Ferredoxinas

Ferredoxins are soluble proteins that contain iron-sulfur clusters and have low redox potentials. They are present in bacteria, plants, algae and animals and function as electron carriers both in respiration and photosynthesis; and are found as: Type [2Fe-2S], Type [4Fe-4S] and Type [3Fe-4S]. Their ubiquitous presence especially in ancestral organisms has led to the idea that Fe-S proteins are very old proteins that appeared in early stages of evolution. They form a particularly versatile and useful, as well as modular and simple group of metalloproteins that achieve a vast number of functions. Here the characteristics of the different types of ferredoxins and their biological functions are discussed, together with an overview of the spectroscopic techniques employed for their study. Additionally, the result of kinetic studies of ferredoxins and inorganic compounds to learn about the reaction mechanisms are included.