Flavodoxins are electron-transfer proteins.[1][2][3]Flavodoxin is a bacterial protein that includes flavin mononucleotide. The structure of flavodoxin is characterized by a five-stranded parallel beta sheet, surrounded by alpha helices at either side of the sheet. They have been isolated from prokaryotes, cyanobacteria, and some eukaryotic algae.[2]

Background edit

Originally found in cyanobacteria and clostridia, flavodoxins were discovered over 50 years ago.[4]These proteins evolved from an anaerobic environment, due to selective pressures. Ferredoxin, another redox protein, was the only protein able to be used in this manner. However, when oxygen became present in the environment, iron became limited. Ferredoxin is iron-dependant as well as oxidant-sensitive. Under these limited iron conditions, ferredoxin was no longer preferred. Flavodoxin on the other hand is the opposite of these traits, as it is oxidant-resistant and has iron-free isofunctional counterparts. Therefore, for some time flavodoxin was the primary redox protein. Now however, when ferredoxin and flavodoxin are present in the same genome, ferredoxin is still used but under low iron conditions, flavodoxin is induced.[5]

Structure edit

 
3-D structure of flavodoxin protein

Flavodoxin proteins may consist of long or short chains. A long chain is determined when 20 amino acid residues are inserted into the last beta-strand. These residues form a loop which may be used to increase the binding affinity of flavin mononucleotide as well as assist in the formation of folded intermediates. However, it is still not certain what the loops true function is. In addition, the flavin mononucleotide is non-covalently bound to the flavodoxin protein and works to shuttle electrons. [4][5]


References edit

  1. ^ Sancho J (April 2006). "Flavodoxins: sequence, folding, binding, function and beyond". Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 63 (7–8): 855–64. doi:10.1007/s00018-005-5514-4. PMID 16465441. S2CID 6090402.
  2. ^ a b Pierella Karlusich JJ, Lodeyro AF, Carrillo N (October 2014). "The long goodbye: the rise and fall of flavodoxin during plant evolution". Journal of Experimental Botany. 65 (18): 5161–78. doi:10.1093/jxb/eru273. PMC 4400536. PMID 25009172.
  3. ^ Bank, RCSB Protein Data. "RCSB PDB - 6FSG: Crystal structure of oxidised Flavodoxin 1 from Bacillus cereus (1.27 A resolution)". www.rcsb.org. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  4. ^ a b Prakash, Divya; Iyer, Prashanti R.; Suharti, Suharti; Walters, Karim A.; Santiago-Martinez, Michel Geovanni; Golbeck, John H.; Murakami, Katsuhiko S.; Ferry, James G. (2019-12-17). "Structure and function of an unusual flavodoxin from the domain Archaea". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 116 (51): 25917–25922. doi:10.1073/pnas.1908578116. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6926009. PMID 31801875.
  5. ^ a b Houwman, Joseline A.; van Mierlo, Carlo P. M. (2017-04-05). "Folding of proteins with a flavodoxin-like architecture". The FEBS Journal. 284 (19): 3145–3167. doi:10.1111/febs.14077.