Nitric-oxide reductase

In enzymology, a nitric-oxide reductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction:

2 nitric oxide + electron donor ↔ rightleftharpoons nitrous oxide + oxidized electron donor + H2O

The 2 substrates of this enzyme are nitric oxide and electron donor, whereas its three products are nitrous oxide, oxidized electron donor/acceptor, and H2O.

This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting on other nitrogenous compounds as donors with other acceptors. The systematic name of this enzyme class is nitrous-oxide:acceptor oxidoreductase (NO-forming). Other names in common use include nitrogen oxide reductase, and nitrous-oxide:(acceptor) oxidoreductase (NO-forming). This enzyme participates in nitrogen metabolism and in the microbial defense against nitric oxide toxicity.