Affinity isolation and characterization of cytochrome P450 102 (BM-3) from barbiturate-induced Bacillus megaterium.

Cytochrome P450 102 (BM-3) is a catalytically self-sufficient enzyme from Bacillus megaterium that is presently accepted as an important model of the mammalian microsomal P450 monooxygenase system. We have developed a novel affinity approach to purify P450 102 in a single chromatographic step and have studied the spectroscopic, catalytic, nucleotide binding, and crystallization properties of the highly purified enzyme. B. megaterium ATCC 14581 was grown to high cell density, and P450 102 was purified rapidly and in high yield by chromatography on adenosine-2',5'-diphosphate agarose from crude cell-free extract. The cytochrome bound to the column with remarkable avidity, in contrast to the significantly weaker binding observed for NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. Chromatographic behavior also showed that the cytochrome bound NADP(+)-type nucleotides more tightly than any other cellular polypeptide. The purified protein was electrophoretically homogeneous and had essentially theoretical contents of FAD, FMN, and heme. Optical spectra showed the expected heme and flavin absorption bands, and three previously undescribed charge-transfer-type absorptions were characterized. Molar extinction coefficients in the oxidized, fully reduced, and ferrous carbonyl states have been determined; notable is the large soret extinction in the ferrous carbonyl state (epsilon 449 nm = 143,500 M-1 cm-1). Final preparations were active in the oxidation of a wide variety of substrates. Of the C14 alkyl compounds studied, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide showed the highest substrate-dependent oxidation of NADPH, followed by myristate and myristyl alcohol; however, myristate exhibited the lowest Km value. Activities were tightly coupled to NADPH oxidation (> 97%). Phenobarbital, benzphetamine, cocaine, cyclohexane, methanol, ethanol, retinoic acid, benzoate, heptaflourobutyrate, and 7-ethoxycoumarin were not substrates. NADP+ titrations showed, as expected, that the coenzyme was bound very tightly, with an average Kd of 580 nM. Our preparations of P450 102 are of sufficient purity and stability that crystals of the native holoenzyme have been grown.

Further studies on Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasA: analysis of specificity.

Full elastolytic activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a result of the combined activities of elastase, alkaline proteinase, and the lasA gene product, LasA. The results of this study demonstrate that an active fragment of the LasA protein which is isolated from the culture supernatant fraction is capable of degrading elastin in the absence of elastase, thus showing that LasA is a second elastase produced by this organism. In addition, it is shown that LasA-mediated enhancement of elastolysis results from the separate activities of LasA and elastase upon elastin. The LasA protein does not affect the secretion or activation of a proelastase as previously proposed in other studies. Furthermore, LasA has specific proteolytic capability, as demonstrated by its ability to cleave beta-casein. Preliminary analysis of beta-casein cleavage in the presence of various protease inhibitors suggests that LasA may be classified as a modified serine protease.