Overproduction of methanol dehydrogenase in glucose grown cells of a restricted RuMP type methylotroph

A restricted facultative methylotrophic RuMP type bacterium that can only utilize methanol and glucose has been found to possess a higher specific activity of methanol dehydrogenase during growth on glucose than during growth on methanol. The increased level of methanol dehydrogenase activity in glucose grown cells was the result of overproduction of the enzyme. In methanol grown cells 8% of the soluble protein consisted of methanol dehydrogenase, whereas in glucose grown cells the proportion amounted to 25%. The type of methanol dehydrogenase produced by this methylotroph could be separated from the crude extract and purified close to homogeneity in a one step procedure using cationic ion exchange chromatography. The enzyme is constitutive, and its level is determined by the growth rate.