title: Quantitative determination of intracellular depolymerase activity in Pseudomonas oleovorans inclusions containing poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates with long alkyl substituents.
abstract: Research regarding the accurate, quantitative degradation of novel poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates has been restricted by the absence of an appropriate monitoring technique. The calibration of a gas chromatograph to poly-3-hydroxyoctanoate reveals a linear relationship between the area under gas chromatograph tracings and polymer weight. With this new method, poly-3-hydroxy-octanoate granules isolated from Pseudomonas oleovorans, which were incubated at 30 degrees C in an alkaline buffer, exhibited a linear degradation rate. Degradation was inhibited by the presence of Triton X-100 and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. The depolymerase was demonstrated to be associated with the polymer granule complex and most likely possessed serine residues at its active site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003-4505.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Fuller
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D017830:Octoxynol / Q000494:pharmacology; D010664:Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride / Q000494:pharmacology; D011091:Polyesters / Q000378:metabolism*; D011108:Polymers / Q000378:metabolism*; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; C088151:poly(3-hydroxyoctanoic acid); D010664:Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride; D017830:Octoxynol