Mercury(II) reductase

In enzymology, a mercury(II) reductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction


 * Hg + NADP+ + H+ $$\rightleftharpoons$$ Hg2+ + NADPH

The 3 substrates of this enzyme are Hg, NADP+, and H+, whereas its two products are Hg2+ and NADPH.

This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those oxidizing metal ion with NAD+ or NADP+ as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is Hg:NADP+ oxidoreductase. Other names in common use include mercuric reductase, mercurate(II) reductase, mercuric ion reductase, mercury reductase, reduced NADP+:mercuric ion oxidoreductase, and mer A.

Structural studies
As of late 2007, two structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes and.