The isolation and characterization of a 1,2-propanediol oxidoreductase from Neisseria gonorrhoeae

An enzyme which oxidizes 1,2-propanediol in the presence of NAD+ has been purified from lysates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The enzyme was activated by monovalent cations, had a pH optimum between 9 and 10, and showed a substrate specificity unlike any known alcohol or glycerol dehydrogenase. The enzyme had an apparent Km of 17 mM for 1,2-propanediol and 0 . 37 mM for NAD+. When chromatographed on a Sephadex G-150 column, the enzyme eluted as a single peak in the molecular weight region of a bovine serum albumin marker. An antibody to the purified enzyme was prepared in goats. When antiserum was reacted with the enzyme in immunodiffusion experiments, a single precipitin band was detected. When the enzyme was mixed with an excess of antibody and then reacted with substrate, enzyme activity was completely inhibited.