Membrane-bound lactate dehydrogenases and mandelate dehydrogenases of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Purification and properties.

Procedures were developed for the optimal solubilization of D-lactate dehydrogenase, D-mandelate dehydrogenase, L-lactate dehydrogenase and L-mandelate dehydrogenase from wall + membrane fractions of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. D-Lactate dehydrogenase and D-mandelate dehydrogenase were co-eluted on gel filtration, as were L-lactate dehydrogenase and L-mandelate dehydrogenase. All four enzymes could be separated by ion-exchange chromatography. D-Lactate dehydrogenase and D-mandelate dehydrogenase were purified by cholate extraction, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and chromatofocusing. The properties of D-lactate dehydrogenase and D-mandelate dehydrogenase were similar in several respects: they had relative molecular masses of 62 800 and 59 700 respectively, pI values of 5.8 and 5.5, considerable sensitivity to p-chloromercuribenzoate, little or no inhibition by chelating agents, and similar responses to pH. Both enzymes appeared to contain non-covalently bound FAD as cofactor.     

Membrane-bound lactate dehydrogenases and mandelate dehydrogenases of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Location and regulation of expression.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus possesses an L(+)-lactate dehydrogenase and a D(-)-lactate dehydrogenase. Results of experiments in which enzyme activities were measured after growth of bacteria in different media indicated that the two enzymes were co-ordinately induced by either enantiomer of lactate but not by pyruvate, and repressed by succinate or L-glutamate. The two lactate dehydrogenases have very similar properties to L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase and D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase. All four enzymes are NAD(P)-independent and were found to be integral components of the cytoplasmic membrane. The enzymes could be solubilized in active form by detergents; Triton X-100 or Lubrol PX were particularly effective D(-)-Lactate dehydrogenase and D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase could be selectively solubilized by the ionic detergents cholate, deoxycholate and sodium dodecyl sulphate.     

Multiple forms of carboxylesterase activity in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

A carboxylesterase activity (E.C.3.1.1) was found in all four strains of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus tested. The activity was present in both 2 X 10(4) gav h-1 supernatant and bacterial wall-membrane fractions. The activity in the supernatant was in two molecular weight forms, the predominant form with a Mr of about 10(3) K and a minor form Mr approximately 600 K. The activity was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. SDS-PAGE showed that in A. calcoaceticus NCIB 8250 the activity was composed of three components of Mr 43, 40 and 38 K. The individual components showed different activities with 1- or 2-naphthyl esters. Of the other strains used, one showed a nearly identical pattern of component activities, while the other two showed only two component activities.     

Interconvertible molecular-weight forms of the bifunctional chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus belongs to a large phylogenetic cluster of gram-negative procaryotes that all utilize a bifunctional P-protein (chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase) [EC 5.4.99.5-4.2.1.51] for phenylalanine biosynthesis. These two enzyme activities from Ac. calcoaceticus were inseparable by gel-filtration or DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The molecular weight of the P-protein in the absence of effectors was 65,000. In the presence of L-tyrosine (dehydratase activator) or L-phenylalanine (inhibitor of both P-protein activities), the molecular weight increased to 122,000. Maximal activation (23-fold) of prephenate dehydratase was achieved at 0.85 mM L-tyrosine. Under these conditions, dehydratase activity exhibited a hysteretic response to increasing protein concentration. Substrate saturation curves for prephenate dehydratase were hyperbolic at L-tyrosine concentrations sufficient to give maximal activation (yielding a Km,app of 0.52 mM for prephenate), whereas at lower L-tyrosine concentrations the curves were sigmoidal. Dehydratase activity was inhibited by L-phenylalanine, and exhibited cooperative interactions for inhibitor binding. A Hill plot yielded an n' value of 3.1. Double-reciprocal plots of substrate saturation data obtained in the presence of L-phenylalanine indicated cooperative interactions for prephenate in the presence of inhibitor. The n values obtained were 1.4 and 3.0 in the absence or presence of 0.3 mM L-phenylalanine, respectively. The hysteretic response of chorismate mutase activity to increasing enzyme concentration was less dramatic than that of prephenate dehydratase. A Km,app for chorismate of 0.63 mM was obtained. L-Tyrosine did not affect chorismate mutase activity, but mutase activity was inhibited both by L-phenylalanine and by prephenate. Interpretations are given about the physiological significance of the overall pattern of allosteric control of the P-protein, and the relationship between this control and the effector-induced molecular-weight transitions. The properties of the P-protein in Acinetobacter are considered within the context of the ubiquity of the P-protein within the phylogenetic cluster to which this genus belongs.     

Purification and properties of L-mandelate dehydrogenase and comparison with other membrane-bound dehydrogenases from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

L-Mandelate dehydrogenase was purified from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus by Triton X-100 extraction from a 'wall + membrane' fraction, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and gel filtration followed by further ion-exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme was partially characterized with respect to its subunit Mr (44,000), pH optimum (7.5), pI value (4.2), substrate specificity and susceptibility to various potential inhibitors including thiol-blocking reagents. FMN was identified as the non-covalently bound cofactor. The properties of L-mandelate dehydrogenase are compared with those of D-mandelate dehydrogenase, D-lactate dehydrogenase and L-lactate dehydrogenase from A. calcoaceticus.     

Comparison of the Two Isofunctional Enol-Lactone Hydrolases from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

The rates of thermal denaturation and the molecular weights of the two isofunctional enol-lactone hydrolases (ELH I and ELH II) of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus were determined. The molecular weights of ELH I and ELH II were found by gel filtration to be approximately 24,000 and 21,000, respectively. In crude extract at 45 C the two enzymes showed a marked difference in rate of thermal denaturation. After chromatography on Sephadex G-100, however, the rates were nearly identical. The thermolability of ELH II in crude extract was shown to be due to its sensitivity to an unidentified component of the crude extract which modified its rate of thermal denaturation. In the light of the physical similarities of the two enzymes, it is concluded that the different regulatory patterns imposed upon the two enzymes do not provide sufficient evidence that they are the product of two different structural genes.     

7alpha- and 12alpha-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus lwoffii: a new integrated chemo-enzymatic route to ursodeoxycholic acid

We report the very efficient biotransformation of cholic acid to 7-keto- and 7,12-diketocholic acids with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus lwoffii. The enzymes responsible of the biotransformation (i.e. 7alpha- and 12alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases) are partially purified and employed in a new chemo-enzymatic synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid starting from cholic acid. The first step is the 12alpha-HSDH-mediated total oxidation of sodium cholate followed by the Wolf-Kishner reduction of the carbonyl group to chenodeoxycholic acid. This acid is then quantitatively oxidized with 7alpha-HSDH to 7-ketochenodeoxycholic acid, that was chemically reduced to ursodeoxycholic acid (70% overall yield).     

Purification and various properties of NADP+-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus]

The constitutive NADP+-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus can be accumulated about 50 fold in 3 purification steps. The end-product shows in the analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis only one active enzyme band. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to be 235,000 by gel chromatography on Sephadex G 200, the smallest subunit shows a molecular weight of 61 000 on SDS electrophoresis. The isoelectric point is at 5.84. The KM values determined with primary aliphatic alcohols diminish in the range of the homologous order (C2--C10) with growing chain length. The KM value for hexanal is about 20 fold less than that for 1-hexanol.     

Characterisation of a siderophore from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Abstract The Gram-negatice bacterium Acinetobacter calcoaceticus was examined for production of siderophores and iron-repressible outer membrane proteins following growth in iron-restricted media. The iron chelator, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid was identified in the culture supernatant bu ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). A group of outer membrane proteins between 80 and 85 kDa were induced under iron restriction.     

NADH and NADPH-viologen reductases from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

Three pyridine nucleotide-dependent diaphorases have been isolated from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus cells and partially characterized. Two of them, with molecular weights of 165,000 and 57,000, utilize NADPH as electron donor whereas the third one (MW = 57,000) is specific for NADH. Oxidized viologen dyes, flavin nucleotides, dichlorophenol indophenol and ferricyanide can act with efficiency as acceptors in the reaction mediated by these diaphorases. The diaphorase activities have been characterized kinetically, and the effect of different inhibitors and cofactors has been also studied. The diaphorases seem to be subjected to metabolic control by oxidation and reduction.     

Different forms of quinoprotein aldose-(glucose-) dehydrogenase in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

The ratios of the oxidation rates of aldose sugars, determined in cell-free extracts of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, vary with the strain and growth conditions used. Three distinct forms of glucose dehydrogenase with different substrate specificities, occurring in variable proportions in these extracts, are responsible for this effect. One form is the already known soluble glucose dehydrogenase, the other two forms are complexes containing enzyme and components of the respiratory chain. The proportions in which the enzyme forms are found in the cell-free extract correlate with the oxidative behaviour of whole cells with respect to aldose sugars. It is concluded, therefore, that the enzyme forms are not an artefact of the isolation procedure but that they exist as such in vivo. Since the two complexes can be converted into the soluble enzyme form, aldose dehydrogenase can, probably, be integrated in three different ways into the respiratory chain.The presence of glucose during growth does not stimulate aldose dehydrogenase production. This is not surprising since the enzyme has no function in carbon metabolism, except perhaps in strains growing on pentoses at high pH. Therefore, the physiological role of quinoprotein aldose dehydrogenase in this organism may be primarily in energy generation.Non-standard abbreviations quinoproteins enzymes containing 2,7,9-tricarboxy-1 H-pyrrolo [2,3f] quinoline-4,5-dione (pyrrolo-quinoline quinone) as the coenzyme     

Purification and properties of l-lactate dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Abstract Membrane-bound l -lactate dehydrogenase has been purified almost to homogeneity from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus . The enzyme is an oligomeric protein of sub-unit M _r 40 000 containing non-covalently bound FMN as a prosthetic group. Purified l -lactate dehydrogenase has an apparent K _m of 83 μM for l -lactate but has no activity with, and is not inhibited by, d -lactate. The enzyme is strongly inhibited by HgCl₂, but other thiol reagents and metal-chelating compounds have little or no effect upon its activity.     

Physiological regulation of competence induction for natural transformation in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus induced competence for natural transformation maximally after dilution of a stationary culture into fresh medium. Competence was gradually lost during prolonged exponential growth and after entrance into the stationary state. Growth cessation and nutrient upshift were involved in the induction of competence. The level of competence of a chemostat culture of A. calcoaceticus was dependent on the nature of the growth limitation. Under potassium limitation a transformation frequency of ±1x10^-4 was obtained. This frequency was independent of the specific growth rate. In phosphate-, nitrogen-, and carbon-limited chemostat cultures, in contrast, the transformation frequency depended on the specific growth rate; the transformation frequency equalled±10^-4 at dilution rates close to µ_max of 0.6h^-1 and decreased to ±10^-7 at a dilution rate of 0.1 h^-1. We conclude that (1) DNA uptake for natural transformation in A. calcoaceticus does not serve a nutrient function and (2) competence induction is regulated via a promoter(s) that resembles the fis promoter from Escherichia coli.     

Kinetics of membrane-bound aldehyde dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

In recent investigations we were able to demonstrate that the NADP-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus is an inducible enzyme localized in intracytoplasmic membranes limiting alkane inclusions. Long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons and alkanols are inducers of the enzyme. It was purified by us and now kinetically characterized using the enzyme-micelle form, which contains bacterial phospholipids and a detergent (sodium cholate), too. The pH optimum of aldehyde dehydrogenase was determined to be at pH 10. The enzyme showed substrate inhibition (by aldehyde excess). The Ks and Km values of the leading substrate NADP+ were found to be 8.6 X 10(-5) and 10.3 X 10(-5)M independent of the chain-length of the aldehydes. The Km values of the aldehydes decreased depending on increasing chain-length (butanal: 1.6 X 10(-3), decanal: 1.5 X 10(-6)M). The Ki values (for inhibition by aldehyde excess) showed a similar behaviour (butanal: 7.5 X 10(-3), decanal: 3.5 X 10(-5)M) as well as the optimal aldehyde concentrations inducing the "maximal" reaction velocity (butanal: 5mM, decanal: 6 microM). The number of inhibiting aldehyde molecules per enzyme-substrate complex was determined to be n = 1. NADPH showed product inhibition kinetics (Ki(NADPH) = 2.2 X 10(-4)M), fatty acids did not. We were unable to measure a reverse reaction. The following ions and organic compounds were non-competitive inhibitors of the enzyme: Sn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, BO3(3-), CN-, EDTA, o-phenanthroline, p-chloromercuri-benzoate, mercaptoethanol, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and diisopropylfluorophosphate; iodoacetate did not influence enzyme activity. Chloral hydrate was a competitive inhibitor of the aldehydes. Ethyl butyrate activates the enzyme, dependent on the chain-length of the aldehyde substrates.     

Catechol 1,2-dioxygenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus: purification and properties.

Procedures for the purification of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase from extracts of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strain ADP-96 are described. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as judged by ultracentrifugation and acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme contained 2 g-atoms of iron per mol of protein. The enzyme had a broad substrate specificity and catalyzed the oxidation of catechol, 4-methylcatechol, 3-methylcatechol, and 3-isopropyl catechol. The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by heavy metals, sulfhydryl inhibitors, and substrate analogues. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 85,000 as estimated by filtration on Bio-Gel agarose and 81,000 as estimated by sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The subunit size determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis was 40,000. The amino terminal amino acid was methionine. The amino acid composition and spectral properties of 1,2-dioxygenase are also presented. Antisera prepared against the purified enzyme cross-reacted and inhibited enzyme activity in crude extracts from the other strain of A. calcoaceticus, but failed to cross-react and inhibit isofunctional enzyme from organisms of the genera Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, and Nocardia.