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Nitrate and nitrite production in Staphylococcus carnosus

The completely apathogenic species S. carnosus TM300 is traditionally used as a starter culture in the production of raw fermented sausages and dry-cured ham. The reduction of nitrate to nitrite is the main function of this organism in the curing process and important for the development of colour and flavour. A potential application of this food-grade organism in minimizing the nitrate content of vegetables and drinking water is desirable. The characterization of mutants led to the identification of genes encoding regulatory proteins, proteins necessary for molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis, transporters and the nitrate and nitrite reductases themselves. The elucidation of the regulation and the underlying regulatory mechanisms of the system are subject of the current investigations .

Selected references:

  1. Cole, J. A. (1996). Nitrate reduction to ammonia by enteric bacteria: redundancy, or a strategy for survival during oxygen starvation? FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 136, 1-11.
  2. Neubauer, H. and Götz, F. (1996) Physiology and interaction of nitrate and nitrite reduction in Staphylococcus carnosus . J. Bacteriol. 178: 2005-2009.
  3. Fast, B., Lindgren, P.-E. and Götz, F. (1997) Cloning, sequencing, and characterization of a gene ( nar T) encoding a transport protein involved in dissimilatory nitrate reduction in Staphylococcus carnosus . Arch. Microbiol. 166: 361-367.
  4. Pantel, I., Lindgren, P.-E., Neubauer, H. and Götz, F. (1998) Identification and characterization of the Staphylococcus carnosus nitrate reductase operon (narGHJI). Mol. Gen. Genet. 259(1):105-14