DIRECT ELECTROCHEMISTRY OF PROTEINS AND ENZYMES

This chapter discusses direct electrochemistry of metalloproteins and redox enzymes. The electron transport chain is composed of a number of electron transfer complexes firmly bound to the biological membrane, and electron-carrying groups in these complexes are flavins, iron–sulfur clusters, heme groups, and copper ions. Therefore, electron transfer reactions within and between proteins play an important role in biological energy transduction, and, not surprisingly, there is a continuing interest in the studies of electron transfer processes in biology. More recently, direct electron transfer between redox enzymes and electrodes has been achieved because of more careful control of electrode surfaces. The need for biocompatible surfaces in bioelectrochemistry has stimulated the development of electrode surface engineering techniques, and protein electrochemistry has been reported at conducting polymer electrodes and in membranes. The combination of direct protein electrochemistry with spectroscopic methods may offer a novel way of investigating structure-function relationships in electron transport proteins. © 1991, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.