Thermostable Lipoxygenase is a Key Enzyme in the Conversion of Linoleic Acid to Trihydroxy-octadecenoic Acid by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PR3

Lipoxygenases (LOXs) constitute a family of lipid-peroxidizing enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acid containing a (1Z,42)-pentadiene structural unit, leading to formation of conjugated (Z,E)hydroperoxydienoic acid LOXs are known to be widely distributed in plants and animals Recently, several microbial LOXs were reported to be involved in the production of hydroperoxy fatty acids Among the microorganisms that produce hydroxy fatty acids, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PR3 is known to convert linoleic acid to trihydroxy fatty acid, which suggests the involvement of a LOX enzyme Based on these reports, we identified a novel thermostable LOX from P aeruginosa PR3 strain The protein was purified 34 3-fold with a recovery rate of 5 14% The K(m) and V(max) values of the purified enzyme were 3 57 mM and 0 73 mu mol/min//mg, respectively Heat stability of the purified enzyme was unexpectedly high with an LD(50) of 90 mm at 80 degrees C, although P aeruginosa PR3 is known as a mesophilic bacterium Substrate specificity of the purified enzyme was restricted only to unsaturated fatty acids carrying a (1Z,4Z)-pentadiene unit