A soluble cyclohexanone monooxygenase was purified 16.1 -fold to homogeneity from a Xunthobacter sp. grown upon cyclohexane as sole source of carbon and energy. The native enzyme is a 50-kDa single polypeptide chain associated with FMN rather than F A D as flavin prosthetic group in a 1 : 1 stoichiometric relationship. The monooxygenase catalyses the transformation of cyclohexanone to the lactone I-oxa-2-oxocycloheptane in an oxygen ring insertion reaction. Only related cycloalkanone substrates are accepted for oxygenation, no activity is shown towards straight-chain alkanones. Enzyme activity is strongly inhibited by sulphydryl-reactive agents, but is relatively insensitive to metal chelators, electron transport inhibitors and the metal ions Fe3+ and C u 2 + . Cyclohexanone monooxygenase has K, values for cyclohexanone and NADPH of <0.5 pM and 12.5 pM respectively. Kinetic investigations under steady-state conditions demonstrate that the flavoprotein prosthetic group, FMN, is involved in the monooxygenase catalytic mechanism. The systematic name for the enzyme is cyclohexanone, NADPH : oxygen oxidoreductase (6-hydroxylating, 1,2-lactonizing) (EC 1.14.13.22). [5] and substituted cycloalkanes [6].
Members of the genusThe degradation of cyclohexane by a Xunthobucter sp. has been shown to proceed with an initial hydroxylation to form cyclohexanol [5]. This product is then oxidised to adipic acid via cyclohexanone, I-oxa-2-oxocycloheptane and 6-hydroxyhexanoate. Critical to the ring cleavage of cyclohexanone is its transformation to the seven-membered lactone l-oxa-2-oxocycloheptane, a reaction previously shown to be catalysed by an inducible, soluble, NADPH-dependent monooxygenase enzyme [5] (Fig.