The primary alkylsulfatase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: inducer specificity and induction kinetics

The ability of primary alkylsulfate esters and alkanesulfonates to induce alkylsulfatase formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was compared on the basis of maximum enzyme levels, induction rate, and levels of induction as a function of inducer concentration. Apparent K inducer values for these effectors were calculated from linear relationships between reciprocals of induction rate and inducer concentration. Maximum enzyme levels estimated from linear progress relationships for each effector indicated that little major distinction could be made between effectors. Excepting carbon chain lengths of C8 which induced about the same level of enzyme, sulfate esters were generally better inducers than sulfonates with little or no apparent induction occurring with effectors of chain length less than or equal to C6. These observations also held true when rates were compared, except that the rate for the C8 ester was approximately ninefold greater than that for the analogous sulfonate. Apparent K inducer constants decreased with increasing alkyl chain length for the esters (C6-C12) and the sulfonates (C8-C14). Values for the esters were approximately sixfold greater than those for sulfonates of equivalent chain length. Plots of log apparent K inducer values against carbon chain length for each series of esters and sulfonates yielded straight-line relationships characteristic of an homologous series in each instance.