Cited by 160Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyEscherichia coli research studiesWastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal

Competition between Escherichia coli strains expressing either a periplasmic or a membrane-bound nitrate reductase: does Nap confer a selective advantage during nitrate-limited growth?

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POTTER, Laura C., MILLINGTON, Paul, GRIFFITHS, Lesley, THOMAS, Gavin H., COLE, Jeffrey A.·1999·Biochemical Journal

Abstract

The physiological role of the periplasmic nitrate reductase, Nap, one of the three nitrate reductases synthesized by Escherichia coli K-12, has been investigated. A series of double mutants that express only one nitrate reductase were grown anaerobically in batch cultures with glycerol as the non-fermentable carbon source and nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor. Only the strain expressing nitrate reductase A grew rapidly under these conditions. Introduction of a narL mutation severely decreased the growth rate of the nitrate reductase A strain, but enhanced the growth of the Nap+ strain. The ability to use nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic growth is therefore regulated primarily by the NarL protein at the level of transcription. Furthermore, the strain expressing nitrate reductase A had a substantial selective advantage in competition with the strain expressing only Nap during nitrate-sufficient continuous culture. However, the strain expressing Nap was preferentially selected during nitrate-limited continuous growth. The saturation constants for nitrate for the two strains (which numerically are equal to the nitrate concentrations at half of the maximum specific growth rate and therefore reflect the relative affinities for nitrate) were estimated using the integrated Monod equation to be 15 and 50 μM for Nap and nitrate reductase A respectively. This difference is sufficient to explain the selective advantage of the Nap+ strain during nitrate-limited growth. It is concluded that one physiological role of the periplasmic nitrate reductase of enteric bacteria is to enable bacteria to scavenge nitrate in nitrate-limited environments.

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  • NapB is an essential component of electron transport in organisms where it is present.

    “This small c-type cytochrome is an essential component of electron transport in organisms where it is present.101,105”

    From Nitrate and periplasmic nitrate reductases (2014) · cites this paper as [101]

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2 of the 6 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Wharton, C. W. and Eisenthal, R. (1977) Molecular Enzymology, pp. 96-97, Blackie, Glasgow and London 21
  2. Gennis, R. B. and Stewart, V. (1996) in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium (Neidhardt, F. C., Curtiss, R., Ingraham, J. L., Lin, E. C. C., Low, K. B., Magasanik, B., Reznikoff, W. S., Riley, M., Schaechter, M. and Umbarger, H. E., eds.), ASM Press, Washington DC Received 21 June 1999/18 August 1999 ; accepted 7 September 1999
  3. Lentner, C. (1984) Composition of Blood, Geigy Scientific Tables, vol. 3, p. 81, Ciba-Geigy Limited, Basle 24

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Authors
POTTER, L. C., MILLINGTON, P., GRIFFITHS, L., THOMAS, G. H., & COLE, J. A.
Affiliations
University of Birmingham (GB)
Venue
Biochemical Journal
Published
1999-11-08
Volume
344
Issue
1
Pages
77-84
ISSN
  • 0264-6021 (ISSN-L)
  • 1470-8728
OpenAlex
W4238414190
Cited by
160
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 5
FWCI
3.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biochemical Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Directorate for Biological Sciences
  • Medical Research Council
  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Endocrinology › Escherichia coli research studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
Keywords
Escherichia coli, periplasmic nitrate reductase, NAP, competitive growth, anaerobic nitrate respiration, glycerol carbon source
MeSH terms
Anaerobiosis, Base Sequence, Cell Membrane, Electron Transport, Escherichia coli, Genes, Bacterial, Kinetics, Mutation, Nitrate Reductases, DNA Primers, Nitric Acid, Periplasm, Nitrate Reductase

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