title: Discovery of a putative acetoin dehydrogenase complex in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.
abstract: Like many other aerobic archaea, the hyperthermophile Sulfolobus solfataricus possesses a gene cluster encoding components of a putative 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complex. In the current paper, we have cloned and expressed the first two genes of this cluster and demonstrate that the protein products form an alpha(2)beta(2) hetero-tetramer possessing the catalytic activity characteristic of the first component enzyme of an acetoin dehydrogenase multienzyme complex. This represents the first report of an acetoin multienzyme complex in archaea, and contrasts with the branched-chain 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complex activities characterised in two other archaea, Thermoplasma acidophilum and Haloferax volcanii.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Extremophile Research, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
authors.forename: Karl A P
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hough
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Danson
mesh_terms: D000093:Acetoin / Q000378:metabolism; D000094:Acetoin Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001105:Archaea / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005810:Multigene Family; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D048229:Sulfolobus solfataricus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000093:Acetoin; D000094:Acetoin Dehydrogenase