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PubMed1975

Comparative studies on the properties of tryptophanase and tyrosine phenol-lyase immobilized directly on Sepharose or by use of Sepharose-bound pyridoxal 5'-phosphate.

Tryptophanase from Escherichia coli B/qt 7-A and tyrosine phenol-lyase (beta-tyrosinase) from Escherichia intermedia were immobilized on Sepharose 4B by several direct coupling reactions or through pyridoxal 5'-phosphate previously bound to Sepharose. The most active preparation of immobilized tryptophanase was obtained by coupling tetrameric apoenzyme to pyridoxal-P bound on Sepharose at the 6-position through a diazo linkage. This immobilization procedure involves the formation to Schiff base linkage between 4-formyl group of Sepharose-bound pyridoxal-P and the epsilon-amino group of the lysine residue at the active center of one subunit of tetrameric apo-tryptophanase, followed by the fixation of the Schiff base linkage by reduction with NaBH4. In the case of beta-tyrosinase having two catalytic centers, however, this method was not so suitable as the case of tryptophanase. Direct coupling of the apoenzyme to CNBr-activated Sepharose or to a bromoacetyl derivative of Sepharose gave better results. In each case, the affinity for substrate or coenzyme was scarcely influenced by the immobilization. When used repeatedly in a batch system or continuously in a flow system in the absence of added pyridoxal-P, immobilized holo-tryptophanase of holo-beta-tyrosinase gradually lost its original activity; however, supplement of pyridoxal-P to the reaction system restored its initial activity. From the kinetic analyses of these phenomena, the rate constants of coenzyme dissociation from immobilized tryptophanase and beta-tyrosinase were calculated. Upon immobilization, the pH optima of both enzymes shifted 0.5 to 1.0 pH unit to the alkaline side. Both immobilized enzymes showed higher thermal stability and resistance to a denaturing agent such as guinidine-HCl than their free counterpart. Furthermore, the reactivity of sulfhydryl group of beta-tyrosinase, in connection with its coenzyme-binding property, was conveniently studied by use of the immobilized enzyme.

Apoenzymes↗
PubMed1980

Some effects of indole on the interaction of amino acids with tryptophanase.

Although indole is a potent inhibitor (KI = 0.01 mM) of pyruvate formation from substrates of tryptophanase (EC 4.1.99.1, from Escherichia coli), we could not detect binding of indole to free tryptophanase (KD greater than 1.0 mM). However, indole, skatole, and toluene increased the affinity of tryptophanase for certain inhibitory amino acids. Binding of amino acids with small side chains (e.g. Ala, Gly) was increased, but there was little or no effect on the binding of amino acids with bulky side chains (e.g. norvaline, ethionine). These effects were quantitated by using changes in the absorption spectra of the enzyme . amino acid complexes. Indole decreases the absorbance obtainable at 500 nm for amino acids with small hydrophobic side chains (L-Ala, Gly), increases this absorbance for amino acids with small polar side chains (beta-cyano-L-alanine), and does not change the spectra of tryptophanase complexes with amino acids with bulky side chains, i.e. amino acids whose binding affinities are unaffected by indole. These spectral differences are interpreted in terms of an effect of bound indole (or side chain binding) on the partitioning of the bound amino acid between catalytic forms of the enzyme. The data indicate that substrate-induced conformational changes occur at the enzyme active site that generate a high affinity indole-binding site during catalytic turnover of tryptophanase and are important in the catalytic functioning of the enzyme. These changes also explain reproducible differences in KI values observed previously for amino acids in different assay systems used for steady state kinetic inhibition studies. The optimal conditions for the growth of E. coli for tryptophanase production are outlined, together with a procedure for purification of holotryptophanase.

Alanine↗
PubMed1970

Physiological comparison of L-serine dehydratase and tryptophanase from Bacillus alvei.

Tryptophanase from Bacillus alvei also possesses serine dehydratase activity. A comparison of this enzyme with l-serine dehydratase [l-serine hydro-lyase (deaminating), EC 4.2.1.13] in toluene-treated whole cell preparations of the organism was undertaken. Tryptophanase is a constitutive enzyme in B. alvei. The dehydratase undergoes a repression-derepression-repression sequence as the l-serine level in the growth medium is increased from 0 to 0.1 m. Tryptophanase activity is decreased in organisms grown in medium containing glucose. Both enzymes are repressed in organisms grown in glycerol-containing medium. l-Serine dehydratase has a pH optimum of 7.5 in potassium phosphate buffer; tryptophanase functions optimally in this buffer at pH 8.2. Both enzymes lose activity in the presence of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer. Either K(+) or NH(4) (+) is required for full tryptophanase activity, but Na(+) is markedly inhibitory. These three cations are stimulatory to l-serine dehydratase activity. Both enzymes are subject to apparent substrate inhibition at high concentrations of their respective amino acids, but the inhibition of tryptophanase activity can be completely overcome by the removal of indole as it is formed. The dehydratase does not catalyze cleavage of d-serine, l-threonine, or alpha-substituted serine analogues at the concentrations tested. However, activity of the enzyme in cleaving l-serine is competitively inhibited by d-serine, indicating that the d-isomer can occupy an active site on the enzyme. The enzyme catalyzes cleavage of some beta-substituted serine analogues.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1970

Inhibition of the induced formation of tryptophanase in Escherichia coli by near-ultraviolet radiation.

Induced formation of tryptophanase in Escherichia coli B/r is temporarily inhibited by near-ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The inhibition is greater when irradiation is at 5 C than when at room temperature. Hence, the inhibition is the result of a photochemical, rather than photoenzymatic, alteration of some cellular component. The action spectrum has a peak in the region of 334 nm and is similar to that for growth delay. However, inhibition of tryptophanase formation is more sensitive to near-UV irradiation than are growth, respiration, and the induced formation of beta-galactosidase. Thus, for tryptophanase the lack of formation cannot be due to general inhibition of metabolism. Pyridoxal phosphate absorbs in the near-UV region of the spectrum and is a cofactor for tryptophanase, but this enzyme in induced cells is not inactivated by near UV-radiations. An experiment in which toluene-treated suspensions from irradiated and unirradiated cells were mixed showed that irradiation does not cause the formation of an inhibitor of tryptophanase activity. The possibility remains that the absorption of radiant energy by pyridoxal phosphate interferes with the synthesis of tryptophanase.

Cold Temperature↗
PubMed1979

Complementation analysis of eleven tryptophanase mutations in Escherichia coli.

Nine independent mutants deficient in tryptophanase activity were isolated. Each mutation was transferred to a specialized transducing phage that carries the tryptophanase region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. The nine phages thus produced, and a tenth carrying a previously characterized tryptophanase mutation, were used to lysogenize a bacterial strain harbouring a mutation in the tryptophanase structural gene and also a suppressor of polarity. In no case was complementation observed; we conclude that there is no closely linked positive regulatory gene for tryptophanase.

Bacteriophage lambda↗
PubMed1994

Mechanism of catabolite repression of tryptophanase synthesis in Escherichia coli.

Repression of tryptophanase (tryptophan indole-lyase) by glucose and its non-metabolizable analogue methyl alpha-glucoside has been studied employing a series of isogenic strains of Escherichia coli lacking cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase and altered for two of the proteins of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), Enzyme I and Enzyme IIAGlc. Basal activity of tryptophanase was depressed mildly by inclusion of glucose in the growth medium, but inducible tryptophanase synthesis was subject to strong glucose repression in the parental strain, which exhibited normal PTS enzyme activities. Methyl alpha-glucoside was without effect in this strain. Loss of Enzyme I decreased sensitivity to repression by glucose but enhanced sensitivity to repression by methyl alpha-glucoside. Loss of Enzyme IIAGlc activity largely abolished repression by methyl alpha-glucoside but had a less severe effect on glucose repression. The repressive effects of both sugars were fully reversed by inclusion of cyclic AMP in the growth medium. Tryptophan uptake under the same conditions was inhibited weakly by glucose and more strongly by methyl alpha-glucoside in the parental strain. Inhibition by both sugars was alleviated by partial loss of Enzyme I. Inhibition by methyl alpha-glucoside appeared to be largely due to energy competition and was not responsible for repression of tryptophanase synthesis. Measurement of net production of cyclic AMP as well as intracellular concentrations of cyclic AMP revealed a good correlation with intensity of repression. The results suggest that while basal tryptophanase synthesis is relatively insensitive to catabolite repression, inducible synthesis is subject to strong repression by two distinct mechanisms, one dependent on enzyme IIAGlc of the PTS and the other independent of this protein. Both mechanisms are attributable to depressed rates of cyclic AMP synthesis. No evidence for a cyclic-AMP-independent mechanism of catabolite repression was obtained.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed2005

Paralysis and killing of Caenorhabditis elegans by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli requires the bacterial tryptophanase gene.

Pathogenic Escherichia coli, including enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) are major causes of food and water-borne disease. We have developed a genetically tractable model of pathogenic E. coli virulence based on our observation that these bacteria paralyse and kill the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Paralysis and killing of C. elegans by EPEC did not require direct contact, suggesting that a secreted toxin mediates the effect. Virulence against C. elegans required tryptophan and bacterial tryptophanase, the enzyme catalysing the production of indole and other molecules from tryptophan. Thus, lack of tryptophan in growth media or deletion of tryptophanase gene failed to paralyse or kill C. elegans. While known tryptophan metabolites failed to complement an EPEC tryptophanase mutant when presented extracellularly, complementation was achieved with the enzyme itself expressed either within the pathogen or within a cocultured K12 strains. Thus, an unknown metabolite of tryptophanase, derived from EPEC or from commensal non-pathogenic strains, appears to directly or indirectly regulate toxin production within EPEC. EPEC strains containing mutations in the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), a pathogenicity island required for virulence in humans, also displayed attenuated capacity to paralyse and kill nematodes. Furthermore, tryptophanase activity was required for full activation of the LEE1 promoter, and for efficient formation of actin-filled membranous protrusions (attaching and effacing lesions) that form on the surface of mammalian epithelial cells following attachment and which depends on LEE genes. Finally, several C. elegans genes, including hif-1 and egl-9, rendered C. elegans less susceptible to EPEC when mutated, suggesting their involvement in mediating toxin effects. Other genes including sek-1, mek-1, mev-1, pgp-1,3 and vhl-1, rendered C. elegans more susceptible to EPEC effects when mutated, suggesting their involvement in protecting the worms. Moreover we have found that C. elegans genes controlling lifespan (daf-2, age-1 and daf-16), also mediate susceptibility to EPEC. Together, these data suggest that this C. elegans/EPEC system will be valuable in elucidating novel factors relevant to human disease that regulate virulence in the pathogen or susceptibility to infection in the host.

Animals↗
PubMed1962

Tryptophanase-tryptophan synthetase systems in Escherichia coli. II. Effect of glucose.

Freundlich, Martin (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis) and Herman C. Lichstein. Tryptophanase-tryptophan synthetase systems in Escherichia coli. II. Effect of glucose. J. Bacteriol. 84:988-995. 1962.-The effect of glucose and other compounds on the formation of tryptophanase and tryptophan synthetase in Escherichia coli was examined. Although most of these compounds were potent inhibitors of the synthesis of tryptophanase, they invariably increased the formation of tryptophan synthetase. The severity of tryptophanase inhibition depended upon the degree of utilization of the compound by the growing bacterial cells. It was found that high levels of tryptophan overcame by 40% the repression caused by glucose. The stimulatory effect of glucose on tryptophan synthetase formation in E. coli 9723E could be duplicated by indole-3-propionic acid. A study of the amino acid pool of E. coli 9723E revealed no free tryptophan in cells harvested from the basal medium containing glucose. In contrast, cells grown in the absence of glucose possessed a measurable amount of this amino acid. The possible mechanisms of the effect of glucose and related compounds on tryptophanase and tryptophan synthetase formation, as well as the relationship of these effects to the metabolic control of tryptophan metabolism, are discussed.

Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1978

Synthesis of tryptophanase in Escherichia coli: isolation and characterization of a structural-gene mutant and two regulatory mutants.

A mutant of E. coli has been isolated that is temperature-sensitive in respect of tryptophanase. When incubated at 60 degrees C, cell-free extracts of the mutant suffer inactivation of enzyme activity much more rapidly than similar extracts of the wild type. After lysogeny with a specialized transducing phage carrying the wild-type tryptophanase gene, the mutant is able to synthesize tryptophanase that is wild-type in its response to treatment at 60 degrees C. It is concluded that the mutation lies in the structural gene for the enzyme. Two further mutants have been isolated that synthesize tryptophanase constitutively. One mutation renders synthesis of the enzyme indifferent to the presence of inducer; the other mutation allows synthesis of the enzyme in the absence of inducer at about 35% of the fully induced wild-type rate. Neither mutation alleviates catabolite repression. Genetic mapping shows that the constitutive mutations lie very close to the structural-gene mutation, on the side of the structural gene distant from bglR.

Coliphages↗
PubMed1987

Reactions of O-acyl-L-serines with tryptophanase, tyrosine phenol-lyase, and tryptophan synthase.

The reactions of tryptophanase, tyrosine phenol-lyase, and tryptophan synthase with a new class of substrates, the O-acyl-L-serines, have been examined. A method for preparation of O-benzoyl-L-serine in high yield from tert.-butyloxycarbonyl (tBoc)-L-serine has been developed. Reaction of the cesium salt of tBoc-L-serine with benzyl bromide in dimethylformamide gives tBoc-L-serine benzyl ester in excellent yield. Acylation with benzoyl chloride and triethylamine in acetonitrile followed by hydrogenolysis with 10% palladium on carbon in trifluoroacetic acid gives O-benzoyl-L-serine, isolated as the hydrochloride salt. O-Benzoyl-L-serine is a good substrate for beta-elimination or beta-substitution reactions catalyzed by both tryptophanase and tyrosine phenol-lyase, with Vmax values 5- to 6-fold those of the physiological substrates and comparable to that of S-(o-nitrophenyl)-L-cysteine. Unexpectedly, O-acetyl-L-serine is a very poor substrate for these enzymes, with Vmax values about 5% of those of the physiological substrates. Both O-acyl-L-serines are poor substrates for tryptophan synthase, measured either by the synthesis of 5-fluoro-L-tryptophan from 5-fluoroindole and L-serine catalyzed by the intact alpha 2 beta 2 subunit or by the beta-elimination reaction catalyzed by the isolated beta 2 subunit. With all three enzymes, the elimination of benzoate appears to be irreversible. These results suggest that the binding energy from the aromatic ring of O-benzoyl-L-serine is used to lower the transition-state barrier for the elimination reactions catalyzed by tryptophanase and tyrosine phenol-lyase. Our findings support the suggestion (M. N. Kazarinoff and E. E. Snell (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 6228-6233) that tryptophanase undergoes a conformational change during catalysis and suggest that tyrosine phenol-lyase also may undergo a conformational change during catalysis.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1975

Tryptophanase from Sphaerophorus funduliformis. Purification, molecular weight and subunit properties.

A crystalline tryptophanase can be obtained from extracts of Spaerophorus funduliformis using a heat treatment, hydroxyapatite chromatography and solubility in solutions of (NH4)2SO4 as a function of pH and temperature. The purified enzyme is homogeneous by several criteria. S. funduliformis tryptophanase has a specific activity of 11.5-13.5 and requires pyridoxal 5'-phosphate for enzymatic activity. Like other tryptophanases that have been studied, the S. funduliformis enzyme is a tetramer protein consisting of four apparently identical subunits. The native enzyme has a sedimentation coefficient of 11.2 S and a molecular weight of 244 000. In solutions of 5 M guanidine - HCl, 8 M urea, and sodium dodecylsulfate, at high pH or in the presence of thiols, the enzyme dissociates to 59 000 molecular weight species which are homogeneous by the criterion of weight. Peptide maps of the reduced holo-tryptophanase show one pyridoxal-containing peptide and, lacking agreement with the determined amino acid composition, suggest that the subunits of the enzyme contain a high degree of internal sequence homology.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1998

Cold inactivation and dissociation into dimers of Escherichia coli tryptophanase and its W330F mutant form.

The kinetics and mechanism of reversible cold inactivation of the tetrameric enzyme tryptophanase have been studied. Cold inactivation is shown to occur slowly in the presence of K+ ions and much faster in their absence. The W330F mutant tryptophanase undergoes rapid cold inactivation even in the presence of K+ ions. In all cases the inactivation is accompanied by a decrease of the coenzyme 420-nm CD and absorption peaks and a shift of the latter peak to shorter wavelengths. The spectral changes and the NaBH4 test indicate that cooling of tryptophanase leads to breaking of the internal aldimine bond and release of the coenzyme. HPLC analysis showed that the ensuing apoenzyme dissociates into dimers. The dissociation depends on the nature and concentration of anions in the buffer solution. It readily occurs at low protein concentrations in the presence of salting-in anions Cl-, NO3- and I-, whereas salting-out anions, especially HPO4(2-), hinder the dissociation. K+ ions do not influence the dissociation of the apoenzyme, but partially protect holotryptophanase from cold inactivation. Thus, the two processes, cold inactivation of tryptophanase and dissociation of its apoform into dimers exhibit different dependencies on K+ ions and anions.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1975

Different cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate requirements for induction of beta-galactosidase and tryptophanase. Effect of osmotic pressure on intracellular cyclic adenosine 3,5-monophosphate concentrations.

In this study we have tried to answer the following questions: (1) is it possible for different catabolite-repressible genes, although submitted to the same control, to be expressed selectively depending upon the growth conditions, and (2) what is the effect of increasing the osmolarity of the medium on the intracellular level of cAMP? Two conditions were found to cause a continuous variation of intracellular cAMP levels during growth. With different strains, higher cAMP levels are required for induction of the tryptophanase gene than one required for induction of the lactose operon. cAMP has been provided externally in adenyl cyclase minus cells of a mutant that has been made permeable by EDTA treatment. Although external cAMP concentrations, 10 times higher than the usual intracellular levels, are required for induction of beta-galactosidase and tryptophanase, the difference of requirements of cAMP is maintained. An increase in the osmolarity of the medium by sucrose addition causes a fourfold decrease in the intracellular cAMP level. As a consequence this prevents the induction of tryptophanase whereas beta-galactosidase is still inducible. After pulse induction, a difference in the kinetics of expression of the tryptophanase and beta-galactosidase genes was found. Its relationship with the previous results is discussed.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1998

Analysis of the pH- and ligand-induced spectral transitions of tryptophanase: activation of the coenzyme at the early steps of the catalytic cycle.

Tryptophanase has an absorption maximum at 338 nm at high pH and 422 nm at low pH. The 422-nm absorption species has been considered to be the catalytically competent ketoenamine form of the Schiff base of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate with a lysine residue. The 338-nm absorption band showed an intense fluorescence band at 390 nm and not around 500 nm, indicating that the 338-nm absorption species is the substituted aldamine rather than an enolimine form of the Schiff base which has been suggested previously. To explore the mechanism of the enzyme that can exert its catalytic ability at high pH where most of its coenzyme exists as the catalytically incompetent aldamine structure, the reaction of tryptophanase with 3-indolepropionate, a substrate analogue that stops the reaction at the step of the Michaelis complex, was studied at various pH values and analogue concentrations. Kinetic analysis was done based on a scheme involving eight forms of the enzyme, i.e., the liganded and unliganded forms of the ketoenamine, the substituted aldamine structures, and their protonated and deprotonated forms. Kinetic parameters were obtained for each interconversion step. The results showed that the binding of 3-indolepropionate to tryptophanase shifts the equilibrium from the substituted aldamine to the ketoenamine structure over the entire pH region studied. This implies that in the reaction of tryptophanase with tryptophan at high pH, where the enzyme shows maximum activity, the binding of the substrate to the enzyme converts the inactive aldamine form of the coenzyme to the active ketoenamine form. Mechanisms for the activation process, in which a nucleophile is expelled from the aldamine either by steric hindrance of the nucleophile with the ligand or by the negative charge of the ligand alpha-carboxylate group that stabilizes the aldimine structure, were discussed.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1995

The folding characteristics of tryptophanase from Escherichia coli.

The unfolding and refolding characteristics of Escherichia coli tryptophanase (tryptophan indole-lyase) [EC 4.1.99.1] in guanidine hydrochloride were studied. Tryptophanase unfolded by first dissociating its coenzyme, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, from the active site. This dissociation caused a significant destabilization of structure, and global unfolding of the protein followed. During this global unfolding step, an intermediate was formed which had a strong tendency to aggregate irreversibly, as detected by light scattering experiments. Tryptophanase was unable to refold quantitatively after unfolding in 4 M guanidine hydrochloride. The low refolding yield was due to non-specific aggregation which occurs during refolding. Various conditions which limited this aggregation were probed, and it was found that by initiating the refolding reaction at low temperature, the aggregation of tryptophanase folding intermediates during the reaction could be avoided to a certain extent, and the refolding yield improved.

Apoenzymes↗
PubMed1975

Tryptophanase of fecal flora as a possible factor in the etiology of colon cancer.

Twenty-three strains of intestinal anaerobes obtained from two laboratories were examined for indole production from tryptophan. Among the 23 isolates tested, three of Bacteroides fragilis thetaiotaomicron and one Citrobacter sp. were indole positive. The tryptophanase of the indole-positive strains of intestinal anaerobes was inducible by tryptophan and was susceptible to glucose repression. The products of tryptophanase activity were formed in stoichiometric amounts by dialyzed, freshly prepared extracts. The tryptophan concentration and tryptophanase activity in feces from rats on an all-meat diet were significantly higher than those in feces from rats on a normal diet. The results indicated that the higher tryptophanase activity in the feces of rats fed an all-meat diet is due to the inducibility of this enzyme by tryptophan and is not due to any inhibitor in the feces of rats on a normal diet. The results also suggested that a population with a diet rich in meat has a greater chance for exposure to possible carcinogens such as indole and other tryptophan metabolites. This agrees with the hypothesis, based on epidemiologic data, that a high intake of meat may be related to the development of colon cancer in man.

Bacteroides↗
PubMed1990

Linear dichroism studies of tryptophanase and its quasisubstrate complexes oriented in polyacrylamide gel.

Tryptophanase from Escherichia coli was oriented in a compressed slab of polyacrylamide gel and its linear dichroism (LD) and absorption spectra have been measured. The free enzyme displays four LD bands at 305, 340, 425 and 490 nm. Two bands at 340 and 425 nm belong to the internal coenzyme-lysine aldimine. The 305-nm band apparently belongs to an aromatic amino acid residue. The 490-nm band disappears after treatment with NaBH4 or after incubation with L-alanine and subsequent dialysis. It is suggested that the 490-nm band belongs to a quinonoid enzyme subform. The reaction of tryptophanase with threo-3-phenyl-DL-serine, L-threonine and D-alanine leads to formation of an external aldimine with an intense absorption band at 420-425 nm. The values of reduced LD (delta A/A) in this band strongly differ from that in the 420-nm band of the free enzyme. The LD value of the complex with D-alanine is intermediate between those of the free enzyme and the complex with 3-phenylserine. In the presence of indole the complex with D-alanine displays the same LD as that observed with 3-phenylserine. The reaction of tryptophanase with L-alanine or oxindolyl-L-alanine leads to formation of a quinonoid intermediate with an absorption band near 500 nm. The LD value in this band is close to that of an external aldimine with L-threonine. It is concluded that reorientations of the coenzyme occur in the course of the tryptophanase reaction.

Alanine↗
PubMed1992

Cloning, nucleotide sequences, and overexpression in Escherichia coli of tandem copies of a tryptophanase gene in an obligately symbiotic thermophile, Symbiobacterium thermophilum.

Symbiobacterium thermophilum, a thermophilic bacterium, is a thermostable tryptophanase producer that can grow only in coculture with a specific Bacillus strain. Two thermostable tryptophanase genes, tna-1 and tna-2, that are located close to each other were cloned into Escherichia coli from S. thermophilum by the DNA-probing method. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences indicate that Tna1 and Tna2 share 92% identical amino acids in a total of 453 amino acids. By means of DNA manipulation with E. coli host-vector systems, Tna1 and Tna2 were produced in very large amounts in enzymatically active forms. Comparison of the NH2-terminal amino acid sequences and the enzymatic properties of the tryptophanases purified from the original S. thermophilum strain and these two tryptophanases from recombinant E. coli cells suggest that in S. thermophilum, only Tna2 is produced and tna-1 is silent. Notwithstanding the great similarity in amino acid sequence between Tna1 and Tna2, the two enzymes differ markedly in activation energy for catalysis and thermostability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗