Bioinorganic insights of the PQQ-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases

Among the several alcohol dehydrogenases, PQQ-dependent enzymes are mainly found in the α , β , and γ -proteobacteria. These proteins are classified into three main groups. Type I ADHs are localized in the periplasm and contain one Ca 2+ -PQQ moiety, being the methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) the most representative. In recent years, several lanthanide-dependent MDHs have been discovered exploding the understanding of the natural role of lanthanide ions. Type II ADHs are localized in the periplasm and possess one Ca 2+ -PQQ moiety and one heme c group. Finally, type III ADHs are complexes of two or three subunits localized in the cytoplasmic membrane and possess one Ca 2+ -PQQ moiety and four heme c groups, and in one of these proteins, an additional [2Fe-2S] cluster has been discovered recently. From the bioinorganic point of view, PQQ-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases have been revived recently mainly due to the discovery of the lanthanide-dependent enzymes. Here, we review the three types of PQQ-dependent ADHs with special focus on their structural features and electron transfer processes. Graphic abstract The PQQ-Alcohol dehydrogenases are classified into three main groups. Type I and type II ADHs are located in the periplasm, while type III ADHs are in the cytoplasmic membrane. ADH-I have a Ca-PQQ or a Ln-PQQ, ADH-II a Ca-PQQ and one heme-c and ADH-III a Ca-PQQ and four hemes-c. This review focuses on their structural features and electron transfer processes.