A gene cluster which includes genes required for the expression of nitric oxide reductase in Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.3 has been isolated and characterized. Sequence analysis indicates that the two proximal genes in the cluster are the Nor structural genes. These two genes and four distal genes apparently constitute an operon. Mutational analysis indicates that the two structural genes, norC and norB, and the genes immediately downstream, norQ and norD, are required for expression of an active Nor complex. The remaining two genes, nnrT and nnrU, are required for expression of both Nir and Nor. The products of norCBQD have significant identity with products from other denitrifiers, whereas the predicted nnrT and nnrU gene products have no similarity with products corresponding to other sequences in the database. Mutational analysis and functional complementation studies indicate that the nnrT and nnrU genes can be expressed from an internal promoter. Deletion analysis of the regulatory region upstream of norC indicated that a sequence motif which has identity to a motif in the gene encoding nitrite reductase in strain 2.4.3 is critical for nor operon expression. Regulatory studies demonstrated that the first four genes, norCBQD, are expressed only when the oxygen concentration is low and nitrate is present but that the two distal genes, nnrTU, are expressed constitutively.Denitrification is the reduction of nitrate (NO 3 Ϫ ) to gaseous intermediates, principally nitrogen gas. Nitric oxide (NO), an obligatory intermediate during denitrification, is generated from the one-electron reduction of nitrite (NO 2 Ϫ ) (41). NO reduction is coupled to energy generation (18,29). NO is also a well-known cytotoxic compound, so its production during denitrification has the potential of causing significant cell damage. To mitigate the toxicity of NO, its steady-state concentration during denitrification is maintained at low-nanomolar levels (11). The protein responsible for NO reduction, NO reductase (Nor), catalyzes the reaction 2NO ϩ 2H ϩ 3N 2 O ϩ H 2 O. Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is an inert, nontoxic intermediate that is frequently the terminal product of denitrification (42). Nor has been purified and shown to be a heterodimeric membrane protein (9,14,16). Metal analysis has shown that it contains only iron in stoichiometric amounts. Recently, the Nor structural genes have been characterized, and sequence analysis revealed that Nor was related to the cytochrome c oxidase superfamily (36). In particular, Nor is most closely related to the heme b-containing oxidases, which are expressed under conditions of low oxygen concentration. It has been suggested that Nor was the original member of this family and that the other members arose by modifying the Nor structure (26).The genetic organization of the region of the chromosome encoding the nor structural genes varies among denitrifiers. In Pseudomonas stutzeri, the two structural genes form a distinct transcriptional unit (43). In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the two structural genes ...