严格厌氧菌铁氧还蛋白的研究进展

Advances of ferredoxins from strictly anaerobic bacteria

摘要:

铁氧还蛋白（ferredoxin，Fd）是一类含有铁硫簇的小分子蛋白质，广泛存在于自然界中，参与生物体内的呼吸、发酵、固氮、二氧化碳固定和制氢等生理过程。Fd对于严格厌氧的细菌尤为重要，是因为这类细菌的能量代谢高度依赖于低氧化还原电势的生物组分，而Fd能够利用铁硫中心灵活调节其氧还电势，适应低电势需求。本文选取厌氧细菌来源的Fd为对象，围绕其铁硫簇的结构类型、分类、Fd的生理功能等，对相关文献报道进行了总结；另外，结合本课题组的研究工作，文章对近年来Fd可能产生活性氧的观点做了讨论。本文将有助于理解Fd这类低电势组分对于厌氧细菌的重要性，也将加深对"活性氧在细菌体内的来源"这一问题的认识。

Abstract:

Ferredoxins (Fds) are small proteins containing iron-sulfur clusters. They widely exist in nature and participate in biological physiological processes such as respiration, fermentation, nitrogen fixation, carbon dioxide fixation and hydrogen production, etc. Fd is particularly important for strictly anaerobic bacteria, because the energy metabolism of these organisms is highly dependent on biological components with low redox potential. Fd can flexibly adjust the redox potential by using their iron-sulfur centers to cater to the requirements of different redox potentials. Here, we take the Fd of anaerobic bacteria as examples and summarize related literatures about their structural types and physiological functions. Combined with the relevant work of our group, we dissect the possibility that Fd could produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). It may help to understand the importance of low-potential components such as Fd for anaerobes and could give clues and shed light on the question of intracellular ROS sources.