Role for draTG and rnf genes in reduction of 2,4-dinitrophenol by Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus is able to reduce 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) to 2-amino-4-nitrophenol enzymatically and thus can grow in the presence of this uncoupler. DNP reduction was switched off by glutamine or ammonium, but this short-term regulation did not take place in a draTG deletion mutant. Nevertheless, the target of DraTG does not seem to be the nitrophenol reductase itself since the ammonium shock did not inactivate the enzyme. In addition to this short-term regulation, ammonium or glutamine repressed the DNP reduction system. Mutants of R. capsulatus affected in ntrC or rpoN exhibited a 10-fold decrease in nitroreductase activity in vitro but almost no DNP activity in vivo. In addition, mutants affected in rnfA or rnfC, which are also under NtrC control and encode components involved in electron transfer to nitrogenase, were unable to metabolize DNP. These results indicate that NtrC regulates dinitrophenol reduction in R. capsulatus, either directly or indirectly, by controlling expression of the Rnf proteins. Therefore, the Rnf complex seems to supply electrons for both nitrogen fixation and DNP reduction.