Purification and Characterization of a Cyclohexanol Dehydrogenase from Rhodococcus sp. TK6

Activity staining on the native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of a cell-free extract of Rhodococcus sp. TK6, grown in media containing alcohols as the carbon source, revealed at least seven isozyme bands, which were identified as alcohol dehydrogenases that oxidize cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone. Among the alcohol dehydrogenases, cyclohexanol dehydrogenase II (CDH II), which is the major enzyme involved in the oxidation of cyclohexanol, was purified to homogeneity. The molecular mass of the CDH II was determined to be 60 kDa by gel filtration, while the molecular mass of each subunit was estimated to be 28 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The CDH II was unstable in acidic and basic pHs, and rapidly inactivated at temperatures above $40^{\circ}C$ . The CDH II activity was enhanced by the addition of divalent metal ions, like $Ba^2+\;and\;Mg^{2+}$. The purified enzyme catalyzed the oxidation of a broad range of alcohols, including cyclohexanol, trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diol, trans-cyclopentane-l,2-diol, cyclopentanol, and hexane-1,2-diol. The $K_m$ values of the CDH II for cyclohexanol, trans-cyclohexane-l,2-diol, cyclopentanol, trans-cyclopentane-l,2-diol, and hexane-l,2-diol were 1.7, 2.8, 14.2, 13.7, and 13.5 mM, respectively. The CDH II would appear to be a major alcohol dehydrogenase for the oxidation of cyclohexanol. The N-terminal sequence of the CDH II was determined to be TVAHVTGAARGIGRA. Furthermore, based on a comparison of the determined sequence with other short chain alcohol dehydrogenases, the purified CDH II was suggested to be a new enzyme.