Nature's nitrite-to-ammonia expressway, with no stop at dinitrogen

Since the characterization of cytochrome c(552) as a multiheme nitrite reductase, research on this enzyme has gained major interest. Today, it is known as pentaheme cytochrome c nitrite reductase (NrfA). Part of the NH4+ produced from NO2- is released as NH3 leading to nitrogen loss, similar to denitrification which generates NO, N2O, and N-2. NH4+ can also be used for assimilatory purposes, thus NrfA contributes to nitrogen retention. It catalyses the six-electron reduction of NO2- to NH4+, hosting four His/His ligated c-type hemes for electron transfer and one structurally differentiated active site heme. Catalysis occurs at the distal side of a Fe(III) heme c proximally coordinated by lysine of a unique CXXCK motif (Sulfurospirillum deleyianum, Wolinella succinogenes) or, presumably, by the canonical histidine in Campylobacter jejeuni. Replacement of Lys by His in NrfA of W. succinogenes led to a significant loss of enzyme activity. NrfA forms homodimers as shown by high resolution X-ray crystallography, and there exist at least two distinct electron transfer systems to the enzyme. In gamma-proteobacteria (Escherichia coli) NrfA is linked to the menaquinol pool in the cytoplasmic membrane through a pentaheme electron carrier (NrfB), in delta- and epsilon-proteobacteria (S. deleyianum, W. succinogenes), the NrfA dimer interacts with a tetraheme cytochrome c (NrfH). Both form a membrane-associated respiratory complex on the extracellular side of the cytoplasmic membrane to optimize electron transfer efficiency. This minireview traces important steps in understanding the nature of pentaheme cytochrome c nitrite reductases, and discusses their structural and functional features.

Automated summary

Pentaheme cytochrome c nitrite reductase, also known as NrfA, is an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of NO2- to NH4+ using multiple heme structures for electron transfer. It plays a role in nitrogen retention by generating NH4+ for assimilatory purposes and forms homodimers with distinct electron transfer systems. In different bacteria, NrfA interacts with different electron carriers to optimize electron transfer efficiency in a membrane-associated respiratory complex.