Purification and some properties of citrate synthase from a nitrite-oxidizing chemoautotroph, Nitrobacter agilis ATCC 14123

Unexpectedly high thermostability of an NADP-dependent malic enzyme from a psychrophilic bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10

Psychrophilic enzymes are generally active at low temperatures, and their functions have attracted much interest in food processing, biochemical research, and chemical industry. However, their activities are usually lost above their growth temperature because of their flexible and unstable structure. Here, we unexpectedly found that a homodimeric NADP-dependent malic enzyme from a psychrophilic bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10 (SL-ME) showed sufficient activity with 60°C treatment, similar to its counterpart from mesophilic Escherichia coli (MaeB). Consistently, SL-ME and MaeB irreversibly denatured at 71.9°C and 64.5°C, respectively. Therefore, SL-ME shows robust catalytic activity, which appears to be advantageous for its application in the bioconversion of NADP to NADPH, an essential ingredient for membrane phospholipid synthesis.

Purification and properties of citrate synthase from Acetobacter europaeus

Citrate synthase (EC 4.1.3.7) was purified from the acidophilic bacterium Acetobacter europaeus to electrophoretic homogeneity. The specific activity was 228 units/mg of protein during the exponential ethanol-oxidation growth phase. The enzyme has a molecular mass of 280 kDa and is a hexamer with a subunit size of 46 kDa. The apparent K(m) values were 20 microM for oxaloacetate and 51 microM for acetyl-CoA. Unlike citrate synthase from other Gram-negative bacteria, the activity of the enzyme was inhibited by ATP, slightly enhanced by ADP and not effected by NADH. Acetate caused activation of the enzyme. The pH optimum on the citrate synthase activity in vitro was 8.1. The amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme was ENGKSATISLNGKDVALPVL.