Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:1.7.1.2 (nitrate reductase)
 3,861 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

During anaerobic growth, nitrate induces synthesis of the anaerobic respiratory enzymes formate dehydrogenase-N and nitrate reductase. This induction is mediated by a transcription activator, the narL gene product. The narX gene product may be involved in sensing nitrate and phosphorylating NARL. We isolated narX mutants, designated narX*, that caused nitrate-independent expression of the formate dehydrogenase-N and nitrate reductase structural genes. We used lambda narX specialized transducing phage to genetically analyze these lesions in single copy. Two previously isolated narX* mutations, narX32 and narX71, were also constructed by site-specific mutagenesis. We found that each of these alleles caused nitrate-independent synthesis of formate dehydrogenase-N and nitrate reductase, and each was recessive to narX+. The narX* mutations lie in a region of similarity with the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein Tsr. We suggest that the narX* proteins have lost a transmembrane signalling function such that phosphoprotein phosphatase activity is reduced relative to protein kinase activity.
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PMID:Mutational analysis reveals functional similarity between NARX, a nitrate sensor in Escherichia coli K-12, and the methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins. 159 21

Low concentrations (1-50mum) of ubiquinol(1) were rapidly oxidized by spheroplasts of Escherichia coli derepressed for synthesis of nitrate reductase using either nitrate or oxygen as electron acceptor. Oxidation of ubiquinol(1) drove an outward translocation of protons with a corrected -->H(+)/2e(-) stoichiometry [Scholes & Mitchell (1970) J. Bioenerg.1, 309-323] of 1.49 when nitrate was the acceptor and 2.28 when oxygen was the acceptor. Proton translocation driven by the oxidation of added ubiquinol(1) was also observed in spheroplasts from a double quinone-deficient mutant strain AN384 (ubiA(-)menA(-)), whereas a haem-deficient mutant, strain A1004a, did not oxidize ubiquinol(1). Proton translocation was not observed if either the protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone or the respiratory inhibitor 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide was present. When spheroplasts oxidized Diquat radical (DQ(+)) to the oxidized species (DQ(++)) with nitrate as acceptor, nitrate was reduced to nitrite according to the reaction: [Formula: see text] and nitrite was further reduced in the reaction: [Formula: see text] Nitrite reductase activity (2) was inhibited by CO, leaving nitrate reductase activity (1) unaffected. Benzyl Viologen radical (BV(+)) is able to cross the cytoplasmic membrane and is oxidized directly by nitrate reductase to the divalent cation, BV(++). In the presence of CO, this reaction consumes two protons: [Formula: see text] The consumption of these protons could not be detected by a pH electrode in the extra-cellular bulk phase of a suspension of spheroplasts unless the cytoplasmic membrane was made permeable to protons by the addition of nigericin or tetrachlorosalicylanilide. It is concluded that the protons of eqn. (3) are consumed at the cytoplasmic aspect of the cytoplasmic membrane. Diquat radical, reduced N-methylphenazonium methosulphate and its sulphonated analogue N-methylphenazonium-3-sulphonate (PMSH) and ubiquinol(1) are all oxidized by nitrate reductase via a haem-dependent, endogenous quinone-independent, 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide-sensitive pathway. Approximate-->H(+)/2e(-) stoichiometries were zero with Diquat radical, an electron donor, 1.0 with reduced N-methylphenazonium methosulphate or its sulphonated analogue, both hydride donors, and 2.0 with ubiquinol(1) (QH(2)), a hydrogen donor. It is concluded that the protons appearing in the medium are derived from the reductant and the observed-->H(+)/2e(-) stoichiometries are accounted for by the following reactions occurring at the periplasmic aspect of the cytoplasmic membrane.: [Formula: see text]
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PMID:The mechanism of proton translocation driven by the respiratory nitrate reductase complex of Escherichia coli. 625 43

Overnight low-temperature exposure inhibits photosynthesis in chilling-sensitive species such as tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and cucumber by as much as 60%. In an earlier study we showed that one intriguing effect of low temperature on chilling-sensitive plants is to stall the endogenous rhythm controlling transcription of certain nuclear-encoded genes, causing the synthesis of the corresponding transcripts and proteins to be mistimed when the plant is rewarmed. Here we show that the circadian rhythm controlling the activity of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and nitrate reductase (NR), key control points of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in plant cells, is delayed in tomato by chilling treatments. Using specific protein kinase and phosphatase inhibitors, we further demonstrate that the chilling-induced delay in the circadian control of SPS and NR activity is associated with the activity of critical protein phosphatases. The sensitivity of the pattern of SPS activity to specific inhibitors of transcription and translation indicates that there is a chilling-induced delay in SPS phosphorylation status that is caused by an effect of low temperature on the expression of a gene coding for a phosphoprotein phosphatase, perhaps the SPS phosphatase. In contrast, the chilling-induced delay in NR activity does not appear to arise from effects on NR phosphorylation status, but rather from direct effects on NR expression. It is likely that the mistiming in the regulation of SPS and NR, and perhaps other key metabolic enzymes under circadian regulation, underlies the chilling sensitivity of photosynthesis in these plant species.
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PMID:Chilling delays circadian pattern of sucrose phosphate synthase and nitrate reductase activity in tomato 973 34

Nitrate reductase A (NRA, NarGHI) is expressed in Escherichia coli by growing the bacterium in anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate. This enzyme reduces nitrate to nitrite and uses menaquinol (or ubiquinol) as the electron donor. The location of quinones in the enzyme, their number, and their role in the electron transfer mechanism are still controversial. In this work, we have investigated the spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties of a semiquinone (SQ) in membrane samples of overexpressed E. coli nitrate reductase poised in appropriate redox conditions. This semiquinone is highly stabilized with respect to free semiquinone. The g-values determined from the numerical simulation of its Q-band (35 GHz) EPR spectrum are equal to 2.0061, 2.0051, 2.0023. The midpoint potential of the Q/QH(2) couple is about -100 mV, and the SQ stability constant is about 100 at pH 7.5. The semiquinone EPR signal disappears completely upon addition of the quinol binding site inhibitor 2-n-nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (NQNO). A semiquinone radical could also be stabilized in preparations where only the NarI membrane subunit is overexpressed in the absence of the NarGH catalytic dimer. Its thermodynamic and spectroscopic properties show only slight variations with those of the wild-type enzyme. The X-band continuous wave (cw) electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectra of the radicals display similar proton hyperfine coupling patterns in NarGHI and in NarI, showing that they arise from the same semiquinone species bound to a single site located in the NarI membrane subunit. These results are discussed with regard to the location and the potential function of quinones in the enzyme.
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PMID:Evidence for an EPR-detectable semiquinone intermediate stabilized in the membrane-bound subunit NarI of nitrate reductase A (NarGHI) from Escherichia coli. 1566 23