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Research was conducted to examine the structural gene and polypeptide for high-molecular-mass multi-c-heme cytochromes from Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum and degenerate oligonucleotide probe were used to prove the presence of multiple low spin and to identify a DNA fragment from M. capsulatus, respectively. Results indicate that cytochrome C5530 and the gene products of ORF3 and ORF1 belong to a novel class of c-type cytochrome.

The gene cycA encoding the tetraheme cytochrome c554 of Nitrosomonas europaea is present in three copies per genome and the cytochrome c554 represents a new class of tetraheme c cytochromes. Southern blot sequence probes reveal that the gene cluster consists of hao, cycA and ORF2 genes and organization of these genes for three proteins results in ammonia oxidation in N. europaea.