Formate dehydrogenases are a set of enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

s that catalyse the oxidation of formate

Formate

Formate or methanoate is the ion CHOO− or HCOO− . It is the simplest carboxylate anion. It is produced in large amounts in the hepatic mitochondria of embryonic cells and in cancer cells by the folate cycle Formate or methanoate is the ion CHOO− or HCOO− (formic acid minus one hydrogen ion). It...

 to bicarbonate

Bicarbonate

In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid...

, donating the electrons to a second substrate, such as NAD⁺

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, abbreviated NAD, is a coenzyme found in all living cells. The compound is a dinucleotide, since it consists of two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups. One nucleotide contains an adenine base and the other nicotinamide.In metabolism, NAD is involved...

 in formate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (EC 1.2.1.2) or to a cytochrome

Cytochrome

Cytochromes are, in general, membrane-bound hemoproteins that contain heme groups and carry out electron transport.They are found either as monomeric proteins or as subunits of bigger enzymatic complexes that catalyze redox reactions....

 in formate:ferricytochrome-b1 oxidoreductase (EC 1.2.2.1).

Biological function

NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenases are important in methylotroph

Methylotroph

Methylotrophs are a diverse group of microorganisms that can use reduced one-carbon compounds, such as methanol or methane, as the carbon source for their growth; and multi-carbon compounds that contain no carbon bonds, such as dimethyl ether and dimethylamine...

ic yeast

Yeast

Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...

 and bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 and are vital in the catabolism of C1 compounds such as methanol

Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...

. The cytochrome-dependent enzymes are more important in anaerobic metabolism in prokaryotes. For example, in E. coli, the formate:ferricytochrome-b1 oxidoreductase is an intrinsic membrane protein with two subunits and is involved in anaerobic nitrate respiration.

NAD-dependent reaction

Formate + NAD(+) <=> CO(2) + NADH

Cytochrome-dependent reaction

Formate + 2 ferricytochrome b1 <=> CO(2) + 2 ferrocytochrome b1 + 2 H(+)

Molybdopterin, molybdenum and selenium dependence

One of the enzymes in the oxidoreductase family which sometimes employ tungsten (bacterial formate dehydrogenase H) is known to use a selenium-molybdenum version of molybdopterin.

Transmembrane domain

The transmembrane domain of the beta subunit of formate dehydrogenase consists of a single transmembrane helix. This domain acts as a transmembrane anchor, allowing the conduction of electrons within the protein.

See also

• Formate dehydrogenase (cytochrome)
  Formate dehydrogenase (cytochrome)
  In enzymology, a formate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactionThus, the two substrates of this enzyme are formate and ferricytochrome b1, whereas its 3 products are CO2, ferrocytochrome b1, and H+....
  
  
• Formate dehydrogenase (cytochrome-c-553)
  Formate dehydrogenase (cytochrome-c-553)
  In enzymology, a formate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactionThus, the two substrates of this enzyme are formate and ferricytochrome c-553, whereas its two products are CO2 and ferrocytochrome c-553....
  
  
• Formate dehydrogenase (NADP+)
  Formate dehydrogenase (NADP+)
  In enzymology, a formate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactionThus, the two substrates of this enzyme are formate and NADP+, whereas its two products are CO2 and NADPH....
  
  
• Microbial metabolism
  Microbial metabolism
  Microbial metabolism is the means by which a microbe obtains the energy and nutrients it needs to live and reproduce. Microbes use many different types of metabolic strategies and species can often be differentiated from each other based on metabolic characteristics...
  
  

External links

• ENZYME link for EC 1.2.2.1
• ENZYME link for EC 1.2.1.2