Regulation of protein synthesis in methylotrophic yeasts: Repression of methanol dissimilating enzymes by nitrogen limitation

The influence of nitrogen limitation on the regulation of the methanol oxidizing enzymes alcohol oxidase, catalase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase in the two methylotrophic yeastsHansenula polymorpha andKloeckera sp. 2201 was studied in continuous culture. When shifted from carbon-limited growth conditions (with a mixture of glucose and methanol as carbon sources) to a nitrogen-limited environment both cultures were found to go through a transition phase where neither enhanced residual concentrations of the nitrogen source nor of one of the two carbon sources could be detected in the supernatant. As soon as nitrogen became a limiting substrate an immediate reorganisation of the cell composition was initiated: protein content of the cells dropped to approximately 40% of its initial value, glycogen was synthesized and the enzyme composition of the cells was changed. The peroxisomal enzymes alcohol oxidase and catalase in both organisms and the two dehydrogenases for formaldehyde and formate in cells ofKloeckera sp. 2201 were subject to degradation (catabolite inactivation). The measured rates of inactivation indicated that in cells ofH. polymorpha this process might be limited to peroxisomes, whereas inKloeckera sp. 2201 the degradation was found to affect peroxisomal as well as cytoplasmic enzymes. In contrast to methanol dissimilating enzymes the net rate of synthesis of hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was not affected by this process but those enzymes were synthesized with increased rates.     

Regulation of the synthesis of methanol oxidizing enzymes inKloeckera sp. 2201 andHansenula polymorpha,a comparison

A comparative study was made of the regulation of the synthesis of methanol dissimilating enzymes inkloeckera sp. 2201 andHansenula polymorpha using chemostat and batch growth conditions and methanol or glucose as carbon sources. During growth in methanol-limited chemostat cultures similar enzyme patterns for alcohol oxidase, catalase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase in the two yeasts were found. When growing in batch culture with glucoseH. polymorpha, but notKloeckera sp. 2201, was found to produce ethanol which might affect the synthesis of these enzymes.     

Mixed substrate growth of methylotrophic yeasts in chemostat culture: Influence of the dilution rate on the utilisation of a mixture of glucose and methanol

The growth of Hansenula polymorpha and Kloeckera sp. 2201 with a mixture of glucose and methanol (38.8%/61.2%, w/w) and the regulation of the methanol dissimilating enzymes alcohol oxidase, catalase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase were studied in chemostat culture, as a function of the dilution rate. Both organisms utilized and assimilated glucose and methanol simultaneously up to dilution rates of 0.30 h^-1 (H. polymorpha) and 0.26h^-1, respectively (Kloeckera sp. 2201) which significantly exceeded _max found for the two yeasts with methanol as the only source of carbon. At higher dilution rates methanol utilisation ceased and only glucose was assimilated. Over the whole range of mixed-substrate growth both carbon sources were assimilated with the same efficiency as during growth with glucose or methanol alone.In cultures of H. polymorpha, however, the growth yield for glucose was lowered by the unmetabolized methanol at high dilution rates. During growth on both carbon sources the repression of the synthesis of all catabolic methanol enzymes which is normally caused by glucose was overcome by the inductive effect of the simultaneously fed methanol. In both organisms the synthesis of alcohol oxidase was found to be regulated differently as compared to catalase, formaldehyde and formate dehydrogenase. Whereas increasing repression of the synthesis of alcohol oxidase was found with increasing dilution rates as indicated by gradually decreasing specific activities of this enzyme in cell-free extracts, the specific activities of this enzyme in cell-free extracts, the specific activities of catalase and the dehydrogenases increased with increasing growth rates until repression started. The results indicate similar patterns of the regulation of the synthesis of methanol dissimilating enzymes in different methylotrophic yeasts.Abbreviations and Terms C₁ Methanol - C₆ glucose; D dilution rate (h^-1) - D _c critical dilution rate (h^-1) - q _s specific, rate of substrate consumption (g substrate [g cell dry weight]^-1 h^-1) - q _CO2 and q _O2 are the specific rates of carbon dioxide release and oxygen consumption (mmol [g cell dry weight]^-1 h^-1) - RQ respiration quotient (q _CO2 q _O2 ¹ ) - s ₀(C₁) and s ₀(C₆) are the concentrations of methanol and glucose in the inflowing medium (g l^-1) - s residual substrate concentration in the culture liquid (g l^-1) - Sp. A. enzyme specific activity - x cell dry weight concentration (gl^-1) - Y _X/C6 growth yield on glucose (g cell dry weight [g substrate]^-1     

S-formylglutathione: The substrate for formate dehydrogenase in methanol-utilizing yeasts

Formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase were purified 45- and 16-fold, respectively, from Hansenula polymorpha grown on methanol. Formaldehyde dehydrogenase was strictly dependent on NAD and glutathione for activity. The K _mvalues of the enzyme were found to be 0.18 mM for glutathione, 0.21 mM for formaldehyde and 0.15 mM for NAD. The enzyme catalyzed the glutathine-dependent oxidation of formaldehyde to S-formylglutathione. The reaction was shown to be reversible: at pH 8.0 a K _mof 1 mM for S-formylglutathione was estimated for the reduction of the thiol ester with NADH. The enzyme did not catalyze the reduction of formate with NADH. The NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenase of H. polymorpha showed a low affinity for formate (K _mof 40 mM) but a relatively high affinity for S-formylglutathione (K _mof 1.1 mM). The K _mvalues of formate dehydrogenase in cell-free extracts of methanol-grown Candida boidinii and Pichia pinus for S-formylglutathione were also an order of magnitude lower than those for formate. It is concluded that S-formylglutathione rather than free formate is an intermediate in the oxidation of methanol by yeasts.     

Regulatory flexibility of methylotrophic yeasts in chemostat cultures: Simultaneous assimilation of glucose and methanol at a fixed dilution rate

The influence of the composition of methanol/glucose-mixtures as only sources of carbon and energy on growth and regulation of the synthesis of enzymes involved in methanol-dissimilation was studied under chemostat conditions at a fixed dilution rate with the methylotrophic yeasts Hansenula polymorpha and Kloeckera sp. 2201. Both carbon sources were found to be utilized completely independently of the composition of the C₁/C₆ mixture. Using mixtures of ¹⁴C-labelled methanol and glucose the growth yield for glucose was found to be constant for all C₁/C₆-mixtures tested and both yeasts. The growth yield for methanol, however, was reduced by up to 25% when the proportion of methanol in the inflowing medium was lower than 20% (w/w with respect to glucose) for H. polymorpha and 50% (w/w with respect to glucose) for Kloeckera sp. 2201 respectively. During growth with C₁/C₆-mixtures containing higher C₁-proportions of methanol regular growth yields for methanol were recorded which corresponded to the growth yields found with methanol as the only carbon source.The regulation of the synthesis of the enzymes of the dissimilatory pathway for methanol was found to be under multiple control. Although glucose was present in the medium methanol had a positive effect on the synthesis of these enzymes. Thus, in addition to derepression induction by methanol was also observed. This inductive effect was found to increase with increasing proportions of methanol in the mixture. Depending on the enzyme, 10–40% methanol in the mixture resulted in a maximal induction with enzyme specific activities equal to those found in cells grown with methanol as the only carbon source. No further enhancements in enzyme specific activities were observed during growth on mixtures containing more than 40% methanol.Abbreviations and terms C₁ Methanol - C₆ glucose - C₁/C₆ mixture compositions are given in % (w/w) - C₀ concentration of ¹⁴C in the inflowing medium (DPM ml^-1) - C(t) concentration of ¹⁴C incorporated in cells as a function of time t (DPM ml^-1) - d dilution rate (h^-1) - DPM disintegrations per minute - q _s q _C1 and q _C6 are specific rates of consumption of substrate, methanol and glucose respectively [g (g cell dry weight)^-1 h^-1] - q _O2 and q _CO2 are the specific rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide release [mmol (g cell dry weight)^-1 h^-1] - RQ respiration quotient (q _CO2 q _O2 ^-1) - s _C1 and s _C6 are the residual concentrations of methanol and glucose in the culture liquid (g l^-1) - s _O/C1 and s _O/C6 are the concentrations of methanol and glucose in the inflowing medium (g l^-1) - Sp.A. enzyme specific activity - x cell dry weight concentration (g l^-1) - Y _X/C1 and Y _X/C6 are growth yields on methanol and glucose respectively (g cell dry weight (g substrate)^-1 - Y _C/C1 growth yield with methanol with respect to carbon (g carbon assimilated (g carbon supplied)^-1 - _m maximum specific growth rate (h^-1)     

Biogenesis and turnover of peroxisomes involved in the concurrent oxidation of methanol and methylamine in Hansenula polymorpha

Growth of Hansenula polymorpha in shake flasks and chemostat cultures in the presence of methanol as the sole source of carbon and methylamine as the sole source of nitrogen was associated with the development of peroxisomes in the cells. The organelles were involved in the concurrent oxidation of these two compounds, since they contained both alcohol oxidase and amine oxidase, which are key enzymes in methanol and methylamine metabolism, respectively. In addition catalase was present. Peroxisomes with a completely crystalline substructure were observed in methanol-limited chemostat-grown cells. Amine oxidase probably formed an integral part of these crystalloids, whereas catalase was present in a freely diffusable form. Transfer of cells, grown in a methanol-limited chemostat in the presence of methylamine into glucose/ammonium sulphate media resulted in the loss of both alcohol oxidase and amine oxidase activity from the cells. This process was associated with degradation of the crystalline peroxisomes. However, when cells were transferred into glucose/methylamine media, amine oxidase activity only declined during 2 h after the transfer and thereafter increased again. This subsequent rise in amine oxidase activity was associated with the development of new peroxisomes in the cells in which degradation of the crystalline peroxisomes, originally present, continued. These newly formed organelles probably originated from peroxisomes which had not been affected by degradation. When in the methanollimited chemostat methylamine was replaced by ammonium sulphate, repression of the synthesis of amine oxidase was observed. However, inactivation of this enzyme or degradation of peroxisomes was not detected. The decrease of amine oxidase activity in the culture was accounted for by dilution of enzyme as a result of growth and washout.     

Regulation of alcohol oxidase synthesis in Hansenula polymorpha: Oversynthesis during growth on mixed substrates and induction by methanol

The regulation of the synthesis of alcohol oxidase, catalase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase was investigated in the methanol-utilizing yeast Hansenula polymorpha. The organism was found to synthesize immunologically identical alcohol oxidases during growth on glycerol and methanol. Growth on glycerol, however, was not dependent on the alcohol oxidase, as was shown with a mutant without alcohol oxidase protein. Similarly it was shown with a catalase activity negative mutant that high catalase activity during growth on glycerol was not a prerequisite for the utilization of this substrate, though absolutely required for growth on methanol.Experiments were conducted with mixed substrates to study the influence of methanol on alcohol oxidase synthesis. In batch cultures, growth on ribose plus methanol resulted in an enhanced rate of alcohol oxidase synthesis as compared to ribose alone. In continuous cultures, (D=0.1 h^-1) addition of methanol to glycerol-, glucose-, or sorbose-limited cultures gave rise to increased alcohol oxidase activity of up to 20 U/mg, which is about by 2 times higher than the specific activity used for growth on methanol alone. The increase in specific activity of the dissimilatory enzymes on the mixed substrates is partly due to methanol per se, as was shown by a mutant unable to dissimilate or assimilate methanol.     

Methanol metabolism in a peroxisome-deficient mutant of Hansenula polymorpha: a physiological study

We have studied methanol-utilization in a peroxisome-deficient (PER) mutant of Hansenula polymorphoa. In spite of the fact that in carbon-limited chemostat cultures under induced conditions the enzymes involved in methanol metabolism were present at wild-type (WT) levels, this mutant is unable to grow on methanol as a sole carbon and energy source. Addition of methanol to glucose-limited (S_R=12.5mM) chemostat cultures of the PER mutant only resulted in an increase in yield when small amounts were used (up to 22.5 mM). At increasing amounts however, a gradual decrease in cell density was observed which, at 80 mM methanol in the feed, had dropped below the original value of the glucose-limited culture. This reduction in yield was not observed when increasing amounts of formate instead of methanol were used as supplements for the glucose-limited mutant culture and also not in WT cells, used as control in these experiments. The effect of addition of methanol to a glucose-limited PER culture was also studied in the transient state during adaptation of the cells to methanol. The enzyme patterns obtained suggested that the ultimate decrease in yield observed at enhanced methanol concentrations was due to an inefficient methanolmetabolism as a consequence of the absence of peroxisomes. The absence of intact peroxisomes results in two major problems namely i) in H₂O₂-metabolism, which most probably is no longer mediated by catalase and ii) the inability of the cell to control the fluxes of formaldehyde, generated from methanol. The energetic consequences of this metabolism, compared to the WT situation with intact peroxisomes, are discussed.Abbreviations AO alcohol oxidase - DHAS dihydroxyacetone synthase - WT wild-type - PER peroxisome-deficient - GSH reduced glutathione - GSSG glutathione disulphide     

In vivo inactivation of peroxisomal alcohol oxidase in Hansenula polymorpha by KCN is an irreversible process

The fate of alcohol oxidase (AO) in chemostatgrown cells of Hansenula polymorpha, after its inactivation by KCN, was studied during subsequent cultivation of the cyanide-treated cells in fresh methanol media. Biochemical experiments showed that the cyanide-induced inactivation of AO was due to the release of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) from the holo enzyme. However, dissociation of octameric AO into subunits was not observed. Subsequent growth of intact cyanide-treated cells in fresh methanol media was paralelled by proteolytic degradation of part of the peroxisomes present in the cells. The recovery of AO activity, concurrently observed in these cultures, was accounted for by synthesis of new enzyme protein. Reactivation of previously inactivated AO was not observed, even in the presence of FAD in such cultures. Newly synthesized AO protein was incorporated in only few of the peroxisomes present in the cells. ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies showed that cyanide-treatment of the cells led to a dissipation of the pH gradient across the peroxisomal membrane. However, restoration of this pH gradient was fast when cells were incubated in fresh methanol medium after removal of the cyanide.Abbreviations AO alcohol oxidase - FAD flavin adenine dinucleotide - CHI cycloheximide - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - FPLC fast protein liquid chromatography - RIE rocket immuno electrophoresis     

The stability of the lactose and citrate plasmids in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis

We have studied the intraperoxisomal location of catalase in peroxisomes of methanol-grown Hansenula polymorpha by (immuno)cytochemical means. In completely crystalline peroxisomes, in which the crystalline matrix is composed of octameric alcohol oxidase (AO) molecules, most of the catalase protein is located in a narrow zone between the crystalloid and the peroxisomal membrane. In non-crystalline organelles the enzyme was present throughout the peroxisomal matrix. Other peroxisomal matrix enzymes studied for comparison, namely dihydroxyacetone synthase, amine oxidase and malate synthase, all were present throughout the AO crystalloid. The advantage of location of catalase at the edges of the AO crystalloids for growth of the organism on methanol is discussed.     

Targeting sequences of the two major peroxisomal proteins in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha.

Summary Dihydroxyacetone synthase (DAS) and methanol oxidase (MOX) are the major enzyme constituents of the peroxisomal matrix in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha when grown on methanol as a sole carbon source. In order to characterize their topogenic signals the localization of truncated polypeptides and hybrid proteins was analysed in transformed yeast cells by subcellular fractionation and electron microscopy. The C-terminal part of DAS, when fused to the bacterial -lactamase or mouse dihydrofolate reductase, directed these hybrid polypeptides to the peroxisome compartment. The targeting signal was further delimited to the extreme C-terminus, comprising the sequence N-K-L-COOH, similar to the recently identified and widely distributed peroxisomal targeting signal (PTS) S-K-L-COOH in firefly luciferase. By an identical approach, the extreme C-terminus of MOX, comprising the tripeptide A-R-F-COOH, was shown to be the PTS of this protein. Furthermore, on fusion of a C-terminal sequence from firefly luciferase including the PTS, -lactamase was also imported into the peroxisomes of H. polymorpha. We conclude that, besides the conserved PTS (or described variants), other amino acid sequences with this function have evolved in nature.     

A proton-translocating adenosine triphosphatase is associated with the peroxisomal membrane of yeasts

The association of an ATPase with the yeast peroxisomal membrane was established by both biochemical and cytochemical procedures. Peroxisomes were purified from protoplast homogenates of the methanol-grown yeast Hansenula polymorpha by differential and sucrose gradient centrifugation. Biochemical analysis revealed that ATPase activity was associated with the peroxisomal peak fractions which were identified on the basis of alcohol oxidase and catalase activity. The properties of this ATPase closely resembled those of the mitochondrial ATPase of this yeast. The enzyme was Mg²⁺-dependent, had a pH optimum of approximately 8.5 and was sensitive to N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), oligomycin and azide, but not to vanadate. A major difference was the apparent K _m for ATP which was 4–6 mM for the peroxisomal ATPase compared to 0.6–0.9 mM for the mitochondrial enzyme.Cytochemical experiments indicated that the peroxisomal ATPase was associated with the membranes surrounding these organelles. After incubations with CeCl₃ and ATP specific reaction products were localized on the peroxisomal membrane, both when unfixed isolated peroxisomes or formaldehyde-fixed protoplasts were used. This staining was strictly ATP-dependent; in controls performed i) in the absence of substrate, ii) in the presence of glycerol 2-phosphate instead of ATP, or iii) in the presence of DCCD, staining was invariably absent. Similar staining patterns were observed in subcellular fractions and protoplasts of Candida utilis and Trichosporon cutaneum X4, grown in the presence of ethanol/ethylamine or ethylamine, respectively.Abbreviations MES 2-(N-Morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid - DCCD N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide     

Regulation of methanol metabolism in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha

A study of enzyme profiles in Hansenula polymorpha grown on various carbon substrates revealed that the synthesis of the methanol dissimilatory and assimilatory enzymes is regulated in the same way, namely by catabolite repression and induction by methanol. Mutants of H. polymorpha blocked in dihydroxyacetone (DHA) synthase (strain 70 M) or DHA kinase (strain 17 B) were unable to grow on methanol which confirmed the important role attributed to these enzymes in the biosynthetic xylulose monophosphate (XuMP) cycle. Both mutant strains were still able to metabolize methanol. In the DNA kinase-negative strain 17 B this resulted in accumulation of DHA. Although DHA kinase is thought to be involved in DHA and glycerol metabolism in methylotrophic yeasts, strain 17 B was still able to grow on glycerol at a rate similar to that of the wild type. DHA on the other hand only supported slow growth of this mutant when relatively high concentrations of this compound were provided in the medium. This slow but definite growth of strain 17 B on DHA was not based on the reversible DHA synthase reaction but on conversion of DHA into glycerol, a reaction catalyzed by DNA reductase. The subsequent metabolism of glycerol in strain 17 B and in wild type H. polymorpha, however, remains to be elucidated.Abbreviations XuMP xylulose monophosphate - DHA dihydroxyacetone - EMS ethyl methanesulphonate     

Catabolite inactivation,cyclic AMP and protein phosphorylation in the methylotrophic yeastHansenula polymorpha

The inactivation of the peroxisomal enzyme alcohol oxidase and the cytoplasmic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, malate dehydrogenase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was found to occur after addition of glucose to methanol-grown cells of the yeastHansenula polymorpha. The concentration of cyclic AMP increased nearly twofold within 3 min under the same conditions. In crude extracts ofH. polymorpha about 20 proteins are phosphorylated by cyclic AMP dependent protein kinases, among them also fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. No phosphorylation of the alcohol oxidase protein could be detected. From this fact, it was concluded that the inactivation of the peroxisomal alcohol oxidase is independent of cyclic AMP-dependent protein phosphorylation.     

Purification,characterization, and potential applications of formate oxidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Debaryomyces vanrijiae</Emphasis> MH201

Formate oxidase was found in cell-free extracts of Debaryomyces vanrijiae MH201, a soil isolate. After purification by column chromatography, the preparation showed a protein band corresponding to a molecular mass (MM) of 64 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The MM, estimated by a gel filtration, was 99 kDa. The preparation showed two and three bands on isoelectric focusing under denaturing and native conditions, respectively. These results suggest that the preparation contained three isoforms, each of which might be composed of αα, αβ, and ββ subunits with apparently similar MM. The preparation acted on formate with K _m and V _max values of 11.7 mM and 262 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, respectively, at pH 4.5 and 25°C, but showed no evidence of activity on the other compounds tested. The optimum pH and temperature were pH 4.0 and 35°C, respectively. The preparation showed activities of 85% of the initial activity after storage at pH 6.0 and 4°C for 8 weeks. When 10 mM formaldehyde was reacted with 2.0 U ml⁻¹ of the enzyme preparation at pH 5.5 and room temperature in the presence of 2.0 U ml⁻¹ of a microbial aldehyde oxidase and 100 U ml⁻¹ of catalase for 180 min, neither of formate nor formaldehyde was detected, suggesting that the reaction involved the quantitative conversion of formaldehyde to carbon dioxide.     

Development of a set of expression vectors in Hansenula polymorpha

Four expression vectors based on formate dehydrogenase promoter (FMDp) and methanol oxidase promoter (MOXp) from Hansenula polymorpha were developed to express heterologous genes in Hansenula polymorpha. A secretion signal sequence of the mating factor-alpha from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was inserted in the secretory expression plasmids for efficient secretion. A modified green fluorescent protein (mGFP5) was used as the marker of expression for the first time in H. polymorpha NCYC495 (leu 1.1) to determine the expression ability of these plasmids. The mGFP5 thus expressed retained its biochemical and physiological properties, such as accumulation inside cells and efficient secretion into the culture media. These results indicated that the four integrative vectors are useful expression systems which could be directly applied for production of heterologous proteins of interests in H. polymorpha.     

Regulation of flavin biosynthesis in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha

Under various conditions of growth of the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha, a tight correlation was observed between the levels of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-containing alcohol oxidase, and the levels of intracellularly bound FAD and flavin biosynthetic enzymes. Adaptation of the organism to changes in the physiological requirement for FAD was by adjustment of the levels of the enzymes catalyzing the last three steps in flavin biosynthesis, riboflavin synthetase, riboflavin kinase and flavin mononucleotide adenylyltransferase. The regulation of the synthesis of the latter enzymes in relation to that of alcohol oxidase synthesis was studied in experiments involving addition of glucose to cells of H. polymorpha growing on methanol in batch cultures or in carbon-limited continuous cultures. This resulted not only in selective inactivation of alcohol oxidase and release of FAD, as previously reported, but invariably also in repression/inactivation of the flavin biosynthetic enzymes. In further experiments involving addition of FAD to the same type of cultures it became clear that inactivation of the latter enzymes was not caused directly by glucose, but rather by free FAD that accumulated intracellularly. In these experiments no repression or inactivation of alcohol oxidase occurred and it is therefore concluded that the synthesis of this enzyme and the flavin biosynthetic enzymes is under separate control, the former by glucose (and possibly methanol) and the latter by intracellular levels of free FAD.Abbreviations FAD Flavin adenine dinucleotide - FMN riboflavin-5-phosphate; flavin mononucleotide - Rf riboflavin     

Growth of Hansenula polymorpha in a methanol-limited chemostat

Hansenula polymorpha has been grown in a methanol-limited continuous culture at a variety of dilution rates. Cell suspensions of the yeast grown at a dilution rate of 0.16 h^-1 showed a maximal capacity to oxidize excess methanol (QO ₂ ^max ) which was 1.6 times higher than the rate required to sustain the growth rate (Q _O2). When the dilution rate was decreased to 0.03 h^-1, QO ₂ ^max of the cells increased to a value of more than 20 times that of Q _O2. The enzymatic basis for this tremendous overcapacity for the oxidation of excess methanol at low growth rates was found to be the methanol oxidase content of the cells. The level of this enzyme increased from 7% to approximately 20% of the soluble protein when the growth rate was decreased from 0.16 to 0.03 h^-1. These results were explained on the basis of the poor affinity of methanol oxidase for its substrates. Methanol oxidase purified from Hansenula polymorpha showed an apparent K _mfor methanol of 1.3 mM in air saturated reaction mixtures and the apparent K _mof the enzyme for oxygen was 0.4 mM at a methanol concentration of 100 mM.The involvement of an oxygen dependent methanol oxidase in the dissimilation of methanol in Hansenula polymorpha was also reflected in the growth yield of the organism. The maximal yield of the yeast was found to be low (0.38 g cells/g methanol). This was not due to a very high maintenance energy requirement which was estimated to be 17 mg methanol/g cells x h.     

Methanol metabolism in thermotolerant methylotrophic Bacillus strains involving a novel catabolic NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase as a key enzyme

The enzymology of methanol utilization in thermotolerant methylotrophic Bacillus strains was investigated. In all strains an immunologically related NAD-dependent methanol dehydrogenase was involved in the initial oxidation of methanol. In cells of Bacillus sp. C1 grown under methanol-limiting conditions this enzyme constituted a high percentage of total soluble protein. The methanol dehydrogenase from this organism was purified to homogeneity and characterized. In cell-free extracts the enzyme displayed biphasic kinetics towards methanol, with apparent K _m values of 3.8 and 166 mM. Carbon assimilation was by way of the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase cleavage and transketolase/transaldolase rearrangement variant of the RuMP cycle of formaldehyde fixation. The key enzymes of the RuMP cycle, hexulose-6-phosphate synthase (HPS) and hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase (HPI), were present at very high levels of activity. Failure of whole cells to oxidize formate, and the absence of formaldehyde-and formate dehydrogenases indicated the operation of a non-linear oxidation sequence for formaldehyde via HPS. A comparison of the levels of methanol dehydrogenase and HPS in cells of Bacillus sp. C1 grown on methanol and glucose suggested that the synthesis of these enzymes is not under coordinate control.Abbreviations RuMP ribulose monophosphate - HPS hexulose-6-phosphate synthase - HPI hexulose-6-phosphate isomerase - MDH methanol dehydrogenase - ADH acohol dehydrogenase - PQQ pyrroloquinoline, quinone - DTT dithiothreitol - NBT nitrobluetetrazolium - PMS phenazine methosulphate - DCPIP dichlorophenol indophenol