Purification and characterization of a novel carbonyl reductase isolated from Rhodococcus erythropolis

During growth on n-tetradecane a novel NADH-dependent carbonyl reductase is induced in the Gram-positive bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis (Peters, P., Zelinski, T. and Kula, M.R. (1992) Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 38, 334-340). The enzyme has been purified to homogeneity using fractional pH precipitation, anion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography. The isoelectric point of the oxidoreductase is 4.4. The apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme is 161 kDa, that of the subunits 40 kDa as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. A tetrameric structure of the carbonyl reductase is consistent with these results. Important biochemical data concerning the application of the reductase are: a broad pH-optimum, temperature optimum at 40 degrees C and stability at room temperature for more than 5 days. The oxidoreductase accepted as substrate aliphatic and aromatic ketones, keto esters (esters of keto carboxylic acids) and halogenated carbonyl compounds and reduced them to the corresponding hydroxyl compounds with (S)-configuration with more than 98% enantiomeric excess. The NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of primary alcohols was not catalyzed by the carbonyl reductase, whereas secondary alcohols and hydroxy acid esters were oxidized to the corresponding carbonyl compounds at about 10-fold slower reaction rates compared to the reduction.