Nitrite reductase in bacteroids of Rhizobium "hedysari" strain HCNT1.

Ex planta, bacteroids of the sulla-symbiont Rhizobium “hedysari” strain HCNT 1 terminated reduction of nitrite at nitrous oxide irrespective of the presence or absence of acetylene. Nitrate was not reduced during the experimental period, but slight nitrate reductase activity occurred if incubation with nitrate was prolonged (up to 15 h). As was observed in free-living cells, exposure of the bacteroids to the metal chelator, diethyldithiocarbamate, prevented reduction of nitrite, indicating the presence of a copper-containing nitrite reductase. Pulses of 10–75 μM nitrite transiently impeded O2 uptake in bacteroids, which resumed consumption of O2 when the nitrite had been reduced. Exposure to >1.0 mM nitrite for 24h greatly inhibited nitrogenase activity (assayed as acetylene reduction activity) of bacteroids in planta. Exposure to the same concentrations of nitrite after 1h of incubation in the presence of acetylene almost completely stopped ongoing ethylene production in bacteroids of strain HCNT 1 extracted from nodules. Free cells of the non-nitrite-reducing R. “hedysari” strain CC 1335 were lacking in nitrogenase (acetylene-reduction) activity, whereas identically cultured (low-oxygen) strain HCNT 1 cells reduced both nitrite and acetylene