NITRATE REDUCTION I. Growth of Escherichia coli

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Abstract
E. coli strain Bn, which uses nitrate or nitrite as a N source for growth, was isolated from strain B, which is inhibited strongly by nitrate or nitrite. Strain Bn reduces nitrate to ammonia at the expense of H; with B the H uptake corresponds to nitrite production. Nitric oxide is so highly toxic, however, that an inhibitory level of this compound might be produced without an observable increase in total H uptake over that required for nitrite production. Strain Bn is much more tolerant to nitric oxide than is the parental type, apparently because the oxide is metabolized by the new strain. This ability to remove nitric oxide may account for the observed difference between strains in response to nitrate and nitrite. No evidence is presented as to whether nitric oxide is an obligate intermediate in nitrate reduction or a side product.

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