Purification and characterization of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase from Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13259 and cloning and sequencing of its catA gene.

A method was developed for the purification of catechol 1, 2-dioxygenase from Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13259 that had been grown in the presence of benzyl alcohol. The enzyme has very similar apparent Km (1-2 microM) and Vmax (13-19 units/mg of protein) values for the intradiol cleavage of catechol, 3-methylcatechol and 4-methylcatechol and it is optimally active at pH9. Cross-linking studies indicate that the enzyme is a homodimer. It contains 0.6 atoms of Fe per subunit. The enzyme was crystallized with 15% (w/v) poly(ethylene glycol) 4000/0.33 M CaCl2/25 mM Tris (pH7.5) by using a microseeding technique. Preliminary X-ray characterization showed that the crystals are in space group C2 with unit-cell dimensions a=111.9 A, b=78.1 A, c=134.6 A, beta=100 degrees. An oligonucleotide probe, made by hemi-nested PCR, was used to clone the gene encoding catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (catA). The deduced 282-residue sequence corresponds to a protein of molecular mass 31539 Da, close to the molecular mass of 31558 Da obtained by electrospray MS of the purified enzyme. catA was subcloned into the expression vector pTB361, allowing the production of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase to approx. 40% of the total cellular protein. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme has 56% and 75% identity with the catechol 1, 2-dioxygenases of Arthrobacter mA3 and Rhodococcus erythropolis AN-13 respectively, but less than 35% identity with intradiol catechol and chlorocatechol dioxygenases of Gram-negative bacteria.

Molecular characterization of benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

The nucleotide sequences of xylB and xylC from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, the genes encoding benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II, were determined. The complete nucleotide sequence indicates that these two genes form part of an operon and this was supported by heterologous expression and physiological studies. Benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II is a 51654 Da protein with 484 amino acids per subunit and it is typical of other prokaryotic and eukaryotic aldehyde dehydrogenases. Benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase has a subunit Mr of 38923 consisting of 370 amino acids, it stereospecifically transfers the proR hydride of NADH, and it is a member of the family of zinc-dependent long-chain alcohol dehydrogenases. The enzyme appears to be more similar to animal and higher-plant alcohol dehydrogenases than it is to most other microbial alcohol dehydrogenases. Residue His-51 of zinc-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases is thought to be necessary as a general base for catalysis in this category of alcohol dehydrogenases. However, this residue was found to be replaced in benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase from A. calcoaceticus by an isoleucine, and the introduction of a histidine residue in this position did not alter the kinetic coefficients, pH optimum or substrate specificity of the enzyme. Other workers have shown that His-51 is also absent from the TOL-plasmid-encoded benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas putida and so these two closely related enzymes presumably have a catalytic mechanism that differs from that of the archetypal zinc-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases.

Metabolic characterisation of a novel vanillylmandelate-degrading bacterium.

A newly isolated gram-negative bacterium, possibly Brevundimonas diminuta, utilised D,L-vanillylmandelate (D,L-VMA) as a sole carbon and energy source. The organism converted D,L-VMA to vanillylglyoxylate using a soluble NAD-dependent dehydrogenase specific for D-VMA and a dye-linked, membrane-associated L-VMA dehydrogenase. Vanillylglyoxylate was further metabolised by decarboxylation, dehydrogenation and demethylation to protocatechuate. A 4,5-dioxygenase cleaved protocatechuate to 2-hydroxy-4-carboxymuconic semialdehyde. Partially purified d-VMA dehydrogenase exhibited optimal activity at 30 degrees C and pH 9.5 and had an apparent Km for D-VMA of 470 microM. Although induced by several substituted mandelates, the enzyme had a narrow substrate specificity range with virtually no activity towards D-mandelate. Such properties render the enzyme of potential use in both diagnostic and biosynthetic applications.

Metabolism of styrene by Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13259.

Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13259 grows on styrene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and benzene as sole carbon sources. Simultaneous induction tests with cells grown on styrene or toluene showed high rates of oxygen consumption with toluene cis-glycol and 3-methylcatechol, suggesting the involvement of a cis-glycol pathway. 3-Vinylcatechol accumulated when intact cells were incubated with styrene in the presence of 3-fluorocatechol to inhibit catechol dioxygenase activity. Experiments with 18O2 showed that 3-vinylcatechol was produced following a dioxygenase ring attack. Extracts contained a NAD-dependent cis-glycol dehydrogenase, which converted styrene cis-glycol to 3-vinylcatechol. Both catechol 1,2- and 2,3-dioxygenase activities were present, and these were separated from each other and from the activities of cis-glycol dehydrogenase and 2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde hydrolase by ion-exchange chromatography of extracts. 2-Vinylmuconate accumulated in the growth medium when cells were grown on styrene, apparently as a dead-end product, and extracts contained no detectable muconate cycloisomerase activity. 3-Vinylcatechol was cleaved by catechol 2,3-dioxygenase to give a yellow compound, tentatively identified as 2-hydroxy-6-oxoocta-2,4,7-trienoic acid, and the action of 2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde hydrolase on this produced acrylic acid. A compound with the spectral characteristics of 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate was produced by the action of 2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde hydrolase on the 2,3-cleavage product of 3-methylcatechol. Extracts were able to transform 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate and 4-hydroxy-2-oxopentanoate into acetaldehyde and pyruvate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases in bacteria and yeast: purification and partial characterization of the enzymes from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

An NADP-dependent constitutive alcohol dehydrogenase that can oxidize hexan-1-ol was detected in several Gram-positive and Gram-negative eubacteria and in two yeasts. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus NCIB 8250 and from Saccharomyces cerevisiae D273-10B. The bacterial enzyme appears to be a tetramer of subunit M(r) 40,300 and the yeast enzyme appears to be a monomer of subunit M(r) 43,500. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the bacterial enzyme has 34% identity with part of the sequence of a fermentative alcohol dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli. The pI value of the bacterial enzyme was 5.7 and the pH optimum was 10.2. Both the bacterial and yeast enzymes were shown to transfer the pro-R hydrogen to/from NADP(H). The substrate specificities of the two enzymes were similar to each other, both oxidizing primary alcohols and some diols, but not secondary alcohols. The maximum velocities of both enzymes were with pentan-1-ol as substrate and there was very low activity with ethanol; the maximum specificity constants were found with primary alcohols containing six to eight carbon atoms. Neither enzyme was significantly inhibited by metal-binding agents but some thiol-blocking compounds inhibited them. It appears that these two alcohol dehydrogenases, on prokaryotic and one eukaryotic, are structurally, kinetically and functionally different from members of the major known groups of alcohol dehydrogenases.

Molecular characterization of microbial alcohol dehydrogenases.

There is an astonishing array of microbial alcohol oxidoreductases. They display a wide variety of substrate specificities and they fulfill several vital but quite different physiological functions. Some of these enzymes are involved in the production of alcoholic beverages and of industrial solvents, others are important in the production of vinegar, and still others participate in the degradation of naturally occurring and xenobiotic aromatic compounds as well as in the growth of bacteria and yeasts on methanol. They can be divided into three major categories. (1) The NAD- or NADP-dependent dehydrogenases. These can in turn be divided into the group I long-chain (approximately 350 amino acid residues) zinc-dependent enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenases I, II, and III of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the plasmid-encoded benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas putida; the group II short-chain (approximately 250 residues) zinc-independent enzymes such as ribitol dehydrogenase of Klebsiella aerogenes; the group III "iron-activated" enzymes that generally contain approximately 385 amino acid residues, such as alcohol dehydrogenase II of Zymomonas mobilis and alcohol dehydrogenase IV of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but may contain almost 900 residues in the case of the multifunctional alcohol dehydrogenases of Escherichia coli and Clostridium acetobutylicum. The aldehyde/alcohol oxidoreductase of Amycolatopsis methanolica and the methanol dehydrogenases of A. methanolica and Mycobacterium gasti are 4-nitroso-N,N-dimethylaniline-dependent nicotinoproteins. (2) NAD(P)-independent enzymes that use pyrroloquinoline quinone, haem or cofactor F420 as cofactor, exemplified by methanol dehydrogenase of Paracoccus denitrificans, ethanol dehydrogenase of Acetobacter and Gluconobacter spp. and the alcohol dehydrogenases of certain archaebacteria. (3) Oxidases that catalyze an essentially irreversible oxidation of alcohols, such as methanol oxidase of Hansenula polymorpha and probably the veratryl alcohol oxidases of certain fungi involved in lignin degradation. This review deals mainly with those enzymes for which complete amino acid sequences are available. The discussion focuses on a comparison of their primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures and their catalytic mechanisms. The physiological roles of the enzymes and isoenzymes are also considered, as are their probable evolutionary relationships.

Biotransformations catalyzed by the genus Rhodococcus.

Rhodococci display a diverse range of metabolic capabilities and they are a ubiquitous feature of many environments. They are able to degrade short-chain, long-chain, and halogenated hydrocarbons, and numerous aromatic compounds, including halogenated and other substituted aromatics, heteroaromatics, hydroaromatics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They possess a wide variety of pathways for degrading and modifying aromatic compounds, including dioxygenase and monooxygenase ring attack, and cleavage of catechol by both ortho- and meta-routes, and some strains possess a modified 3-oxoadipate pathway. Biotransformations catalyzed by rhodococci include steroid modification, enantioselective synthesis, and the transformation of nitriles to amides and acids. Tolerance of rhodococci to starvation, their frequent lack of catabolite repression, and their environmental persistence make them excellent candidates for bioremediation treatments. Some strains can produce poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, others can accumulate cesium, and still others are the source of useful enzymes such as phenylalanine dehydrogenase and endoglycosidases. Other actual or potential applications of rhodococci include desulfurization of coal, bioleaching, use of their surfactants in enhancement of oil recovery and as industrial dispersants, and the construction of biosensors.

Preliminary crystallographic study of D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase from Rhodotorula graminis.

NAD+ dependent D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase from the yeast Rhodotorula graminis strain KGX 39 has been crystallized in three different forms using the hanging drop vapour diffusion method at 15 to 20 degrees C. Type I crystals belong to space group P222(1), P22(1)2(1) or P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 100.3 A, b = 117.4 A, c = 80.4 A and are likely to contain a dimer in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. They diffract to dmin = 3.0 A. Type II crystals belong to space group P22(1)2(1) or P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 187.8 A, b = 122.9 A, c = 72.1 A and contain probably two dimers in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. They diffract to dmin = 1.8 A. Type III crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 109.6, b = 52.0 A, c = 145.7 A, and are likely to contain a dimer in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. They diffract at least to dmin = 2.5 A.

L(+)-Mandelate dehydrogenase from Rhodotorula graminis: purification, partial characterization and identification as a flavocytochrome b.

L(+)-Mandelate dehydrogenase was purified to homogeneity from the yeast Rhodotorula graminis KGX 39 by a combination of (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, ion-exchange and hydrophobic-interaction chromatography and gel filtration. The amino-acid composition and the N-terminal sequence of the enzyme were determined. Comprehensive details of the sequence determinations have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50172 (4 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1993) 289, 9. The enzyme is a tetramer as judged by comparison of its subunit M(r) value of 59,100 and native M(r) of 239,900, estimated by SDS/PAGE and gel filtration respectively. There is one molecule of haem and approx. one molecule of non-covalently bound FMN per subunit. 2,6-Dichloroindophenol, cytochrome c and ferricyanide can all serve as electron acceptors. L(+)-Mandelate dehydrogenase is stereospecific for its substrate. D(-)-Mandelate and L(+)-hexahydromandelate are competitive inhibitors. The enzyme has maximum activity at pH 7.9 and it has a pI value of 4.4. HgCl2 and 4-chloromercuribenzoate are potent inhibitors, but there is no evidence that the enzyme is subject to feedback inhibition by potential metabolic effectors. The evidence suggests that L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase from R. graminis is a flavocytochrome b which is very similar to, and probably (at least so far as the haem domain is concerned) homologous with, certain well-characterized yeast L(+)-lactate dehydrogenases, and that the chief difference between them is their mutually exclusive substrate specificities.

Relationships amongst some bacterial and yeast lactate and mandelate dehydrogenases.

Five yeast strains were isolated by enrichment culture on the basis of their ability to grow on mandelate and two of these strains were identified as Rhodotorula glutinis. In addition, a range of yeasts from culture collections was screened for growth on mandelate. The results suggest that mandelate utilization is a widespread but not universal characteristic within the genus Rhodotorula. Several of the yeasts contained an inducible NAD-dependent D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase and an inducible dye-linked (presumably flavoprotein) L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase. All the D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenases from the yeasts showed immunological cross-reactivity with each other (as judged by both immunoinhibition and immunoblotting), as did all the yeast L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenases that were tested. Determination of N-terminal amino acid sequences of several bacterial and yeast lactate and mandelate dehydrogenases, together with the evidence from the immunological studies, confirmed and extended previous proposals that there are several major groups of such dehydrogenases: FMN-dependent, membrane-bound L(+)-lactate and L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenases (M(r) = approx. 44,000) in bacteria, mitochondrial flavocytochrome b2 L(+)-lactate and L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenases (M(r) = approx. 59,000) in yeasts, FAD-dependent, membrane-bound D(-)-lactate and D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenases in bacteria, and soluble NAD-dependent D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenases in both bacteria and yeasts.

L-mandelate dehydrogenase from Rhodotorula graminis: comparisons with the L-lactate dehydrogenase (flavocytochrome b2) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

L-Lactate dehydrogenase (L-LDH) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and L-mandelate dehydrogenase (L-MDH) from Rhodotorula graminis are both flavocytochromes b2. The kinetic properties of these enzymes have been compared using steady-state kinetic methods. The most striking difference between the two enzymes is found by comparing their substrate specificities. L-LDH and L-MDH have mutually exclusive primary substrates, i.e. the substrate for one enzyme is a potent competitive inhibitor for the other. Molecular-modelling studies on the known three-dimensional structure of S. cerevisiae L-LDH suggest that this enzyme is unable to catalyse the oxidation of L-mandelate because productive binding is impeded by steric interference, particularly between the side chain of Leu-230 and the phenyl ring of mandelate. Another major difference between L-LDH and L-MDH lies in the rate-determining step. For S. cerevisiae L-LDH, the major rate-determining step is proton abstraction at C-2 of lactate, as previously shown by the 2H kinetic-isotope effect. However, in R. graminis L-MDH the kinetic-isotope effect seen with DL-[2-2H]mandelate is only 1.1 +/- 0.1, clearly showing that proton abstraction at C-2 of mandelate is not rate-limiting. The fact that the rate-determining step is different indicates that the transition states in each of these enzymes must also be different.

Mechanistic and active-site studies on D(--)-mandelate dehydrogenase from Rhodotorula graminis.

D(--)-Mandelate dehydrogenase, the first enzyme of the mandelate pathway in the yeast Rhodotorula graminis, catalyses the NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of D(--)-mandelate to phenylglyoxylate. D(--)-2-(Bromoethanoyloxy)-2-phenylethanoic acid ['D(--)-bromoacetylmandelic acid'], an analogue of the natural substrate, was synthesized as a probe for reactive and accessible nucleophilic groups within the active site of the enzyme. D(--)-Mandelate dehydrogenase was inactivated by D(--)-bromoacetylmandelate in a psuedo-first-order process. D(--)-Mandelate protected against inactivation, suggesting that the residue that reacts with the inhibitor is located at or near the active site. Complete inactivation of the enzyme resulted in the incorporation of approx. 1 mol of label/mol of enzyme subunit. D(--)-Mandelate dehydrogenase that had been inactivated with 14C-labelled D(--)-bromoacetylmandelate was digested with trypsin; there was substantial incorporation of 14C into two tryptic-digest peptides, and this was lowered in the presence of substrate. One of the tryptic peptides had the sequence Val-Xaa-Leu-Glu-Ile-Gly-Lys, with the residue at the second position being the site of radiolabel incorporation. The complete sequence of the second peptide was not determined, but it was probably an N-terminally extended version of the first peptide. High-voltage electrophoresis of the products of hydrolysis of modified protein showed that the major peak of radioactivity co-migrated with N tau-carboxymethylhistidine, indicating that a histidine residue at the active site of the enzyme is the most likely nucleophile with which D(--)-bromoacetylmandelate reacts. D(--)-Mandelate dehydrogenase was incubated with phenylglyoxylate and either (4S)-[4-3H]NADH or (4R)-[4-3H]NADH and then the resulting D(--)-mandelate and NAD+ were isolated. The enzyme transferred the pro-R-hydrogen atom from NADH during the reduction of phenylglyoxylate. The results are discussed with particular reference to the possibility that this enzyme evolved by the recruitment of a 2-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase from another metabolic pathway.

Circadian rhythms in the activity of a plant protein kinase.

Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi is a Crassulacean acid metabolism plant whose phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase is regulated by reversible phosphorylation in response to a circadian rhythm. A partially purified protein kinase phosphorylated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in vitro with a stoichiometry approaching one per subunit and caused a concomitant 5- to 10-fold decrease in the sensitivity of the carboxylase to inhibition by malate. The sites phosphorylated in vitro were identical to those phosphorylated in intact tissue. The activity of the protein kinase was controlled in a circadian fashion. During normal diurnal cycles, kinase activity appeared between 4 and 5 h after the onset of darkness and disappeared 2----3 h before the end of darkness. Kinase activity displayed circadian oscillations in constant environmental conditions. The activity of protein phosphatase 2A, which dephosphorylates phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, did not oscillate. Treatment of detached leaves with the protein synthesis inhibitors puromycin and cycloheximide blocked the nocturnal appearance of the protein kinase activity, maintained phosphoenolypyruvate carboxylase in the dephosphorylated state and blocked the circadian rhythms of CO2 output that is observed in constant darkness and CO2-free air. The simplest explanation of the data is that there is a circadian rhythm in the synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase.

Illumination increases the phosphorylation state of maize leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by causing an increase in the activity of a protein kinase.

Illumination of maize leaves increases the phosphorylation state of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and reduces the sensitivity of the enzyme to feedback inhibition by malate. Red, white and blue light were each found to be equally potent, and the effect of light was blocked by 3(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea. A phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase was partially purified from illuminated maize leaves by a three-step procedure. Phosphorylation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by this protein kinase reached 0.7-0.8 molecules/subunit and correlated with a 3- to 4-fold increase in Ki for malate. The protein kinase was inhibited by L-malate, but was insensitive to a number of other potential regulators. Freshly prepared and desalted extracts of darkened maize leaves contained very little kinase activity, but the activity appeared when leaves were illuminated for 30-60 min before extraction. The catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A from rabbit skeletal muscle, but not that of protein phosphatase 1, could dephosphorylate phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. The protein phosphatases 1 and 2A activities of maize leaves were not affected by illumination. It is suggested that the major means by which light stimulates the phosphorylation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase is by an increase in the activity of the protein kinase.

Comparison of benzyl alcohol dehydrogenases and benzaldehyde dehydrogenases from the benzyl alcohol and mandelate pathways in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and from the TOL-plasmid-encoded toluene pathway in Pseudomonas putida. N-terminal amino acid sequences, amino acid compositions and immunological cross-reactions.

1. N-Terminal sequences were determined for benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase, benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus N.C.I.B. 8250, benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase encoded by the TOL plasmid pWW53 in Pseudomonas putida MT53 and yeast K(+)-activated aldehyde dehydrogenase. Comprehensive details of the sequence determinations have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50161 (5 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa. Wetherby. West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1991) 273. 5. The extent of sequence similarity suggests that the benzyl alcohol dehydrogenases are related to each other and also to established members of the family of long-chain Zn2(+)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases. Benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II from Acinetobacter appears to be related to the Pseudomonas TOL-plasmid-encoded benzaldehyde dehydrogenase. The yeast K(+)-activated aldehyde dehydrogenase has similarity of sequence with the mammalian liver cytoplasmic class of aldehyde dehydrogenases but not with any of the Acinetobacter or Pseudomonas enzymes. 2. Antisera were raised in rabbits against the three Acinetobacter enzymes and both of the Pseudomonas enzymes, and the extents of the cross-reactions were determined by immunoprecipitation assays with native antigens and by immunoblotting with SDS-denatured antigens. Cross-reactions were detected between the alcohol dehydrogenases and also among the aldehyde dehydrogenases. This confirms the interpretation of the N-terminal sequence comparisons and also indicates that benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I from Acinetobacter may be related to the other two benzaldehyde dehydrogenases. 3. The amino acid compositions of the Acinetobacter and the Pseudomonas enzymes were determined and the numbers of amino acid residues per subunit were calculated to be: benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase and TOL-plasmid-encoded benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase, 381; benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I and benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II, 525; TOL-plasmid-encoded benzaldehyde dehydrogenase, 538.

Regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase: an example of signal transduction via protein phosphorylation in higher plants.

There is now good evidence that the malate sensitivity of PEPc is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in the leaf tissue of C4 and CAM plants. This statement is based on the assessment of the phosphorylation state of PEPc in [32P]-labeled intact tissue by immunoprecipitation and the correlation between phosphorylation state and malate sensitivity that has been observed during incubation of purified PEPc in vitro with protein kinases or protein phosphatases. The phosphorylation of PEPc in the CAM plant B. fedtschenkoi is controlled by an endogenous rhythm whereas that of PEPc in the C4 plant maize is triggered directly by light. In neither case has the mechanism of signal transduction been identified. It is hoped that further work on the protein kinases and protein phosphatases involved will reveal the nature of the signalling systems. Preliminary work suggests that plant protein phosphatases are very similar to their mammalian counterparts. It is also noteworthy that higher plant genes very similar to the genes encoding the cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases and the protein kinase C family have recently been identified. It is interesting to speculate that the protein kinases and phosphatases involved in signal transduction systems in plants may prove to be closely related to well-studied mammalian enzymes.

Purification and characterization of benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

Benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I was purified from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus by DEAE-Sephacel, phenyl-Sepharose and f.p.l.c. gel-filtration chromatography. The enzyme was homogeneous and completely free from the isofunctional enzyme benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II, as judged by denaturing and non-denaturing polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The subunit Mr value was 56,000 (determined by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis). Estimations of the native Mr value by gel-filtration chromatography gave values of 141,000 with a f.p.l.c. Superose 6 column, but 219,000 with Sephacryl S300. Chemical cross-linking of the enzyme subunits indicated that the enzyme is tetrameric. Benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I was activated more than 100-fold by K+, Rb+ and NH4+, and the apparent Km for K+ was 11.2 mM. The pH optimum in the presence of K+ was 9.5 and the pI of the enzyme was 5.55. The apparent Km values for benzaldehyde and NAD+ were 0.69 microM and 96 microM respectively, and the maximum velocity was approx. 110 mumol/min per mg of protein. Various substituted benzaldehydes were oxidized at significant rates, and NADP+ was also used as cofactor, although much less effectively than NAD+. Benzaldehyde dehydrogenase I had an NAD+-activated esterase activity with 4-nitrophenol acetate as substrate, and the dehydrogenase activity was inhibited by a range of thiol-blocking reagents. The absorption spectrum indicated that there was no bound cofactor or prosthetic group. Some of the properties of the enzyme are compared with those of other aldehyde dehydrogenases, specifically the very similar isofunctional enzyme benzaldehyde dehydrogenase II from the same organism.

Purification, oligomerization state and malate sensitivity of maize leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase.

A method was developed for the purification of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from darkened maize leaves so that the enzyme retained its sensitivity to inhibition by malate. The procedure depended on the prevention of proteolysis by the inclusion of chymostatin in the buffers used during the purification. The purified enzyme was indistinguishable from that in crude extracts as judged by native polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting, and Superose 6 gel filtration. Gel-filtration studies showed that the purified enzyme and the enzyme in extracts of darkened or illuminated leaves showed a concentration-dependent dissociation of tetrameric into dimeric forms. Purified phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and enzyme in crude extracts from darkened leaves were equally sensitive to inhibition by malate (Ki approx. 0.30 mM) under conditions where it existed in the tetrameric or dimeric forms, but the enzyme in crude extracts from illuminated leaves was less sensitive to malate inhibition (Ki approx. 0.95 mM) whether it was present as a tetramer or as a dimer. It is concluded that changes in the oligomerization state of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase are not directly involved in its regulation by light.