The effects of pH and semiquinone formation on the oxidation-reduction potentials of flavin mononucleotide. A reappraisal.

Calculation shows that there is poor agreement between frequently cited values for the midpoint redox potentials of the two one-electron steps in the reduction of flavin mononucleotide and equations for the lines that relate these potentials to pH and that use the published pKa values for the three redox states of the flavin [Draper, R. & Ingraham, L.L. (1969) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 125, 802-808]. Equilibrium data for the first step in the reduction obtained by pulse radiolysis [Anderson, R.F. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 722, 158-162] show much closer agreement with theory and lead to values for the semiquinone formation constant of flavin mononucleotide that are close to those derived from measurements of the radical concentration using ESR spectroscopy. It is concluded that the data from the second method are more reliable. The redox potentials for flavin mononucleotide at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C are calculated to be -0.207 V for the overall two-electron reduction (Em), -0.313 V for reduction of the oxidized flavin to the semiquinone (E2) and -0.101 V for the reduction of the semiquinone to the hydroquinone (E1). Information is provided to allow calculation of the three redox potentials at other pH values in the physiological range.