Thymine 7-hydroxylase from Neurospora crassa. Substrate specificity studies.

A partially purified preparation of thymine 7-hydroxylase (thymine, 2-oxoglutarate : oxygen oxidoreductase (7-hydroxylating), EC 1.14.11.6) from Neurospora crassa was incubated with a number of pyrimidines chemically related to tyymine. 1. Pyrimidines with oxygen or sulfur substituents on atoms Nos. 2 and 4 as well as an alkyl group on atom Nos. 1 or 5 were substrates. 2. Km values were determined for 1-methyluracil, 1-ethyluracil, thymine, 6-azathymine, 1-methylthymine, 1-ethylthymine, 5-formyluracil and 5-hydroxymethyluracil. 3. Uracil was identified as one of the metabolites after incubation with 1-methyluracil. The one-carbon metabolite has not been characterized. 4. Several pyrimidines with polar groups on atoms Nos. 2 and 4 were inhibitory. 5. Addition of 1-methyluracil, 1-methylthymine, 1-ethylthymine or 5-hydroxymethyluracil to incubations with thymine and 2-oxo[1-14C1]glutarate did not result in additional formation of 14CO2, indicating that the same enzyme acts on the different compounds. It has previously been found (Bankel, L., Holme, E., Lindstedt, G. and Lindstedt, S. (1972) FEBS Lett. 21, 135-138) that a mutant strain of N. crassa which is devoid of thymine 7-hydroxylase activity also lacks ability to perform the coupled oxygenation of 2-oxoglutarate and 1-methyluracil, 5-hydroxymethyluracil and 5-formyluracil, respectively. It is concluded that one and the same oxygenase is responsible for the activities studied.