Part:BBa_K1615000

Morphine-6-dehydrogenase RFC25

The structural gene morphine-6-dehydrogenase (morA) was first isolated from Pseudomonas putida M10 as it is capable of growth with morphine as its sole carbon source¹. Morphine dehydrogenase (MDH) catalyses the oxidation of both morphine and codeine to produce morphinone and codeinone respectively. During this process NADP⁺ is reduced to NADPH which means that this enzyme is frequently used to detect morphine and codeine².

To test the morphine dehydrogenase activity it can be coupled with morphine and NADP⁺ to produce morphinone and NADPH. The amount of NADPH produced can be measured at 340nm. Morphine dehydrogenase with t7 promoter characterised by Edinburgh iGEM team was provided by Prof Chris French. Michaelis Menten kinetic analysis was performed giving values of Vmax and Km, 61.22 and 140.5 uM respectively.

¹Bruce, N. C., Wilmot, C. J., Jordan, K. N., Trebilcock, A. E., Stephens, L. D. G., & Lowe, C. R. (1990). Microbial degradation of the morphine alkaloids: identification of morphinone as an intermediate in the metabolism of morphine by Pseudomonas putida M10. Archives of microbiology, 154(5), 465-470.
²Rathbone, D. A., Holt, P. J., Lowe, C. R., & Bruce, N. C. (1997). Molecular analysis of the Rhodococcus sp. strain H1 her gene and characterization of its product, a heroin esterase, expressed in Escherichia coli. Applied and environmental microbiology, 63(5), 2062-2066.

Sequence and Features

Assembly Compatibility:

• 10
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
• 12
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]
• 21
  INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]

  Illegal BamHI site found at 840
  
• 23
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
• 25
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]
• 1000
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]