engineering

Sulfur oxygenase/reductase

Sulfur oxygenase/reductase is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sulfur oxygenase/reductase rather than just read about it. In short: In enzymology, a sulfur oxygenase/reductase (EC 1.13.11.55) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction 4 sulfur + 4 H2O + O2 ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } 2 hydrogen sulfide + 2 bisulfite + 2 H+ The three substrates of this enzyme are sulfur, H2O, and O2, whereas its three products are hydrogen sulfide, bisulfite, and H+. This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting…

Key takeaways

Sulfur oxygenase/reductase belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sulfur oxygenase/reductase to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sulfur oxygenase/reductase from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In enzymology, a sulfur oxygenase/reductase (EC 1.13.11.55) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

4 sulfur + 4 H2O + O2 ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } 2 hydrogen sulfide + 2 bisulfite + 2 H+ The three substrates of this enzyme are sulfur, H2O, and O2, whereas its three products are hydrogen sulfide, bisulfite, and H+. This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting on single donors with O2 as the oxidant and incorporating two atoms of oxygen into the substrate (oxygenases). The oxygen incorporated need not be derived from O2. The systematic name of this enzyme class is sulfur:oxygen oxidoreductase (hydrogen-sulfide- and sulfite-forming). Other names in common use include SOR, sulfur oxygenase, and sulfur oxygenase reductase.

References

Kletzin A (1989). "Coupled enzymatic production of sulfite, thiosulfate, and hydrogen sulfide from sulfur: purification and properties of a sulfur oxygenase reductase from the facultatively anaerobic archaebacterium Desulfurolobus ambivalens". J. Bacteriol. 171 (3): 1638–43. doi:10.1128/jb.171.3.1638-1643.1989. PMC 209792. PMID 2493451. Kletzin A (1992). "Molecular characterization of the sor gene, which encodes the sulfur oxygenase/reductase of the thermoacidophilic Archaeum Desulfurolobus ambivalens". J. Bacteriol. 174 (18): 5854–9. doi:10.1128/jb.174.18.5854-5859.1992. PMC 207119. PMID 1522063. Sun CW, Chen ZW, He ZG, Zhou PJ, Liu SJ (2003). "Purification and properties of the sulfur oxygenase/reductase from the acidothermophilic archaeon, Acidianus strain S5". Extremophiles. 7 (2): 131–4. doi:10.1007/s00792-002-0304-5. PMID 12664265. Urich T, Bandeiras T, Leal S, Rachel R, Albrecht T, Zimmermann P, Scholz C, Teixeira M, Gomes CM, Kletzin A (2004). "The sulphur oxygenase reductase from Acidianus ambivalens is a multimeric protein containing a low-potential mononuclear non-haem iron centre". Biochem. J. 381 (Pt 1): 137–46. doi:10.1042/BJ20040003. PMC 1133771. PMID 15030315.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sulfur oxygenase/reductase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sulfur oxygenase/reductase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sulfur oxygenase/reductase before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sulfur oxygenase/reductase ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sulfur oxygenase/reductase

In research: Sulfur oxygenase/reductase appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sulfur oxygenase/reductase in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sulfur oxygenase/reductase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 1.13.11, Enzymes of unknown structure, Oxidoreductase stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sulfur oxygenase/reductase outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sulfur oxygenase/reductase in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sulfur oxygenase/reductase means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sulfur oxygenase/reductase out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sulfur oxygenase/reductase in simple terms?

In enzymology, a sulfur oxygenase/reductase (EC 1.13.11.55) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction 4 sulfur + 4 H2O + O2 ⇌ {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons } 2 hydrogen sulfide + 2 bisulfite + 2 H+ The three substrates of this enzyme are sulfur, H2O, and O2, whereas its three products a…

Why does Sulfur oxygenase/reductase matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sulfur oxygenase/reductase?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sulfur oxygenase/reductase.