Further characterization of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate: nitrate oxidoreductase in Aspergillus nidulans.

The reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH):nitrate oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.6.2) from Aspergillus nidulans wild-type bi-1 was purified by means of salt fractionation, gel filtration, affinity chromatography, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Enzyme which was adsorbed on Cibacron blue agarose could be eluted with 2 mM NADPH or 2 mM oxidized NADP (NADP(+)), the former being about three times more effective than the latter. About half the total NADPH:nitrate reductase activity adsorbed on agarose required elution with 1 M NaCl. This salt-elutable form remained active with NADPH and was not converted to the NADPH-elutable form after readsorption on Cibacron blue agarose. The NADPH-eluted enzyme exhibited a markedly different electrophoretic mobility than the enzyme eluted with NADP(+) or NaCl. After electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels, the NADPH-eluted NADPH:nitrate reductase was separated into four proteins, two of which contained nonheme iron and exhibited reduced methyl viologen-nitrate reductase activity. None of these proteins, singly or in combination, reduced nitrate with NADPH as substrate. Difference spectra analyses and specific heme iron stains revealed the presence of cytochrome b(557) in the largest of the proteins. The molecular weights of the four proteins, which were determined from the relationship of their mobilities on varied concentrations of acrylamide gel, were 360,000, 300,000, 240,000, and 118,000. The subunit molecular weights of these, which are determined via sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel electrophoresis, were 49,000, 50,000, and 75,000. The key role of NADPH in maintenance of the active form of the heteromultimer is further substantiated.