A New Real-Time Simple Method to Measure the Endogenous Nitrate Reductase Activity (Nar) in Paracoccus denitrificans and Other Denitrifying Bacteria

The transmembrane nitrate reductase (Nar) is the first enzyme in the dissimilatory alternate anaerobic nitrate respiratory chain in denitrifying bacteria. To date, there has been no real-time method to determine its specific activity embedded in its native membrane; here, we describe such a new method, which is useful with the inside-out membranes of <i>Paracoccus denitrificans</i> and other denitrifying bacteria. This new method takes advantage of the native coupling of the endogenous NADH dehydrogenase or Complex I with the reduction of nitrate by Nar through the quinone pool of the inner membranes of <i>P. denitrificans</i>. This is achieved under previously reached <i>anaerobic</i> conditions. Inner controls confirming the specific Nar activity determined by this new method were made by the total inhibition of the Nar enzyme by sodium azide and cyanide, well-known Nar inhibitors. The estimation of the Michaelis-Menten affinity of Nar for NO₃^- using this so-called Nar-JJ assay gave a <i>K_m</i> of 70.4 μM, similar to previously determined values. This new Nar-JJ assay is a suitable, low-cost, and reproducible method to determine in real-time the endogenous Nar activity not only in <i>P. denitrificans</i>, but in other denitrifying bacteria such as <i>Brucella canis</i>, and potentially in other entero-pathogenic bacteria.