Oxidative phosphorylation or electron transport-linked phosphorylation or terminal oxidation is the metabolic pathway in which cells use enzymes to oxidize nutrients, thereby releasing chemical energy in order to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In eukaryotes, this takes place inside mitochondria. Almost all aerobic organisms carry out oxidative phosphorylation. This pathway is so pervasive because it releases more energy than alternative fermentation processes such as anaerobic glycolysis.
Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) (EC 1.1.1.1) are a group of dehydrogenase enzymes that occur in many organisms and facilitate the interconversion between alcohols and aldehydes or ketones with the reduction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to NADH. In humans and many other animals, they serve to break down alcohols that are otherwise toxic, and they also participate in the generation of useful aldehyde, ketone, or alcohol groups during the biosynthesis of various metabolites. In yeast, plants, and many bacteria, some alcohol dehydrogenases catalyze the opposite reaction as part of fermentation to ensure a constant supply of NAD+.
An electron transport chain (ETC) is a series of protein complexes and other molecules that transfer electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions (both reduction and oxidation occurring simultaneously) and couples this electron transfer with the transfer of protons (H+ ions) across a membrane. The electrons that are transferred from NADH and FADH2 to the ETC involves four multi-subunit large enzymes complexes and two mobile electron carriers. Many of the enzymes in the electron transport chain are embedded within the membrane.
In biochemistry, mixed acid fermentation is the metabolic process by which a six-carbon sugar is converted into a complex and variable mixture of acids. It is an anaerobic (non-oxygen-requiring) fermentation reaction that is common in bacteria. It is characteristic for members of the Enterobacteriaceae, a large family of Gram-negative bacteria that includes E. coli.
Formate dehydrogenases are a set of enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of formate to carbon dioxide, donating the electrons to a second substrate, such as NAD+ in formate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (EC 1.17.1.9) or to a cytochrome in formate:ferricytochrome-b1 oxidoreductase (EC 1.2.2.1). This family of enzymes has attracted attention as inspiration or guidance on methods for the carbon dioxide fixation, relevant to global warming.
D-amino-acid dehydrogenase is a bacterial enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of D-amino acids into their corresponding oxoacids. It contains both flavin and nonheme iron as cofactors. The enzyme has a very broad specificity and can act on most D-amino acids.
In enzymology, a quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone) (EC 1.6.5.2) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Cytochrome c nitrite reductase (ccNiR) is a bacterial enzyme that catalyzes the six electron reduction of nitrite to ammonia; an important step in the biological nitrogen cycle. The enzyme catalyses the second step in the two step conversion of nitrate to ammonia, which allows certain bacteria to use nitrite as a terminal electron acceptor, rather than oxygen, during anaerobic conditions. During this process, ccNiR draws electrons from the quinol pool, which are ultimately provided by a dehydrogenase such as formate dehydrogenase or hydrogenase. These dehydrogenases are responsible for generating a proton motive force.
The enzyme methylglyoxal synthase catalyzes the chemical reaction
Morpheeins are proteins that can form two or more different homo-oligomers, but must come apart and change shape to convert between forms. The alternate shape may reassemble to a different oligomer. The shape of the subunit dictates which oligomer is formed. Each oligomer has a finite number of subunits (stoichiometry). Morpheeins can interconvert between forms under physiological conditions and can exist as an equilibrium of different oligomers. These oligomers are physiologically relevant and are not misfolded protein; this distinguishes morpheeins from prions and amyloid. The different oligomers have distinct functionality. Interconversion of morpheein forms can be a structural basis for allosteric regulation, an idea noted many years ago, and later revived. A mutation that shifts the normal equilibrium of morpheein forms can serve as the basis for a conformational disease. Features of morpheeins can be exploited for drug discovery. The dice image represents a morpheein equilibrium containing two different monomeric shapes that dictate assembly to a tetramer or a pentamer. The one protein that is established to function as a morpheein is porphobilinogen synthase, though there are suggestions throughout the literature that other proteins may function as morpheeins.
The Arc system is a two-component system found in some bacteria that regulates gene expression in faculatative anaerobes such as Escheria coli. Two-component system means that it has a sensor molecule and a response regulator. Arc is an abbreviation for Anoxic Redox Control system. Arc systems are instrumental in maintaining energy metabolism during transcription of bacteria. The ArcA response regulator looks at growth conditions and expresses genes to best suit the bacteria. The Arc B sensor kinase, which is a tripartite protein, is membrane bound and can autophosphorylate.
The fnr gene of Escherichia coli encodes a transcriptional activator (FNR) which is required for the expression of a number of genes involved in anaerobic respiratory pathways. The FNR protein of E. coli is an oxygen – responsive transcriptional regulator required for the switch from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism.
"Type III mutants, originally frdB, were designated fnr because they were defective in fumarate and nitrate reduction and impaired in their ability to produce gas." - Lambden and Guest, 1976 Journal of General Microbiology97, 145-160
The Formate-Nitrite Transporter (FNT) Family belongs to the Major Intrinsic Protein (MIP) Superfamily. FNT family members have been sequenced from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, archaea, yeast, plants and lower eukaryotes. The prokaryotic proteins of the FNT family probably function in the transport of the structurally related compounds, formate and nitrite.
Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.5.3 is an enzyme with systematic name sn-glycerol 3-phosphate:quinone oxidoreductase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Formate dehydrogenase (acceptor) (EC 1.1.99.33, FDHH, FDH-H, FDH-O, formate dehydrogenase H, formate dehydrogenase O) is an enzyme with systematic name formate:acceptor oxidoreductase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Class 2 dihydroorotate dehydrogenases is an enzyme with systematic name (S)-dihydroorotate:quinone oxidoreductase. This enzyme catalyses the electron transfer from dihydroorotate to a quinone :
Fumarate reductase (quinol) (EC 1.3.5.4, QFR,FRD, menaquinol-fumarate oxidoreductase, quinol:fumarate reductase) is an enzyme with systematic name succinate:quinone oxidoreductase. This enzyme catalyzes the following chemical reaction:
D-amino acid dehydrogenase (quinone) (EC 1.4.5.1, DadA) is an enzyme with systematic name D-amino acid:quinone oxidoreductase (deaminating). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Nitrate reductase (quinone) (EC 1.7.5.1, nitrate reductase A, nitrate reductase Z, quinol/nitrate oxidoreductase, quinol-nitrate oxidoreductase, quinol:nitrate oxidoreductase, NarA, NarZ, NarGHI) is an enzyme with systematic name nitrite:quinone oxidoreductase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
