A novel L-xylulose reductase essential for L-arabinose catabolism in Trichoderma reesei

L-Xylulose reductases belong to the superfamily of short chain dehydrogenases and reductases (SDRs) and catalyze the NAD(P)H-dependent reduction of l-xylulose to xylitol in l-arabinose and glucuronic acid catabolism. Here we report the identification of a novel l-xylulose reductase LXR₃ in the fungus Trichoderma reesei by a bioinformatic approach in combination with a functional analysis. LXR₃, a 31 kDa protein, catalyzes the reduction of l-xylulose to xylitol via NADPH and is also able to convert D-xylulose, D-ribulose, L-sorbose, and D-fructose to their corresponding polyols. Transcription of LXR₃ is specifically induced by L-arabinose and L-arabitol. Deletion of LXR₃ affects growth on L-arabinose and L-arabitol and reduces total NADPH-dependent LXR activity in cell free extracts. A phylogenetic analysis of known L-xylulose reductases shows that LXR₃ is phylogenetically different from the Aspergillus niger L-xylulose reductase LxrA and, moreover, that all identified true L-xylulose reductases belong to different clades within the superfamily of SDRs. This indicates that the enzymes responsible for the reduction of L-xylulose in L-arabinose and glucuronic acid catabolic pathways have evolved independently and that even the fungal LXRs of the L-arabinose catabolic pathway have evolved in different clades of the superfamily of SDRs.