Determination of Flavin Potential in Proteins by Xanthine/Xanthine Oxidase Method

This protocol describes a simple xanthine/xanthine oxidase enzymatic equilibration method for determination of the redox potential of a flavin. As an example of the use of this method, we determine the reduction potential of the covalently bound FAD cofactor (E-m = -55 mV) in the SdhA flavoprotein subunit of succinate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli. In principle, this method can be used routinely to determine the redox potential of flavin cofactors in any simple flavoprotein from equilibrium concentrations with an appropriate reference dye of known E-m without the use of sophisticated electrochemical equipment.