The ability of Neisseria meningitidis to utilize both oxygen and nitrogen oxides as respiratory substrates allows it to thrive in the diverse environment of the human host. Genome analysis highlighted genes encoding a cbb3 cytochrome oxidase, the aniA nitrite reductase gene and the norB nitric oxide reductase gene. In the present study, we used myxothiazol as an inhibitor of the bc1 complex in intact cells and demonstrated that electron flow to nitrite reductase and the cytochrome oxidase, but not NO reductase, passes via the cytochrome bc1 complex. UV–visible spectrophotometry of intact cells demonstrated that oxygen oxidizes c-type and b-type cytochromes. Oxidation of cytochromes by nitrite was only seen in microaerobically precultured whole cells, and the predominant oxidizable cytochromes were b-type. These are likely to be associated with the oxidation of a b-haem-containing nitric oxide reductase. Nitrite inhibits the oxidation of cytochromes by oxygen in a nitrite reductase-independent manner, indicating that nitrite may inhibit oxidase activity directly, as well as via the intermediate of denitrification, nitric oxide.
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February 2006
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Conference Article|
January 20 2006
Organization of the respiratory chain of Neisseria meningitidis
M. Deeudom;
M. Deeudom
1Department of Biology (Area 10), University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5YW, U.K.
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J. Rock;
J. Rock
1Department of Biology (Area 10), University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5YW, U.K.
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J. Moir
J. Moir
1
1Department of Biology (Area 10), University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5YW, U.K.
1 To whom correspondence should be addressed (email jm46@york.ac.uk).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
September 15 2005
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2006 The Biochemical Society
2006
Biochem Soc Trans (2006) 34 (1): 139–142.
Article history
Received:
September 15 2005
Citation
M. Deeudom, J. Rock, J. Moir; Organization of the respiratory chain of Neisseria meningitidis. Biochem Soc Trans 1 February 2006; 34 (1): 139–142. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0340139
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