Comparison of Hydrogenases from Clostridium butyricum and Thiocapsa roseopersicina: Hydrogenases of C. butyricum and T. roseopersicina

The properties related to the temperature and oxygen stability of the cytoplasmic hydrogenases from the fermentative strict anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium butyricum NCIB 9576 (Cl. butyricum), and purple sulfur phototrophic bacterium, Thiocapsa roseopersicina NCIB 8347 (T. roseopersicina), were compared. The optimum temperatures for the growth of Cl. butyricum and T. roseopersicina were 37$^{\circ}C$ and 25$^{\circ}C$, respectively, whereas those for the H$_2$ evolution of the cytoplasmic hydrogenases prepared from Cl. butyricum (C-H$_2$ase) and T. roseopersicina (T-H$_2$ase) were 45$^{\circ}C$ and 65$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The T-H$_2$ase was more thermostable than the C-H$_2$ase and retained its full activity for 5 h at 50$^{\circ}C$ under anaerobic conditions and 90% of its activity at 60$^{\circ}C$, whereas the C-H$_2$ase lost its activity drastically at 50$^{\circ}C$. The optimum pHs for H$_2$ oxidation of the C-H$_2$ase and T-H$_2$ase were 9.0 and 7.5, respectively. Both enzymes showed a maximum H$_2$ evolution activity at pH 7.0. Under aerobic conditions, 80% of the T-H$_2$ase activity was retained for 10 h at 30$^{\circ}C$, and 50% of the activity remained after 6 days under the same experimental conditions. However, the C-H$_2$ase was labile to oxygen and lost its activity immediately on exposure to air. Therefore, these properties of the T-H$_2$ase are expected to be advantageous for application in in vitro biological H$_2$ production systems.