Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99163, United States; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, United States.
Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States; Department of Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2018 Dec;47:32-38. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.07.026. Epub 2018 Aug 1.
Electron bifurcation, or the coupling of exergonic and endergonic oxidation-reduction reactions, was discovered by Peter Mitchell and provides an elegant mechanism to rationalize and understand the logic that underpins the Q cycle of the respiratory chain. Thought to be a unique reaction of respiratory complex III for nearly 40 years, about a decade ago Wolfgang Buckel and Rudolf Thauer discovered that flavin-based electron bifurcation is also an important component of anaerobic microbial metabolism. Their discovery spawned a surge of research activity, providing a basis to understand flavin-based bifurcation, forging fundamental parallels with Mitchell's Q cycle and leading to the proposal of metal-based bifurcating enzymes. New insights into the mechanism of electron bifurcation provide a foundation to establish the unifying principles and essential elements of this fascinating biochemical phenomenon.
电子分支，或释能和吸能氧化还原反应的偶联，由彼得·米切尔（Peter Mitchell）发现，为合理化和理解呼吸链 Q 循环的逻辑提供了一个优雅的机制。电子分支被认为是呼吸复合物 III 的独特反应近 40 年，大约十年前，沃尔夫冈·布克尔（Wolfgang Buckel）和鲁道夫·萨瑟（Rudolf Thauer）发现黄素基电子分支也是厌氧微生物代谢的重要组成部分。他们的发现引发了研究热潮，为理解黄素基分支提供了基础，与米切尔的 Q 循环建立了基本的平行关系，并导致了基于金属的分支酶的提出。对电子分支机制的新见解为建立这一迷人生化现象的统一原则和基本要素提供了基础。
