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. 1983 Nov;46(5):1118–1124. doi: 10.1128/aem.46.5.1118-1124.1983

Denitrification and Assimilatory Nitrate Reduction in Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum

Dennis A Bazylinski 1, R P Blakemore 1
PMCID: PMC239528  PMID: 16346418

Abstract

Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum MS-1 grew microaerobically but not anaerobically with NO3− or NH4+ as the sole nitrogen source. Nevertheless, cell yields varied directly with NO3− concentration under microaerobic conditions. Products of NO3− reduction included NH4+, N2O, NO, and N2. NO2− and NH2OH, each toxic to cells at 0.2 mM, were not detected as products of cells growing on NO3−. NO3− reduction to NH4+ was completely repressed by the addition of 2 mM NH4+ to the growth medium, whereas NO3− reduction to N2O or to N2 was not. C2H2 completely inhibited N2O reduction to N2 by growing cells. These results indicate that A. magnetotacticum is a microaerophilic denitrifier that is versatile in its nitrogen metabolism, concomitantly reducing NO3− by assimilatory and dissimilatory means. This bacterium appears to be the first described denitrifier with an absolute requirement for O2. The process of NO3− reduction appears well adapted for avoiding accumulation of several nitrogenous intermediates that are toxic to cells.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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