Enzymes of malate oxidation in Mycobacterium leprae grown in armadillo livers.

A NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase is the principal enzyme for malate oxidation by Mycobacterium leprae, FAD-dependent malate-vitamin K reductase was detected at about 1% the level of the NAD-dependent activity. Both enzyme activities were detected in extracts from M. leprae treated with NaOH to abolish host-derived activities which might be adsorbed to the bacteria and the NAD-dependent enzyme was shown to be electrophoretically distinct from the host-tissue enzyme, thus establishing that these were both authentic bacterial enzymes. Mycobacterium leprae does not possess malic enzyme.