Purification of a novel aldehide-dehidrogenase with wide substrate specificity

The pAO1 megaplasmid of Arthrobacter nicotinovorans encodes two different pathways: one for nicotine metabolism and a putative sugar catabolic pathway. An open reading frame, orf39, from the latter pathway was cloned, purified to homogenity and partially characterized. It consists of a monomeric NAD/NADP-dehidrogenase acting on various aldehyde as glutaraldehyde or butyraldehyde with an Cys residue in the active site. A possible catalytic mechanism is postulated.