2,3-Dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate degraded by Cupriavidus pinatubonensis JMP134: purification of dihydroxypropanesulfonate 3-dehydrogenase.

2,3-Dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate (DHPS) is a widespread intermediate in plant and algal transformations of sulfoquinovose (SQ) from the plant sulfolipid sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol. Further, DHPS is recovered quantitatively during bacterial degradation of SQ by Klebsiella sp. strain ABR11. DHPS is also a putative precursor of sulfolactate in e.g. Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3. A bioinformatic approach indicated that some 28 organisms with sequenced genomes might degrade DHPS inducibly via sulfolactate, with three different desulfonative enzymes involved in its degradation in different organisms. The hypothesis for Cupriavidus pinatubonensis JMP134 (formerly Ralstonia eutropha) involved a seven-gene cluster (Reut_C6093-C6087) comprising a LacI-type transcriptional regulator, HpsR, a major facilitator superfamily uptake system, HpsU, three NAD(P)(+)-coupled DHPS dehydrogenases, HpsNOP, and (R)-sulfolactate sulfo-lyase (SuyAB) [EC 4.4.1.24]. HpsOP effected a DHPS-racemase activity, and HpsN oxidized (R)-DHPS to (R)-sulfolactate. The hypothesis for Roseovarius nubinhibens ISM was similar, but involved a tripartite ATP-independent transport system for DHPS, HpsKLM, and two different desulfonative enzymes, (S)-cysteate sulfo-lyase [EC 4.4.1.25] and sulfoacetaldehyde acetyltransferase (Xsc) [EC 2.3.3.15]. Representative organisms were found to grow with DHPS and release sulfate. C. pinatubonensis JMP134 was found to express at least one NAD(P)(+)-coupled DHPS dehydrogenase inducibly, and three different peaks of activity were separated by anion-exchange chromatography. Protein bands (SDS-PAGE) were subjected to peptide-mass fingerprinting, which identified the corresponding genes (hpsNOP). Purified HpsN converted DHPS to sulfolactate. Reverse-transcription PCR confirmed that hpsNOUP were transcribed inducibly in strain JMP134, and that hpsKLM and hpsNOP were transcribed in strain ISM. DHPS degradation is widespread and diverse, implying that DHPS is common in marine and terrestrial environments.