Genomic DNA cloning of the region encoding nitric oxide reductase in Paracoccus halodenitrificans and a structure model relevant to cytochrome oxidase.

The structural genes for the NO reductase in Paracoccus halodenitrificans, norC, norB, and norQ were sequenced. The norC and norB encode the cytochrome c (NorC) and cytochrome b (NorB) subunits, respectively. The matured NorC (17,258 Da, 148 residues) has a binding motif (CXYCH) for heme c, which is axially coordinated by His65 and Met115. NorB (52,337 Da, 451 residues) has twelve putative transmembrane helices and the 19% sequence homology with the subunit I of cytochrome oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans. Several histidine and glutamate residues were identified as the ligands for two hemes b and a non-heme iron in comparison with the sequence of cytochrome oxidase. The higher-order model structures constructed from the amino acid sequences of NorC and NorB showed the topology of the helical segments and the locations of the metal centers.