Interaction of reduced and oxidized cytochrome c with the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase and bc1-complex

The promotion of self-association of horse-heart cytochrome c by hexametaphosphate anions

In the presence of the highly charged hexametaphosphate anion, horse heart cytochrome c aggregates to form stable protein complexes. The formation of protein aggregates has been detected by high-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy from an increase in the linewidth of resolved ferricytochrome c resonances with hexametaphosphate concentration. Alternatively, analytical ultracentrifugation reveals protein association from the increase in apparent sedimentation coefficients of cytochrome c in the presence of equimolar hexametaphosphate. Protein aggregation is dependent on the concentration of background electrolyte since in the range 10-150 mM sodium cacodylate alternative stabilisation of dimeric and trimeric complexes was observed by both NMR and analytical ultracentrifugation. A model is proposed for the mechanism of protein aggregation caused by polyphosphate binding to the surface of cytochrome c.

Cytochrome c oxidases: polypeptide composition, role of subunits, and location of active metal centers

The general structure of the enzyme, its polypeptide composition, and a proposal for a rational nomenclature are discussed. The mitochondrially coded and bacterial cytochrome c oxidase subunits have been analyzed with more attention focused on elucidating the number of metals present in the enzyme and the ligands available for their coordination. The picture of a 2 Cu/2 Fe enzyme has been compared with that of a 3 Cu/2 Fe enzyme and a new model is proposed for the location of the metal centers in the enzyme.

The oxidation-state-dependent ATP-binding site of cytochrome c. Implication of an essential arginine residue and the effect of occupancy on the oxidation-reduction potential

Arg-91 is not part of the active site of cytochrome c that mediates binding and electron transfer, yet it is absolutely conserved in eukaryotic cytochromes c, indicating a special function. The physicochemical properties of analogues are unaffected by the modification of this residue, so they can be used with confidence to study the role of Arg-91. We have established limiting conditions under which this residue alone is specifically modified by cyclohexane-1,2-dione, and have subsequently shown that ATP, and to a lesser extent ADP or Pi, protects it from the action of the reagent in an oxidation-state-dependent manner. These observations strongly support the idea that this site exerts a controlling influence on cytochrome c activity in the electron transport or other cellular redox systems, and we have commenced a study of how that influence might operate. We find that the redox potentials of both cytochrome c and analogue are little affected by changing ATP or Pi concentrations.

On the relationship between oxidation-reduction potential and biological activity in cytochrome c analogues. Results from four novel two-fragment complexes

We have confirmed the propensity of fragments of cytochrome c to form complexes that reproduce the structure and, in part, the functionality, of the native protein by preparing four novel complexes. We have used trypsin under three different sets of conditions in sequence to prepare a contiguous two-fragment complex (1-55).(56-104). One of the intermediates is a stable overlapping complex (1-65).(56-104). Conditions for limited acid hydrolysis of peptide bonds in cytochrome c have been developed that optimize the yield of fragments (1-50) and (51-104). These two fragments also form a stable association, as do (1-50) and (56-104). These complexes are potentially useful for the semisynthesis of analogues modified in the region of the cleavage sites, which include a number of highly conserved amino acid residues, and are being used for studies of protein folding, interactions with oxidase, cytochrome c immunogenicity and of artificially induced spontaneous resyntheses between complexing fragments. Like other known two-fragment complexes of cytochrome c, they exhibit normal visible spectra, including the presence of the 695 nm band, indicative of a functional haem crevice. Studies of their biological activities and redox potentials lead to a number of conclusions on structure-function relationships in cytochrome c. Most significantly there is a linear relationship between the logarithm of electron-transfer rates from cytochrome c reductase and redox potential in this series of analogues, indicating that such transfer is thermodynamically controlled. This discovery contributes to our understanding of the interaction of cytochrome and reductase. Since the relationship is obeyed by other types of analogues, except for those that involve modification of the active site of cytochrome c, we have a useful diagnostic for those residues that participate directly in electron transfer.

Structure and function of cytochrome-c oxidase

Recent works on the structure and the function of cytochrome-c oxidase are reviewed. The subunit composition of the mitochondrial enzyme depends on the species and is comprised of between 5 and 13 subunits. It is reduced to 1 to 3 subunits in prokaryotes. The complete amino acid composition has been derived from protein sequencing. Gene sequences are partially known in several eukaryote species. Metal centers are only located in subunits I and II. The mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase is Y-shaped; the arms of the Y cross the inner membrane, the stalk protrudes into the intermembrane space. The bacterial enzyme has a simpler, elongated shape. A number of data have been accumulated on the subunit topology and on their location within the protein. All available spectrometric techniques have been used to investigate the environment of the metal centers as well as their interactions. From the literature, attention must be paid to what may be considered or not as an active form. The steady improvement of the instrumentation has yielded evidence for different kinds of heterogeneities which could reflect the in vivo situation. The 'pulsed' and 'resting' conformers have been well characterized. The 'oxygenated' form has been identified as a peroxide derivative of the fully oxidized cytochrome-c oxidase. The mammalian enzyme has been isolated in fully active monomeric form which does not preclude the initially suggested dimeric behavior in situ. The role of the lipids is still largely investigated, mainly through reconstitution experiments. Kinetic studies of electron transfer between cytochrome c and cytochrome-c oxidase lead to a single catalytic site model to account for the multiphasic kinetics. Results related to the low temperature investigation of the intermediate steps in the reaction between oxygen and cytochrome-c oxidase received a sound confirmation by the resolution of compound A at room temperature. It is also pointed out that the so-called mixed valence state might not be a transient state in the catalytic reduction of oxygen. The functioning of cytochrome-c oxidase as a proton pump has been supported by a number of experimental results. Subunit III would be involved in this process. The redox link to the proton pump has been suggested to be at the Fea-CuA site. The molecular mechanism responsible for the proton pumping is still unknown.