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The fungal L-arabinose pathway consists of five enzymes, aldose reductase, L-arabinitol 4-dehydrogenase, L-xylulose reductase, xylitol dehydrogenase, and xylulokinase. All the genes encoding the enzymes of this pathway are known except for that of L-xylulose reductase (EC 1.1.1.10). We identified a gene encoding this enzyme from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina). The gene was named lxr1. It was overexpressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the enzyme activity was confirmed in a yeast cell extract. Overexpression of all enzymes of the L-arabinose pathway in S. cerevisiae led to growth of S. cerevisiae on L-arabinose; i.e., we could show that the pathway is active in a heterologous host. The lxr1 gene encoded a protein with 266 amino acids and a calculated molecular mass of 28 428 Da. The LXRI protein is an NADPH-specific reductase. It has activity with L-xylulose, D-xylulose, D-fructose, and L-sorbose. The highest affinity is toward L-xylulose (K(m) = 16 mM). In the reverse direction, we found activity with xylitol, D-arabinitol, D-mannitol, and D-sorbitol. It requires a bivalent cation for activity. It belongs to the protein family of short chain dehydrogenases. The enzyme is catalytically similar and homologous in sequence to a D-mannitol:NADP 2-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.138).

The fungal pathway for L-arabinose catabolism converts L-arabinose to D-xylulose 5-phosphate in five steps. The intermediates are, in this order: L-arabinitol, L-xylulose, xylitol and D-xylulose. Only some of the genes for the corresponding enzymes were known. We have recently identified the two missing genes for L-arabinitol 4-dehydrogenase and L-xylulose reductase and shown that overexpression of all the genes of the pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae enables growth on L-arabinose. Under anaerobic conditions ethanol is produced from L-arabinose, but at a very low rate. The reasons for the low rate of L-arabinose fermentation are discussed.

An NADH-dependent L-xylulose reductase and the corresponding gene were identified from the yeast Ambrosiozyma monospora. The enzyme is part of the yeast pathway for L-arabinose catabolism. A fungal pathway for L-arabinose utilization has been described previously for molds. In this pathway L-arabinose is sequentially converted to L-arabinitol, L-xylulose, xylitol, and D-xylulose and enters the pentose phosphate pathway as D-xylulose 5-phosphate. In molds the reductions are NADPH-linked, and the oxidations are NAD ؉ -linked. Here we show that in A. monospora the pathway is similar, i.e. it has the same two reduction and two oxidation reactions, but the reduction by L-xylulose reductase is not performed by a strictly NADPH-dependent enzyme as in molds but by a strictly NADH-dependent enzyme. The ALX1 gene encoding the NADH-dependent Lxylulose reductase is strongly expressed during growth on L-arabinose as shown by Northern analysis. The gene was functionally overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the purified His-tagged protein characterized. The reversible enzyme converts Lxylulose to xylitol. It also converts D-ribulose to Darabinitol but has no activity with L-arabinitol or adonitol, i.e. it is specific for sugar alcohols where, in a Fischer projection, the hydroxyl group of the C-2 is in the L-configuration and the hydroxyl group of C-3 is in the D-configuration. It also has no activity with C-6 sugars or sugar alcohols. The K m values for L-xylulose and D-ribulose are 9.6 and 4.7 mM, respectively. To our knowledge this is the first report of an NADH-linked L-xylulose reductase.

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