ENZYMATIC BASIS FOR D-ARBITOL PRODUCTION BY SACCHAROMYCES ROUXII.

Ingram, Jordan M. (Michigan State University, East Lansing), and W. A. Wood. Enzymatic basis for d-arabitol production by Saccharomyces rouxii. J. Bacteriol. 89:1186-1194. 1965.-The enzymatic steps in d-arabitol synthesis by Saccharomyces rouxii were studied. The fermentation of d-glucose-6-C(14) gave rise to d-arabitol labeled at C-5; d-ribose of ribonucleic acid had the same isotope pattern. Crude extracts were able to reduce d-ribulose with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH(2)) and d-xylulose with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH(2)). These extracts also oxidized d-arabitol with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate and xylitol with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. No reduction of d-ribulose-5-phosphate or d-xylulose-5-phosphate was observed. An enzyme which reduced d-xylulose with NADH(2) was purified 33-fold and characterized as a xylitol (--> d-xylulose) dehydrogenase. Similarly, an enzyme reducing d-ribulose with NADPH(2) was purified 12-fold and characterized as a d-arabitol (--> d-ribulose) dehydrogenase. Alkaline and acid phosphatases were purified 50- and 40-fold, respectively, and their specificities were determined. Only the acid phosphatase had detectable activity on d-ribulose-5-phosphate. The data support the postulate that d-arabitol arises by dephosphorylation of d-ribulose-5-phosphate and reduction of d-ribulose by a NADPH(2)-linked d-arabitol (--> d-ribulose) dehydrogenase.