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From no-confidence to nitric oxide acknowledgement: A story of bacterial nitric-oxide reductase

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Abstract

The review briefly summarizes current knowledge of the bacterial nitric-oxide reductase (NOR). This membrane enzyme consists of two subunits, the smaller one contains hæm C and the larger one two hæms B and nonhæm iron. The protein sequence and structure of metal centres demonstrate the relationship of NOR to the family of terminal oxidases. The binuclear Fe−Fe reaction centre, consisting of antiferromagnetically coupled hæm B and nonhæm iron, is analogous to Fe−Cu centre of terminal oxidases. The data on the structure and function of NOR and terminal oxidases suggest that all these enzymes are closely evolutionally related. The catalytic properties are determined most of all by the relatively high toxicity of nitric oxide as a substrate and the resulting strong need to maintain its concentration at nanomolar levels. A kinetic model of the action of the enzyme comprises substrate inhibition. NOR does not conserve the free energy of nitric oxide reduction because it does not work as a proton pump and, moreover, the protons coming into the reaction are taken from periplasm,i.e. they do not cross the membrane.

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Abbreviations

CCCP:

3-chlorophenylhydrazono-malononitrile (‘carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone’)

COX:

aa 3-cytochrome-c oxidase

NIR:

nitrite reductase

NOR:

nitric-oxide reductase

PMS:

N-methylphenazonium methanesulfonate (‘phenazine methosulfate’)

TMPD:

N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,4-benzendiamine

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  1. Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Technology Zlín, Brno University of Technology, 762 72, Zlín, Czechia

    M. Koutný

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Koutný, M. From no-confidence to nitric oxide acknowledgement: A story of bacterial nitric-oxide reductase. Folia Microbiol 45, 197–203 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908943

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