Metabolism of l-threonine and fatty acids and tylosin biosynthesis inStreptomyces fradiae

The snow alga Chloromonas kaweckae sp. nov. (Volvocales, Chlorophyta) causes green surface blooms in the high tatras (Slovakia) and tolerates high irradiance

Seasonally slowly melting mountain snowfields are populated by extremophilic microalgae. In alpine habitats, high-light sensitive, green phytoflagellates are usually observed in subsurface layers deeper in the snowpack under dim conditions, while robust orange to reddish cyst stages can be seen exposed on the surface. In this study, uncommon surface green snow was investigated in the High Tatra Mountains (Slovakia). The monospecific community found in the green surface bloom consisted of vegetative Chloromonas cells (Volvocales, Chlorophyta). Molecular data demonstrated that the field sample and the strain isolated and established from the bloom were conspecific, and they represent a new species, Chloromonas kaweckae sp. nov., which is described based on the morphology of the vegetative cells and asexual reproduction and on molecular analyses of the strain. Cells of C. kaweckae accumulated approximately 50% polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is advantageous at low temperatures. In addition, this new species performed active photosynthesis at temperatures close to the freezing point showed a light compensation point of 126 ± 22 μmol photons · m-2  · s-1 and some signs of photoinhibition at irradiances greater than 600 μmol photons · m-2  · s-1 . These data indicate that the photosynthetic apparatus of C. kaweckae could be regarded as adapted to relatively high light intensities, otherwise unusual for most flagellate stages of snow algae.

Properties of NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase from the tylosin producer Streptomyces fradiae

Glutamate dehydrogenase is an enzyme responsible for ammonium assimilation and glutamate catabolism in organisms. The tylosin producer Streptomyces fradiae possesses both NADP- and NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenases. The latter enzyme was purified 498-fold with a 7.5% recovery by a six-step protocol. The enzyme is composed of two subunits, each of Mr 47 000, and could form active aggregates of four or eight subunits. Its activity was inactivated by alkaline pH or temperatures of −20 °C or above 40 °C. Activities assayed in the direction of oxidative deamination and reductive amination were optimal at pH 9.2 and 8.8, respectively, and at temperatures of 30–35 °C. No activity was found when NAD(H) was replaced with NADP(H). The Km values were 32.2 mM for L-glutamate, 0.3 mM for NAD+, 3.4 mM for 2-ketoglutarate, 14.2 mM for NH4+, and 0.05 mM for NADH. Deamination activity was partially inhibited by adenyl nucleotides and several divalent cations; amination activity was not affected by the nucleotides but significantly inhibited by Cu2+ or Ni2+.Key words: Streptomyces fradiae, NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase, purification, properties.