Acyl-coenzyme-A synthetase I from Candida lipolytica. Purification, properties and immunochemical studies.

Acyl-coenzyme-A synthetase I from Candida lipolytica has been purified to homogeneity as evidenced by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of dodecylsulfate as well as by Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis. The purification procedure involves resolution of cellular particles with Triton X-100 and chromatography on phosphocellulose, Blue-Sepharose and Sephadex G-100. The purified enzyme exhibits a specific activity of 20--24 U/mg protein at 25 degree C, which is about 100-fold higher than those of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetases hitherto reported. The molecular weight of the enzyme has been estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of dodecylsulfate to be approximately 84 000. The enzyme is specific for fatty acids with 14--18 carbon atoms regardless of the degree of unsaturation. Studies with the use of specific antibody to acyl-CoA synthetase I have indicated that this enzyme is immunochemically distinguishable from acyl-CoA synthetase II.