Different responses to nitrate and nitrite by the model organism Escherichia coli and the human pathogen Neisseria gonoorrhoeae

The ability of Escherichia coli to use both nitrate and nitrite as terminal electron acceptors during anaerobic growth is mediated by the dual-acting two-component regulatory systems NarX-NarL and NarQ-NarP. In contrast, Neisseria gonorrhoeae responds only to nitrite: it expresses only NarQ-NarP. We have shown that although N. gonorrhoeae NarQ can phosphorylate E coli NarL and NarP, the N. gonorrhoeae NarP is unable to regulate gene expression in E coli. Mutagenesis experiments have revealed residues in E coli NarQ that are essential for nitrate and nitrite sensing. Chimaeric proteins revealed domains of NarQ that are important for ligand sensing.