ISOLATION AND PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SUBUNITS OF THE TERMINAL COMPONENT OF NAPHTHALENE DIOXYGENASE FROM PSEUDOMONAS-PUTIDA NCIB 9816-4

The terminal oxygenase component (ISP(NAP)) of naphthalene dioxygenase from Pseudomonas putida NCIB 9816-4 was purified to homogeneity. The protein contained approximately 4 g-atoms each of iron and acid-labile sulfide per mol of ISP(NAP), and enzyme activity was stimulated significantly by addition of exogenous iron. The large (alpha) and small (beta) subunits of ISP(NAP) were isolated by two different procedures. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of the alpha and beta subunits were identical to the deduced amino acid sequences reported for the ndoB and ndoC genes from P. putida NCIB 9816 and almost identical to the NH2-terminal amino acid sequences determined for the large and small subunits of ISP(NAP) from P. putida G7. Gel filtration in the presence of 6 M urea gave an alpha subunit with an absorption maximum at 325 nm and broad absorption between 420 and 450 nm. The alpha subunit contained approximately 2 g-atoms each of iron and acid-labile sulfide per mol of the subunit. The beta subunit did not contain iron or acid-labile sulfide. These results, taken in conjunction with the deduced amino acid sequences of the large subunits from several iron-sulfur oxygenases, indicate that each alpha subunit of ISP(NAP) contains a Rieske [2Fe-2S] center.