BBB seminar: Milagros Medina

Milagros Medina
Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, University of Zaragoza, Spain

Although the understanding of protein function and, more specifically, of the role of the individual amino acid residues involved in substrate binding and in the catalytic action, have achieved considerable progress, we are still far from knowing all the parameters in those processes. Among the most relevant proteins studied are those involved in electron transfer processes due to their practical interest. Moreover, the opportunity to design novel enzymatic systems and proteins is becoming more feasible, especially due to the increased detailed knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of many proteins. As a first step in this direction recent investigations have been aimed to redesign already existing systems and proteins. Taking all this into account, we aim to increase the knowledge of the parameters that maintain the electron transfer reactions in proteins of electron transfer chains. Thus, we are individually studying and also combining two biological electron transfer chains that are involved in the production of biological compounds of important economical value: the photosynthetic electron transport chain involved in the NADPH production and the CytP450 chain that catalyses steroid hormones synthesis in adrenal glands. Thus, in a first approach our work is aimed to determine the parameters that control the interaction between ferredoxin (or flavodoxin) and both ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR) and photosystem I. Additionally, a hybrid chain combining these proteins with those catalyzing the synthesis of steroid hormones is being produced.