured by fluorometry and found to increase 3.1-fold during hormone-induced development. The intracellular concentration of substrate was estimated to be of the same order of magnitude as the enzyme concentration. We conclude that the increase in cytoplasmic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase activity observed during the gonadotropin-stimulated development of the rat ovary is due to increased concentration of enzyme rather than to an activation of the enzyme. The activity of the enzyme in vivo appears to be regulated by the availability of the substrate D(+/-)-threo-isocitrate.     

The highly stable alcohol dehydrogenase of Thermomicrobium roseum: purification and molecular characterization

An alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from an extremely thermophilic bacterium, Thermomicrobium roseum. The native enzyme was found to be a homo-dimer of 43-kDa subunits. The pI of the enzyme was determined to be 6.2, while its optimum pH is 10.0. The enzyme oxidized mainly primary aliphatic alcohols and exhibited high substrate specificity towards ethanol, n-propanol and crotyl alcohol. The highest reaction rate was observed when ethanol was used as substrate and the K(m) value of the enzyme for ethanol was 24.2 mM. Pyrazole notably inhibited the enzymatic activity. The enzyme had the optimal temperature of 70 degrees C and was highly stable against high temperature.     

Occurrence of a novel yeast enzyme, L-lysine epsilon-dehydrogenase, which catalyses the first step of lysine catabolism in Candida albicans

The yeast Candida albicans is able to utilize L-lysine as the sole nitrogen and carbon source accompanied by intracellular accumulation of alpha-aminoadipate-delta-semialdehyde. A novel yeast amino acid dehydrogenase catalysing the oxidative deamination of the epsilon-group of L-lysine was found in this yeast. The enzyme, L-lysine epsilon-dehydrogenase, is strongly induced in cells grown on L-lysine as the sole nitrogen source. The enzyme is specific for both L-lysine and NADP+. The Km values were determined to be 0.87 mM for L-lysine and 0.071 mM for NADP+. An apparent Mr of 87,000 was estimated by gel filtration. The enzyme has maximum activity at pH 9.5 and a temperature optimum of 32 degrees C under our assay conditions.