title: Tartrate dehydrogenase, a new member of the family of metal-dependent decarboxylating R-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases.
abstract: The gene encoding tartrate dehydrogenase has been cloned from Pseudomonas putida and sequenced. The gene is 1098 nucleotides long and encodes a protein 365 amino acids in length with a calculated M(r) of 40,636. The gene and the protein encoded by it show strong homology to prokaryotic isopropylmalate dehydrogenases and, to a lesser extent, isocitrate dehydrogenase. Thus, tartrate dehydrogenase is the third member to be identified of the family of metal-dependent decarboxylating R-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases which have an evolutionarily distinct NAD(+)-binding domain. The poor catalytic properties of tartrate dehydrogenase suggest that it has not been under strong selective pressure to maximize its ability to turn over (+)-tartrate for very long; the homology with isopropylmalate dehydrogenase makes it an attractive candidate for a recent progenitor of tartrate dehydrogenase. beta-Isopropylmalate is a substrate for tartrate dehydrogenase with a Km of 14 +/- 2 microM; it is turned over with a Vmax that is 35% of Vmax in the (+)-tartrate reaction. The gene encoding tartrate dehydrogenase has been expressed in Escherichia coli and large quantities of soluble enzyme can be obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia 65211.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tipton
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Beecher
mesh_terms: D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016958:Pseudomonas putida / Q000201:enzymology*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C038481:tartrate dehydrogenase