NDUFB5

The NDUFB5 gene, located on the q arm of chromosome 3 in position 26.33, is 19,713 base pairs long. The NDUFB5 protein weighs 21.7 kDa and is composed of 189 amino acids.^[7][8] NDUFB5 is a subunit of the enzyme NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone), the largest of the respiratory complexes. The structure is L-shaped with a long, hydrophobic transmembrane domain and a hydrophilic domain for the peripheral arm that includes all the known redox centers and the NADH binding site.^[6] NDUFB5 is one of about 31 hydrophobic subunits that form the transmembrane region of Complex I and is of the non-catalytic subunits of the complex. It has been noted that the N-terminal hydrophobic domain has the potential to be folded into an alpha helix spanning the inner mitochondrial membrane with a C-terminal hydrophilic domain interacting with globular subunits of Complex I. The highly conserved two-domain structure suggests that this feature is critical for the protein function and that the hydrophobic domain acts as an anchor for the NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) complex at the inner mitochondrial membrane.^[5]

The human NDUFB5 gene codes for a subunit of Complex I of the respiratory chain, which transfers electrons from NADH to ubiquinone.^[5] However, NDUFB5 is an accessory subunit of the complex that is believed not to be involved in catalysis.^[9] Initially, NADH binds to Complex I and transfers two electrons to the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) prosthetic arm to form FMNH₂. The electrons are transferred through a series of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters in the prosthetic arm and finally to coenzyme Q10 (CoQ), which is reduced to ubiquinol (CoQH₂). The flow of electrons changes the redox state of the protein, resulting in a conformational change and pK shift of the ionizable side chain, which pumps four hydrogen ions out of the mitochondrial matrix.^[6]