Functional anaerobic electron transport linked to the reduction of nitrate and fumarate in membranes from Escherichia coli as demonstrated by quenching of atebrin fluorescence.

Measurements were made of energy-dependent quenching of atebrin fluorescence in membrane particles prepared from Escherichia coli grown anaerobically with glycerol as carbon source in the presence of either nitrate or fumarate. It is concluded that this technique can be used to study the functional organization of the anaerobic proton-translocating electron-transport chains that use nitrate or fumarate as terminal electron acceptor.