Purification and properties of the flavine-stimulated anaerobic L- -glycerophosphate dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli

Abstract

The anaerobic l-alpha-glycerophosphate (l-alpha-GP) dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli was purified approximately 40-fold. The activity of the dehydrogenase, although not affected by the addition of pyridine nucleotides, was stimulated three- to fourfold by flavine adenine dinucleotide (K(m) about 10(-7)m) and up to 10-fold by flavine mononucleotide (K(m) about 10(-4)m). Maximal activity of the enzyme was found only in the combined presence of saturating concentrations of both flavines (stimulation by a factor of 10 to 15). The dependence of the rate of the reaction on the concentration of l-alpha-GP was complex in the presence of both flavines, but in the presence of flavine adenine dinucleotide alone the kinetics were of the Michaelis-Menten type with the K(m) for l-alpha-GP being about 10(-4)m. The product of the reaction was identified as dihydroxyacetone phosphate, and the molecular weight of the dehydrogenase was estimated to be 80,000 +/- 10,000. Phenazine methosulfate, menadione and ferricyanide served as artificial acceptors for the dehydrogenase. The enzyme was sensitive to iodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate, and N-ethymaleimide.