The induction of metallic mercury-releasing enzyme (MMR-Enz) which catalyzes the reduction of mercurials to metallic mercury was studied. The formation of MMR-Enz was induced when the organism was grown with mercurials such as phenyl mercuric acetate (PMA), p-chloromercury benzoate (pCMB), sodium ethyl mercuric thiosalicylate (merzonin), mercuric chloride (MC) and metallic mercury, but it was not induced when grown with HgS or other metals such as Ag+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Sn2+, etc. Cd2+ and Cu2+ were inhibitory for the formation of MMR-Enz. d-glucose: NAD oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.47 GDH) or l-arabinose: NADP oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.46 ADH) and cytochrome c-I (cyt. c-I) which were all involved in the decomposition of mercurials together with MMR-Enz were found in the crude extract regardless of mercurial addition. These results suggest that MMR-Enz plays a conclusive role on the decomposition reaction of mercurials.
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Furukawa et al. (1972) studied this question.