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Tikhonov AN. The cytochrome b 6f complex: plastoquinol oxidation and regulation of electron transport in chloroplasts. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2024; 159:203-227. [PMID: 37369875 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01034-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
In oxygenic photosynthetic systems, the cytochrome b6f (Cytb6f) complex (plastoquinol:plastocyanin oxidoreductase) is a heart of the hub that provides connectivity between photosystems (PS) II and I. In this review, the structure and function of the Cytb6f complex are briefly outlined, being focused on the mechanisms of a bifurcated (two-electron) oxidation of plastoquinol (PQH2). In plant chloroplasts, under a wide range of experimental conditions (pH and temperature), a diffusion of PQH2 from PSII to the Cytb6f does not limit the intersystem electron transport. The overall rate of PQH2 turnover is determined mainly by the first step of the bifurcated oxidation of PQH2 at the catalytic site Qo, i.e., the reaction of electron transfer from PQH2 to the Fe2S2 cluster of the high-potential Rieske iron-sulfur protein (ISP). This point has been supported by the quantum chemical analysis of PQH2 oxidation within the framework of a model system including the Fe2S2 cluster of the ISP and surrounding amino acids, the low-potential heme b6L, Glu78 and 2,3,5-trimethylbenzoquinol (the tail-less analog of PQH2). Other structure-function relationships and mechanisms of electron transport regulation of oxygenic photosynthesis associated with the Cytb6f complex are briefly outlined: pH-dependent control of the intersystem electron transport and the regulatory balance between the operation of linear and cyclic electron transfer chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N Tikhonov
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation, 119991.
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2
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Ustynyuk LY, Tikhonov AN. Plastoquinol Oxidation: Rate-Limiting Stage in the Electron Transport Chain of Chloroplasts. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2022; 87:1084-1097. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922100029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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3
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Sarewicz M, Pintscher S, Bujnowicz Ł, Wolska M, Artur Osyczka. The High-Spin Heme b L Mutant Exposes Dominant Reaction Leading to the Formation of the Semiquinone Spin-Coupled to the [2Fe-2S] + Cluster at the Q o Site of Rhodobacter capsulatus Cytochrome bc 1. Front Chem 2021; 9:658877. [PMID: 34026724 PMCID: PMC8138165 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.658877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytochrome bc 1 (mitochondrial complex III) catalyzes electron transfer from quinols to cytochrome c and couples this reaction with proton translocation across lipid membrane; thus, it contributes to the generation of protonmotive force used for the synthesis of ATP. The energetic efficiency of the enzyme relies on a bifurcation reaction taking place at the Qo site which upon oxidation of ubiquinol directs one electron to the Rieske 2Fe2S cluster and the other to heme b L. The molecular mechanism of this reaction remains unclear. A semiquinone spin-coupled to the reduced 2Fe2S cluster (SQo-2Fe2S) was identified as a state associated with the operation of the Qo site. To get insights into the mechanism of the formation of this state, we first constructed a mutant in which one of the histidine ligands of the iron ion of heme b L Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome bc 1 was replaced by asparagine (H198N). This converted the low-spin, low-potential heme into the high-spin, high-potential species which is unable to support enzymatic turnover. We performed a comparative analysis of redox titrations of antimycin-supplemented bacterial photosynthetic membranes containing native enzyme and the mutant. The titrations revealed that H198N failed to generate detectable amounts of SQo-2Fe2S under neither equilibrium (in dark) nor nonequilibrium (in light), whereas the native enzyme generated clearly detectable SQo-2Fe2S in light. This provided further support for the mechanism in which the back electron transfer from heme b L to a ubiquinone bound at the Qo site is mainly responsible for the formation of semiquinone trapped in the SQo-2Fe2S state in R. capusulatus cytochrome bc 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Sarewicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Sebastian Pintscher
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Łukasz Bujnowicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Wolska
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Artur Osyczka
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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Sarewicz M, Pintscher S, Pietras R, Borek A, Bujnowicz Ł, Hanke G, Cramer WA, Finazzi G, Osyczka A. Catalytic Reactions and Energy Conservation in the Cytochrome bc1 and b6f Complexes of Energy-Transducing Membranes. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2020-2108. [PMID: 33464892 PMCID: PMC7908018 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on key components of respiratory and photosynthetic energy-transduction systems: the cytochrome bc1 and b6f (Cytbc1/b6f) membranous multisubunit homodimeric complexes. These remarkable molecular machines catalyze electron transfer from membranous quinones to water-soluble electron carriers (such as cytochromes c or plastocyanin), coupling electron flow to proton translocation across the energy-transducing membrane and contributing to the generation of a transmembrane electrochemical potential gradient, which powers cellular metabolism in the majority of living organisms. Cytsbc1/b6f share many similarities but also have significant differences. While decades of research have provided extensive knowledge on these enzymes, several important aspects of their molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. We summarize a broad range of structural, mechanistic, and physiological aspects required for function of Cytbc1/b6f, combining textbook fundamentals with new intriguing concepts that have emerged from more recent studies. The discussion covers but is not limited to (i) mechanisms of energy-conserving bifurcation of electron pathway and energy-wasting superoxide generation at the quinol oxidation site, (ii) the mechanism by which semiquinone is stabilized at the quinone reduction site, (iii) interactions with substrates and specific inhibitors, (iv) intermonomer electron transfer and the role of a dimeric complex, and (v) higher levels of organization and regulation that involve Cytsbc1/b6f. In addressing these topics, we point out existing uncertainties and controversies, which, as suggested, will drive further research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Sarewicz
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Sebastian Pintscher
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Rafał Pietras
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Borek
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Łukasz Bujnowicz
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Guy Hanke
- School
of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen
Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | - William A. Cramer
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 United States
| | - Giovanni Finazzi
- Laboratoire
de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, Université Grenoble Alpes, Centre National Recherche Scientifique,
Commissariat Energie Atomique et Energies Alternatives, Institut National
Recherche l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Artur Osyczka
- Department
of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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Springett R. The proton pumping mechanism of the bc 1 complex. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2020; 1862:148352. [PMID: 33338489 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2020.148352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The bc1 complex is a proton pump of the mitochondrial electron transport chain which transfers electrons from ubiquinol to cytochrome c. It operates via the modified Q cycle in which the two electrons from oxidation of ubiquinol at the Qo center are bifurcated such that the first electron is passed to Cytc via an iron sulfur center and c1 whereas the second electron is passed across the membrane by bL and bH to reduce ubiquinone at the Qi center. Proton pumping occurs because oxidation of ubiquinol at the Qo center releases protons to the P-side and reduction of ubiquinone at the Qi center takes up protons from the N-side. However, the mechanisms which prevent the thermodynamically more favorable short circuit reactions and so ensure precise bifurcation and proton pumping are not known. Here we use statistical thermodynamics to show that reaction steps that originate from high energy states cannot support high flux even when they have large rate constants. We show how the chemistry of ubiquinol oxidation and the structure of the Qo site can result in free energy profiles that naturally suppress flux through the short circuit pathways while allowing high rates of bifurcation. These predictions are confirmed through in-silico simulations using a Markov state model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Springett
- Cardiovascular Division, King's College London British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, London, United Kingdom.
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Pintscher S, Wójcik-Augustyn A, Sarewicz M, Osyczka A. Charge polarization imposed by the binding site facilitates enzymatic redox reactions of quinone. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2020; 1861:148216. [PMID: 32387188 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2020.148216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Quinone reduction site (Qi) of cytochrome bc1 represents one of the canonical sites used to explore the enzymatic redox reactions involving semiquinone (SQ) states. However, the mechanism by which Qi allows the completion of quinone reduction during the sequential transfers of two electrons from the adjacent heme bH and two protons to C1- and C4-carbonyl remains unclear. Here we established that the SQ coupled to an oxidized heme bH is a dominant intermediate of catalytic forward reaction and, contrary to the long-standing assumption, represents a significant population of SQ detected across pH 5-9. The pH dependence of its redox midpoint potential implicated proton exchange with histidine. Complementary quantum mechanical calculations revealed that the SQ anion formed after the first electron transfer undergoes charge and spin polarization imposed by the electrostatic field generated by histidine and the aspartate/lysine pair interacting with the C4- and C1-carbonyl, respectively. This favors a barrierless proton exchange between histidine and the C4-carbonyl, which continues until the second electron reaches the SQi. Inversion of charge polarization facilitates the uptake of the second proton by the C1-carbonyl. Based on these findings we developed a comprehensive scheme for electron and proton transfers at Qi featuring the equilibration between the anionic and neutral states of SQi as means for a leak-proof stabilization of the radical intermediate. The key catalytic role of the initial charge/spin polarization of the SQ anion at the active site, inherent to the proposed mechanism, may also be applicable to the other quinone oxidoreductases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Pintscher
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków 30387, Poland.
| | - Anna Wójcik-Augustyn
- Department of Computational Biophysics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków 30387, Poland.
| | - Marcin Sarewicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków 30387, Poland.
| | - Artur Osyczka
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków 30387, Poland.
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Francia F, Khalfaoui-Hassani B, Lanciano P, Musiani F, Noodleman L, Venturoli G, Daldal F. The cytochrome b lysine 329 residue is critical for ubihydroquinone oxidation and proton release at the Q o site of bacterial cytochrome bc 1. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2018; 1860:167-179. [PMID: 30550726 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The ubihydroquinone:cytochrome (cyt) c oxidoreductase (or cyt bc1) is an important enzyme for photosynthesis and respiration. In bacteria like Rhodobacter capsulatus, this membrane complex has three subunits, the iron‑sulfur protein (ISP) with its Fe2S2 cluster, cyt c1 and cyt b, forming two catalytic domains, the Qo (hydroquinone (QH2) oxidation) and Qi (quinone (Q) reduction) sites. At the Qo site, the electron transfer pathways originating from QH2 oxidation are known, but their associated proton release routes are less well defined. Earlier, we demonstrated that the His291 of cyt b is important for this latter process. In this work, using the bacterial cyt bc1 and site directed mutagenesis, we show that Lys329 of cyt b is also critical for electron and proton transfer at the Qo site. Of the mutants examined, Lys329Arg was photosynthesis proficient and had quasi-wild type cyt bc1 activity. In contrast, the Lys329Ala and Lys329Asp were photosynthesis-impaired and contained defective but assembled cyt bc1. In particular, the bifurcated electron transfer and associated proton(s) release reactions occurring during QH2 oxidation were drastically impaired in Lys329Asp mutant. Furthermore, in silico docking studies showed that in this mutant the location and the H-bonding network around the Fe2S2 cluster of ISP on cyt b surface was different than the wild type enzyme. Based on these experimental findings and theoretical considerations, we propose that the presence of a positive charge at position 329 of cyt b is critical for efficient electron transfer and proton release for QH2 oxidation at the Qo site of cyt bc1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Francia
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, FaBiT, Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Pascal Lanciano
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Francesco Musiani
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, FaBiT, Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Louis Noodleman
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Giovanni Venturoli
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, FaBiT, Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia (CNISM), Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Fevzi Daldal
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Bujnowicz Ł, Borek A, Kuleta P, Sarewicz M, Osyczka A. Suppression of superoxide production by a spin‐spin coupling between semiquinone and the Rieske cluster in cytochrome
bc
1. FEBS Lett 2018; 593:3-12. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Bujnowicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Borek
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Patryk Kuleta
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Marcin Sarewicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Artur Osyczka
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
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Pintscher S, Pietras R, Sarewicz M, Osyczka A. Electron sweep across four b-hemes of cytochrome bc1 revealed by unusual paramagnetic properties of the Qi semiquinone intermediate. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2018; 1859:459-469. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2018.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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