title: Iron-sulfur clusters as biosensors of oxidants and iron.
abstract: Iron-sulfur clusters are prosthetic groups commonly found in proteins that participate in oxidation-reduction reactions and catalysis. Here, we focus on two proteins that contain iron-sulfur clusters, the fumarate nitrate reduction (FNR) protein of Escherichia coli and mammalian iron-responsive-element-binding protein 1 (IRP1), both of which function as direct sensors of oxygen and iron levels. Assembly and disassembly of iron-sulfur clusters is the key to sensing in these proteins and we speculate that iron-sulfur clusters might be found in other regulatory proteins that sense levels of iron and/or oxygen.
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Disease, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rouault
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Klausner
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D035941:Iron Regulatory Protein 1; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C060704:FNR protein, E coli; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins; D016877:Oxidants; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D007501:Iron; D035941:Iron Regulatory Protein 1