Nitrate-Responsive Suppression of Dimethyl Sulfoxide Respiration in a Facultative Anaerobic Haloarchaeon, Haloferax volcanii.

Haloferax volcanii is a facultative anaerobic haloarchaeon that can grow using nitrate or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a respiratory substrate under anaerobic conditions. Comparative transcriptome analysis of denitrifying and aerobic cells of H. volcanii indicated extensive changes in gene expression involving the activation of denitrification, suppression of DMSO respiration, and conversion of the heme biosynthetic pathway under denitrifying conditions. The anaerobic growth of H. volcanii by DMSO respiration was inhibited at nitrate concentrations of <1 mM, whereas nitrate-responsive growth inhibition was not observed in the Δ mutant. A reporter assay demonstrated that the transcription of the operon was suppressed by nitrate. In contrast, the anaerobic growth of the Δ mutant by denitrification was little affected by the addition of DMSO. NarO has been identified as an activator of denitrification-related genes in response to anaerobic conditions, and here, we found that NarO is also involved in nitrate-responsive suppression of the operon. Nitrate-responsive suppression of DMSO respiration is known in several bacteria such as Escherichia coli and photosynthetic species. This is the first report to show that a regulatory mechanism that suppresses DMSO respiration in response to nitrate exists not only in bacteria but also in haloarchaea. Haloferax volcanii can grow anaerobically by denitrification (nitrate respiration) or DMSO respiration. In facultative anaerobic bacteria that can grow by both nitrate respiration and DMSO respiration, nitrate respiration is preferentially induced when both nitrate and DMSO are available as the respiratory substrates. The results of transcriptome analysis, growth phenotyping, and reporter assays indicated that DMSO respiration is suppressed in response to nitrate in H. volcanii. The haloarchaeon-specific regulator NarO, which activates denitrification under anaerobic conditions, is suggested to be involved in the nitrate-responsive suppression of DMSO respiration.