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Electron Transport Chain

ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
  • Complex I: NADH dehydrogenase
    • aka NADH-CoQ reductase
    • NADH delivers 2 electrons to the complex I and is oxidized to NAD+
  • CoQ (aka Q10 and ubiquinone)
    • Lipid-soluble
    • Mobile carrier
    • NOT a protein
  • Complex II: succinate dehydrogenase
    • aka Succinate-CoQ reductase
    • Also part of citric acid cycle
    • FADH2 delivers two electrons to complex II
  • Complex III: Cytochrome bc1 complex
    • aka CoQ-cytochrome c reductase
  • Cytochrome C
    • Water-soluble
    • Mobile carrier
  • Complex IV: cytochrome c oxidase
    • Produces one H2O from 2 H+ plus ½ O2 + 2e-
    • Complexes I, III & IV pump H+ from matrix to intermembrane space
(NOT complex II, cyt. C or CoQ)
REDOX REACTIONS
  • NADH (2e-) reduces complex I
  • FADH (2e-) reduces complex II
  • CoQ (mobile carrier) transports 2e- from complex I & II to complex III
  • Complex III (simplified diagram): Cyt. B & Cyt. C1 are e- transport proteins
  • Cyt. C1 donates 2e- (1e- at a time) to Cyt. C (mobile-carrier)
  • Cyt. C transports 4e- to complex IV (2 molecules of Cyt. C deliver 2e- each)
  • Complex IV (simplified diagram w/o Cu centers): Cyt. A (4e-) to Cyt. A3 (4e-) to oxygen
  • Oxygen (final e- acceptor) 4e- + 4H+ (from matrix) + O2 --> H2O