Induction of primary alkylsulphatases and metabolism of sodium hexan-1-yl sulphate by Pseudomonas C12B

Abstract

Sodium hexan-1-yl sulphate and certain related alkyl sulphate esters have been shown to serve as inducers of the formation of primary alkylsulphatases (designated as P1 and P2) in Pseudomonas C12B. When the organism is grown on sodium hexan-1-yl [³⁵S]sulphate as the sole source of sulphur or as the sole source of carbon and sulphur only the P2 alkylsulphatase is formed and inorganic ³⁵SO₄^2- is liberated into the media. Cell extracts contain this anion as the major ³⁵S-labelled metabolite although two unidentified labelled metabolites as well as choline O-[³⁵S]sulphate occur in trace quantities in some extracts. Dialysed cell extracts are capable of liberating inorganic ³⁵SO₄^2- from sodium hexan-1-yl [³⁵S]sulphate without the need to include cofactors known to be required for the bacterial degradation of n-alkanes. The collective results suggest that sodium hexan-1-yl sulphate can act as an inducer of P1 alkylsulphatase formation without the need for prior metabolic modification of the carbon moiety of the ester.