Title Biochemical Properties and Physiological Roles of NADP-Dependent Malic Enzyme in Escherichia coli
Author Baojuan Wang1, Peng Wang1, Enxia Zheng1, Xiangxian Chen1, Hanjun Zhao2, Ping Song1, Ruirui Su1, Xiaoning Li3, and Guoping Zhu1*
Address 1Key Laboratory of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity and Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, P. R. China, 2The Clinical Laboratory of Wuhu Second People’s Hospital, Wuhu 241000, P. R. China, 3Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241000, P. R. China
Bibliography Journal of Microbiology, 49(5),797-802, 2011,
DOI
Key Words NADP-dependent malic enzyme, biochemical property, homologous recombination, growth rate, NADPH
Abstract Malic enzymes catalyze the reversible oxidative decarboxylation of L-malate using NAD(P)+ as a cofactor. NADP-dependent malic enzyme (MaeB) from Escherichia coli MG1655 was expressed and purified as a fusion protein. The molecular weight of MaeB was about 83 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The recombinant MaeB showed a maximum activity at pH 7.8 and 46°C. MaeB activity was dependent on the presence of Mn2+ but was strongly inhibited by Zn2+. In order to understand the physiological roles, recombinant E. coli strains (icdNADP/ΔmaeB and icdNAD/ΔmaeB) containing NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), or engineered NAD-dependent IDH with the deletion of the maeB gene, were constructed using homologous recombination. During growth on acetate, icdNAD/ΔmaeB grew poorly, having a growth rate only 60% that of the wild-type strain (icdNADP). Furthermore, icdNADP/ΔmaeB exhibited a 2-fold greater adaptability to acetate than icdNAD/ΔmaeB, which may be explained by more NADPH production for biosynthesis in icdNADP/ΔmaeB due to its NADP-dependent IDH. These results indicated that MaeB was important for NADPH production for bacterial growth on acetate. We also observed that MaeB activity was significantly enhanced (7.83-fold) in icdNAD, which was about 3-fold higher than that in icdNADP, when switching from glucose to acetate. The marked increase of MaeB activity was probably induced by the shortage of NADPH in icdNAD. Evidently, MaeB contributed to the NADPH generation needed for bacterial growth on two carbon compounds.