glycine reductase complex

GO:0030700 · Other · Multiprotein complex · Proposed

A protein complex that possesses glycine reductase activity and is usually built from selenoprotein A, selenoprotein B, and protein C subunits. [GO:0030700]

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Essential	Role
Glycine reductase complex selenoprotein A	Protein	part of	`InterPro:IPR006812`	grdA	UNKNOWN	Selenoprotein A constituent that forms a carboxymethylated selenocysteine intermediate in the glycine reductase reaction. `GO:0030700` GO:0030700 defines glycine reductase complex as usually containing selenoprotein A. `InterPro:IPR006812` InterPro IPR006812 is the exact glycine reductase complex selenoprotein A family entry. `PMID:2963330` Sliwkowski and Stadtman 1988 purified and sequenced selenoprotein A from the clostridial glycine reductase complex.
Glycine reductase, selenoprotein B	Protein	part of	`InterPro:IPR010186`	grdB	UNKNOWN	Selenoprotein B constituent of the glycine reductase complex. `GO:0030700` GO:0030700 defines glycine reductase complex as usually containing selenoprotein B. `InterPro:IPR010186` InterPro IPR010186 is the exact glycine reductase selenoprotein B family entry. `PMID:11271425` Graentzdoerffer et al. 2001 cloned the Clostridium sticklandii grd operon containing the genes for the other glycine reductase components, including protein B.
Glycine reductase protein C	Protein complex	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	grdC, grdD	UNKNOWN	Protein C constituent that forms an acetylated enzyme intermediate and completes acetyl phosphate formation. `GO:0030700` GO:0030700 defines glycine reductase complex as usually containing protein C. `PMID:2018775` Arkowitz and Abeles 1991 isolated acetyl protein C and showed that protein C catalyzes phosphate exchange into acetyl phosphate. `PMID:11271425` Graentzdoerffer et al. 2001 reported that C. sticklandii transcripts downstream of grdB cover genes encoding both subunits of protein C.

Organism-specific protein examples

Named proteins in which each component's role was established, with the organism the evidence comes from. The component above is the taxon-agnostic family; these are the specific entries behind it.

Glycine reductase complex selenoprotein A

Accession	Protein	Gene	Organism	Entry
`UniProtKB:P26971`	Glycine/sarcosine/betaine reductase complex component A	grdA	Acetoanaerobium sticklandii DSM 519 (`NCBITaxon:499177`)	REVIEWED
Role and evidence (2 references) Reviewed Acetoanaerobium sticklandii DSM 519 grdA accession for glycine reductase complex component A. `UniProtKB:P26971` UniProtKB P26971 is the reviewed Acetoanaerobium sticklandii DSM 519 entry for glycine reductase component A. `PMID:1429431` Garcia and Stadtman 1992 cloned the Clostridium sticklandii grdA gene encoding glycine reductase selenoprotein A.

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:499177 Acetoanaerobium sticklandii DSM 519 — Strain source of the grd operon sequence and the reviewed glycine reductase component A UniProtKB accession. [PMID:11271425]

Functions

glycine reductase activity GO:0030699 — The glycine reductase complex catalyzes the reductive deamination of glycine to acetyl phosphate and ammonium.
- GO:0030699 GO:0030699 is the molecular-function term for glycine reductase activity.
- GO:0030700 GO:0030700 names glycine reductase activity as the molecular function carried by the complex.
- PMID:2018775 Arkowitz and Abeles 1991 characterized the protein C acetyl-enzyme intermediate in the clostridial glycine reductase reaction.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Should glycine reductase protein C be split into taxon-specific GrdC and GrdD subunits with exact family groundings? GO:0030700 models glycine reductase protein C as one of the three usual glycine reductase components, but the C. sticklandii grd operon encodes both large and small subunits of protein C. Leave protein C at reviewed-label-only until a source-neutral family or subcomplex grounding can be verified.

Evidence

GO:0030700 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the glycine reductase complex.
GO:1990204 OLS4 reports GO:0030700 as an is-a child of GO:1990204 oxidoreductase complex.
GO:0030699 Gene Ontology molecular-function term for glycine reductase activity.
InterPro:IPR006812 InterPro family entry for glycine reductase complex selenoprotein A.
InterPro:IPR010186 InterPro family entry for glycine reductase selenoprotein B.
UniProtKB:P26971 Reviewed UniProtKB Acetoanaerobium sticklandii DSM 519 entry for glycine reductase component A.
PMID:2018775 PubMed identifier for Arkowitz and Abeles 1991, the Biochemistry mechanistic protein C paper cited by GO:0030700.
DOI:10.1021/bi00230a039 DOI for Arkowitz and Abeles 1991, as reported by PubMed.
PMID:11271425 PubMed identifier for Graentzdoerffer, Pich and Andreesen 2001, the Clostridium sticklandii grd operon study.
DOI:10.1007/s002030000232 DOI for Graentzdoerffer, Pich and Andreesen 2001, as reported by PubMed.
PMID:1429431 PubMed identifier for Garcia and Stadtman 1992, the Journal of Bacteriology Clostridium sticklandii grdA cloning paper.
DOI:10.1128/jb.174.22.7080-7089.1992 DOI for Garcia and Stadtman 1992, as reported by PubMed.
PMID:2963330 PubMed identifier for Sliwkowski and Stadtman 1988, the PNAS protein-sequencing study cited by InterPro IPR006812.
DOI:10.1073/pnas.85.2.368 DOI for Sliwkowski and Stadtman 1988, as reported by PubMed.

Curation history

2026-10-02T02:37:15Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-10-02T02:38:57Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added GO:1990204 oxidoreductase-complex parentage, exact InterPro-grounded selenoprotein A and B constituents, a reviewed-label-only protein C constituent with a grounding TODO, an Acetoanaerobium sticklandii DSM 519 canonical example, glycine reductase activity, and DOI/PMID evidence.

Source: data/structures/other/glycine_reductase_complex.yaml