Diversity of nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) genes in continental shelf sediments

Diversity of the nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) gene was examined in sediments obtained from the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean continental shelves. Approximately 1,100 bp of the nosZ gene were amplified via PCR, using nosZ gene-specific primers. Thirty-seven unique copies of the nosZ gene from these marine environments were characterized, increasing the nosZ sequence database fourfold. The average DNA similarity for comparisons between all 49 variants of the nosZ gene was 64% +/- 10%. Alignment of the derived amino acid sequences confirmed the conservation of important structural motifs. A highly conserved region is proposed as the copper binding, catalytic site (CuZ) of the mature protein. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated three major clusters of nosZ genes, with little overlap between environmental and culture-based groups. Finally, the two non-culture-based gene clusters generally corresponded to sampling location, implying that denitrifier communities may be restricted geographically.