Open AccessDiversity of oxygen and N‐oxide regulation of nitrite reductases in denitrifying bacteria
Author(s) -
Ka JongOk,
Urbance John,
Ye Rick W,
Ahn TaeYoung,
Tiedje James M
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1997.tb12705.x
Subject(s) - denitrifying bacteria , nitrite reductase , nitrite , denitrification , aerobic denitrification , nitrate reductase , anaerobic exercise , food science , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , proteobacteria , biology , reductase , biochemistry , nitrate , enzyme , nitrogen , gene , ecology , physiology , organic chemistry , 16s ribosomal rna
We examined α, β and γ Proteobacteria with Cu and heme‐type dissimilatory nitrite reductases for patterns of nir regulation. Six of seven strains expressed nitrite reductase under aerobic growth conditions. In only one strain, G‐179, was it stringently regulated by O 2 . Growth with NO − 3 or NO − 2 enhanced nitrite reductase production in four of seven strains under anaerobic growth conditions, but in only one strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, under aerobic conditions. In this strain the nitrite reductase production was primarily regulated by an anr gene when grown under anaerobic conditions, but when grown under aerobic conditions it was regulated by both an anr gene and nitrogen oxide. Constitutive production of nitrite reductase was a common phenomenon rather than the exception among denitrifiers from the environment, which helps explain the prevalence of denitrifying enzymes in aerobic soils.