Purification and properties of the alpha2beta2 complex of tryptophan synthetase of Proteus mirabilis.

A procedure is described for the purification of the tryptophan synthetase alpha2beta2 complex from cell extracts of Proteus mirabilis. A 30-fold purification was achieved with an overall yield of about 23% and a specific activity of 1,600. The complex can be dissociated and the subunits isolated in a pure form. The complex can be reconstituted from the isolated subunits to regain the initial activity. The alpha and beta2 subunits of the tryptophan synthetase complex of P. mirabilis are not significantly different from those of Escherichia coli and other enteric bacteria as to their physical properties, amino acid compositions, and enzymic properties. Complementation studies indicate that the alpha subunit of P. mirabilis hybridizes well with the beta2 subunit from E. coli. Similarly, the beta2 subunit of P. mirabilis readily complexes with the alpha subunits from E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Serratia marcescens. The hybrids formed are all effective in catalyzing the conversion of indoleglycerol phosphate plus serine into tryptophan and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. However, these hybrids have reduced or no activity in the other reactions, namely, the condensation of indole and serine to form tryptophan or the aldolytic cleavage of indoleglycerol phosphate.