Architecture of the NADPH oxidase family of enzymes

The NADPH Oxidases (NOX) catalyze the deliberate production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and are established regulators of redox-dependent processes across diverse biological settings. Proper management of their activity is controlled through a conserved electron transfer (ET) cascade from cytosolic NADPH substrate through the plasma membrane to extracellular O2. After decades-long investigations of their biological functions, including potential as drug targets, only very recently has atomic-resolution information of NOX enzymes been made available. In this graphical review, we summarize the present structural biology understanding of the NOX enzymes afforded by X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. Combined molecular-level insights predominantly informed by DUOX1 full-length Cryo-EM structures suggest a general structural basis for the control of their catalytic activity by intracellular domain-domain stabilization.