Direct Electron Transfer to Enzymes

Synonyms

Direct electrochemistry

Definition

Direct electron transfer (DET) means an exchange of electrons between the cofactor of a redox-active enzyme (oxidoreductase) or a redox protein and an electrode (transducer) in the absence of redox mediators. DET is rarely observed and reported for only few redox proteins and redox enzymes. DET is of interest for fundamental studies on electron transfer in proteins and enzymes and for the development of sensitive and specific biosensors, robust biofuel cells and heterogeneous bioelectrosynthesis.

Background

Redox enzymes catalyze many biological processes, examples can be found in the bioenergetic cell metabolism which heavily depends on redox proteins and redox enzymes in the respiratory or photosynthetic chains. The importance of electron transfer reactions to sustain life is obvious. Many of these reactions occur in membranes (e.g., the mitochondrial inner membrane) where redox proteins and redox enzymes form electron transfer chains. Some...