Substrate specificity of endo-polyguluronide lyases from Pseudomonas sp. on the basis of their kinetic properties.

Two endo-alginate lyases [EC 4.2.2.3] differing in their mode of degradation of substrates and practically free of polymannuronide lyase activity were partially purified from Pseudomonas sp. cells. Their substrate specificities were investigated for two different kinds of alginate fragments; a polyguluronide (SG) and a polyuronide consisting of mannuronic (M) and guluronic (G) acid residues (SMG). The effects of various salts and some organic compounds such as EDTA and p-chloromercuribenzoate on the degradation of the two substrates were similar. High concentrations of the substrates similarly inhibited the action ofthe lyases, giving a bell-shaped plot. A polymannuronide alginate fragment (SM) which was a substrate for polymannuronide lyase but was not attacked by these guluronide lyases also inhibited the degradation of SG and SMG. The overall degradation velocities of a mixture of SG and SMG by both lyases coincided with those calculated from the Michaelis-Menten formula. Based on the above results, it was concluded that SG and SMG are attacked by the same endo-polyguluronide lyase.