[Comparative genomics analysis of nitrate and nitrite respiration in gamma proteobacteria]

Nitrate and nitrite are preferred respiration oxidants during anaerobic conditions. In Escherichia coli such nitrate- and nitrite respiration is controlled by homologous transcriptional factors NarL and NarP. Although this system was intensively studied during the last two decades, the exact mechanisms of regulation and the structure of the NarL binding signals remained elusive. By the use of comparative genomics approach it was determined that most of the gammaproteobacteria contained only NarP protein. Regulog analysis revealed that whole structure of NarP regulons varied in different genomes and only regulation of nitrate and nitrite reduction system seemed to be highly conservative. Correlation between changes in the respiration system and the presence of the single regulatory system was shown. Conservative NarP binding sites upstream of fnr gene and genes for aerobic metabolism point to alteration in NarP role in respiration control during evolution. Thirty five new regulog members were determined and autoregulation of narQP operon in Vibrionaceae genomes was predicted.