Characterization and determination of the redox properties of the 2[4Fe-4S] ferredoxin from Methanosarcina barkeri strain MS.

Ferredoxin was purified from methanol-grown Methanosarcina barkeri strain MS. It was isolated as a dimer with a subunit molecular weight of 6,200. The protein contained 7.4 mol iron and 7.2 mol acid-labile sulfur per monomer. In the reduced state the ferredoxin exhibited an EPR spectrum characteristic of two spin-coupled [4Fe-4S]1+ clusters. The EM of the [4Fe-4S]2+:1+ couple was -322 mV +/- 3 mV vs. NHE at 21 degrees C and pH 7.0. The midpoint potential was temperature but not pH dependent. At the physiological temperature of 37 degrees C the Em was -340 mV.