Haem Structure and Function

Maria da Graça H Vicente, University of California–Davis, California, USA
Kevin M Smith, University of California–Davis, California, USA

Published online: April 2001

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0000605

Haems are the vital catalysts in a large number of biological processes, including oxygen transport, oxygen storage, electron transport and oxygenation. Haem proteins contain an iron complex of porphyrin, usually protoporphyrin IX, and exist in haemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromes, catalases, peroxidases, oxygenases and oxidases.

Keywords: haemoproteins; haemoglobins; cytochromes; catalases; peroxidases

Scheme 1. Catalytic cycle for all peroxidases.
Scheme 2. Catalytic cycle for cytochrome P450.
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 References
    Livingston DA, Pfaltz A, Schreiber J et al. (1984) Zur Kenntnis des Faktors F430 aus Methanogen Bacterien: Struktur des Proteinfreien Faktors. Helvetica Chimica Acta 67: 334–351.
    Moore MR (1993) Biochemistry of porphyria. International Journal of Biochemistry 25: 1353–1368.
    Ortiz de Montellano PR (1987) Control of the catlytic activity of prosthetic heme by the structure of hemoproteins. Accounts of Chemical Research 20: 289–294.
    Poulos TL and Finzel BC (1984) Heme enzyme structure and function. Peptide and Protein Review 4: 115–171.
 Further Reading
    book Bunn HF and Forget BG (1986) Hemoglobin: Molecular, Genetic and Clinical Aspects. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.
    book Dickerson RE and Geis I (1983) Hemoglobin: Structure, Function, Evolution and Pathology. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin/Cummings.
    book Everse J, Everse KE and Grisham MB (eds) (1991) Peroxidases in Chemistry and Biology, vols I and II. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
    book Kadish KM, Guilard R and Smith KM (eds) (1999) Handbook of Porphyrins and Related Macrocycles. New York: Academic Press.
    book Kiel JL (1995) Type-b Cytochromes: Sensors and Switches. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
    book Lemberg R and Barrett J (1973) Cytochromes. London: Academic Press.
    book Omura T, Ishimura Y and Fujii-Kuriyama Y (eds) (1993) Cytochrome P450, 2nd edn. Weinheim: VCH Publishers.
    book Ortiz de Montellano PR (ed.) (1995) Cytochrome P450: Structure, Mechanism and Biochemistry, 2nd edn. New York: Plenum.
    book Pettigrew GW and Moore GR (1987) Cytochromes c: Biological Aspects. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
    book Smith KM (ed) (1975) Porphyrins and Metalloporphyrins. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Related Sub-Topics:

Protein Structure | Proteins: Structure, Function, Metabolism
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Article Title: Haem Structure and Function
 
How to Cite close
Vicente, Maria da Graça H, and Smith, Kevin M(Apr 2001) Haem Structure and Function. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0000605]