Nitrite Oxidase Activities of Cytochrome P450 and Mitochondria

Abstract 5310 Once dismissed as an inert byproduct of nitric oxide (NO) auto-oxidation, nitrite (NO2−) is now accepted as an endocrine reserve of NO that elicits a number of fundamental biological responses in all major organ systems. While it is known that tissue nitrite is derived from both oxidation of NO and from dietary nitrite and nitrate, much less is known about how nitrite is metabolized by tissue or about the factors that influence this metabolism. Here we investigate the rates and mechanisms by which nitrite is metabolized by tissue over a range of oxygen tensions in rats and mice. We show that the rate of nitrite metabolism differs in heart, liver, lung and brain tissue. Further, oxygen regulates the rate and products of nitrite metabolism in each of these tissues. In hypoxic tissue, nitrite is predominantly reduced to NO, with significant formation of iron-nitrosyl heme proteins and S-nitrosothiols. Interestingly, this hypoxic nitrite metabolism is mediated by different sets of nitrite reductase enzymes in each tissue. In contrast, tissue consumption of nitrite is more rapid in normoxia and the major end product is nitrate. While cytochrome P450s and myoglobin contributed in the liver and heart respectively, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase played a significant role in this normoxic nitrite oxidation, which could be completely inhibited by cyanide in all tissues. We used cyanide-based nitrite preservation solution to measure the pharmacokinetics of oral and intraperitoneally administered nitrite in vivo. Using this methodology, we measured basal levels of nitrite in the major tissues and confirm that the heart contains the greatest concentration of nitrite, followed by the liver and finally the lung. We demonstrate that intraperitoneal administration of nitrite to mice increases nitrite levels most significantly in the liver and heart, where nitrite uptake is rapid (5–10 min) and steadily decreases thereafter, such that levels are back to baseline by 30 min. Little to no increase was observed in the lung. In these studies, changes in nitrate were difficult to detect due to the high levels of basal nitrate present in vivo and low concentration of nitrite administered. However, the rapid metabolism of nitrite in the tissue suggests that oxidation is at least partially responsible. In contrast to intraperitoneal nitrite, oral nitrite increased nitrite levels in all organs of mice, an effect which peaked in all organs except liver at 3 days. Collectively, these data provide insight into the fate of nitrite in tissue, the enzymes involved in hypoxic and normoxic nitrite metabolism and the role of oxygen in regulating these processes. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Comparative analysis of nitrite uptake and hemoglobin-nitrite reactions in erythrocytes: sorting out uptake mechanisms and oxygenation dependencies

Nitrite uptake into red blood cells (RBCs) precedes its intracellular reactions with hemoglobin (Hb) that forms nitric oxide (NO) during hypoxia. We investigated the uptake of nitrite and its reactions with Hb at different oxygen saturations (So2), using RBCs with (carp and rabbit) and without (hagfish and lamprey) anion exchanger-1 (AE1) in the membrane, with the aim to unravel the mechanisms and oxygenation dependencies of nitrite transport. Added nitrite rapidly diffused into the RBCs until equilibrium. The distribution ratio of nitrite across the membrane agreed with that expected from HNO2 diffusion and AE1-mediated facilitated NO2− diffusion. Participation of HNO2 diffusion was emphasized by rapid transmembrane nitrite equilibration also in the natural AE1 knockouts. Following the equilibration, nitrite was consumed by reacting with Hb, which created a continued inward diffusion controlled by intracellular reaction rates. Changes in nitrite uptake with So2, pH, or species were accordingly explained by corresponding changes in reaction rates. In carp, nitrite uptake rates increased linearly with decreasing So2 over the entire So2 range. In rabbit, nitrite uptake rates were highest at intermediate So2, producing a bell-shaped relationship with So2. Nitrite consumption increased ∼10-fold with a 1 unit decrease in pH, as expected from the involvement of protons in the reactions with Hb. The reaction of nitrite with deoxyhemoglobin was favored over that with oxyhemoglobin at intermediate So2. We propose a model for RBC nitrite uptake that involves both HNO2 diffusion and AE1-mediated transport and that explains both the present and previous (sometimes puzzling) results.

A single channel for nitrate uptake, nitrite export and nitrite uptake by Escherichia coli NarU and a role for NirC in nitrite export and uptake

Two related polytopic membrane proteins of the major facilitator family, NarK and NarU, catalyse nitrate uptake, nitrite export and nitrite uptake across the Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membrane by an unknown mechanism. A 12-helix model of NarU was constructed based upon six alkaline phosphatase and β-galactosidase fusions to NarK and the predicted hydropathy for the NarK family. Fifteen residues conserved in the NarK-NarU protein family were substituted by site-directed mutagenesis, including four residues that are essential for nitrate uptake by Aspergillus nidulans: arginines Arg87 and Arg303 in helices 2 and 8, and two glycines in a nitrate signature motif. Despite the wide range of substitutions studied, in no case did mutation result in loss of one biochemical function without simultaneous loss of all other functions. A NarU+ NirC+ strain grew more rapidly and accumulated nitrite more rapidly than the isogenic NarU+ NirC− strain. Only the NirC+ strain consumed nitrite rapidly during the later stages of growth. Under conditions in which the rate of nitrite reduction was limited by the rate of nitrite uptake, NirC+ strains reduced nitrite up to 10 times more rapidly than isogenic NarU+ strains, indicating that both nitrite efflux and nitrite uptake are largely dependent on NirC. Isotope tracer experiments with [15N]nitrate and [14N]nitrite revealed that [15N]nitrite accumulated in the extracellular medium even when there was a net rate of nitrite uptake and reduction. We propose that NarU functions as a single channel for nitrate uptake and nitrite expulsion, either as a nitrate–nitrite antiporter, or more likely as a nitrate/H+ or nitrite/H+ channel.

On-line titrimetric monitoring of anaerobic–anoxic EBPR processes

Denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms (DPAO) are able to remove nitrogen and phosphorus simultaneously. The use of DPAO in EBPR systems results in a substantial saving on aeration cost and a lower sludge production when compared to anaerobic–aerobic EBPR systems. This process is usually studied in sequencing batch reactors (SBR) and monitored with off-line measurements. However, off-line monitoring implies low frequency data sampling and delay between sampling and obtainment of the results. For this reason, an online measurement such as titrimetry is strongly recommended to improve the daily management of the lab-scale SBR. This paper shows different applications of titrimetric measurements for on-line monitoring of DPAO lab-scale SBR cycles. The results demonstrate that titrimetry is a suitable tool for detecting the end of phosphorus release and carbon substrate depletion point in the anaerobic phase. Moreover, this paper proposes the indirect measurement of nitrate/nitrite uptake rate with titrimetric measurements, which allows the on-line estimation of its concentration during the anoxic phase. Therefore, titrimetry is an on-line measurement with a high potential to implement new control strategies in DPAO lab-scale SBR systems.