Cytochrome c oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans in Triton X-100: aggregation state and kinetics

Cytochrome c oxidase metal centers: location and function

Cytochrome c oxidase of Paracoccus denitrificans is spectroscopically and functionally very similar to the mammalian enzyme. However, it has a very much simpler quaternary structure, consisting of only three subunits instead of the 13 of the bovine enzyme. The known primary structure of the Paracoccus denitrificans subunits, the knowledge of a large number of sequences from other species, and data on the controlled proteolytic digestion of the enzyme allow structural restrictions to be placed on the models describing the binding of the active metal centers to the polypeptide structure.

Monomer-dimer structure of cytochrome-c oxidase and cytochrome bc1 complex from the thermophilic bacterium PS3

Molecular weights of three membrane proteins have been measured in the presence of 0.1% octaethylene glycol n-dodecyl ether (C12E8) by the measuring system in which a membrane protein eluted from a gel chromatography column is monitored sequentially for ultraviolet absorption, light scattering and refractive index. The relative molecular mass (Mr) and amount of bound detergent per protein (delta) can be calculated from these data, if instrumental constants are measured using a set of appropriate water-soluble proteins which does not bind nonionic surfactants. The molecular masses of cytochrome c oxidase and cytochrome bc1 complex from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 were determined to be 127 kDa and 185 kDa, respectively, indicating that the oxidase is monomeric, while the bc1 complex dimeric in the presence of C12E8. The larger apparent molecular mass of about 310 kDa of the PS3 oxidase obtained from the retention time of the gel chromatography (Sone, N., Sekimachi, M. and Kutoh, E. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 15386-15391) turned out to be due to a high binding ability with the detergent (delta = 1.25 g/g) of this very hydrophobic protein. Analyses of bovine heart cytochrome oxidase, on which monomer/dimer properties have been reported, showed that the enzyme is mainly dimeric (Mr = 374,000), while a small portion is monomeric (Mr = 191,000). Mild alkaline treatment of this enzyme caused monomerization of the enzyme with accompanying aggregate formation. These results, thus, show that this method is suitable to analyze monomer/dimer conversion of membrane protein as well as to estimate structure of membrane proteins.

Preparation of a one-subunit cytochrome oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans: spectral analysis and enzymatic activity

Cytochrome c oxidase was isolated from Paracoccus denitrificans as a two-subunit enzyme. Chymotrypsin-catalyzed proteolysis reduced the molecular weight of each subunit by about 8000. The spectral properties of this preparation, as well as its Km for cytochrome c(1.7 muM), remained unchanged with respect to the native enzyme. Vmax was reduced by about 55% when assayed in Triton X-100 or in Triton X-100 supplemented with asolectin. Following further proteolysis by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, subunit I remained unchanged as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, whereas subunit II was split into small peptides. These were removed by ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. The one-subunit enzyme had an apparent molecular weight of 43,000. The reduction of molecular weight was also confirmed by the diminution of the ultraviolet/Soret absorption ratio. This value was 1.8-2.1 for the native enzyme and 1.3-1.5 for the one-subunit enzyme. The spectral properties (including the spectrum CO reduced minus reduced) were not modified by the proteolytic treatment, indicating that cytochromes a and a3 were present in equal amounts. The lack of spectral alteration and the known close association of the copper B atom with cytochrome a3 suggest that copper B is also contained within the one-subunit enzyme. The Km of the one-subunit oxidase was similar to that of the two-subunit enzyme; Vmax was decreased by about 50%. The activity of the one-subunit oxidase had a salt-dependent maximum at 30 mM KCl, almost identical with that of the undigested enzyme, and was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of KCN.

Studies on the oligomeric state of isolated cytochrome oxidase using cross-linking reagents

(1) Sucrose gradient centrifugation of cytochrome oxidase in the presence of Triton X-100 gave one slowly sedimenting green band. After cross-linking with dithiobis(succinimidylpropionate) (DSP), two green bands were observed, one sedimenting like the control and the other one more rapidly. Only the slowly sedimenting band was observed if the cross-linker was cleaved by dithiothreitol before centrifugation. (2) The rapidly sedimenting band in the Triton-containing sucrose gradient is probably the internally cross-linked dimer of cytochrome oxidase; the one sedimenting slowly is the monomeric enzyme. (3) Cross-linking with DSP after monomerization yields a small fraction of internally cross-linked dimers in addition to the internally cross-linked monomers. Under similar conditions, but using the shorter cross-linker disuccinimidyl tartarate (DST), no dimers are detected. (4) Both DSP and DST cross-link the dimeric enzyme so that it could no longer be monomerized by centrifugation in Triton, unless the cross-link is cleaved. (5) Polypeptide analysis using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of cross-linked dimers and monomers suggest that subunit VIb is involved in intermonomeric cross-linking of dimeric enzyme by DSP.