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J. Bacteriol., 07 1995, 3728-3735, Vol 177, No. 13
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Isolation and identification of menaquinone-9 from purified nitrate reductase of Escherichia coli

F Brito, JA DeMoss and M Dubourdieu
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston 77030, USA.

On the basis of the observation that nitrate reductase from Escherichia coli is sensitive to UV irradiation with an action spectrum indicative of a naphthoquinone (F. Brito and M. Dubourdieu, Biochem. Int. 15:1079- 1088, 1987), we extracted and characterized quinone components from two different preparations of purified nitrate reductase. A soluble form of nitrate reductase, composed of alpha and beta subunits, was purified after release from the membrane fraction by heat treatment, and a detergent-solubilized form, containing alpha, beta, and gamma (cytochrome bNR) subunits, was purified in the presence of Triton X- 100. Extraction of soluble alpha beta form with chloroform-methanol yielded several UV-absorbing components, which were characterized as menaquinone-9 with an oxidized side chain and further photodestruction products of the menaquinone. The total amount of menaquinone extracted into the organic phase was estimated to be 0.97 mol/mol of alpha beta dimer. Extraction of the detergent-solubilized alpha beta gamma form by a similar procedure yielded two naphthoquinone-like components which were characterized by mass spectrometry as the oxidized forms of menaquinone-9 and demethylmenaquinone-9. In this case, the molar ratio of total naphthoquinone to the alpha beta dimer was estimated to be greater than 6:1. When cytochrome bNR and detergent were eliminated from the detergent-solubilized enzyme by heat treatment and ion- exchange chromatography, only menaquinone-9 could be identified in the organic extract of the active alpha beta product. These results suggest that menaquinone-9 is specifically bound to the alpha beta dimer and may be the UV-sensitive component in the pathway of electron transfer catalyzed by nitrate reductase.

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