Alcohol oxidase from Basidiomycetes

Properties, Physiological Functions and Involvement of Basidiomycetous Alcohol Oxidase in Wood Degradation

Extensive research efforts have been devoted to describing yeast alcohol oxidase (AO) and its promoter region, which is vastly applied in studies of heterologous gene expression. However, little is known about basidiomycetous AO and its physiological role in wood degradation. This review describes several alcohol oxidases from both white and brown rot fungi, highlighting their physicochemical and kinetic properties. Moreover, the review presents a detailed analysis of available AO-encoding gene promoter regions in basidiomycetous fungi with a discussion of the manipulations of culture conditions in relation to the modification of alcohol oxidase gene expression and changes in enzyme production. The analysis of reactions catalyzed by lignin-modifying enzymes (LME) and certain lignin auxiliary enzymes (LDA) elucidated the possible involvement of alcohol oxidase in the degradation of derivatives of this polymer. Combined data on lignin degradation pathways suggest that basidiomycetous AO is important in secondary reactions during lignin decomposition by wood degrading fungi. With numerous alcoholic substrates, the enzyme is probably engaged in a variety of catalytic reactions leading to the detoxification of compounds produced in lignin degradation processes and their utilization as a carbon source by fungal mycelium.

Distribution, diversity and regulation of alcohol oxidase isozymes, and phylogenetic relationships of methylotrophic yeasts

In this study, we attempted to classify the methylotrophic yeasts based on diversities of alcohol oxidase (AOD), i.e. zymogram patterns and partial amino acid sequences. According to zymogram patterns for AOD, members of the methylotrophic yeasts separate into two major lineages, one group involving strains having a single AOD and the other group, including Pichia methanolica, Candida pignaliae and C. sonorensis, showing nine AOD isozymes. Based on partial amino acid sequences of AOD, the methylotrophic yeasts could be divided into five groups, and this classification agrees mostly with grouping based on 26S domain D1/D2 rDNA nucleotide sequences, except for some strains. Moreover, the strains having AOD isozymes constitute one group with P. trehalophila, P. glucozyma and Pichia sp. strain BZ159, although these strains are divided into two types, based on amino acid sequences of second AODs. On the other hand, these AOD isozymes consist of two subunits; the first subunits are induced not only by methanol but also by glycerol and pectin, although the second subunits are mainly induced by methanol. These data indicate that AOD isozymes and second AOD genes distribute widely in several methylotrophic yeasts in the natural environment, and second AOD genes may have evolved as methylotrophic genes that can adapt to the environmental conditions of higher methanol concentrations.

Purification and characterization of intracellular and extracellular, thermostable and alkali-tolerant alcohol oxidases produced by a thermophilic fungus, Thermoascus aurantiacus NBRC 31693

Intracellular and extracellular alcohol oxidases (AO int and AO ext) were purified from the liquid and solid cultures of a thermophilic fungus, Thermoascus aurantiacus NBRC 31693, as electrophoretically and isoelectrophoretically homogeneous proteins, respectively. Both enzymes contained a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor and were stained with Schiff's reagent. The molecular weight of AO int was estimated to be about 320 kDa and its subunit was 75 kDa. The molecular weight of AO ext was about 560 kDa, and it was composed of two types of subunits (75 kDa and 59 kDa). The pIs of AO int and AO ext were 5.88 and 6.08, respectively. AO int and AO ext were stable up to 60 degrees C and 55 degrees C, respectively. The enzymes were stable over a wide range of pH from 6 to 11. AO int oxidized short straight-chain alcohols (K(m) for methanol, 13.5 mM and K(m) for ethanol, 15.8 mM). On the other hand, AO ext could oxidize secondary alcohols and aromatic alcohols (veratryl alcohol and benzyl alcohol) in addition to straight-chain alcohols (K(m) for methanol, 0.5 mM and K(m) for ethanol, 10.2 mM).