Secretion of both partially unfolded and folded apoproteins of dimethyl sulfoxide reductase by spheroplasts from a molybdenum cofactor-deficient mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans.

Spheroplasts prepared from a molybdenum cofactor-deficient mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans secreted dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) reductase which had no molybdenum cofactor and therefore no activity, whereas those from wild-type cells secreted the active reductase. The inactive DMSO reductase proteins were separated by nondenaturing electrophoresis into two forms: form I, with the same mobility as the native enzyme, and form II, with slower mobility. Both forms had the same mobility on denaturing gel. Form I and active DMSO reductase had the same profile on gel filtration chromatography. Form II was eluted a little faster than the native enzyme, suggesting that DMSO reductase form II was not an aggregated form but a compactly folded form very similar to the native enzyme. Form II was digested by trypsin and denatured with urea, whereas form I was unaffected, like native DMSO reductase. These results suggested that form II was a partially unfolded but compactly folded apoprotein of DMSO reductase.