The fnr Gene of Bacillus licheniformis and the Cysteine Ligands of the C-Terminal FeS Cluster

In the facultatively anaerobic bacterium Bacillus licheniformis a gene encoding a protein of the fumarate nitrate reductase family of transcriptional regulators (Fnr) was isolated. Unlike Fnr proteins from gram-negative bacteria, but like Fnr from Bacillus subtilis, the protein contained a C-terminal cluster of cysteine residues. Unlike in Fnr from B. subtilis, this cluster (Cys226-X(2)-Cys229-X(4)-Cys234) is composed of only three Cys residues, which are supposed to serve together with an internal residue (Cys71) as the ligands for an FeS center. Transfer of the B. licheniformis gene to an fnr mutant of B. subtilis complemented the ability for synthesis of nitrate reductase during anaerobic growth.