Purification, crystallisation and characterization of quinoprotein ethanol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 17933 when grown on ethanol produces high levels of a quinoprotein ethanol dehydrogenase, which amounts to 7% of the soluble protein. The enzyme has been purified to homogeneity and it crystallizes readily in the presence of polyethylene glycol 1550 or 6000. The ethanol dehydrogenase (Km(ethanol) = 14 microM) resembles the dye-dependent quinoprotein methanol dehydrogenases of methylotrophic bacteria, but has a low affinity for methanol (Km (methanol) = 94mM). In addition the enzyme oxidizes secondary alcohols. With its catalytic properties the ethanol dehydrogenase is similar to the enzyme isolated from P. aeruginosa LMD 80.53 (Groen, B., Frank, J. Jzn. & Duine, J.A. (1984) Biochem. J. 223, 921-924). In contrast to this enzyme from P. aeruginosa LMD 80.53, which is a monomer, the ethanol dehydrogenase isolated from P. aeruginosa ATCC 17933 is a dimer of identical subunits of relative molecular mass 60,000. The N-terminal amino acid is lysine. Inactivation with cyclopropanone ethylhemiketal reveals one molecule of pyrroloquinoline quinone per subunit. As shown by active enzyme sedimentation, the dimer is the enzymatically active form.