Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1979 Jan 1;177(1):357-60.
doi: 10.1042/bj1770357.

The mechanism of action of xanthine oxidase. The relationship between the rapid and very rapid molybdenum electron-paramagnetic-resonance signals

R C Bray, S Gutteridge, D A Stotter, S J Tanner

The mechanism of action of xanthine oxidase. The relationship between the rapid and very rapid molybdenum electron-paramagnetic-resonance signals

R C Bray et al. Biochem J. .

Abstract

On the basis of the work of Gutteridge, Tanner & Bray [Biochem. J. (1978) 175, 887-897] and of other data in the literature, a mechanism for the reaction of xanthine oxidase with reducing substrates is proposed. In the Michaelis complex, xanthine is bound to molybdenum via the N-9 nitrogen atom. Coupled transfer of two electrons to molybdenum and the C-8 proton to the enzyme yields (Enzyme)-Mo-SH. Concerted with this process, reaction of the xanthine residue with a nucleophile in the active centre yields a covalent intermediate that breaks down to give the product by alternative pathways at high and at low pH values.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Biochem J. 1978 Dec 1;175(3):879-85 - PubMed
    1. Biochem J. 1978 Dec 1;175(3):887-97 - PubMed
    1. Biochem J. 1978 Dec 1;175(3):869-78 - PubMed
    1. Biochem Soc Trans. 1978;6(1):227-8 - PubMed
    1. Eur J Biochem. 1971 Jan 1;18(1):65-72 - PubMed