Purification and Properties of Component B of 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetate Oxygenase from Pseudomonas cepacia AC1100

Pseudomonas cepacia AC1100 degrades 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4,5-T), an herbicide and chlorinated aromatic compound. Although some progress has been made in understanding 2,4,5-T degradation by AC1100 by molecular analysis, little is known about the biochemistry involved. Enzymatic activity converting 2,4,5-T to 2,4,5-trichlorophenol in the presence of NADH and O(inf2) was detected in cell extracts of AC1100. Phenyl agarose chromatography of the ammonium sulfate-fractionated cell extracts yielded no active single fractions, but the mixing of two fractions, named component A and component B, resulted in the recovery of enzyme activity. Component B was further purified to homogeneity by hydroxyapatite and DEAE chromatographies. Component B had a native molecular weight of 140,000, and it was composed of two 49-kDa (alpha)-subunits and two 24-kDa (beta)-subunits. Component B was red, and its spectrum in the visible region had maxima at 430 and 560 nm (shoulder), whereas upon reduction it had maxima at 420 (shoulder) and 530 nm. Each mole of (alpha)(beta) heterodimer contained 2.9 mol of iron and 2.1 mol of labile sulfide. These properties suggest strong similarities between component B and the terminal oxygenase components of the aromatic ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases. Component A was highly purified but not to homogeneity. The reconstituted 2,4,5-T oxygenase, consisting of components A and B, converted 2,4,5-T quantitatively into 2,4,5-trichlorophenol and glyoxylate with the coconsumption of NADH and O(inf2).

Effects of pH, Temperature, and Nutrients on Propionate Degradation by a Methanogenic Enrichment Culture

Enrichment cultures were used to determine the conditions promoting fastest methanogenic propionate degradation and growth by adapting the cultures to various physical and chemical conditions and measuring the specific growth rate. We found that the fastest growth of propionate oxidizers occurred at pH 6.8 to 8.5 and 32 to 45 degrees C. Acetate-degrading populations showed narrower optima for fastest growth (pH 6.8 to 7.2 and 37 to 43 degrees C). Enrichment cultures grew as well in minimal medium as in complex medium, although individual microbial populations appeared to require growth factors which could be met by cross-feeding.

Control of the Life Cycle of Methanosarcina mazei S-6 by Manipulation of Growth Conditions

The morphology of Methanosarcina mazei was controlled by magnesium, calcium, and substrate concentrations and by inoculum size; these factors allowed manipulation of the morphology and interconversions between pseudosarcinal aggregates and individual, coccoid cells. M. mazei grew as aggregates in medium with a low concentration of catabolic substrate (either 50 mM acetate, 50 mM methanol, or 10 mM trimethylamine) unless Ca and Mg concentrations were high. Growth in medium high in Ca, Mg, and substrate (i.e., 150 mM acetate, 150 mM methanol, or 40 mM trimethylamine) converted pseudosarcinal aggregates to individual cocci. In such media, aggregates separated into individual cells which continued to grow exclusively as single cells during subsequent transfers. Conversion of single cells back to aggregates was complicated, because conditions which supported the aggregated morphology (e.g., low calcium or magnesium concentration) caused lysis of coccoid inocula. We recovered aggregates from coccoid cells by inoculating serial dilutions into medium high in calcium and magnesium. Cells from very dilute inocula grew into aggregates which disaggregated on continued incubation. However, timely transfer of the aggregates to medium low in calcium, magnesium, and catabolic substrates allowed continued growth as aggregates. We demonstrated the activity of the enzyme (disaggregatase) which caused the dispersion of aggregates into individual cells; disaggregatase was produced not only during disaggregation but also in growing cultures of single cells. Uronic acids, the monomeric constituents of the Methanosarcina matrix, were also produced during disaggregation and during growth as coccoids.

Effect of lifestyle exposures on sperm aneuploidy

Lifestyle exposures including cigarette smoke, alcohol, and caffeine have all been studied in relationship to male reproductive health. Over the years the focus has primarily been on semen quality and/or fertility. More recently, literature evaluating direct adverse effects of lifestyle exposures on sperm chromosomes and chromatin has grown due to concern that induced damage could be transmitted to offspring causing transgenerational health effects. In this paper we present a new analysis that summarizes published studies of smoking effects on sperm chromosome number and demonstrates a statistically significant increase in sperm disomy among smokers compared to nonsmokers (P < 0.001). In addition, new data on the effect of alcohol intake on sperm chromosome number are presented showing a rate ratio of 1.38 (95% CI 1.2, 1.6) for XY frequency in sperm of alcohol drinkers compared to nondrinkers.

Identification, purification, and characterization of iminodiacetate oxidase from the EDTA-degrading bacterium BNC1

Microbial degradation of synthetic chelating agents, such as EDTA and nitrilotriacetate (NTA), may help immobilizing radionuclides and heavy metals in the environment. The EDTA- and NTA-degrading bacterium BNC1 uses EDTA monooxygenase to oxidize NTA to iminodiacetate (IDA) and EDTA to ethylenediaminediacetate (EDDA). IDA- and EDDA-degrading enzymes have not been purified and characterized to date. In this report, an IDA oxidase was purified to apparent homogeneity from strain BNC1 by using a combination of eight purification steps. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single protein band of 40 kDa, and by using size exclusion chromatography, we estimated the native enzyme to be a homodimer. Flavin adenine dinucleotide was determined as its prosthetic group. The purified enzyme oxidized IDA to glycine and glyoxylate with the consumption of O2. The temperature and pH optima for IDA oxidation were 35 degrees C and 8, respectively. The apparent Km for IDA was 4.0 mM with a kcat of 5.3 s(-1). When the N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined, it matched exactly with that encoded by a previously sequenced hypothetical oxidase gene of BNC1. The gene was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the gene product as a C-terminal fusion with a His tag was purified by a one-step nickel affinity chromatography. The purified fusion protein had essentially the same enzymatic activity and properties as the native IDA oxidase. IDA oxidase also oxidized EDDA to ethylenediamine and glyoxylate. Thus, IDA oxidase is likely the second enzyme in both NTA and EDTA degradation pathways in strain BNC1.

Cloning, sequencing, and characterization of a gene cluster involved in EDTA degradation from the bacterium BNC1

EDTA is a chelating agent, widely used in many industries. Because of its ability to mobilize heavy metals and radionuclides, it can be an environmental pollutant. The EDTA monooxygenases that initiate EDTA degradation have been purified and characterized in bacterial strains BNC1 and DSM 9103. However, the genes encoding the enzymes have not been reported. The EDTA monooxygenase gene was cloned by probing a genomic library of strain BNC1 with a probe generated from the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the monooxygenase. Sequencing of the cloned DNA fragment revealed a gene cluster containing eight genes. Two of the genes, emoA and emoB, were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the gene products, EmoA and EmoB, were purified and characterized. Both experimental data and sequence analysis showed that EmoA is a reduced flavin mononucleotide-utilizing monooxygenase and that EmoB is an NADH:flavin mononucleotide oxidoreductase. The two-enzyme system oxidized EDTA to ethylenediaminediacetate (EDDA) and nitrilotriacetate (NTA) to iminodiacetate (IDA) with the production of glyoxylate. The emoA and emoB genes were cotranscribed when BNC1 cells were grown on EDTA. Other genes in the cluster encoded a hypothetical transport system, a putative regulatory protein, and IDA oxidase that oxidizes IDA and EDDA. We concluded that this gene cluster is responsible for the initial steps of EDTA and NTA degradation.

Expression of titin in skeletal muscle varies with hind-limb unloading

The effects of prolonged hind-limb unloading on titin antibody localization and expression of titin isozymes of single fibers from the synergistic slow-twitch soleus (SOL) and fast-twitch plantaris (PLN) of adult rats were studied after 14 and 28 days of hind-limb unloading (HU). Titin antibody localization and expression was not altered at 14 days of HU. However, there was a 4% loss in antibody to Z-band distance (Ab-Z) in the SOL and an increase of 8% in PLN Ab-Z after 28 days of HU. The titin and myosin heavy chain composition of single fibers and small bundles of fibers from control and unloaded muscles were examined using 2% to 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. There was a marked loss of relative amounts of titin in both SOL and PLN following 28 days of HU. As the protein loads for these measures were identical, the authors conclude that these findings represent an actual loss of titin density rather than a decreased value due to a loss of total muscle mass. Laser scanning densitometry of the titin bands show a marked decrease in density and molecular weight in unloaded SOL. In the PLN, marked losses of titin density were accompanied by decreased electrophoretic motility. The results demonstrate that the titin isoform composition and titin antibody localization of skeletal muscle is altered during hind-limb unloading. Furthermore, as titin is responsible for positional stability of the sarcomere and the fiber during contraction, change in isoforms during HU may predispose atrophied muscle to injury during reuse and recovery.

Characterization of 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase (HpaB) of Escherichia coli as a reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide-utilizing monooxygenase

4-Hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase (HpaB and HpaC) of Escherichia coli W has been reported as a two-component flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monooxygenase that attacks a broad spectrum of phenolic compounds. However, the function of each component in catalysis is unclear. The large component (HpaB) was demonstrated here to be a reduced FAD (FADH(2))-utilizing monooxygenase. When an E. coli flavin reductase (Fre) having no apparent homology with HpaC was used to generate FADH(2) in vitro, HpaB was able to use FADH(2) and O(2) for the oxidation of 4-hydroxyphenylacetate. HpaB also used chemically produced FADH(2) for 4-hydroxyphenylacetate oxidation, further demonstrating that HpaB is an FADH(2)-utilizing monooxygenase. FADH(2) generated by Fre was rapidly oxidized by O(2) to form H(2)O(2) in the absence of HpaB. When HpaB was included in the reaction mixture without 4-hydroxyphenylacetate, HpaB bound FADH(2) and transitorily protected it from rapid autoxidation by O(2). When 4-hydroxyphenylacetate was also present, HpaB effectively competed with O(2) for FADH(2) utilization, leading to 4-hydroxyphenylacetate oxidation. With sufficient amounts of HpaB in the reaction mixture, FADH(2) produced by Fre was mainly used by HpaB for the oxidation of 4-hydroxyphenylacetate. At low HpaB concentrations, most FADH(2) was autoxidized by O(2), causing uncoupling. However, the coupling of the two enzymes' activities was increased by lowering FAD concentrations in the reaction mixture. A database search revealed that HpaB had sequence similarities to several proteins and gene products involved in biosynthesis and biodegradation in both bacteria and archaea. This is the first report of an FADH(2)-utilizing monooxygenase that uses FADH(2) as a substrate rather than as a cofactor.

Characterization of 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone 1,2-dioxygenase (PcpA) of Sphingomonas chlorophenolica ATCC 39723

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a general biocide and a major environmental pollutant. The initial steps of PCP degradation by Sphingomonas chlorophenolica ATCC 39723 have been studied and characterized. Two enzymes are responsible for converting PCP to 2, 6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone (2,6-DiCH) which is a common metabolic intermediate of the biodegradation of polychlorinated phenols. 2, 6-DiCH is degraded by PcpA from strain ATCC 39723, but the reaction end product has been misidentified as 6-chlorohydroxyquinol and has been elusive to detection. We report here the overproduction of PcpA in Escherichia coli and the demonstration of quantitative conversion of 2,6-DiCH to 2-chloromaleylacetate with the coconsumption of one equivalent O(2) and release of one equivalent Cl(-) by purified PcpA. On the basis of the reaction stoichiometry, the enzyme is proposed to be 2,6-DiCH 1,2-dioxygenase.

Single-molecule enzymatic dynamics

Enzymatic turnovers of single cholesterol oxidase molecules were observed in real time by monitoring the emission from the enzyme's fluorescent active site, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Statistical analyses of single-molecule trajectories revealed a significant and slow fluctuation in the rate of cholesterol oxidation by FAD. The static disorder and dynamic disorder of reaction rates, which are essentially indistinguishable in ensemble-averaged experiments, were determined separately by the real-time single-molecule approach. A molecular memory phenomenon, in which an enzymatic turnover was not independent of its previous turnovers because of a slow fluctuation of protein conformation, was evidenced by spontaneous spectral fluctuation of FAD.

Novel pathway for conversion of chlorohydroxyquinol to maleylacetate in Burkholderia cepacia AC1100

Burkholderia cepacia AC1100 metabolizes 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) via formation of 5-chlorohydroxyquinol (5-CHQ), hydroxyquinol (HQ), maleylacetate, and beta-oxoadipate. The step(s) leading to the dechlorination of 5-CHQ to HQ has remained unidentified. We demonstrate that a dechlorinating enzyme, TftG, catalyzes the conversion of 5-CHQ to hydroxybenzoquinone, which is then reduced to HQ by a hydroxybenzoquinone reductase (HBQ reductase). HQ is subsequently converted to maleylacetate by hydroxyquinol 1,2-dioxygenase (HQDO). All three enzymes were purified. We demonstrate specific product formation by colorimetric assay and mass spectrometry when 5-CHQ is treated successively with the three enzymes: TftG, TftG plus HBQ reductase, and TftG plus HBQ reductase plus HQDO. This study delineates the complete enzymatic pathway for the degradation of 5-CHQ to maleylacetate.

Purification and characterization of EDTA monooxygenase from the EDTA-degrading bacterium BNC1

The synthetic chelating agent EDTA can mobilize radionuclides and heavy metals in the environment. Biodegradation of EDTA should reduce this mobilization. Although several bacteria have been reported to mineralize EDTA, little is known about the biochemistry of EDTA degradation. Understanding the biochemistry will facilitate the removal of EDTA from the environment. EDTA-degrading activities were detected in cell extracts of bacterium BNC1 when flavin mononucleotide (FMN), NADH, and O2 were present. The degradative enzyme system was separated into two different enzymes, EDTA monooxygenase and an FMN reductase. EDTA monooxygenase oxidized EDTA to glyoxylate and ethylenediaminetriacetate (ED3A), with the coconsumption of FMNH2 and O2. The FMN reductase provided EDTA monooxygenase with FMNH2 by reducing FMN with NADH. The FMN reductase was successfully substituted in the assay mixture by other FMN reductases. EDTA monooxygenase was purified to greater than 95% homogeneity and had a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 45,000. The enzyme oxidized both EDTA complexed with various metal ions and uncomplexed EDTA. The optimal conditions for activity were pH 7.8 and 35 degreesC. Kms were 34.1 microM for uncomplexed EDTA and 8.5 microM for MgEDTA2-; this difference in Km indicates that the enzyme has greater affinity for MgEDTA2-. The enzyme also catalyzed the release of glyoxylate from nitrilotriacetate and diethylenetriaminepentaacetate. EDTA monooxygenase belongs to a small group of FMNH2-utilizing monooxygenases that attack carbon-nitrogen, carbon-sulfur, and carbon-carbon double bonds.

Genes for 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid metabolism in Burkholderia cepacia AC1100: characterization of the tftC and tftD genes and locations of the tft operons on multiple replicons

Burkholderia cepacia AC1100 uses the chlorinated aromatic compound 2, 4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) as a sole source of carbon and energy. The enzyme which converts the first intermediate in the pathway, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, to 5-chlorohydroquinone has been purified and consists of two subunits of 58 and 22 kDa, encoded by the tftC and tftD genes (48). A degenerate primer was designed from the N terminus of the 58-kDa polypeptide and used to isolate a clone containing the tftC and tftD genes from a genomic library of AC1100. The derived amino acid sequences of tftC and tftD show significant homology to the two-component monooxygenases HadA of Burkholderia pickettii, HpaBC of Escherichia coli, and HpaAH of Klebsiella pneumonia. Expression of the tftC and tftD genes appeared to be induced when they were grown in the presence of 2,4,5-T, as shown by RNA slot blot and primer extension analyses. Three sets of cloned tft genes were used as probes to explore the genomic organization of the pathway. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses of whole chromosomes of B. cepacia AC1100 demonstrated that the genome is comprised of five replicons of 4.0, 2.7, 0.53, 0.34, and 0.15 Mbp, designated I to V, respectively. The tft genes are located on the smaller replicons: the tftAB cluster is on replicon IV, tftEFGH is on replicon III, and copies of the tftC and the tftCD operons are found on both replicons III and IV. When cells were grown in the absence of 2,4,5-T, the genes were lost at high frequency by chromosomal deletions and rearrangements to produce 2,4,5-T-negative mutants. In one mutant, the tftA and tftB genes translocated from one replicon to another, with the concomitant loss of tftEFGH and one copy of tftCD.

Purification, characterization and gene sequence analysis of a novel cytochrome c co-induced with reductive dechlorination activity in Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1

The sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1, conserves energy for growth from reductive dechlorination of 3-chlorobenzoate via halorespiration. To understand this respiratory process better, we examined electron carriers from different cellular compartments of D. tiedjei. A 50-kDa cytochrome from the membrane fraction was found to be co-induced with dechlorination activity. This inducible cytochrome was extracted from the membrane fractions by Tris-HCl buffer containing ammonium sulfate at 35% saturation and was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by phenyl superose, Mono Q, and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purified cytochrome had a high-spin absorption spectrum. In a pH titration experiment, the absorption spectrum of the inducible cytochrome shifted to low spin at pH 13.2. The midpoint potential of the inducible cytochrome at pH 7.0 was -342 mV. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the inducible cytochrome was determined and was used to obtain inverse PCR products containing the sequence of the gene encoding the inducible cytochrome. The ORF was 1398 bp and coded for a protein of 52.6 kDa. Two c-type heme-binding domains were identified in the COOH-terminal half of the protein. A putative signal peptide of 26 residues was found at the NH2-terminal end. The protein sequence was not found to have substantial sequence similarity to any other sequence in GenBank. We conclude that this is a c-type cytochrome substantially different from previously characterized c-type cytochromes.

Purification and characterization of 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone chlorohydrolase from Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723

The biochemistry of pentachlorophenol (PCP) degradation by Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723 has been studied, and two enzymes responsible for the conversion of PCP to 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone (2,6-DiCH) have previously been purified and characterized. In this study, enzymatic activities consuming 2,6-DiCH were identified from the cell extracts of strain ATCC 39723. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity by a purification scheme consisting of seven steps. Gel filtration chromatography showed a native molecular weight of about 40,000, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single protein of 42,500 Da. The purified enzyme converted 2,6-DiCH to 6-chlorohydroxyquinol (6-chloro-1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene), which was easily oxidized by molecular oxygen and hard to detect. The end product, 6-chlorohydroxyquinol, was detected only in the presence of a reductase and NADH in the reaction mixture. The enzyme dechlorinated 2,6-DiCH but not 2,5-DiCH. The enzyme required Fe2+ for activity and was severely inhibited by metal chelating agents. The optimal conditions for activity were pH 7.0 and 40 degrees C. The Kcat for 2,6-DiCH was 35 microM, and the kcat was 0.011 s-1.

Cloning, sequencing, and analysis of a gene cluster from Chelatobacter heintzii ATCC 29600 encoding nitrilotriacetate monooxygenase and NADH:flavin mononucleotide oxidoreductase

Nitrilotriacetate (NTA) is an important chelating agent in detergents and has also been used extensively in processing radionuclides. In Chelatobacter heintzii ATCC 29600, biodegradation of NTA is initiated by NTA monooxygenase that oxidizes NTA to iminodiacetate and glyoxylate. The NTA monooxygenase activity requires two component proteins, component A and component B, but the function of each component is unclear. We have cloned and sequenced a gene cluster encoding components A and B (nmoA and nmoB) and two additional open reading frames, nmoR and nmoT, downstream of nmoA. Based on sequence similarities, nmoR and nmoT probably encode a regulatory protein and a transposase, respectively. The NmoA sequence was similar to a monooxygenase that uses reduced flavin mononucleotide (FMNH2) as reductant; NmoB was similar to an NADH:flavin mononucleotide (FMN) oxidoreductase. On the basis of this information, we tested the function of each component. Purified component B was shown to be an NADH:FMN oxidoreductase, and its activity could be separated from that of component A. When the Photobacterium fischeri NADH:FMN oxidoreductase was substituted for component B in the complete reaction, NTA was oxidized, showing that the substrate specificity of the reaction resides in component A. Component A is therefore an NTA monooxygenase that uses FMNH2 and O2 to oxidize NTA, and component B is an NADH:FMN oxidoreductase that provides FMNH2 for NTA oxidation.

Cytoplasm-to-myonucleus ratios in plantaris and soleus muscle fibres following hindlimb suspension

In multinucleated skeletal muscle fibres the size of the cytoplasmic volume-to-myonucleus ratio is related to the myosin heavy chain phenotype, with the ratio being larger in those fibres expressing the fast myosin heavy chain phenotype. It is unknown, however, whether this ratio is modulated during muscle fibre adaptation, such as that which occurs following muscle unloading. In this study the relationship between cross sectional area, myonuclear number and myosin type, in single fibres from the plantaris and soleus muscles of adult rats following 28 days of hindlimb suspension was examined. Each fibre was cut transversely into two segments; one segment was used for immunohistochemical identification of myosin type, the other for determination of cross sectional area and myonuclei number. Single fibre analysis revealed significant atrophy of both plantaris fast and soleus slow fibres; the mean cross sectional area (microns2) of these fibres, 3104 +/- 183 and 2082 +/- 107 (mean +/- SE), being 70 and 45%, respectively, of control means. The decreases in cross sectional area were not accompanied by corresponding decreases in the number of myonuclei (myonuclei/mm); in plantaris fast fibres the mean myonuclei counts were within the control range (88 +/- 8 (hindlimb suspension), 76 +/- 7 (control), in soleus slow fibres the counts were significantly increased (185 +/- 12 (hindlimb suspension), 154 +/- 11 (control)). The changes resulted in a significant decrease in the cytoplasmic volume-to-myonucleus ratio (microns3 x 10(3) for both fibre types; the mean ratios of 39 +/- 3 and 12 +/- 1, were 60% and 36% of control means for the plantaris fast and soleus slow fibres, respectively. These results indicate that following hindlimb suspension atrophy of muscle fibres the myonuclei numbers remain constant or increase and, hence, the effective cytoplasmic-to-myonucleus ratio is decreased. Further, the decreased changes are significantly greater in soleus slow than plantaris fast fibres.

Cytoplasm-to-myonucleus ratios following microgravity

The cytoplasmic volume-to-myonucleus ratio in the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles of juvenile rats after 5.4 days of microgravity was studied. Three groups of rats (n = 8 each) were used. The experimental group (space rats) was flown aboard the space shuttle Discovery (NASA, STS-48), while two ground-based groups, one hindlimb suspended (suspended rats), one non-suspended (control), served as controls. Single fibre analysis revealed a significant decrease in cross-sectional area (microns2) in the gastrocnemius for both the space and the suspended rats; in the tibialis anterior only the suspended rats showed a significant decrease. Myonuclei counts (myonuclei per mm) in both the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius were significantly increased in the space rats but not in the suspended rats. The mean myonuclear volume (individual nuclei: microns3) in tibialis anterior fibres from the space rats, and in gastrocnemius fibres from both the space and the suspended rats, was significantly lower than that in the respective control group. Estimation of the total myonuclear volume (microns3 per.mm), however, revealed no significant differences between the three groups in either the tibialis anterior or gastrocnemius. The described changes in the cross-sectional area and myonuclei numbers resulted in significant decreases in the cytoplasmic volume-to-myonucleus ratio (microns3 x 10(3)) in both muscles and for both space and suspended rats (tibialis anterior; 15.6 +/- 0.6 (space), 17.2 +/- 1.0 (suspended), 20.8 +/- 0.9 (control): gastrocnemius; 13.4 +/- 0.4 (space) and 14.9 +/- 1.1 (suspended) versus 18.1 +/- 1.1 (control)). These results indicate that even short periods of unweighting due to microgravity or limb suspension result in changes in skeletal muscle fibres which lead to significant decreases in the cytoplasmic volume-to-myonucleus ratio.

Purification and characterization of chlorophenol 4-monooxygenase from Burkholderia cepacia AC1100

Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia AC1100 mineralizes the herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4,5-T), and the first intermediate of 2,4,5-T degradation is 2,4,5-trichlorophenol. Chlorophenol 4-monooxygenase activity responsible for 2,4,5-trichlorophenol degradation was detected in the cell extract. The enzyme consisted of two components separated during purification, and both were purified to more than 95% homogeneity. The reconstituted enzyme catalyzed the hydroxylation of several tested chlorophenols with the coconsumption of NADH and oxygen. In addition to chlorophenols, the enzyme also hydroxylated some chloro-p-hydroquinones with the coconsumption of NADH and oxygen. Apparently, the single enzyme was responsible for converting 2,4,5-trichlorophenol to 2,5-dichloro-p-hydroquinone and then to 5-chlorohydroxyquinol (5-chloro-1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene). Component A had a molecular weight of 22,000 and contained flavin adenine dinucleotide. Component A alone catalyzed NADH-dependent cytochrome c reduction, indicating that it had reductase activity. Component B had a molecular weight of 58,000, and no catalytic activity has yet been shown by itself.

Purification and characterization of a novel 3-chlorobenzoate-reductive dehalogenase from the cytoplasmic membrane of Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1

Although reductive dehalogenation by anaerobic microorganisms offers great potential for the degradation of halocarbons, little is known about the biochemical mechanisms involved. It has previously been demonstrated that the dehalogenase activity involved in 3-chlorobenzoate dehalogenation by Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1 is present in the membrane fraction of the cell extracts. We report herein the purification of a 3-chlorobenzoate-reductive dehalogenase from the cytoplasmic membrane of D. tiedjei DCB-1. The dehalogenase activity was monitored by the conversion of 3-chlorobenzoate to benzoate with reduced methyl viologen as a reducing agent. The membrane fraction of the cell extracts was obtained by ultracentrifugation, and the membrane proteins were solubilized with either the detergent CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethyl-ammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) or Triton X-100 in the presence of glycerol. The solubilized dehalogenase was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and a combination of anion exchange, hydroxyapatite, and hydrophobic interaction chromatographies. This procedure yielded about 7% of the total dehalogenase activity with a 120-fold increase in specific activity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the purified dehalogenase consisted of two subunits with molecular weights of 64,000 and 37,000. The enzyme converted 3-chlorobenzoate to benzoate at its highest specific activity in 10 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) at 38 degrees C. The enzyme was yellow and probably a heme protein. The enzyme had an adsorbance peak at 408 nm. The dithionite-reduced enzyme displayed absorbance peaks at 416, 522, and 550 nm. The dithionite-reduced enzyme was able to complex with carbon monoxide. The nature of the heme chromophore is currently unknown.

Nucleotide sequence and functional analysis of the genes encoding 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid oxygenase in Pseudomonas cepacia AC1100

Pseudomonas cepacia AC1100 is able to use the chlorinated aromatic compound 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) as the sole source of carbon and energy. One of the early steps in this pathway is the conversion of 2,4,5-T to 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP). 2,4,5-TCP accumulates in the culture medium when AC1100 is grown in the presence of 2,4,5-T. A DNA region from the AC1100 genome has been subcloned as a 2.7-kb SstI-XbaI DNA fragment, which on transfer to Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 allows the conversion of 2,4,5-T to 2,4,5-TCP. We have determined the directions of transcription of these genes as well as the complete nucleotide sequences of the genes and the number and sizes of the polypeptides synthesized by pulse-labeling experiments. This 2.7-kb DNA fragment encodes two polypeptides with calculated molecular masses of 51 and 18 kDa. Proteins of similar sizes were seen in the T7 pulse-labeling experiment in Escherichia coli. We have designated the genes for these proteins tftA1 (which encodes the 51-kDa protein) and tftA2 (which encodes the 18-kDa protein). TftA1 and TftA2 have strong amino acid sequence homology to BenA and BenB from the benzoate 1,2-dioxygenase system of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, as well as to XylX and XylY from the toluate 1,2-dioxygenase system of Pseudomonas putida. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 strain containing the 2.7-kb SstI-XbaI fragment was able to convert not only 2,4,5-T to 2,4,5-TCP but also 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid to 2,4-dichlorophenol and phenoxyacetate to phenol.

Characterization of a Flavobacterium glutathione S-transferase gene involved reductive dechlorination

The gene pcpC, encoding tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone (TeCH) reductive dehalogenase, was cloned from Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723 and sequenced. The gene was identified by hybridization with a degenerate oligonucleotide designed from the N-terminal sequence of the purified protein. An open reading frame of 747 nucleotides was found, which predicts a translational product of 248 amino acids having a molecular weight of 28,263, which agrees favorably with the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis-determined molecular weight of 30,000 reported for the purified protein. The predicted translational product of pcpC matched the N-terminal sequence of the purified protein exactly. From the nucleotide sequence, the protein appears to have a processed formylmethionyl. An Escherichia coli pcpC overexpression clone was shown to produce dichlorohydroquinone and trichlorohydroquinone from TeCH. Protein data base searches grouped the predicted translational sequence of pcpC with two previously reported plant glutathione S-transferases but less significantly with any of the mammalian glutathione S-transferases or the glutathione-utilizing, hydrolytic dechlorinating enzyme from Methylobacterium sp. strain DM4.

Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of the Flavobacterium pentachlorophenol-4-monooxygenase gene in Escherichia coli

The pcpB gene of Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723 was cloned by using a degenerate primer designed from the N-terminal sequence of the purified enzyme. The nucleotide sequence of pcpB was determined and found to encode an open reading frame of 1,614 nucleotides, yielding a predicted translation product of 538 amino acids, in agreement with the estimated size of the purified protein analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The transcriptional start of pcpB was found to be 80 bp upstream of the translational start, and the transcript was found to be induced in Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723 by the presence of pentachlorophenol but to be constitutive in the Escherichia coli pcpB clone. DNA hybridizations with genomic DNAs from Arthrobacter sp. strain ATCC 33790 and Pseudomonas sp. strain SR3 revealed a similar-size 3.0-kb EcoRI fragment, whereas there was no positive hybridization with genomic DNA from Rhodococcus chlorophenolicus. Cell extracts from an E. coli pcpB overexpression strain, as well as the whole cells, were proficient in the dechlorination of pentachlorophenol to tetrachlorohydroquinone. Protein data base comparisons of the predicted translation products revealed regions of homology with other microbial monooxygenases, including phenol-2-monooxygenase and tryptophan-2-monooxygenase.

Purification and characterization of a tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone reductive dehalogenase from a Flavobacterium sp

Tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone (TeCH) is the first intermediate in pentachlorophenol (PCP) degradation by Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723. We previously purified a PCP hydroxylase that oxidized PCP to TeCH. Subsequently, we identified the reductive dehalogenation of TeCH to 2,3,6-trichloro-p-hydroquinone and then to 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone in a cell extract with the reduced form of glutathione as the reducing agent under anaerobic conditions. Here we report the purification of a TeCH reductive dehalogenase that reductively dehalogenated TeCH to trichlorohydroquinone and then to dichlorohydroquinone. The enzyme was purified by protamine sulfate treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and phenyl-agarose, anion-exchange, and gel filtration column chromatographies. As determined by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses, the protein has a molecular weight of about 30,000; nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis suggests that the native enzyme exists as a dimer. The enzyme used glutathione but not NADPH, NADH, dithiothreitol, or ascorbic acid as the reducing agent. The optimal pH was close to neutral.

Confirmation of oxidative dehalogenation of pentachlorophenol by a Flavobacterium pentachlorophenol hydroxylase

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) hydroxylase purified from Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723 converted PCP or 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenol to tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone (TeCH) with the co-consumption of O2 and NADPH. The purified enzyme incorporated 18O from 18O2 but not from H218O into the reaction end product TeCH. The results clearly demonstrate that PCP is oxidatively converted to TeCH by a monooxygenase-type enzyme from Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723.

Diverse substrate range of a Flavobacterium pentachlorophenol hydroxylase and reaction stoichiometries

An understanding of the enzymatic reactions catalyzing the degradation of substituted phenols, a major group of environmental pollutants, is required for the development of biological methods for the decontamination of halophenol-polluted sites. We found that a flavomonooxygenase, pentachlorophenol hydroxylase, isolated from a Flavobacterium sp., catalyzed a primary attack on a broad range of substituted phenols, hydroxylating the para position and removing halogen, nitro, amino, and cyano groups to produce halide, nitrite, hydroxylamine, and cyanide, respectively. Elimination of 1 mol of a halogen, nitro, or cyano group required 2 mol of NADPH, while only 1 mol of NADPH was required to remove 1 mol of an amino group or hydrogen.

Glutathione is the reducing agent for the reductive dehalogenation of tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone by extracts from a Flavobacterium sp

Tetrachloro-p-hydroquinone is the first intermediate during pentachlorophenol degradation by Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723, a strict aerobe. We report here that tetrachlorohydroquinone was reductively dehalogenated to 2,3,6-trichloro-p-hydroquinone and subsequently to 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone under anaerobic conditions by the cell extract from Flavobacterium. The reducing agent was identified to be the reduced form of glutathione. This is the first time glutathione has been identified as the reducing agent for reductive dehalogenation.

Purification and properties of pentachlorophenol hydroxylase, a flavoprotein from Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723

A pentachlorophenol (PCP) hydroxylase which catalyzed the conversion of PCP to 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorohydroquinone and released iodide from triiodophenol in the presence of NADPH and oxygen was identified. The enzyme was purified by protamine sulfate precipitation, ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic chromatography, anion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and crystallization. The enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 63,000. Under certain conditions, dimer and multimer conformations were also observed. The pI of the enzyme was pH 4.3. The optimal conditions for activity were a pH of 7.5 to 8.5 and a temperature of 40 degrees C. Each enzyme molecule contained one flavin adenine dinucleotide molecule. The Km for PCP was 30 microM and the Vmax was 16 mumol/min/mg of protein. The enzymatic reaction required 2 mol of NADPH per mol of halogenated substrate. On the basis of the data we present, it is likely that PCP hydroxylase is a flavoprotein monooxygenase. The addition of flavins to the reaction mixture did not stimulate the enzymatic reaction; however, we identified the photodegradation of triiodophenol and tribromophenol, but not PCP, by flavin mononucleotide or riboflavin and light.

Biodegradation of triiodophenol by cell-free extracts of a pentachlorophenol-degrading Flavobacterium sp

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) degrading Flavobacterium sp. ATCC 39723 was found to degrade other polyhalogenated phenolic compounds, including triiodophenol, tribromophenol, and trichlorophenol. Each compound was able to induce the degradation of the other compounds. A PCP Flavobacterium sp. mutant, F-2, was unable to degrade any of the halogenated compounds. The results suggest that all of the polyhalogenated phenols were degraded by the same enzyme system. This observation led us to exploit the sensitive leuco crystal violet assay, which measures the iodide released from triiodophenol. Cell free extracts from PCP-induced cells were able to release iodide from triiodophenol. The reaction required NADPH and oxygen.