Purification and Properties of NAD-Dependent Sorbitol Dehydrogenase from Apple Fruit

This is the first report of the purification of NAD-dependentsorbitol dehydrogenase (NAD-SDH) from a plant source. The enzymewas extracted from apple (Malus domestica cv. Ourin) fruit andpurified until it appeared as a single polypeptide chain ona gel after SDS-PAGE. From the apparent molecular mass of 62kDa obtained by SDS-PAGE and that of 120 kDa by gel filtration,the enzyme appeared to be a homodimer. Maximum rates of oxidationof sorbitol and reduction of fructose were observed at pH 9.6and pH 6.0, respectively. The K_m for oxidation of sorbitol was40.3 mM and that for reduction of fructose was 215 mM. The maximumrate of oxidation of sorbitol was about 10 times higher thanthat of the reduction of fructose. The results of the kineticanalysis strongly suggest that in vivo the enzyme would favorthe conversion of sorbitol to fructose over the reverse reaction.None of the divalent cations tested had any effect on the oxidationof sorbitol by NAD-SDH. The reaction catalyzed by NAD-SDH wasnot specific to sorbitol and other substrates could also beoxidized. Among the tested substrates, ethyl alcohol had a particularlyhigh affinity for the enzyme. (Received February 2, 1994; Accepted May 31, 1994)