Cyanide production from glycine by a homogenate from a Pseudomonas species

Abstract

A cell-free preparation with cyanide-producing activity was obtained from a bacterium, strain C, of the genus Pseudomonas. To preserve activity, an oxidizing agent, e.g., phenazine methosulphage (PMS), had to be added to the cell suspension before disruption by sonic treatment. By the procedure described, a total homogenate made from a 15% (wet weight) bacterial suspension in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-hydrochloride buffer (0.05 M, pH 8.2) and with PMS (0.4mM) exhibited about 8% of the activity obtained from a suspension of untreated bacteria. In the presence of flavine-adenine dinucleotide (0.3 mM) and PMS (0.4mM), the activity was augmented to about 16% of that of the intact cells. By gradient centrifugation the homogenate was separated into three fractions. The main enzyme activity was associated with those fractions which by electron microscopy were found to consist of membranous structures.