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AAT Bioquest

What enzyme complexes are involved in the electron transport chain?

Posted February 8, 2024


Answer

An enzyme complex is a structure made up of a weak protein, molecule, or atom that is weakly connected to a protein. There are 4 main enzyme complexes involved in the electron transport chain, all of which lie embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane. 

  • Complex I: NADH dehydrogenase
  • Complex II: Succinate dehydrogenase 
  • Complex III: Cytochrome b and c1 
  • Complex IV: Cytochrome c oxidase 

The electron transport chain (ETC) is a key component of oxidative phosphorylation, the last stage of cellular respiration. The chain begins when two electron carriers, NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and FADH2 (flavin adenine dinucleotide), donate their electrons to Complex I and Complex II respectively. The donated electrons are then transferred to the next two complexes in the chain, Complex III and Complex IV. The last complex in the ETC, Complex IV, transfers the electrons to oxygen, the final electron acceptor in cellular respiration. The proton gradient that is generated as protons move through the electron transport chain drives the production of ATP molecules in oxidative phosphorylation.

Additional resources

A review on enzyme complexes of electron transport chain from Mycobacterium tuberculosis as promising drug targets

Enzymes

Amplite® Colorimetric Total NAD and NADH Assay Kit