UC Berkeley

Sulfate-reducing microbes, such as Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, cause “souring” of petroleum reservoirs through produced sulfide and precipitate heavy metals, either as sulfides or by alteration of the metal reduction state. Thus, inhibitors of these microbes, including nitrate and nitrite ions, are studied in order to limit their impact. Nitrite is a potent inhibitor of sulfate reducers, and it has been suggested that nitrate does not inhibit these microbes directly but by reduction to nitrite, which serves as the ultimate inhibitor. Here we provide evidence that nitrate inhibition of D. vulgaris can be independent of nitrite production. We also show that D. vulgaris can use nitrite as a nitrogen source or terminal electron acceptor for growth. Moreover, we report that use of nitrite as a terminal electron acceptor requires nitrite reductase (nrfA) as a D. vulgaris nrfA mutant cannot respire nitrite but remains capable of utilizing nitrite as a nitrogen source. These results illuminate previously uncharacterized metabolic abilities of D. vulgaris that may allow niche expansion in low-sulfate environments. Understanding these abilities may lead to better control of sulfate-reducing bacteria in industrial settings and more accurate prediction of their interactions in the environment.