Cold adapted features of Vibrio salmonicida catalase: characterisation and comparison to the mesophilic counterpart from Proteus mirabilis

The gene encoding catalase from the psychrophilic marine bacterium Vibrio salmonicida LFI1238 was identified, cloned and expressed in the catalase-deficient Escherichia coli UM2. Recombinant catalase from V. salmonicida (VSC) was purified to apparent homogeneity as a tetramer with a molecular mass of 235 kDa. VSC contained 67% heme b and 25% protoporphyrin IX. VSC was able to bind NADPH, react with cyanide and form compounds I and II as other monofunctional small subunit heme catalases. Amino acid sequence alignment of VSC and catalase from the mesophilic Proteus mirabilis (PMC) revealed 71% identity. As for cold adapted enzymes in general, VSC possessed a lower temperature optimum and higher catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) compared to PMC. VSC have higher affinity for hydrogen peroxide (apparent K _m) at all temperatures. For VSC the turnover rate (k _cat) is slightly lower while the catalytic efficiency is slightly higher compared to PMC over the temperature range measured, except at 4°C. Moreover, the catalytic efficiency of VSC and PMC is almost temperature independent, except at 4°C where PMC has a twofold lower efficiency compared to VSC. This may indicate that VSC has evolved to maintain a high efficiency at low temperatures.