Structure, function, and formation of biological iron-sulfur clusters.
Iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters are ubiquitous and evolutionary ancient prosthetic groups that are required to sustain fundamental life processes. Owing to their remarkable structural plasticity and versatile chemical/electronic features [Fe-S] clusters participate in electron transfer, substrate binding/activation, iron/sulfur storage, regulation of gene expression, and enzyme activity. Formation of intracellular [Fe-S] clusters does not occur spontaneously but requires a complex biosynthetic machinery. Three different types of [Fe-S] cluster biosynthetic systems have been discovered, and all of them are mechanistically unified by the requirement for a cysteine desulfurase and the participation of an [Fe-S] cluster scaffolding protein. Important mechanistic questions related to [Fe-S] cluster biosynthesis involve the molecular details of how [Fe-S] clusters are assembled on scaffold proteins, how [Fe-S] clusters are transferred from scaffolds to target proteins, how various accessory proteins participate in [Fe-S] protein maturation, and how the biosynthetic process is regulated.
Johnson
Deborah C
DC
Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA. dejohns4@vt.edu
Dean
Dennis R
DR
Smith
Archer D
AD
Johnson
Michael K
MK
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009591:Nitrogenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins; C487901:IscA protein, E coli; C411665:IscU protein, E coli; C088637:NifU protein, Bacteria; C080001:nifS protein, Bacteria; D009591:Nitrogenase