Purification and Properties of Extracellular Cytosine Deaminase from Chromobacterium violaceum YK 391

The extracellular cytosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.1) from Chromobacterium violaceum YK 391 was purified 264.7-fold with an overall yield of 14.3%. The enzyme was for the first time homogeneous by the criteria of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis performed in the absence and in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be about 156 kDa. The enzyme consisted of two identical subunits of approximate molecular weight 78 kDa. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was pH 5.55. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 7.5 and a temperature optimum of around 40 to $45^{\circ}C$. Besides cytosine, the enzyme deaminated 5-fluorocytosine, cytidine, 5-methylcytosine, and 6-azacytosine, but not 5-azacytosine. The extracellular cytosine deaminase is believed to be unique because it was active not only on cytosine but also on cytidine. The apparent $K_m$ values for cytosine, 5-fluorocytosine, cytidine, and 5-methylcytosine were determined to be 1.55 mM, 5.52 mM, 10.4 mM, and 67.2 mM, respectively. The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by heavy metal ions such as $Fe^{2+},Pb^{2+},Cd^{2+},Zn^{2+}, Hg^{2+}, and Cu^{2+}$ at 1 mM, and completely by $\alpha,\alpha$'-dipyridyl, and $\rho$-chloromercuribenzoate at 1 mM, and weakly inhibited by 1mM ο-phenanthroline. The enzyme activity was not affected by various nucleosides and nucleotides.