Polypyrroles formed from porphobilinogen and amines by uroporphyrinogen synthetase of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides

1. Uroporphyrinogen I synthetase of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides was purified more than 200-fold from the soluble protein of broken bacterial cells. The enzyme had molecular weight 36000, an isoelectric point of 4.46 and migrated as a single active protein band on disc-gel electrophoresis at pH7.5 and 8.9. 2. The enzyme consumed porphobilinogen and formed uroporphyrinogen at pH8.2 without the accumulation of intermediates. In the presence of hydroxylamine, ammonia or methoxyamine the production of porphyrinogen was inhibited and the enzyme formed open-chain polypyrroles instead. 3. These polypyrroles behaved like uroporphyrinogen on Sephadex G-25; they were colourless and had unsubstituted alpha-pyrrolic positions. The inhibitory amines were incorporated into the molecules. 4. The polypyrroles formed porphyrins non-enzymically and the cyclization reaction was accompanied by the release of the inhibitory amine. Exchange of the amino function of the original porphobilinogen in the polypyrrole was complete with hydroxylamine and almost complete with methoxyamine, both ammonia and methoxyamine being present in the polypyrrolic material. 5. The behaviour, properties and composition of the radioactive hydroxylamine derivative were consistent with a tetrapyrrolic structure, probably a pyrrylmethane, that was not cyclized, rather than with di-, tri- or penta-pyrrolic structures. No monopyrrolic or dipyrrolic Ehrlich-positive material was released on cyclization. The ammonia and methoxyamine derivatives had properties similar to the hydroxylamine derivative. 6. Another modified pyrrole was detected only in experiments with hydroxylamine. It differed from both porphobilinogen and known dipyrroles and appeared to be a monopyrrole. 7. The participation of positively charged reaction centres in the enzymic mechanism, particularly in the cyclization step, is discussed.