Fumarate respiration is the most commonly occurring type of anaerobic respiration with fumarate acting as a terminal electron acceptor. The physiological reductant is unknown, but evidence indicates that flavocytochrome c participates in electron transfer from formate to fumarate and possibly also to trimethylamine oxide (TMAO).
In Shewanella species, fumarate reductase is a soluble periplasmic, tetaheme, FAD-containing enzyme called flavocytochrome c3 (Fcc3).
Fumarate reductases, which catalyse the interconversion of fumarate and succinate are known to be membrane bound in bacteria although soluble versions also exist in yeast, procyclic Trypanosoma brucei and several Shewanella species. The active site is located in the centre of the protein, at the interface between the three catalytic domains. Catalysis in the soluble fumarate reductase is essentially unidirectional (from fumarte to succinate).
Defined by 7 residues: HIS:A-365GLU:A-378ARG:A-381ARG:A-402HIS:A-504HIS:A-505ARG:A-544