The emergence of cytochrome oxidase is considered to be a very important event in evolutionary history. However, not much is known on the development and emergence of this enzyme. Molecular data demonstrates how cytochrome oxidase emerged before the divergence of archaea and bacteria, and well before the great oxidation event. This paper proposes a research plan to investigate the origins of cytochrome oxidase.
Background
Throughout the three domains of life, a variety of metabolisms are present in a vast amount of organisms. One of the most commons forms of metabolism involves an enzyme called cytochrome oxidase through a process known as aerobic metabolism(1). Cytochrome oxidase is responsible for a majority of molecular oxygen reduction in the biosphere(2).Aerobic metabolism is believed to have originated around 2400-2100 MYA due to the increase in oxygen composition of the earth(3). Around this time, we began to observe an increase in biological complexity due to the oxygenic atmosphere allowing oxygen based metabolism to occur(4). The ability to reduce oxygen is said to have allowed differentiated cell …show more content…
This ancient interaction between NO and cytochrome oxidase is possible because geochemical studies have demonstrated that nitric oxide could have been present in early earth(15). Interestingly, studies have shown that many cytochrome oxidase subunits are/can be associated with the denitrification process: a process that involves the reduction of nitric oxide(16). Interactions between nitric oxide and cytochrome oxidase have been observed with NO used as an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase for regulatory purposes(17). This regulatory function between NO and cytochrome is intriguing because it demonstrates an affinity between cytochrome oxidase and NO, which could be present due to ancient domain sites that could have interacted with each
Background
Throughout the three domains of life, a variety of metabolisms are present in a vast amount of organisms. One of the most commons forms of metabolism involves an enzyme called cytochrome oxidase through a process known as aerobic metabolism(1). Cytochrome oxidase is responsible for a majority of molecular oxygen reduction in the biosphere(2).Aerobic metabolism is believed to have originated around 2400-2100 MYA due to the increase in oxygen composition of the earth(3). Around this time, we began to observe an increase in biological complexity due to the oxygenic atmosphere allowing oxygen based metabolism to occur(4). The ability to reduce oxygen is said to have allowed differentiated cell …show more content…
This ancient interaction between NO and cytochrome oxidase is possible because geochemical studies have demonstrated that nitric oxide could have been present in early earth(15). Interestingly, studies have shown that many cytochrome oxidase subunits are/can be associated with the denitrification process: a process that involves the reduction of nitric oxide(16). Interactions between nitric oxide and cytochrome oxidase have been observed with NO used as an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase for regulatory purposes(17). This regulatory function between NO and cytochrome is intriguing because it demonstrates an affinity between cytochrome oxidase and NO, which could be present due to ancient domain sites that could have interacted with each