Assembly and mechanism of respiratory complex I

Energy-converting NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, respiratory complex I, couples the electron transfer from NADH to ubiquinone with a translocation of protons across the membrane, thus, contributing to the protonmotive force. Complex I consists of a peripheral arm that is made up by globular subunits and contains all cofactors and a membrane arm comprising polytopic subunits that catalyze proton translocation. Electron transfer in the peripheral arm is enabled by a flavin mononucleotide and nine iron-sulfur (Fe/S) clusters. My talk will focus on the assembly of the Fe/S-clusters in the bacterial complex from Escherichia coli and their role in the enzyme’s mechanism.