L-tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase of a moderate thermophile, Bacillus brevis. Purification, properties and a substrate-mediated stabilization of the quaternary structure.

L-Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (L-tryptophan: oxygen 2,3-oxidoreductase ( decycling ), EC 1.13.11.11) from Bacillus brevis, a moderately thermophilic bacteria, was purified to apparent homogeneity. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 110 000 and consisted of four subunits of equal molecular size. The enzyme exhibited the typical absorption spectra of a protohemoprotein . The amino acid composition and catalytic properties of the thermophilic enzyme were almost similar to those of its mesophilic counterpart from Pseudomonas acidovorans. However, the stabilities of the enzyme differed markedly between the two. The thermophilic enzyme was more resistant to heat and several chemical denaturants. The addition of L-tryptophan protected the enzyme from heat- and SDS- denaturations , and the tryptophan-mediated stabilization was more evident for the thermophilic enzyme. The effect of L-tryptophan on the stabilization of the thermophilic enzyme was more effective in preventing the dissociation of the tetrameric form of the enzyme (i.e. stabilizing it) in the case of the native, as compared to the mesophilic enzyme.