Electron-transfer enzymes, role

The important role of glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase in shuttling reducing equivalents from cytosolic NADH into the mitochondrial matrix is described in Section 19.2 (see Fig. 19-28). The effect of each of these electron-transferring enzymes is to contribute to the pool of reduced ubiquinone. QH2 from all these reactions is reoxidized by Complex III. 

It is becoming clear that the MgATP hydrolysis is not required to induce protein-protein electron transfer, but its role in nitrogenase function is still undefined. The most likely hypothesis at the moment is that its hydrolysis, on the Fe protein, induces important changes in the MoFe protein, presumably by altering the conformation of the enzyme complex. Nevertheless, the nature of the changes in the MoFe protein remain obscure. 

The many redox reactions that take place within a cell make use of metalloproteins with a wide range of electron transfer potentials. To name just a few of their functions, these proteins play key roles in respiration, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation. Some of them simply shuttle electrons to or from enzymes that require electron transfer as part of their catalytic activity. In many other cases, a complex enzyme may incorporate its own electron transfer centers. There are three general categories of transition metal redox centers cytochromes, blue copper proteins, and iron-sulfur proteins. 

Details of the mechanism of naphthalene dioxygenase during a single turnover of the enzyme have been revealed, and conhrmed the separate roles of the dioxygenase and the ferredoxin electron transfer protein. This made it possible to propose a reaction cycle for the reaction (Wolfe et al. 2001). 

In this chapter, a novel interpretation of the membrane transport process elucidated based on a voltammetric concept and method is presented, and the important role of charge transfer reactions at aqueous-membrane interfaces in the membrane transport is emphasized [10,17,18]. Then, three respiration mimetic charge (ion or electron) transfer reactions observed by the present authors at the interface between an aqueous solution and an organic solution in the absence of any enzymes or proteins are introduced, and selective ion transfer reactions coupled with the electron transfer reactions are discussed [19-23]. The reaction processes of the charge transfer reactions and the energetic relations... 

Taraban, M.B., Leshina, T.V., Anderson, M.A., and Grissom, C.B., Magnetic field dependence of electron transfer and the role of electron spin in heme enzymes horseradish peroxidase, J. Am. Chem. Soc.,... 

In biochemical systems, acid-base and redox reactions are essential. Electron transfer plays an obvious, crucial role in photosynthesis, and redox reactions are central to the response to oxidative stress, and to the innate immune system and inflammatory response. Acid-base and proton transfer reactions are a part of most enzyme mechanisms, and are also closely linked to protein folding and stability. Proton and electron transfer are often coupled, as in almost all the steps of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. 

Reported redox potentials of laccases are lower than those of non-phenolic compounds, and therefore these enzymes cannot oxidize such substances [7]. However, it has been shown that in the presence of small molecules capable to act as electron transfer mediators, laccases are also able to oxidize non-phenolic structures [68, 69]. As part of their metabolism, WRF can produce several metabolites that play this role of laccase mediators. They include compounds such as /V-hvdi oxvacetan i I ide (NHA), /V-(4-cyanophenyl)acetohydroxamic acid (NCPA), 3-hydroxyanthranilate, syringaldehyde, 2,2 -azino-bis(3-ethylben-zothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP), violuric acid, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpipperidin-iV-oxide radical and acetovanillone, and by expanding the range of compounds that can be oxidized, their presence enhances the degradation of pollutants [3]. 

Fig. 5.7. In green sulfur bacteria and in some archaebacteria, a reverse citric acid cycle is used for the assimilation of C02. It must be assumed that this was the original function of the citric acid cycle that only secondarily took over the role as a dissimulatory and oxidative process for the degradation of organic matter. A major enzyme here is 2-oxoglutarate ferredoxin for C02 fixation. Note that it, like several other enzymes in the cycle, uses Fe/S proteins. One is the initial so-called complex I which has eight different Fe/S centres of different kinds but no haem (see also other early electron-transfer chains, e.g. in hydrogenases).

While cytochrome P-450 catalyzes the interaction with substrates, a final step of microsomal enzymatic system, flavoprotein NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase catalyzes the electron transfer from NADPH to cytochrome P-450. As is seen from Reaction (1), this enzyme contains one molecule of each of FMN and FAD. It has been suggested [4] that these flavins play different roles in catalysis FAD reacts with NADPH while FMN mediates electron... 

In most cases the electronic connection between an immobilized redox enzyme and the electrode requires a mediator to shuttle the electrons to the prosthetic group or some type of wiring that plays the same role. There are cases, however, especially those involving relatively small enzymes, where direct electron transfer takes place between the electrode and the prosthetic group or some electronic relay in the enzyme. Analysis of the catalysis responses then follows the principles described and illustrated in Section 4.3.2. Somewhat more complicated schemes are treated in references7, where illustrative experimental examples can also be found. 

M. Fabian and co-workers have studied the protein s role in internal electron transfer to the catalytic center of cytochrome c oxidase using stopped-flow kinetics. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, CcO, an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of ferrocytochrome c by dioxygen, is discussed more fully in Section 7.8. In the overall process, O2 is reduced to water, requiring the addition of four electrons and four protons to the enzyme s catalytic center. Electrons enter CcO from the cytosolic side, while protons enter from the matrix side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. This redox reaction. 

It has been well recognized that the mixed-function oxidase system of Bacillus megaterium is involved in steroid hydroxylation (, as already described above. This enzyme system is composed of a NADPH-specific FMN flavoprotein (megaredoxin reductase), an iron-sulfur protein (megaredoxin) and cytochrome P cn. The megaredoxin protein plays an important role as an intermediate component of electron transfer from reduced flavoprotein to cytochrome P en. 

As shown in Table V, a number of Fe S-containing proteins perform reactions other than redox or electron transfer. That is, the function of the cluster does not include a change in oxidation state, even as a transient step in catalysis. This role is best illustrated by aconitase, one of the most extensively studied Fe S proteins, regardless of function. The elegant recent work on this enzyme is largely under the guiding hand of H. Beinert and is summarized in the Krebs Memorial Lecture (Beinert and Kennedy, 1989). 

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