Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mechanism of nitrite inhibition of cellular respiration inPseudomonas aeruginosa

  • Published:
Current Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

One of the principal mechanisms of nitrite inhibition of cellular respiration has been considered to be the interference with the action of iron-containing enzymes. In procaryotic systems, the effect of nitrite on cellular metabolism remains unclear. This study provides evidence which shows a direct inhibition by a low concentration of nitrite on a highly purified oxidase inPseudomonas aeruginosa. The inhibition pattern was observed and was consistent at cellular, electron-transport membranous, and enzymic (oxidase) levels. This implies that the mechanism of nitrite inhibition on bacterial respiration is due to a direct inhibition at the terminal site of oxygen reduction. The uncompetitive inhibition pattern shown by nitrite strongly suggested a mechanism quite different from those of classic cytochrome oxidase inhibitors such as cyanide, azide, and carbon monoxide.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  1. Bard J, Townsend WE (1971) Meat curing. In: Price JF, Schweigert BS (eds) The science of meat and meat products. San Francisco: Freeman, pp 452–483.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Buchanan RL, Solberg M (1972) Interaction of sodium nitrite (sic) [nitrite], oxygen, and pH on growth ofStaphylococcus aureus J Food Sci 37:81–85

    Google Scholar 

  3. Castellani AG, Niven CF (1955) Factors affecting the bacteriostatic action of sodium nitrite. Appl. Microbiol 3:154–159

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Commitee on Nitrite and Alternative Curing Agents in Food (1981) The health effects of nitrate, nitrite, and N-nitroso compounds. Part I. Washington DC: National Academy Press

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cuello C, Correa P, Haenzel W, Gordillo G, Brown C, Archer M, Tannenbaum S (1976) Gastric cancer in Colombia. I. Cancer risk and suspect environmental agents. J Natl Cancer Inst 57:1015–1020

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Frankel AD, Duncan BK, Hartman PE (1980) Nitrous acid damage to duplex deoxyribonucleic acid: distinction between deamination of cystosine residues and a novel mutational lesion. J Bacteriol 142:335–338

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gornall AG, Bardawill CJ, David MM (1949) Determination of serum proteins by means of the biuret reaction. J Biol Chem 177:751–766

    Google Scholar 

  8. International Commission on Microbial Specifications for Foods (1980) Microbial ecology of foods, vol 2. New York: Academic Press, pp 323–998

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kerr RH, Marsh CT, Schroeder WF, Boyer EA (1926). The use of sodium nitrite in the curing of meat. J Agric Res 33:541–551

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Miller EC, Miller JA (1976) The metabolism of chemical carcinogens to reactive electrophiles and their possible mechanisms of action in carcinogenesis. In: Searle, CE (ed) Chemical Carcinogenesis, ACS monograph 173. Washington DC: American Chemical Society, pp 737–762

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mirvish SS (1971) Kinetics of nitrosamide formation from alkylureas,N-alkylurethans, and alkylguanidines: possible implication for the etiology of human gastric cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 46:1183–1193

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Mirvish SS, Bulay O, Runge RG, Patil K (1980) Study of the carcinogenicity of large doses of dimethylnitramine,N-nitroso-l-proline, and sodium nitrite administered in drinking water to rats. J Natl Cancer Inst 64:1435–1442

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Reddy D, Lancaster JR, Cornforth DP 1983. Nitrite inhibition of clostridium botulinium: electron spin resonance detection of iron-nitric oxide complexes. Science 221:769–770

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Rowe JJ, Yarborough JM, Rake JB, Eagon RG (1979) Nitrite inhibition of aerobic bacteria. Curr Microbiol 2:51–54

    Google Scholar 

  16. Tessman I (1959) Mutagenesis in phages OX174 and T4 and properties of the genetic material. Virology 9:375–385

    Google Scholar 

  17. Tompkin RB, Christiansen LN, Shaparis AB (1978) The effect of ion on botulinal inhibition in perishable canned cured meat. J Food Technol 13:521–527

    Google Scholar 

  18. Yang T (1982) Tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine oxidase ofPseudomonas aeruginosa. Eur J Biochem 121:335–341

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Yang T, Jurtshuk P (1978) Purification and characterization of cytochrome o fromAzotobacter vinelandii. Biochim Biophys Acta 502:543–548

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Zimmerman FK (1977) Genetic effects of nitrous acid. Mutat Res 39:127–147

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, 43403, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA

    Tsanyen Yang

Authors
  1. Tsanyen Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yang, T. Mechanism of nitrite inhibition of cellular respiration inPseudomonas aeruginosa . Current Microbiology 12, 35–39 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01567751

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01567751

Keywords

Search

Navigation