Rubrerythrin (RBR) is a non-heme iron-containing metalloprotein involved in oxidative stress tolerance within anaerobic bacteria. [1] It contains a di-iron active site, where peroxide is reduced into two water molecules, and a mono-iron rubredoxin-like domain thought to be involved in electron transfer. [2] A majority of known RBR families are utilized as peroxide "scavengers" to defend organisms against oxidative stress.
As a member of the Ferritin-like superfamily, RBRs primary function is iron storage and detoxification. Rubrerythrins utilize their di-iron centers to bind with reactive oxygen species such as Hydrogen Peroxide, further reducing them into water.
RBR reduction is theorized as a particularly important adaptation that occurred in response to the Great Oxygenation event, increasing defensive fitness of all cells exposed to relatively high levels of oxygen and similar byproducts. [3]
Although primarily studied within anaerobic bacteria, RBRs have been discovered in multiple different types of cells including: Aerobic, Anaerobic, and Cyanobacteria. [4]
Many formations of RBRs can be identified by four helical structures, chains alpha and beta containing 3 iron atoms. Both N and C-terminals of common RBRs are very similar to Rubredoxin containing amino acid residue sequences. Furthermore, both metalloproteins contain 5 histidine ligands located within the N-terminals of their peptide chains. [5]
In a reduced state without exposure to reactive oxygen byproducts, Rubrerythrin contains two water molecules near its di-iron center. During and after exposure to peroxide, Rubrerythrin becomes oxidized, changing rotational conformations beginning around the peroxide binding site. [6]
Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants are frequently added to industrial products, such as polymers, fuels, and lubricants, to extend their usable lifetimes. Foods are also treated with antioxidants to forestall spoilage, in particular the rancidification of oils and fats. In cells, antioxidants such as glutathione, mycothiol, or bacillithiol, and enzyme systems like superoxide dismutase, can prevent damage from oxidative stress.
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.
Catalase is a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms exposed to oxygen which catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. It is a very important enzyme in protecting the cell from oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Catalase has one of the highest turnover numbers of all enzymes; one catalase molecule can convert millions of hydrogen peroxide molecules to water and oxygen each second.
In chemistry, iron(II) refers to the element iron in its +2 oxidation state. The adjective ferrous or the prefix ferro- is often used to specify such compounds, as in ferrous chloride for iron(II) chloride (FeCl2). The adjective ferric is used instead for iron(III) salts, containing the cation Fe3+. The word ferrous is derived from the Latin word ferrum, meaning "iron".
Xanthine oxidase is a form of xanthine oxidoreductase, a type of enzyme that generates reactive oxygen species. These enzymes catalyze the oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and can further catalyze the oxidation of xanthine to uric acid. These enzymes play an important role in the catabolism of purines in some species, including humans.
Metalloprotein is a generic term for a protein that contains a metal ion cofactor. A large proportion of all proteins are part of this category. For instance, at least 1000 human proteins contain zinc-binding protein domains although there may be up to 3000 human zinc metalloproteins.
Obligate anaerobes are microorganisms killed by normal atmospheric concentrations of oxygen (20.95% O2). Oxygen tolerance varies between species, with some species capable of surviving in up to 8% oxygen, while others lose viability in environments with an oxygen concentration greater than 0.5%.
Bioinorganic chemistry is a field that examines the role of metals in biology. Bioinorganic chemistry includes the study of both natural phenomena such as the behavior of metalloproteins as well as artificially introduced metals, including those that are non-essential, in medicine and toxicology. Many biological processes such as respiration depend upon molecules that fall within the realm of inorganic chemistry. The discipline also includes the study of inorganic models or mimics that imitate the behaviour of metalloproteins.
Pyrococcus furiosus is a heterotrophic, strictly anaerobic, extremophilic, model species of archaea. It is classified as a hyperthermophile because it thrives best under extremely high temperatures, and is notable for having an optimum growth temperature of 100 °C. P. furiosus belongs to the Pyrococcus genus, most commonly found in extreme environmental conditions of hydrothermal vents. It is one of the few prokaryotic organisms that has enzymes containing tungsten, an element rarely found in biological molecules.
Rubredoxins are a class of low-molecular-weight iron-containing proteins found in sulfur-metabolizing bacteria and archaea. Sometimes rubredoxins are classified as iron-sulfur proteins; however, in contrast to iron-sulfur proteins, rubredoxins do not contain inorganic sulfide. Like cytochromes, ferredoxins and Rieske proteins, rubredoxins are thought to participate in electron transfer in biological systems. Recent work in bacteria and algae have led to the hypothesis that some rubredoxins may instead have a role in delivering iron to metalloproteins.
Microbial metabolism is the means by which a microbe obtains the energy and nutrients it needs to live and reproduce. Microbes use many different types of metabolic strategies and species can often be differentiated from each other based on metabolic characteristics. The specific metabolic properties of a microbe are the major factors in determining that microbe's ecological niche, and often allow for that microbe to be useful in industrial processes or responsible for biogeochemical cycles.
In enzymology, an alkane 1-monooxygenase (EC 1.14.15.3) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactions
In enzymology, carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) (EC 1.2.7.4) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Superoxide reductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of highly reactive and toxic superoxide (O2−) into less toxic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2):
In enzymology, a pyruvate, water dikinase (EC 2.7.9.2) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
A transition metal oxo complex is a coordination complex containing an oxo ligand. Formally O2-, an oxo ligand can be bound to one or more metal centers, i.e. it can exist as a terminal or (most commonly) as bridging ligands (Fig. 1). Oxo ligands stabilize high oxidation states of a metal. They are also found in several metalloproteins, for example in molybdenum cofactors and in many iron-containing enzymes. One of the earliest synthetic compounds to incorporate an oxo ligand is potassium ferrate (K2FeO4), which was likely prepared by Georg E. Stahl in 1702.
[NiFe] hydrogenase is a type of hydrogenase, which is an oxidative enzyme that reversibly converts molecular hydrogen in prokaryotes including Bacteria and Archaea. The catalytic site on the enzyme provides simple hydrogen-metabolizing microorganisms a redox mechanism by which to store and utilize energy via the reaction
In enzymology, an aldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase (EC 1.2.7.5) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Evolution of metal ions in biological systems refers to the incorporation of metallic ions into living organisms and how it has changed over time. Metal ions have been associated with biological systems for billions of years, but only in the last century have scientists began to truly appreciate the scale of their influence. Major and minor metal ions have become aligned with living organisms through the interplay of biogeochemical weathering and metabolic pathways involving the products of that weathering. The associated complexes have evolved over time.
Desulfovibrio alcoholivorans is a bacterium from the genus of Desulfovibrio which has been isolated from alcohol industry waste water in France.