Activity assays of NnlA homologs suggest the natural product -nitroglycine is degraded by diverse bacteria.

Linear nitramines (R-N(R')NO; R' = H or alkyl) are toxic compounds, some with environmental relevance, while others are rare natural product nitramines. One of these natural product nitramines is -nitroglycine (NNG), which is produced by some strains and exhibits antibiotic activity towards Gram-negative bacteria. An NNG degrading heme enzyme, called NnlA, has recently been discovered in the genome of strain JS1663 ( NnlA).