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Abstract
A wide range of nitriles and amides act as carbon and/or nitrogen sources for Nocardia rhodochrous LL100-21. Growth on a number of aliphatic nitriles or their corresponding amides resulted in the coinduction of both acetonitrile hydratase and acetamidase activities. In each case the specific activity of acetonitrile hydratase was higher than that of acetamidase. The substrate and inducer specificities were determined for the two enzymes and found to be quite distinct. Propionitrile, although an excellent inducer of both enzymes, was only slowly hydrolysed by acetonitrile hydratase. Conversely acrylonitrile was a good enzyme substrate but had a complete lack of effect as an inducer. Butyramide and methacrylamide acted as poor substrates for acetamidase but induced high levels of both acetonitrile hydratase and acetamidase. Dinitriles of long chain length, lactonitrile and iodoacetamide were inhibitory to growth and enzyme activity.
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