Bacterial cellular metabolism is renowned for its metabolic diversity and adaptability. However, certain environments present particular challenges. Aerobic metabolism of highly reduced carbon substrates by soil bacteria such as Paracoccus pantotrophus presents one such challenge since it may result in excessive electron delivery to the respiratory redox chain when compared with the availability of terminal oxidant, O2. The level of a periplasmic ubiquinol-dependent nitrate reductase, NAP, is up-regulated in the presence of highly reduced carbon substrates. NAP oxidizes ubiquinol at the periplasmic face of the cytoplasmic membrane and reduces nitrate in the periplasm. Thus its activity counteracts the accumulation of excess reducing equivalents in ubiquinol, thereby maintaining the redox poise of the ubiquinone/ubiquinol pool without contributing to the protonmotive force across the cytoplasmic membrane. Although P. pantotrophus NapAB shows a high level of substrate specificity towards nitrate, the enzyme has also been reported to reduce selenate in spectrophotometric solution assays. This transaction draws on our current knowledge concerning the bacterial respiratory nitrate reductases and extends the application of PFE (protein film electrochemistry) to resolve and quantify the selenate reductase activity of NapAB.
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February 2011
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Conference Article|
January 19 2011
Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate and selenate by NapAB
Andrew J. Gates;
Andrew J. Gates
*Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
†School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
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Clive S. Butler;
Clive S. Butler
‡School of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Biocatalysis, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K.
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David J. Richardson;
David J. Richardson
*Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
†School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
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Julea N. Butt
Julea N. Butt
1
*Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
†School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
§School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email j.butt@uea.ac.uk).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
September 09 2010
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2011 Biochemical Society
2011
Biochem Soc Trans (2011) 39 (1): 236–242.
Article history
Received:
September 09 2010
Citation
Andrew J. Gates, Clive S. Butler, David J. Richardson, Julea N. Butt; Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate and selenate by NapAB. Biochem Soc Trans 1 February 2011; 39 (1): 236–242. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0390236
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