Dihydroxy-acid Dehydratase Involved in the Biosynthesis of the Branched-Chain Amino acids, Isoleucine and Valine, from the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

Dihydroxy-acid dehydratase (DHAD, 2,3-dihydroxy-acid hydrolyase, EC 4.2.1.9) is one of the key enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of the branched chain amino acid isoleucine and valine. Although the enzyme have been purified and characterized in various mesophiles including bacteria and eukarya, the biochemical properties of DHAD has bee not yet reported from hyperthermophilic archaea. In this study, we cloned, expressed, and purified a DHAD homologue from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2, which grows optimally at $80\;^{\circ}C$ and pH 3, in E. coli. Characterization of the recombinant S. solfataricus DHAD (rSso_DHAD) revealed that it is the dimeric protein with a subunit molecular weight of 64,000 Da in native structure. rDHAD showed the highest activity toward 2,3-dihydroxyisovaleric acid among 17 aldonic acid substrates Interestingly, this enzyme also displayed 50 % activities toward some pentonic acids and hexonic acids when compared with the activity of this enzyme to the natural substrate. Moreover, rSso_DHAD indicated relatively higher activity toward D-gluconate than any other hexonic acids tested in substrates. $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of rSso_DHAD were calculated as $0.54\;{\pm}\;0.04\;mM$ toward 2,3dihydroxyisovalerate and $2.42\;{\pm}\;0.19\;mM$ toward D-gluconate, and as $21.6\;{\pm}\;0.4\;U/mg$ toward 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate and $13.8\;{\pm}\;0.4\;U/mg$ toward D-gluconate, respectively. In the study for biochemical properties, the enzyme shows maximal activity between $70^{\circ}C$ and $80^{\circ}C$, and the pH range of pH 7.5 to 8.5. The half life time at $80^{\circ}C$ was 30 min. A divalent metal ion, $Mn^{2+}$, was only powerful activators, whereas other metal ions made the enzyme activity reduced. $Hg^{2+}$, organic mercury, and EDTA also strongly inhibited enzyme activities. Particularly, the rSso_DHAD activity was very stable under aerobic condition although the counterparts reported from mesophiles had been deactivated by oxygen.