2023/05/31 by Gnaiger, Erich
paper · doi:10.26124/mitofit:2023-0003.v5
The prevailing notion that reduced cofactors NADH and FADH2 transfer electrons from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to the mitochondrial electron transfer system creates ambiguities regarding respiratory Complex II (CII). The succinate dehydrogenase subunit SDHA of CII oxidizes succinate and reduces the covalently bound prosthetic group FAD to FADH2 in the canonical forward tricarboxylic acid cycle. However, several graphical representations of the electron transfer system depict FADH2 in the mitochondrial matrix to be oxidized by CII. This leads to the false conclusion that FADH2 from the β-oxidation cycle in fatty acid oxidation feeds electrons into CII. In reality, dehydrogenases of fatty acid oxidation channel electrons to the coenzyme Q-junction but not through CII. The ambiguities surrounding Complex II in the literature and educational resources call for quality control, to secure scientific standards in current communications of bioenergetics, and ultimately support adequate clinical applications. This review aims to raise awareness of the inherent ambiguity crisis, complementing efforts to address the well-acknowledged issues of credibility and reproducibility.