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The gene for the D-mandelate dehydrogenase (D-ManDH) of Enterococcus faecalis IAM10071 was isolated by means of an activity staining procedure and PCR and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The recombinant enzyme exhibited high catalytic activity toward various 2-ketoacid substrates with bulky hydrophobic side chains, particularly C3-branched substrates such as benzoylformate and 2-ketoisovalerate, and strict coenzyme specificity for NADH and NAD(+). It showed marked sequence similarity with known NADP-dependent 2-ketopantoate reductases (KPR). These results indicate that together with KPR, D-ManDH constitutes a new family of D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases that act on C3-branched 2-ketoacid substrates with various specificities for coenzymes and substrates.

Two forms of NAD-dependent D-mandelate dehydrogenase (D-ManDHs) were purified from Enterococcus faecalis IAM 10071. While these two enzymes consistently exhibited high activity toward large 2-ketoacid substrates that were branched at the C3 or C4 position, they gave distinctly different K(m) and V(max) values for these substrates and had distinct molecular weights by gel electrophoresis and gel filtration.