title: Nitrate reductase-formate dehydrogenase couple involved in the fungal denitrification by Fusarium oxysporum.
abstract: Dissimilatory nitrate reductase (Nar) was solubilized and partially purified from the large particle (mitochondrial) fraction of the denitrifying fungus Fusarium oxysporum and characterized. Many lines of evidence showed that the membrane-bound Nar is distinct from the soluble, assimilatory nitrate reductase. Further, the spectral and other properties of the fungal Nar were similar to those of dissimilatory Nars of Escherichia coli and denitrifying bacteria, which are comprised of a molybdoprotein, a cytochrome b, and an iron-sulfur protein. Formate-nitrate oxidoreductase activity was also detected in the mitochondrial fraction, which was shown to arise from the coupling of formate dehydrogenase (Fdh), Nar, and a ubiquinone/ubiquinol pool. This is the first report of the occurrence in a eukaryote of Fdh that is associated with the respiratory chain. The coupling with Fdh showed that the fungal Nar system is more similar to that involved in the nitrate respiration by Escherichia coli than that in the bacterial denitrifying system. Analyses of the mutant species of F. oxysporum that were defective in Nar and/or assimilatory nitrate reductase conclusively showed that Nar is essential for the fungal denitrification.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uchimura
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Enjoji
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takaya
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shoun
mesh_terms: D002474:Cell-Free System; D002704:Chlorates / Q000494:pharmacology; D017886:Durapatite / Q000494:pharmacology; D004583:Electrons; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases / Q000737:chemistry*; D005670:Fusarium / Q000201:enzymology*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009249:NADP; D050901:Nitrate Reductase; D009565:Nitrate Reductases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002704:Chlorates; D009573:Nitrites; D009249:NADP; D017886:Durapatite; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases; D009565:Nitrate Reductases; D050901:Nitrate Reductase; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen