The Plant Ferredoxins and Their Relationship to the Evolution of Ferredoxins From Primitive Life

Abstract

The first few ferredoxins were isolated, more or less simultaneously, from Clostridum and spinach. These non-haem, iron-containing oxidoreductases had almost the same low redox potential and both could catalyse the photoreduction of NADP by chloroplasts, but differed in molecular weight and in the number of iron atoms they contained. Since that time nearly forty more ferredoxins have been isolated from all classes of organisms. These fall into four categories containing respectively 2, 4, 6 or 8 atoms of iron per mole. Numerous physical properties have been determined and studies on circular dichroism, electron spin resonance, proton magnetic resonance and Mössbauer spectra have been especially valuable in giving an insight into the varying nature of the active centre of the different ferredoxins. The amino acid sequences of fourteen ferredoxins have been determined and together with the variation in function permit phylogenetic relationships to be determined. The experimental work leading to these results is covered in this review. © 1973, Walter de Gruyter. All rights reserved.