europaea to sustain and rapidly increase NH3 oxidation during a transition from a starvation state (as in stationary phase) to when NH3 becomes available. Since NH3 oxidation is the very first step in energy generation for N. europaea, it is indeed find more advantageous to retain the capability (by retaining amoA mRNA) for this step to a certain extent IWR-1 solubility dmso compared to downstream steps. These results are consistent with the higher retention of amoA mRNA concentrations relative to those for other genes coding for carbon dioxide fixation for growth, ion transport, electron transfer and DNA

replication [23]. In fact, an actual increase in NH3 transport genes during NH3 starvation in stationary phase has also been observed [23]. The increasing trend in relative mRNA concentrations of amoA and hao and sOUR with decreasing DO concentrations

during exponential growth reflect a possible strategy of N. europaea to (partially) make up for low DO concentrations by enhancing the ammonia and hydroxylamine oxidizing machinery. One possible means to enhance substrate utilization rates at reduced DO concentrations could be to increase the capacity for oxygen transfer into the cell itself. An alternate means could be by Screening Library in vivo enhancing the ammonia or hydroxylamine oxidizing machinery (mRNA, proteins and or protein activity). The volumetric ammonia oxidation rate depends upon the mathematical product of AMO (or HAO) protein concentrations, their activity and http://www.selleck.co.jp/products/BIBW2992.html DO concentrations (as given by the multiplicative Monod model [24]). Therefore, potentially similar ammonia oxidation rates could be maintained at lower DO concentrations by increasing the catalytic protein concentrations (or those of their precursors, such as mRNA) or activities (as measured by sOUR assays). Such an enhancement might be manifested in higher ‘potential’ oxygen uptake rates, measured under non-limiting DO concentrations. Notwithstanding increased ‘potential’ NH3 or NH2OH oxidation activity from

cells exposed to sustained lower DO concentrations, actual ‘extant’ activity is indeed expected to be lower under stoichiometric DO limitation, resulting in lower rates of batch cell growth or nitrite accumulation (Figure 2, A2-C2). Based on a recent study, N. europaea cultures demonstrated similar increases in amoA transcription and sOUR when subject to NH3 limitation in chemostats, relative to substrate sufficient batch cultures [15]. While it is documented that NirK is involved in NH3 oxidation by facilitating intermediate electron transport [25], the specific role of the Nor cluster in NH3 metabolism and exclusivity in N2O prodution is unclear [7]. Both NirK and Nor act upon products of upstream AMO and HAO.