Purification and properties of the biotin repressor. A bifunctional protein

Definitive evidence is presented for the bifunctional nature of the biotin repressor protein which possesses both regulatory and enzymatic activities. The repressor protein can activate biotin in the presence of ATP to form biotinyl-5'-adenylate, the co-repressor which remains tightly bound to the repressor protein. This complex can either bind to the operator site and inhibit transcription or transfer the biotinyl moiety to a lysine residue of the apoenzyme of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The two activities were coincident throughout a purification procedure which resulted in a 3500-fold increase in activity. Gel electrophoresis of the purified preparation, under native or denaturing conditions, showed three proteins with the activity corresponding to the major protein band of apparent Mr = 34,000. On gel exclusion chromatography, the activity was also associated with a protein of Mr varying fro 37,000-44,000, indicating the protein is monomeric. The occasional appearance of multiple bands with biological activity in the native gels suggests that the repressor protein can also exist in multimeric forms. On chromatofocusing, the repressor activity and the holoenzyme synthetase activity were coincidental, with the peak of activity at pH 7.2, the isoelectric point. Only a single protein band with Mr = 34,000 was observed on SDS gel electrophoresis of all fractions showing activity.