Pentose oxidation by acetic acid bacteria led to a finding of membrane-bound purine nucleosidase.

D-Ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose were oxidized to 4-keto-D-ribonate and 2-deoxy-4-keto-D-ribonate respectively by oxidative fermentation, and the chemical structures of the oxidation products were confirmed to be as expected. Both pentoses are important sugar components of nucleic acids. When examined, purine nucleosidase activity predominated in the membrane fraction of acetic acid bacteria. This is perhaps the first finding of membrane-bound purine nucleosidase.

Enzymatic synthesis of 4-pentulosonate (4-keto-D-pentonate) from D-aldopentose and D-pentonate by two different pathways using membrane enzymes of acetic acid bacteria.

4-Keto-D-arabonate (D-threo-pent-4-ulosonate) and 4-keto-D-ribonate (D-erythro-pent-4-ulosonate) were prepared from D-arabinose and D-ribose by two successive reactions of membrane-bound enzymes, D-aldopentose 4-dehydrogenase and 4-keto-D-aldopentose 1-dehydrogenase of Gluconobacter suboxydans IFO 12528. Alternatively, they were prepared from D-arabonate and D-ribonate with another membrane-bound enzyme, D-pentonate 4-dehydrogenase. Analytical data confirmed the chemical structures of the 4-pentulosonates prepared. This is the first report of successful enzymatic synthesis of 4-pentulosonates.

Purification and characterization of Fe(III)-EDTA reductase from Bacillus sp. B-3.

Fe(III)-EDTA reductase was purified from Bacillus sp. B-3 isolated as a Fe(III)-EDTA-degrading bacterium. The purified enzyme showed a single protein band corresponding to a molecular mass of 19 kDa on SDS-PAGE, and had FMN as cofactor. It was alkali-thermostable. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence was identical with that of NADPH azoreductase from several species of Bacillus.

Formation of 4-keto-D-aldopentoses and 4-pentulosonates (4-keto-D-pentonates) with unidentified membrane-bound enzymes from acetic acid bacteria.

In our previous study, a new microbial reaction yielding 4-keto-D-arabonate from 2,5-diketo-D-gluconate was identified with Gluconacetobacter liquefaciens RCTMR 10. It appeared that decarboxylation and dehydrogenation took place together in the reaction. To analyze the nature of the reaction, investigations were done with the membrane fraction of the organism, and 4-keto-D-arabinose was confirmed as the direct precursor of 4-keto-D-arabonate. Two novel membrane-bound enzymes, 2,5-diketo-D-gluconate decarboxylase and 4-keto-D-aldopentose 1-dehydrogenase, were involved in the reaction. Alternatively, D-arabonate was oxidized to 4-keto-D-arabonate by another membrane-bound enzyme, D-arabonate 4-dehydrogenase. More directly, D-arabinose oxidation was examined with growing cells and with the membrane fraction of G. suboxydans IFO 12528. 4-Keto-D-arabinose, the same intermediate as that from 2,5-diketo-D-gluconate, was detected, and it was oxidized to 4-keto-D-arabonate. Likewise, D-ribose was oxidized to 4-keto-D-ribose and then it was oxidized to 4-keto-D-ribonate. In addition to 4-keto-D-aldopentose 1-dehydrogenase, the presence of a novel membrane-bound enzyme, D-aldopentose 4-dehydrogenase, was confirmed in the membrane fraction. The formation of 4-keto-D-aldopentoses and 4-keto-D-pentonates (4-pentulosonates) was finally confirmed as reaction products of four different novel membrane-bound enzymes.

Selective, high conversion of D-glucose to 5-keto-D-gluoconate by Gluconobacter suboxydans.

Selective, high-yield production of 5-keto-D-gluconate (5KGA) from D-glucose by Gluconobacter was achieved without genetic modification. 5KGA production by Gluconobacter suffers byproduct formation of 2-keto-D-gluconate (2KGA). By controlling the medium pH strictly in a range of pH 3.5-4.0, 5KGA was accumulated with 87% conversion yield from D-glucose. The pH dependency of 5KGA formation appeared to be related to that of gluconate oxidizing activity.

Production of 4-keto-D-arabonate by oxidative fermentation with newly isolated Gluconacetobacter liquefaciens.

Production of 4-keto-D-arabonate (4KAB) was confirmed in a culture medium of Gluconacetobacter liquefaciens strains, newly isolated from water kefir in Argentina. The strains rapidly oxidized D-glucose, D-gluconate (GA), and 2-keto-D-gluconate (2KGA), and accumulated 2,5-diketo-D-gluconate (25DKA) exclusively before reaching the stationary phase. 25DKA was in turn converted to 4KAB, and 4KAB remained stable in the culture medium. The occurrence of 4KAB was assumed by Ameyama and Kondo about 50 years ago in their study on the carbohydrate metabolism of acetic acid bacteria (Bull. Agr. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 22, 271-272, 380-386 (1958)). This is the first report confirming microbial production of 4KAB.

Conversion of quinate to 3-dehydroshikimate by Ca-alginate-immobilized membrane of Gluconobacter oxydans IFO 3244 and subsequent asymmetric reduction of 3-dehydroshikimate to shikimate by immobilized cytoplasmic NADP-shikimate dehydrogenase.

The membrane fraction of Gluconobacter oxydans IFO 3244, involving membrane-bound quinoprotein quinate dehydrogenase and 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase, was immobilized into Ca-alginate beads. The Ca-alginate-immobilized bacterial membrane catalyzed a sequential reaction of quinate oxidation to 3-dehydroquinate and its spontaneous conversion to 3-dehydroshikimate under neutral pH. An almost 100% conversion rate from quinate to 3-dehydroshikimate was observed. NADP-Dependent cytoplasmic enzymes from the same organism, shikimate dehydrogenase and D-glucose dehydrogenase, were immobilized together with different carriers as an asymmetric reduction system forming shikimate from 3-dehydroshikimate. Blue Dextran 2000, Blue Dextran-Sepharose-4B, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, DEAE-cellulose, and hydroxyapatite were effective carriers of the two cytoplasmic enzymes, and the 3-dehydroshikimate initially added was converted to shikimate at 100% yield. The two cytoplasmic enzymes showed strong affinity to Blue Dextran 2000 and formed a soluble form of immobilized catalyst having the same catalytic efficiency as that of the free enzymes. This paper may be the first one on successful immobilization of NAD(P)-dependent dehydrogenases.

Purification and characterization of membrane-bound 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase from Gluconobacter oxydans IFO 3244, a new enzyme catalyzing extracellular protocatechuate formation.

3-Dehydroshikimate dehydratase (DSD) is the first known enzyme catalyzing aromatization from 3-dehydroshikimate (DSA) to protocatechuate (PCA). Differently from cytosolic DSD (sDSD), a membrane-bound 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (mDSD) was found for the first time in the membrane fraction of Gluconobacter oxydans IFO 3244, and DSA was confirmed to be the direct precursor of PCA. In contrast to weak and instable sDSD, the abundance of mDSD in the membrane fraction suggested the metabolic significance of mDSD as the initial step in aromatization. mDSD was solubilized only by a detergent and was readily purified to high homogeneity. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 76,000. Purified mDSD showed a sole peak at 280 nm in the absorption spectrum and no critical cofactor requirements. The Km of DSA was measured at 0.5 mM, and the optimum pH was observed at pH 6-8. mDSD appeared to react only with DSA, and was inert to other compounds, such as 3-dehydroquinate, quinate, and shikimate.

Solubilization, purification, and properties of membrane-bound D-glucono-delta-lactone hydrolase from Gluconobacter oxydans.

Membrane-bound glucono-delta-lactonase (MGL) was purified to homogeneity from the membrane fraction of Gluconobacter oxydans IFO 3244. After solubilization with 1 M CaCl2, MGL was purified in the presence of Ca2+ and detergent. A single band corresponding to 60 kDa appeared in SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of MGL was judged to be 120 k. Differently from cytoplasmic lactonases, MGL showed optimum pH in an acidic range of 5-5.5. It was highly sensitive to metal-chelating agents such as EDTA, and the lost MGL activity was restored to the original level by the addition of divalent cations such as Ca2+ or Mg2+. The purified MGL was strictly dependent on Ca2+ and underwent rapid denaturing precipitation on Ca2+ depletion even in the presence of detergent. This communication can be the first one dealing with the solubilization, purification and properties of MGL.

Coffee pulp koji of Aspergillus sojae as stable immobilized catalyst of chlorogenate hydrolase.

Chlorogenate hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.42, CHase) was highly induced in mycelia of Aspergillus sojae AKU 3312 grown in Czapek medium containing either instant coffee powder or coffee pulp as inducer. No CHase formation was observed in the mycelia when cultivated without the inducer. CHase was purified readily from CHase-induced mycelia to high homogeneity, and the purified CHase revealed the molecular weight of 180,000 consisting of two identical subunits of 88 kDa. Equimolar quinate (QA) and caffeate (CA) were confirmed on hydrolysis of chlorogenate (CGA). The purified CHase was only useful for a laboratory scale hydrolysis of CGA. For practical QA and CA production using scaled up hydrolysis of vegetable extracts of natural CGA resources, the enzyme activity of purified CHase decreased and denatured irreversibly. Preparation of coffee pulp koji and its application to QA and CA production were proposed instead of purified CHase. When coffee pulp koji was heated at 60 degrees C for 30 min, CHase survived without any appreciable loss of enzyme activity while vegetative mycelial growth and spore germination were terminated. The heated coffee pulp koji thus prepared was effective itself as stable immobilized catalyst of CHase for QA and CA production from vegetable CGA resources such as coffee powders, coffee pulp, and others.

Purification and properties of two different dihydroxyacetone reductases in Gluconobacter suboxydans grown on glycerol.

It is well known that in oxidative fermentation microbial growth is improved by the addition of glycerol. In a wild strain, glycerol was converted rapidly to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) quantitatively in the early growth phase by the action of quinoprotein glycerol dehydrogenase (GLDH), and then DHA was incorporated into the cells by the early stationary phase. Two DHA reductases (DHARs), NADH-dependent (NADH-DHAR) (EC 1.1.1.6) and NADPH-dependent (NADPH-DHAR) (EC 1.1.1.156), were detected in the same cytoplasm of Gluconobacter suboxydans IFO 3255. The former appeared to be inducible and labile in nature while the latter was constitutive and stable. The two DHARs were separated each other and were finally purified to crystalline enzymes. This report might be the first one dealing with NADPH-DHAR that has been crystallized. The two DHARs were specific only to DHA reduction to glycerol and thus contributed to cytoplasmic DHA metabolism, resulting in an improved biomass yield with the addition of glycerol.

Formaldehyde elimination with formaldehyde and formate oxidase in membrane of acetic acid bacteria.

Formaldehyde elimination was successfully carried out with Acetobacter sp. SKU 14, having strong formaldehyde-oxidizing activity in the cytoplasmic membrane. Formaldehyde was decomposed via formate to carbon dioxide by formaldehyde- and formate-oxidizing activities. A resting-cell suspension of the organism was more convenient for practical purposes than the isolated membrane fraction. In Gluconobacter suboxydans IFO 12528, formaldehyde elimination was not so prominent when compared with that in Acetobacter sp. SKU 14.

The occurrence of a novel NADH dehydrogenase, distinct from the old yellow enzyme, in Gluconobacter strains.

A novel NADH dehydrogenase (NADH-dh) involving FAD as coenzyme, distinct from NADPH dehydrogenase (NADPH-dh, old yellow enzyme, EC 1.6.99.1), was found in the same cytoplasmic fraction of Gluconobacter strains. Conventional artificial electron acceptors were more effective than molecular oxygen in the NADH-dh reaction. NADH-dh did not appear to be identical with any previously described flavoproteins, although the N-terminal amino acid sequence showed 100% similarity with a non-heme chloroperoxidase. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of NADPH-dh matched 100% a putative oxidoreductase containing the old yellow enzyme-like FMN-binding domain. NADH-dh might function to regenerate NAD coupling with NAD-dependent dehydrogenases in the cytoplasm of Gluconobacter strains.

A novel type of formaldehyde-oxidizing enzyme from the membrane of Acetobacter sp. SKU 14.

Membrane-bound NADP-independent formaldehyde-oxidizing enzyme was purified to homogeneity from the membrane of Acetobacter sp. SKU 14 isolated in Thailand. The enzyme was solubilized from the membrane fraction of glycerol-grown cells with 1% Tween 20 at pH 2.85, and purified to homogeneity through the steps of column chromatographies on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and Q-Sepharose in the presence of 0.1% Tween 20 and 0.1% Triton X-100. The enzyme purified together with a cytochrome c showed a single protein band on native-PAGE, and was dissociated into three different subunits upon SDS-PAGE with molecular masses of 78 kDa, 55 kDa, and 18 kDa. The purified enzyme was finally characterized as a quinoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase (QADH), and this is the first indication that QADH highly oxidizes formaldehyde. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was found to be broad toward aldehydes and alcohols, and alcohols, especially n-butanol, n-propanol, and ethanol, were oxidized more rapidly than formaldehyde.

Purification and characterization of membrane-bound malate dehydrogenase from Acetobacter sp. SKU 14.

Membrane-bound NAD(P)-independent malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.99.16) was purified to homogeneity from the membrane of thermotolerant Acetobacter sp. SKU 14, an isolate from Thailand. The enzyme was solubilized from the membrane fraction of glycerol-grown cells with 1% Triton X-100 in the presence of 0.1 M KCl, and purified to homogeneity through steps of column chromatographies on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and DEAE-Toyopearl in the presence of 0.1% Triton X-100. The purified enzyme showed a single protein band in both native-PAGE and SDS-PAGE. The enzyme was a homodimer with a molecular mass of 60 kDa subunit and had noncovalently bound FAD as the cofactor. The enzyme was stable over pH 5 and had its maximum activity at pH 11.0 when ferricyanide was used as an electron acceptor. The enzyme activity was elevated by the addition of ammonium ions. The substrate specificity was very strict to only L-malate, of which the apparent Km was 10 mM and over 20 compounds involving D-malate were not oxidized by the enzyme.

L-erythrulose production by oxidative fermentation is catalyzed by PQQ-containing membrane-bound dehydrogenase.

Thermotolerant Gluconobacter frateurii CHM 43 was selected for L-erythrulose production from mesoerythritol at higher temperatures. Growing cells and the membrane fraction of the strain rapidly oxidized mesoerythritol to L-erythrulose irreversibly with almost 100% of recovery at 37 degrees C. L-Erythrulose was also produced efficiently by the resting cells at 37 degrees C with 85% recovery. The enzyme responsible for mesoerythritol oxidation was found to be located in the cytoplasmic membrane of the organism. The EDTA-resolved enzyme required PQQ and Ca2+ for L-erythrulose formation, suggesting that the enzyme catalyzing meso-erythritol oxidation was a quinoprotein. Quinoprotein membrane-bound mesoerythritol dehydrogenase (QMEDH) was solubilized and purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme showed a single band in SDS-PAGE of which the molecular mass corresponded to 80 kDa. The optimum pH of QMEDH was found at pH 5.0. The Michaelis constant of the enzyme was found to be 25 mM for meso-erythritol as the substrate. QMEDH showed a broad substrate specificity toward C3-C6 sugar alcohols in which the erythro form of two hydroxy groups existed adjacent to a primary alcohol group. On the other hand, the cytosolic NAD-denpendent meso-erythritol dehydrogenase (CMEDH) of the same organism was purified to a crystalline state. CMEDH showed a molecular mass of 60 kDa composed of two identical subunits, and an apparent sedimentation constant was 3.6 s. CMEDH catalyzed oxidoreduction between mesoerythritol and L-erythrulose. The oxidation reaction was observed to be reversible in the presence of NAD at alkaline pHs such as 9.0-10.5. L-Erythrulose reduction was found at pH 6.0 with NADH as coenzyme. Judging from the catalytic properties, the NAD-dependent enzyme in the cytosolic fraction was regarded as a typical pentitol dehydrogenase of NAD-dependent and the enzyme was independent of the oxidative fermentation of L-erythrulose production.