NADP(H)-dependent 12a-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSDH) from Clostridium group P, strain C 48-50, is still expressed at unusual high level (approximately 1% of total protein) under cultivation conditions where the usual expensive brain/heart infusion complex medium is replaced by inexpensive technical grade yeast autolysate. An inexpensive anaerobic bioprocess for the production of HSDH was developed provisionally up to 900-1 scale (9000 U/l, 7 g HSDH, specific activity 1 .O U/mg crude protein, 55 U/g wet cells). By a simple two-step affinity chromatography procedure, easily adaptable to a large-scale operation, using columns of small dimensions of Sephacryl-S-400 -Procion-orange-P-2R(5 cm x 28 cm) and Sephacryl-S-400 -Procion-red-HE-7B (2.6 cm x 14 cm) approximately 140 mg (1.8 x lo4 U), HSDH was purified to apparent homogeneity and concentrated directly from a crude cell extract (overall yield 53%, specific activity 128 Ujmg). As confirmed by fast native and SDS/PAGE, isoelectric focussing and electron microscopy, HSDH has a molecular mass of approximately 105 kDa and consists of four flattened tetrahedrically arranged identical subunits (26 kDa). The enzyme exhibits a rather low isoelectric point of 4.6, a pH optimum of 8.5 -9.5 and a temperature optimum of approximately 55°C for the oxidation of cholic acid. Inhibition by SH reagents and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate has been observed. Chelating agents have no inhibitory effect. The presence of NADP increases considerably the thermostability ( t l j z 4-10 d, 25°C; 2-5 d, 37°C). Steady-state kinetic analysis for both reaction directions indicated that the reaction proceeds through an ordered bi hi mechanism with NADP(H) binding first to the free enzyme. K,, V,,, [forward (Vf) and reverse reactions (V,)] and the dissociation constants Kd for the binary complexes with NADP and NADPH were as follows. NADP, K, = 35 pm, Kd = 35 pm; cholic acid, K, = 72 pm; deoxycholic acid, K , = 45 pm, Vf = 160 U/mg; NADPH, K, = 8.5 pm, Kd = 16 pm; 12-oxochenodeoxycholic acid, K, = 12 pm, V, = 66 U/mg (conditions, 0.1 M potassium phosphate, pH 8.0,25 "C). N6-functionalized NADP derivatives, e.g. N6-(2-aminoethyl)NADP (K, = 4.5 mM) are poorly accepted as coenzyme by HSDH.In the human intestinal flora, bacteria are present that metabolize biliary bile acids not taken up by the enterohepatic circulation. Besides hydrolysis of conjugated bile acids and reductive dehydroxylation at carbon-7, as major reactions, oxidation and epimerization of the 3a-, 7a-and 12a hydroxyl groups occur [l].These epimerizations proceed via the corresponding 0x0 intermediates, either by a single microorganism that expresses both a-and P-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases or by cooperation of two different microorganisms, each expressing a single stereospecific hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase [l, 21.