In the facultative sulphate/nitrate reducer Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774, the nine-haem cytochrome c is part of a membrane-bound redox complex mainly expressed in sulphate-grown cells

The bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 belongs to the group of sulphate reducers also capable of utilising nitrate as its terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic growth. One of the complex multihaem proteins found in nitrate- or sulphate-grown cells of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 is the nine-haem cytochrome c. The present work shows that the gene encoding for Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 nine-haem cytochrome c is part of an operon formed by the gene cluster 9hcA–D. Besides 9hcA, the gene encoding for the nine-haem cytochrome c, genes 9hcB to D encode for a protein containing four [4Fe-4S]2+/1+ centres, for a dihaem transmembrane cytochrome b and for an unknown hydrophobic protein, respectively. The four proteins have a predicted topology that is in accordance with the formation of a membrane-bound redox complex. Furthermore, the transcriptional studies show that not only the expression of the 9HcA–D complex is dependent on the growth phase, but also is markedly increased in sulphate-grown cells.