RAFFINOSE METABOLISM AND A NOVEL MODE OF SUCROSE SYNTHESIS IN CORYNEBACTERIUM MURISEPTICUM

In C. murisepticum, a constitutive extracellular invertase hydrolyzes raffinose to melibiose and fructose. During growth on raffinose plus glucose, an unexpected appearance of sucrose was discovered in the growth medium. The enzyme preparation from raffinose-grown culture supernatant could synthesize in vitro, sucrose, and difructose from raffinose plus glucose or difructose from raffinose alone. The results thus bring to light a novel attribute of the extracellular invertase, of catalyzing the transfer of the fructose moiety of raffinose to glucose and fructose, thereby achieving the synthesis of sucrose, and difructose, respectively.