An open reading frame, designated
nirQ,
was identified upstream of nirS, the structural gene for the
respiratory
nitrite reductase of Pseudomonas stutzeri ZoBell. Its derived
gene
product (275 amino acids, Mr = 30,544)
shows
similarity to the NtrC protein family of transcriptional activators.
Deletion-replacement
mutagenesis of the
nirQ gene resulted in the simultaneous loss of
nitrite reduction and NO reduction in vivo. However, both reductases
were
still synthesized, with only nitrite reductase being active in vitro.
NO
reductase was overproduced by a factor of about 2. Our results indicate
that the systems for nitrite reduction and NO reduction are
functionally
coupled.