Cytochrome ba3 oxidase
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Packing of cytochrome ba3 oxidase molecules in tetragonal crystals. |
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Cytochrome oxidase is the terminal enzyme of respiration and the site where O2 is converted to H2O. Energy from this reaction is utilized to pump protons across the inner mitochomdrial membrane, or in bacteria, the periplasmic membrane. The resulting proton gradient drives the production of ATP by ATP synthase, and the formation of NADPH by transhydrogenase. Thermus thermophilus cytochrome ba3 oxidase provides an excellent system in which to study the mechanism of O2, proton, and electron transfers into the active site, and reduction of O2 to H2O, in this complex integral membrane protein. In collaboration with James A. Fee at Scripps we are using X-ray crystallography to visualize key intermediates in O2 transfer and reduction, as a complement to spectroscopic and biochemical experiments. |
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Projects
Transhydrogenase
CYP24A1
HIV Protease
Cytochrome ba3 oxidase
Cytochrome P450s |
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