Heme D1 occurs in the cytochrome Cd1 subunit of nitrite reductase in species such as Pseudomonas stutzeri. NirJ is involved in the transformation of precorrin-2 into heme d1, although its precise role in the process has not been established. In a number of species, distinct genes NirJ1 and NirJ2 are found in similar genomic regions. This family contains all the NirJ proteins.

NirJ which is involved in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis; it catalyzes the decarboxylation of siroheme to yield didecarboxysiroheme, which is then converted to Fe-coproporphyrin by oxidative decarboxylation of two acetyl side chains [41. Bali S, Lawrence AD, Lobo SA, Saraiva LM, Golding BT, et al. (2011) Molecular hijacking of siroheme for the synthesis of heme and d1 heme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108: 18260–18265. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1108228108. and 42. Lobo SA, Brindley A, Warren MJ, Saraiva LM (2009) Functional characterization of the early steps of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and modification in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. Biochem J 420: 317–325. doi: 10.1042/bj20090151.

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