title: Isolation and characterization of a novel oxygenase that catalyzes the first step of n-alkane oxidation in Acinetobacter sp. strain M-1.
abstract: In the Finnerty pathway for n-alkane, oxidation in Acinetobacter sp., n-alkanes are postulated to be attacked by a dioxygenase and the product, n-alkyl hydroperoxide, is further metabolized to the corresponding aldehyde via the peroxy acid [W. R. Finnerty, P. 184-188, in A. H. Applewhite (ed.), Proceedings of the World Conference on Biotechnology for the Fats and Oil Industry, 1988]. However, no biochemical evidence regarding the first-step reaction is available. In this study, we found a novel n-alkane-oxidizing enzyme that requires only molecular oxygen, i.e., not NAD(P)H, in our isolate, Acinetobacter sp. strain M-1, and purified it to apparent homogeneity by gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme is a homodimeric protein with a molecular mass of 134 kDa, contains 1 mol of flavin adenine dinucleotide per mol of subunit, and requires CU2+ for its activity. The enzyme uses n-alkanes ranging in length from 10 to 30 carbon atoms and is also active toward n-alkenes (C12 to C20) and some aromatic compounds with substituted alkyl groups but not toward a branched alkane, alcohol, or aldehyde. Transient accumulation of n-alkyl hydroperoxide was detected in the course of the reaction, and no oxygen radical scavengers affected the enzyme activity. From these properties, the enzyme is most probably a dioxygenase that catalyzes the introduction of two atoms of oxygen to the substrate, leading to the formation of the corresponding n-alkyl hydroperoxide. The enzymatic evidence strongly supports the existence of an n-alkane oxidation pathway, which is initiated by a dioxygenase reaction, in Acinetobacter spp.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Maeng
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000201:enzymology*; D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002384:Catalysis; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D008670:Metals / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008670:Metals; D010105:Oxygenases