Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria derive their energy for growth from the oxidation of ammonium with nitrite as the electron acceptor. N 2 , the end product of this metabolism, is produced from the oxidation of the intermediate, hydrazine (N 2 H 4 ). Previously, we identified N 2 -producing hydrazine dehydrogenase (KsHDH) from the anammox organism Kuenenia stuttgartiensis as the gene product of kustc0694 and determined some of its catalytic properties. In the genome of K. stuttgartiensis, kustc0694 is one of 10 paralogs related to octaheme hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) oxidoreductase (HAO). Here, we characterized KsHDH as a covalently cross-linked homotrimeric octaheme protein as found for HAO and HAO-related hydroxylamine-oxidizing enzyme kustc1061 from K. stuttgartiensis. Interestingly, the HDH trimers formed octamers in solution, each octamer harboring an amazing 192 c-type heme moieties. Whereas HAO and kustc1061 are capable of hydrazine oxidation as well, KsHDH was highly specific for this activity. To understand this specificity, we performed detailed amino acid sequence analyses and investigated the catalytic and spectroscopic (electronic absorbance, EPR) properties of KsHDH in comparison with the well defined HAO and kustc1061. We conclude that HDH specificity is most likely derived from structural changes around the catalytic heme 4 (P 460 ) and of the electron-wiring circuit comprising seven His/His-ligated c-type hemes in each subunit. These nuances make HDH a globally prominent N 2 -producing enzyme, next to nitrous oxide (N 2 O) reductase from denitrifying microorganisms.An estimated 30 -70% of all N 2 that is released into the atmosphere is produced by anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) 4 bacteria (1, 2), which represent one of the latest scientific discoveries in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. These organisms gain their energy for growth from the oxidation of ammonium, with nitrite as the electron acceptor, to produce N 2 . With the employment of advanced molecular tools, these bacteria have been detected in nearly every anoxic environment where fixed nitrogen compounds are degraded (3). Besides its biogeochemical and ecological relevance, the anammox process has found worldwide application in ammonium removal from wastewater as an environment-friendly and cost-effective alternative to conventional systems (4).In our current understanding, anammox catabolism is composed of three consecutive, coupled reactions with two intermediates, nitric oxide (NO) and hydrazine (N 2 H 4 ): 1) the oneelectron reduction of the substrate nitrite to NO (Reaction 1); 2) the activation of the second substrate ammonium with NO and the concomitant input of three electrons to synthesize N 2 H 4 (Reaction 2); and 3) the oxidation of hydrazine, the most powerful reductant in nature, to N 2 (Reaction 3) (5-7).
NO