METABOLISM OF DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS IN ACETOBACTER XYLINUM

Modern Strategies for Carbon Isotope Exchange

In contrast to stable and natural abundant carbon-12, the synthesis of organic molecules with carbon (radio)isotopes must be conceived and optimized in order to navigate through the hurdles of radiochemical requirements, such as high costs of the starting materials, harsh conditions and radioactive waste generation. In addition, it must initiate from the small cohort of available C-labeled building blocks. For long time, multi-step approaches have represented the sole available patterns. On the other side, the development of chemical reactions based on the reversible cleavage of C-C bonds might offer new opportunities and reshape retrosynthetic analysis in radiosynthesis. This review aims to provide a short survey on the recently emerged carbon isotope exchange technologies that provide effective opportunity for late-stage labeling. At present, such strategies have relied on the use of primary and easily accessible radiolabeled C1-building blocks, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and cyanides, while the activation principles have been based on thermal, photocatalytic, metal-catalyzed and biocatalytic processes.

FLAVINE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE-LINKED MALIC DEHYDROGENASE FROM ACETOBACTER XYLINUM

Benziman, Moshe (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel), and Y. Galanter. Flavine adenine dinucleotide-linked malic dehydrogenase from Acetobacter xylinum. J. Bacteriol. 88:1010-1018. 1964.-The properties of the pyridine nucleotide-nonlinked malic dehydrogenase of Acetobacter xylinum were investigated in the supernatant fluid obtained by high-speed centrifugation of sonic extracts. Ferricyanide, phenazine methosulfate, and to a lesser extent dichlorophenolindophenol were active as oxidants for malate oxidation. After acid ammonium sulfate precipitation, the enzyme lost its malate-oxidizing activity. The enzyme was reactivated by low concentrations of flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD) but not by flavine mononucleotide (FMN) or riboflavine. Atabrine inhibited the enzyme, and the inhibition was relieved by FAD but not by FMN or riboflavine. Malate-oxidizing activity was inhibited by hematin. The inhibition was prevented by imidazole or globin. o-Phenanthroline, 8-hydroxy quinoline, alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl, and p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibited malate oxidation. Amytal markedly inhibited oxidation of malate in the presence of oxygen, phenazine methosulfate, or dichlorophenolindophenol, but not in the presence of ferricyanide. The results suggest that the malic dehydrogenase of A. xylinum is a FAD enzyme, which contains an ironbinding site essential for its activity. Nonheme iron and sulfhydro groups are possibly involved in enzyme activity. The malic dehydrogenase is functionally linked to the cytochrome chain.

Purification and regulatory properties of the oxaloacetate decarboxylase of Acetobacter xylinum

The oxaloacetate (OAA) decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.3) activity of Acetobacter xylinum cells grown on glucose or glycerol is the same as that of cells grown on intermediates of the citrate cycle. The enzyme was purified 92-fold from extracts, and its molecular weight was determined to be 100,000 by gel filtration. Initial velocity studies revealed marked positive cooperativity for OAA (Hill coefficient [n(H)] = 1.8; S(0.5) = 21 mM). The affinity of the enzyme for OAA was markedly increased upon addition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), NAD phosphate (NADP), and some other pyridine nucleotides. S(0.5(OAA)) decreased to 1 mM but n(H) and V(max) were unchanged. Saturation kinetics for the pyridine nucleotides were hyperbolic, and a half-maximal effect was obtained with 8 muM NAD and 30 muM NADP. The enzyme also catalyzed the exchange of (14)CO(2) into OAA but not the net carboxylation of pyruvate. Exchange activity, too, exhibited sigmoidal kinetics for OAA and was strongly stimulated by NAD at low substrate concentrations. The enzyme was inhibited by acetate competitively with respect to OAA. The K(I) for acetate (12 mM) was well within the physiological range of this compound inside the cell. The regulatory properties of the decarboxylase with respect to OAA cooperativity, NAD activation, and acetate inhibition were retained in situ within permeabilized cells. These properties seem to provide for a control mechanism which could insure the maintenance of OAA and the citrate cycle during growth of cells on glucose and, conversely, the required supply of pyruvate during growth on intermediates of the citrate cycle.

Phosphorylation of glycerol and dihydroxyacetone in Acetobacter xylinum and its possible regulatory role

Extracts of Acetobacter xylinum catalyze the phosphorylation of glycerol and dihydroxyacetone (DHA) by adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) to form, respectively, L-alpha-glycerophosphate and DHA phosphate. The ability to promote phosphorylation of glycerol and DHA was higher in glycerol-grown cells than in glucose- or succinate-grown cells. The activity of glycerol kinase in extracts is compatible with the overall rate of glycerol oxidation in vivo. The glycerol-DHA kinase has been purified 210-fold from extracts, and its molecular weight was determined to be 50,000 by gel filtration. The glycerol kinase to DHA kinase activity ratio remained essentially constant at 1.6 at all stages of purification. The optimal pH for both reactions was 8.4 to 9.2. Reaction rates with the purified enzyme were hyperbolic functions of glycerol, DHA, and ATP. The Km for glycerol is 0.5 mM and that for DHA is 5 mM; both are independent of the ATP concentration. The Km for ATP in both kinase reactions is 0.5 mM and is independent of glycerol and DHA concentrations. Glycerol and DHA are competitive substrates with Ki values equal to their respective Km values as substrates. D-Glyceraldehyde and l-Glyceraldehyde were not phosphorylated and did not inhibit the enzyme. Among the nucleotide triphosphates tested, only ATP was active as the phosphoryl group donor. Fructose diphosphate (FDP) inhibited both kinase activities competitively with respect to ATP (Ki= 0.02 mM) and noncompetitively with respect to glycerol and DHA. Adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) inhibited both enzymic activities competitively with respect to ATP (Ki (ADP) = 0.4 mM; Ki (AMP) =0.25 mM). A. xylinum cells with a high FDP content did not grow on glycerol. Depletion of cellular FDP by starvation enabled rapid growth on glycerol. It is concluded that a single enzyme from A. xylinum is responsible for the phosphorylation of both glycerol and DHA. This as well as the sensitivity of the enzyme to inhibition by FDP and AMP suggest that it has a regulatory role in glycerol metabolism.

Factors affecting the activity of citrate synthase of Acetobacter xylinum and its possible regulatory role

The citrate synthase activity of Acetobacter xylinum cells grown on glucose was the same as of cells grown on intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The activity of citrate synthase in extracts is compatible with the overall rate of acetate oxidation in vivo. The enzyme was purified 47-fold from sonic extracts and its molecular weight was determined to be 280000 by gel filtration. It has an optimum activity at pH 8.4. Reaction rates with the purified enzyme were hyperbolic functions of both acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate. The Km for acetyl-CoA is 18 mum and that for oxaloacetate 8.7 mum. The enzyme is inhibited by ATP according to classical kinetic patterns. This inhibition is competitive with respect to acetyl-CoA (Ki = 0.9 mM) and non-competitive with respect to oxaloacetate. It is not affected by changes in pH and ionic strength and is not relieved by an excess of Mg2+ ions. Unlike other Gram-negative bacteria, the A. xylinum enzyme is not inhibited by NADH, but is inhibited by high concentrations of NADPH. The activity of the enzyme varies with energy charge in a manner consistent with its role in energy metabolism. It is suggested that the flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle in A. xylinum is regulated by modulation of citrate synthase activity in response to the energy state of the cells.

Activities of citrate synthase and other enzymes of Acetobacter xylinum in situ and in vitro

The activities of a number of enzymes, extracted from Acetobacter xylinum, that are involved in carbohydrate metabolism may be accounted for in situ in permeabilized cells. The kinetic properties of citrate synthase and glycerokinase observed in vitro are also retained in situ. So is the regulatory sensitivity of these enzymes. Both in vitro and in situ, (a) citrate synthase, in contrast with the enzyme for other Gram-negative bacteria, is inhibited by ATP and is insensitive to NADH, and (b) glycerokinase is inhibited by fructose diphosphate and the ratio of its activities towards glycerol and dihydroxyacetone is the same.

Characterization and properties of the pyruvate phosphorylation system of Acetobacter xylinum

The enzyme responsible for the direct phosphorylation of pyruvate during gluconeogenesis in Acetobacter xylinum has been purified 46-fold from ultrasonic extracts and freed from interfering enzyme activities. The enzyme was shown to catalyze the reversible Mg(2+) ion-dependent conversion of equimolar amounts of pyruvate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and orthophosphate (P(i)) into phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and pyrophosphate (PP). The optimal pH for PEP synthesis was pH 8.2; for the reversal it was pH 6.5. The ratio between the initial rates of the reaction in the forward and reverse directions was 5.1 at pH 8.2 and 0.45 at pH 6.5. The apparent K(m) values of the components of the system in the forward reaction were: pyruvate, 0.2 mm; ATP, 0.4 mm; P(i), 0.8 mm; Mg(2+), 2.2 mm; and for the reverse reaction: PEP, 0.1 mm; AMP, 1.6 mum; PP, 0.067 mm; Mg(2+), 0.87 mm. PEP formation was inhibited by AMP and PP. The inhibition by AMP was competitive with regard to ATP (K(i) = 0.2 mm). The reverse reaction was inhibited competitively by ATP and noncompetitively by pyruvate. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. The inhibition was reversed by dithiothreitol and glutathione. The properties of the enzyme are discussed in relation to the regulation of the opposing enzymatic activities involved in the interconversion of PEP and pyruvate in A. xylinum.

L-malate oxidation by the electron transport fraction of Azotobacter vinelandii

The membrane-bound l-malate oxidoreductase of Azotobacter vinelandii strain O was found to be a flavoprotein-dependent enzyme associated with the electron transport system (R(3)) of this organism. The particulate R(3) fraction, which possessed the l-malate oxidoreductase, carried out the cyanide-sensitive oxidation of l-malate, d-lactate, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, succinate, cytochrome c, tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, and p-phenylenediamine, with molecular O(2) as the terminal electron acceptor. d-Malate was not oxidized, but l-malate was oxidized to oxalacetate. Phenazine methosulfate (PMS), vitamin K(3), K(3)Fe(CN)(6), nitro blue tetrazolium, and dichloroindophenol all served as good terminal electron acceptors for the l-malate oxidoreductase. Cytochrome c was a poor electron acceptor. Extensive studies on the l-malate oxidase and PMS and K(3) reductases revealed that all were stimulated specifically by flavine adenine dinucleotide and nonspecifically by di- or trivalent cations, i.e., Ca(++), Ba(++), Mn(++), Mg(++), Fe(+++), Ni(++), and Al(+++). All these activities were markedly sensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA). The V(max) values for the l-malate oxidase, PMS, and vitamin K(3) reductases were, respectively, 3.4, 15.1, and 45.5 mumoles of substrate oxidized per min per mg of protein at 37 C. Spectral studies revealed that the Azotobacter R(3) flavoprotein and cytochromes (a(2), a(1), b(1), c(4), and c(5)) were reduced by l-malate. l-Malate oxidase activity was sensitive to various inhibitors of the electron transport system, namely, p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid, chlorpromazine, 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide, antimycin A, and KCN. Minor inhibitory effects were noted with the inhibitors 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-thienyl)-1,3-butanedione, rotenone, and Amytal.

Role of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylation in Acetobacter xylinum

Glucose-grown cells of Acetobacter xylinum oxidized acetate only when the reaction mixture was supplemented with catalytic quantities of glucose or intermediates of the citrate cycle. Extracts, prepared by sonic treatment, catalyzed the formation of oxalacetate when incubated with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and bicarbonate. Oxalacetate was not formed in the presence of pyruvate plus adenosine triphosphate. The ability to promote carboxylation of PEP was lower in succinate-grown cells than in glucose-grown cells. PEP carboxylase, partially purified from extracts by ammonium sulfate fractionation, catalyzed the stoichiometric formation of oxalacetate and inorganic phosphate from PEP and bicarbonate. The enzyme was not affected by acetyl-coenzyme A or inorganic phosphate. It was inhibited by adenosine diphosphate in a manner competitive with PEP (K(1) = 1.3 mm) and by dicarboxylic acids of the citrate cycle; of these, succinate was the most potent inhibitor. It is suggested that the physiological role of PEP carboxylase in A. xylinum is to affect the net formation of C(4) acids from C(3) precursors, which are essential for the maintainance of the citrate cycle during growth on glucose. The relationship of PEP carboxylase to other enzyme systems metabolizing PEP and oxalacetate in A. xylinum is discussed.

Factors afecting the activity of pyruvate kinase of Acetobacter xylinum

1. Extracts of Acetobacter xylinum were found to contain the glycolytic enzymes involved in the conversion of triose phosphate into pyruvate. Pyruvate kinase had the lowest relative activity. Phosphofructokinase activity was not detected in the extracts. 2. Only slight differences in the activity of pyruvate kinase were observed between cells grown on glucose and those grown on intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. 3. Pyruvate kinase, partially purified from ultrasonic extracts by ammonium sulphate fractionation, required Mg(2+) ions for activity. It was not activated by K(+) or NH(4) (+) ions. 4. The plots representing the relationship between initial velocity and phosphoenolpyruvate concentration were sigmoidal, suggesting a co-operative effect for phosphoenolpyruvate. The Hill coefficient (n) for phosphoenolpyruvate was 2. The rate of the reaction changed with increasing ADP concentrations according to normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics. 5. The enzyme was inhibited by ATP (K(i)0.9x10(-3)m). The inhibition was competitive with regard to ADP but not with regard to phosphoenolpyruvate. It was not relieved by excess of Mg(2+) ions. 6. The possible relationship of the properties of pyruvate kinase to regulatory mechanisms for controlling gluconeogenesis and carbohydrate oxidation in A. xylinum is discussed.

OXALOACETATE DECARBOXYLATION AND OXALOACETATE-CARBON DIOXIDE EXCHANGE IN ACETOBACTER XYLINUM

Benziman, Moshe (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel), and N. Heller . Oxaloacetate decarboxylation and oxaloacetate-carbon dioxide exchange in Acetobacter xylinum . J. Bacteriol. 88: 1678–1687. 1964.—Extracts of Acetobacter xylinum , prepared by sonic treatment, were shown to catalyze the decarboxylation of oxaloacetate (OAA) to pyruvate and CO 2 , and the exchange of C 14 -carbon dioxide into the β-carboxyl of OAA. Fractionation of the extracts with ammonium sulfate resulted in a 10-fold increase of the specific activity of the enzyme system catalyzing the CO 2 exchange and OAA decarboxylation reactions. The purified preparation catalyzed the exchange of pyruvate- 3-C 14 into OAA. Similar pH curves with a pH optimum of 5.6 were obtained for the CO 2 exchange and OAA decarboxylation reactions. Both reactions require the presence of Mn 2+ or Mg 2+ ions. OAA decarboxylation was more strongly inhibited than the exchange of CO 2 by dialysis or metal-chelating agents. Avidin did not inhibit either reaction. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), guanosine triphosphate (GTP), guanosine diphosphate (GDP), pyrophosphate, or inorganic phosphate did not promote OAA decarboxylation and the CO 2 -exchange reaction catalyzed by the purified preparation. The purified preparation failed to catalyze the carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate in the presence of GDP, ADP, or inorganic phosphate, and that of pyruvate in the presence of ATP or GTP, even when supplemented with an OAA-trapping system. A scheme for OAA decarboxylation which could account for the observed exchange reactions and for the failure to obtain net fixation of CO 2 is proposed. The relation between the exchange reaction and the synthesis of cellulose from pyruvate by A. xylinum is discussed.