This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kumon, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Beppu, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kumon, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Beppu, T.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, June 2002, p. 2963-2968, Vol. 184, No. 11
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.11.2963-2968.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Codenitrification and Denitrification Are Dual Metabolic Pathways through Which Dinitrogen Evolves from Nitrate in Streptomyces antibioticus

Yasuyuki Kumon,1 Yasuyuki Sasaki,1 Isao Kato,1 Naoki Takaya,1 Hirofumi Shoun,2* and Teruhiko Beppu3

Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572,1 Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657,2 Department of Applied Biological Sciences, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-8510, Japan3

Received 26 November 2001/ Accepted 7 March 2002

We screened actinomycete strains for dinitrogen (N2)-producing activity and discovered that Streptomyces antibioticus B-546 evolves N2 and some nitrous oxide (N2O) from nitrate (NO3-). Most of the N2 that evolved from the heavy isotope ([15N]NO3-) was 15N14N, indicating that this nitrogen species consists of two atoms, one arising from NO3- and the other from different sources. This phenomenon is similar to codenitrification in fungi. The strain also evolved less, but significant, amounts of 15N15N from [15N]NO3- in addition to 15N15NO with concomitant cell growth. Prior to the production of N2 and N2O, NO3- was rapidly reduced to nitrite (NO2-) accompanied by distinct cell growth, showing that the actinomycete strain is a facultative anaerobe that depends on denitrification and nitrate respiration for anoxic growth. The cell-free activities of denitrifying enzymes could be reconstituted, supporting the notion that the 15N15N and 15N15NO species are produced by denitrification from NO3- via NO2-. We therefore demonstrated a unique system in an actinomycete that produces gaseous nitrogen (N2 and N2O) through both denitrification and codenitrification. The predominance of codenitrification over denitrification along with oxygen tolerance is the key feature of nitrate metabolism in this actinomycete.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan. Phone and fax: 81-3-5841-5148. E-mail: ahshoun{at}mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

Journal of Bacteriology, June 2002, p. 2963-2968, Vol. 184, No. 11
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.11.2963-2968.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Takaya, N., Catalan-Sakairi, M. A. B., Sakaguchi, Y., Kato, I., Zhou, Z., Shoun, H. (2003). Aerobic Denitrifying Bacteria That Produce Low Levels of Nitrous Oxide. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 3152-3157 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»