Influence of detergent polar and apolar structure upon the temperature dependence of beef heart cytochrome c oxidase activity

Surface-modified cerium dioxide nanoparticles with improved anti-amyloid and preserved nanozymatic activity

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO₂ NPs) are used increasingly in nanotechnology and particularly in biotechnology and bioresearch. Thus, CeO₂ NPs have been successfully tested in vitro as a potential therapeutic agent for various pathologies associated with oxidative stress, including the formation of protein amyloid aggregates. In this study, to increase the anti-amyloidogenic efficiency and preserve the antioxidant potential, the surface of the synthesized CeO₂ NPs is modified with a nonionic, sugar-based surfactant, dodecyl maltoside (DDM), which is known for its high anti-amyloidogenic activity and biocompatibility. Dynamic light scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated successful modification by DDM. The apparent hydrodynamic diameters of CeO₂ NPs and DDM-modified NPs (CeO₂@DDM NPs) are found to be ⁓180 nm and ⁓260 nm, respectively. A positive zeta potential value of + 30.5 mV for CeO₂ NPs and + 22.5 mV for CeO₂ @DDM NPs suggest sufficient stability and good dispersion of NPs in an aqueous solution. A combination of Thioflavin T fluorescence analysis and atomic force microscopy is used to assess the effect of nanoparticles on the formation of insulin amyloid fibrils. Results show that the fibrillization of insulin is inhibited by both, naked and modified NPs in a dose-dependent manner. However, while the IC₅₀ of naked NPs is found to be ∼270 ± 13 µg/mL, the surface-modified NPs are 50% more efficient with IC₅₀ equaled to 135 ± 7 µg/mL. In addition, both, the naked CeO₂ NPs and DDM-modified NPs displayed an antioxidant activity expressed as oxidase-, catalase- and SOD-like activity. Therefore, the resulting nanosized material is very well suited to prove or disprove the hypothesis that oxidative stress plays a role in the formation of amyloid fibrils.

An assay of optimal cytochrome c oxidase activity in fish gills

Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) catalyzes the terminal oxidation reaction in the electron transport chain (ETC) of aerobic respiratory systems. COX activity is an important indicator for the evaluation of energy production by aerobic respiration in various tissues. On the basis of the respiratory characteristics of muscle, we established an optimal method for the measurement of maximal COX activity. To validate the measurement of cytochrome c absorbance, different ionic buffer concentrations and tissue homogenate protein concentrations were used to investigate COX activity. The results showed that optimal COX activity is achieved when using 50-100 μg fish gill homogenate in conjunction with 75-100 mM potassium phosphate buffer. Furthermore, we compared branchial COX activities among three species of euryhaline teleost (Chanos chanos, Oreochromis mossambicus, and Oryzias dancena) to investigate differences in aerobic respiration of osmoregulatory organs. COX activities in the gills of these three euryhaline species were compared with COX subunit 4 (COX4) protein levels. COX4 protein abundance and COX activity patterns in the three species occurring in environments with various salinities increased when fish encountered salinity challenges. This COX activity assay therefore provides an effective and accurate means of assessing aerobic metabolism in fish.

The K-path entrance in cytochrome c oxidase is defined by mutation of E101 and controlled by an adjacent ligand binding domain

Three mutant forms of Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase (RsCcO) were created to test for multiple K-path entry sites (E101W), the existence of an "upper ligand site" (M350 W), and the nature and binding specificity of the "lower ligand site" (P315W/E101A) in the region of a crystallographically-defined deoxycholate at the K-path entrance. The effects of inhibitory and stimulatory detergents (dodecyl maltoside and Tween20) on these mutants are presented, as well as competition with other ligands, including the potentially physiologically relevant ligands cholesterol and retinoic acid. Ligands are shown to be able to compete with natural lipids to affect the activity of membrane-bound RsCcO. Results point to a single K-path entrance site at E101, with a single ligand binding pocket proximal to the entrance. The affinity of this pocket for amphipathic ligands is enhanced by removal of the E101 carboxyl and blocked by substituting a tryptophan in this area. A new crystal structure of the E101A mutant of RsCcO is presented that illustrates the structural basis of these results, showing that the loss of the E101 carboxyl creates a more hydrophobic groove consistent with altered ligand affinities.

Ferricytochrome c protects mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage

An excess of ferricytochrome c protects purified mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase and bound cardiolipin from hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative modification. All of the peroxide-induced changes within cytochrome c oxidase, such as oxidation of Trp(19,IV) and Trp(48,VIIc), partial dissociation of subunits VIa and VIIa, and generation of cardiolipin hydroperoxide, no longer take place in the presence of ferricytochrome c. Furthermore, ferricytochrome c suppresses the yield of H(2)O(2)-induced free radical detectable by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy within cytochrome c oxidase. These protective effects are based on two mechanisms. The first involves the peroxidase/catalase-like activity of ferricytochrome c, which results in the decomposition of H(2)O(2), with the apparent bimolecular rate constant of 5.1±1.0M(-1)s(-1). Although this value is lower than the rate constant of a specialized peroxidase, the activity is sufficient to eliminate H(2)O(2)-induced damage to cytochrome c oxidase in the presence of an excess of ferricytochrome c. The second mechanism involves ferricytochrome c-induced quenching of free radicals generated within cytochrome c oxidase. These results suggest that ferricytochrome c may have an important role in protection of cytochrome c oxidase and consequently the mitochondrion against oxidative damage.

Cytochrome c oxidase: chemistry of a molecular machine

The plethora of proposed chemical models attempting to explain the proton pumping reactions catalyzed by the CcO complex, especially the number of recent models, makes it clear that the problem is far from solved. Although we have not discussed all of the models proposed to date, we have described some of the more detailed models in order to illustrate the theoretical concepts introduced at the beginning of this section on proton pumping as well as to illustrate the rich possibilities available for effecting proton pumping. It is clear that proton pumping is effected by conformational changes induced by oxidation/reduction of the various redox centers in the CcO complex. It is for this reason that the CcO complex is called a redox-linked proton pump. The conformational changes of the proton pump cycle are usually envisioned to be some sort of ligand-exchange reaction arising from unstable geometries upon oxidation/reduction of the various redox centers. However, simple geometrical rearrangements, as in the Babcock and Mitchell models are also possible. In any model, however, hydrogen bonds must be broken and reformed due to conformational changes that result from oxidation/reduction of the linkage site during enzyme turnover. Perhaps the most important point emphasized in this discussion, however, is the fact that proton pumping is a directed process and it is electron and proton gating mechanisms that drive the proton pump cycle in the forward direction. Since many of the models discussed above lack effective electron and/or proton gating, it is clear that the major difficulty in developing a viable chemical model is not formulating a cyclic set of protein conformational changes effecting proton pumping (redox linkage) but rather constructing the model with a set of physical constraints so that the proposed cycle proceeds efficiently as postulated. In our discussion of these models, we have not been too concerned about which electron of the catalytic cycle was entering the site of linkage, but merely whether an ET to the binuclear center played a role. However, redox linkage only occurs if ET to the activated binuclear center is coupled to the proton pump. Since all of the models of proton pumping presented here, with the exception of the Rousseau expanded model and the Wikström model, have a maximum stoichiometry of 1 H+/e-, they inadequately explain the 2 H+/e- ratio for the third and fourth electrons of the dioxygen reduction cycle (see Section V.B). One way of interpreting this shortfall of protons is that the remaining protons are pumped by an as yet undefined indirectly coupled mechanism. In this scenario, the site of linkage could be coupled to the pumping of one proton in a direct fashion and one proton in an indirect fashion for a given electron. For a long time, it was assumed that at least some elements of such an indirect mechanism reside in subunit III. While recent evidence argues against the involvement of subunit III in the proton pump, subunit III may still participate in a regulatory and/or structural capacity (Section II.E). Attention has now focused on subunits I and II in the search for residues intimately involved in the proton pump mechanism and/or as part of a proton channel. In particular, the role of some of the highly conserved residues of helix VIII of subunit I are currently being studied by site directed mutagenesis. In our opinion, any model that invokes heme alpha 3 or CuB as the site of linkage must propose a very effective means by which the presumedly fast uncoupling ET to the dioxygen intermediates is prevented. It is difficult to imagine that ET over the short distance from heme alpha 3 or CuB to the dioxygen intermediate requires more than 1 ns. In addition, we expect the conformational changes of the proton pump to require much more than 1 ns (see Section V.B).

NMR studies on interaction of lauryl maltoside with cytochrome c oxidase: a model for surfactant interaction with the membrane protein

Interaction of lauryl maltoside (LM) surfactant with bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) has been studied by NMR techniques. Detailed 2-D (1)H and (13)C NMR techniques were used to assign the NMR signals of the surfactant nuclei. Paramagnetic dipolar shift of the surfactant (13)C NMR signals were used to identify the atoms close to the enzyme. The diamagnetic carbon monoxide complex of CcO did not cause any shift in the surfactant NMR spectra suggesting that the paramagnetic centres of the native CcO cause the shifts by dipolar interactions. The results showed that the polar head groups of the surfactant comprised of two maltoside rings are more affected, while the hydrophobic tail groups did not show any significant change on binding of the surfactant to the enzyme. This indicated that surfactant head groups possibly bind to the enzyme surface and the hydrophobic tail of the surfactant forms micelles and remains away from the enzyme. Based on the results, we propose that the membrane bound enzyme is possibly stabilised in aqueous solution by association with the micelles of the neutral surfactant so that the polar heads of the micelles bind to the polar surface of the enzyme. These micelles might form a 'belt like' structure around the enzyme helping it to remain monodispersed in the active form.

Detergent modulation of electron and proton transfer reactions in bovine cytochrome c oxidase

The effect of detergents on electron and proton transfer in bovine cytochrome c oxidase was studied using steady-state and transient-state methods. Cytochrome c oxidase in lauryl maltoside has high maximal turnover (TN(max)=400 s(-1)), whereas activity is low (TN(max)=10 s(-1)) in Triton X-100. Single turnover studies of intramolecular electron transfer show similar rates in either detergent. Transient proton uptake experiments show the oxidase in lauryl maltoside consumes 1.8+/-0.3 H(+)/aa(3) during either partial reduction of the oxidase or reaction of fully reduced enzyme with O(2). However, the oxidase in Triton X-100 consumes 2.6+/-0.4 H(+)/aa(3) during partial reduction and 1.0+/-0.2 H(+)/aa(3) in the O(2) reaction. Absorption spectra recorded during turnover show that the enzyme undergoes activation in lauryl maltoside, but does not activate in Triton X-100. We propose that cytochrome c oxidase in different detergents allows access to different sites of protonation, which in turn influences steady-state activity.

Brominated detergents as tools to study protein-detergent interactions

In order to study protein-detergent short-range interactions, we analyzed the quenching by brominated detergents of reticulum sarcoplasmic (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase intrinsic fluorescence. For this purpose, 7,8-dibromododecyl beta-maltoside and 2-O-(10,11-dibromoundecanoyl)sucrose, brominated analogs of two non-ionic detergents, the frequently used dodecylmaltoside and the newly synthesized 2-O-lauroylsucrose respectively, were prepared. Rayleigh scattering measurements showed that the brominated detergents efficiently and rapidly solubilized SR vesicles like their non-brominated analogs although at slightly higher concentrations. Similarly, each analog had a slightly higher critical micellar concentration than its parent detergent. The partition coefficient K (expressed as the ratio of the molar fraction of detergent in the SR lipid phase to that in the aqueous phase, at pH 7.5 and 20 degrees C) was similar for brominated and non-brominated dodecyl maltoside (3.5-4 x 10(5)) and slightly lower for dibromoundecanoylsucrose (approximately 10(5)) than for lauroylsucrose (approximately 2 x 10(5)). At detergent concentrations too low to solubilize the membrane, the brominated detergents rapidly inserted (within seconds) into SR vesicles. In this concentration range, Ca(2+)-ATPase fluorescence quenching steadily increased with detergent concentration. When the membrane was saturated with detergent, the residual fluorescence was about half of its initial value, indicating significant protein-detergent, contacts, possibly due to a slightly higher affinity of Ca(2+)-ATPase for these detergents than for phospholipids. For higher detergent concentrations, solubilizing the membrane, the fluorescence continued to decrease with detergent concentration, with no evidence for a dramatic change in the average hydrophobic environment of the protein during the transition from bilayers to a soluble state. For still higher detergent concentrations, above that necessary for membrane solubilization, the fluorescence was further quenched to a residual relative value of about 20%, corresponding to further delipidation of the protein surface, in agreement with previous results [de Foresta, B., le Maire, M., Orlowski, S., Champeil, P., Lund, S., Møller, J.V., Michelangeli, F. & Lee, A.G. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 2558-2567]. Fluorescence quenching for solubilized Ca(2+)-ATPase was quickly reversed upon addition of excess non-brominated detergent. The effects of the four detergents on the Ca(2+)-ATPase hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate were similar and correlated with the protein-detergent contacts evidenced above. In conclusion, both these brominated detergents appear to be promising tools to study protein-detergent interactions at the hydrophobic surface of a membrane protein, either in a membrane or in solubilized complexes.

Large-scale chromatographic purification of F1F0-ATPase and complex I from bovine heart mitochondria

A new chromatographic procedure has been developed for the isolation of F1F0-ATPase and NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) from a single batch of bovine heart mitochondria. The method employed dodecyl beta-delta-maltoside, a monodisperse, homogeneous detergent in which many respiratory complexes exhibit high activity, for solubilization and subsequent purification by ammonium sulphate fractionation and column chromatography. A combination of anion-exchange, gel-filtration, and dye-ligand affinity chromatography was used to purify both complexes to homogeneity. The F1F0-ATPase preparation contains only the 16 known subunits of the enzyme. It has oligomycin-sensitive ATP hydrolysis activity and, as demonstrated elsewhere, when reconstituted into lipid vesicles it is capable of ATP-dependent proton pumping and of ATP synthesis driven by a proton gradient [Groth and Walker (1996) Biochem. J. 318, 351-357]. The complex I preparation contains all of the subunits identified in other preparations of the enzyme, and has rotenone-sensitive NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and NADH:ferricyanide oxidoreductase activities. The procedure is rapid and reproducible, yielding 50-80 mg of purified F1F0-ATPase and 20-40 mg of purified complex I from 1 g of mitochondrial membranes. Both preparations are devoid of phospholipids, and gel filtration and dynamic light scattering experiments indicate that they are monodisperse. Therefore, the preparations fulfil important prerequisites for structural analysis.

Kinetics and mechanism for the binding of HCN to cytochrome c oxidase

The kinetics of cyanide binding to cytochrome c oxidase were systematically studied as a function of [HCN], [oxidase], pH, ionic strength, temperature, type and concentration of solubilizing detergent, and monomer-dimer content of oxidase. On the basis of these results a minimum reaction mechanism is proposed in which the spectrally visible rapid and slow cyanide binding reactions are two consecutive first-order reactions, not parallel reactions with different conformers of cytochrome c oxidase. The fast reaction (k'obs) follows saturation type kinetics to form an HCN complex that subsequently undergoes a slow reaction (k'obs). The fast k'obs reaction is independent of ionic strength but is strongly dependent upon pH. Two pK values were evaluated from the bell-shaped rate versus pH profile; one is due to an ionizable group on the protein (pKa = 7.45), while the other is that of HCN (pKHCN = 9.15). Therefore, oxidase is reactive toward HCN only when the group on the protein is unprotonated. The slow k'obs reaction is not a reaction of oxidase with either CN- or HCN; in fact, the product formed by the fast k'obs reaction, the oxidase-HCN complex, still undergoes the slow k" process even if all of the excess KCN is removed. The apparent rate constant of the slower phase (k"obs) is independent of all the variations done in this study, and it probably corresponds to either a slow conformational change in the protein or a change in ligand coordination at one of the metal centers after HCN binds to the bimetallic center of oxidase. Based upon the bell-shaped pH dependence of the fast phase and the pH independence of the slow phase, the mechanism also predicts that a single conformer of cytochrome c oxidase can exhibit either monophasic or biphasic cyanide binding kinetics depending upon the pH. At either very low or very high pH, the two rates become comparable in magnitude, which makes the reaction appear to be monophasic even though both reactions still occur. The amount of monomeric or dimeric oxidase only slightly affects the magnitude of k'obs and k"obs values, and both processes are clearly present in both types of oxidase.

Cancellation of the cooperativity of Ca2+ binding to sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase by the non-ionic detergent dodecylmaltoside

The perturbation of the kinetics of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranous Ca(2+)-ATPase cycle by the non-ionic detergent dodecylmaltoside (DM) has been shown to exhibit specific features which were not observed with the related detergents octa(ethylene glycol) monododecylether and Triton X-100 [de Foresta, B., Henao, F. & Champeil, P. (1992) Eur. J. Biochem. 209, 1023-1034]. This previous study has been completed here by a detailed analysis of the perturbation by DM of the interaction of Ca2+ with membranous ATPase, both in its unphosphorylated and phosphorylated form. Equilibrium binding measurements, performed at pH 7.5 and 20 degrees C, showed that only one 45Ca2+ was bound with high affinity to the ATPase in the presence of maximally perturbing concentrations of DM, as compared to two 45Ca2+ in the absence of detergent. This binding was also assessed by a small decrease in the tryptophan fluorescence intensity. Binding of a second Ca2+ occurred only with a much lower affinity. In the presence of DM, the pCa dependence of the phosphorylation by [gamma-32P]ATP of the ATPase shifted towards 50-fold higher Ca2+ concentrations than in its absence. Furthermore, DM completely inhibited the cooperativity of this dependence. This shift strongly suggests that the phosphorylation of DM-perturbed ATPase requires the binding of this second, low-affinity Ca2+. In order to assess this, samples of ATPase were intramolecularly cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. This treatment stabilized the phosphorylated intermediated with occluded Ca2+ [Ross, D. C., Davidson, G.A. & McIntosh, D. B. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4613-4621]. Both in the absence and presence of DM, the cross-linked enzyme occluded close to two Ca2+/phosphorylated molecule. Finally, the pCa dependences of the ATPase hydrolytic activity, measured with two different high-energy substrates, ATP or p-nitrophenylphosphate (PNpP), were also found to shift towards higher Ca2+ concentrations in the presence of DM, which was again consistent with a normal coupling ratio, i.e. two bound Ca2+/substrate hydrolyzed. As compared to other detergents, the maltoside head group of DM might favor a stronger interaction with membranous ATPase, resulting in its high perturbing effect on Ca2+ binding. The loss of cooperativity of Ca2+ binding evidenced here makes DM a useful tool in the analysis of the sequence of events occurring during Ca2+ binding.

Presteady-state and steady-state kinetic properties of human cytochrome c oxidase. Identification of rate-limiting steps in mammalian cytochrome c oxidase

Human cytochrome c oxidase was purified in a fully active form from heart and skeletal muscle. The enzyme was selectively solubilised with octylglucoside and KCl from submitochondrial particles followed by ammonium sulphate fractionation. The presteady-state and steady-state kinetic properties of the human cytochrome c oxidase preparations with either human cytochrome c or horse cytochrome c were studied spectrophotometrically and compared with those of bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase. The interaction between human cytochrome c and human cytochrome c oxidase proved to be highly specific. It is proposed that for efficient electron transfer to occur, a conformational change in the complex is required, thereby shifting the initially unfavourable redox equilibrium. The very slow presteady-state reaction between human cytochrome c oxidase and horse cytochrome c suggests that, in this case, the conformational change does not occur. The proposed model was also used to explain the steady-state kinetic parameters under various conditions. At high ionic strength (I = 200 mM, pH 7.4), the kcat was highly dependent on the type of oxidase and it is proposed that the internal electron transfer is the rate-limiting step. The kcat value of the 'high-affinity' phase, observed at low ionic strength (I = 18 mM, pH 7.4), was determined by the cytochrome c/cytochrome c oxidase combination applied, whereas the Km was highly dependent only on the type of cytochrome c used. Our results suggest that, depending on the cytochrome c/cytochrome c oxidase combination, either the dissociation of ferricytochrome c or the internal electron transfer is the rate-limiting step in the 'high-affinity' phase at low ionic strength. The 'low-affinity' kcat value was not only determined by the type of oxidase used, but also by the type of cytochrome c. It is proposed that the internal electron-transfer rate of the 'low-affinity' reaction is enhanced by the binding of a second molecule of cytochrome c.

Magnetic state of the alpha 3 center of cytochrome c oxidase and some of its derivatives

The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility was used to investigate the nature of the coupling between cytochrome alpha 3 and CuB in resting and oxidized cyanide- and formate-bound cytochrome oxidase. Resting and formate-bound enzymes were found to have strong antiferromagnetic coupling with an S = 5/2 cytochrome alpha 3, results that were independent of the dispersing detergent and the enzyme isolation method. The cyanide-bound enzyme was heterogeneous, with a minor fraction showing intermediate strength antiferromagnetic coupling. The magnitude of this coupling was independent of the enzyme isolation method and depended moderately on the identity of the dispersing detergent. The major fraction of the cyanide-bound enzyme had a lowest energy state of Ms = 0. The coupling constant for this fraction did not depend on the isolation technique or on the identity of the dispersing detergent. The use of glucose-glucose oxidase to deoxygenate samples influenced the susceptibility behavior of some preparations of both the resting and formate-bound enzymes, with results indicating an S = 3/2 cytochrome alpha 3 in the resting enzyme samples. Retention of a 417-nm Soret band for formate-bound enzyme concomitant with peroxide-induced changes in susceptibility behavior indicates different sites of enzyme interactions for the formate ion and hydrogen peroxide.

The kinetics of electron entry in cytochrome c oxidase

The kinetics of electron entry in beef heart cytochrome c oxidase have been studied by stopped-flow spectroscopy following chemical modification of the CuA site with mercurials. In this derivative CuA is no longer reducible by cytochrome c while cytochrome alpha may accept electrons from the latter with rates comparable to the native enzyme. The results indicate that CuA is not the exclusive electron entry site in cytochrome c oxidase.

Reconstitution of Na+/K+-ATPase into phosphatidylcholine vesicles by dialysis of nonionic alkyl maltoside detergents

The reconstitution of Na+/K+-ATPase from outer medulla of rabbit kidney into large unilamellar liposomes was achieved through detergent removal by dialysis of mixed micellar solutions of synthetic dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine/octyl glucoside and Na+/K+-ATPase/decyl maltoside or decenyl maltoside. Tight, transport-active liposomes were formed when the lipid and the enzyme were solubilized separately in the nonionic detergents and mixed immediately before starting the dialysis. The two maltoside detergents with different structures of the hydrophobic part of the molecule proved to be well suited for the solubilization of Na+/K+-ATPase with high retention of enzyme activity; the inactivation of enzyme being evidently slower with the unsaturated decenyl maltoside. The diameters of the proteoliposomes, 110 and 170 nm, respectively, were also dependent on the structure of the maltoside detergent, the saturated decyl maltoside producing the bigger liposomes. After freeze-fracture, both preparations exhibited intramembranous particles as structural indicators of successful reconstitution. The electrogenic activity of the reconstituted enzyme was determined by fluorescence measurements with Oxonol VI and by tracer-flux measurements with 22Na+.

Purification and properties of succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex from Paracoccus denitrificans

Highly active succinate-ubiquinone reductase has been purified from cytoplasmic membranes of aerobically grown Paracoccus denitrificans. The purified enzyme has a specific activity of 100 units per mg protein, and a turnover number of 305 s-1. Succinate-ubiquinone reductase activity of the purified enzyme is inhibited by 3'-methylcarboxin and thenoyltrifluoroacetone. Four subunits, with apparent molecular masses of 64.9, 28.9, 13.4 and 12.5 kDa, were observed on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme contains 5.62 nmol covalently bound flavin and 3.79 nmol cytochrome b per mg protein. The 64.9 kDa subunit was shown to be a flavoprotein by its fluorescence. Polyclonal antibodies raised against this protein cross-reacted with the flavoprotein subunit of bovine heart mitochondrial succinate-ubiquinone reductase. The 28.9 kDa subunit is likely analogous to the bovine heart iron protein, and the cytochrome b heme is probably associated with one or both of the low-molecular-weight polypeptides. The cytochrome b is not reducible with succinate but is reoxidized with fumarate after prereduction with dithionite. Iron-sulfur clusters S-1 and S-3 of the Paracoccus oxidoreductase exhibit EPR spectra very similar to their mitochondrial counterparts. Paracoccus succinate-ubiquinone reductase complex is thus similar to the bovine heart mitochondrial enzyme with respect to prosthetic groups, enzymatic activity, inhibitor sensitivities, and polypeptide subunit composition.

Conformational properties of the main intrinsic polypeptide (MIP26) isolated from lens plasma membranes

The conformational properties of the main intrinsic polypeptide (MIP26) isolated from lens plasma membranes were studied by using near- and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism. The far-ultraviolet spectrum of MIP26 solubilized with octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside indicates an alpha-helical content of approximately 50% and a beta-structure content of approximately 20%. A detergent-free membrane suspension of MIP26 produced a typically distorted far-ultraviolet spectrum which was caused by differential light scattering and absorption flattening. However, decreasing the size of the membrane fragments by sonication produced a far-ultraviolet spectrum free of distortion, and with a rotatory strength profile similar to that obtained for MIP26 solubilized with octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside. This implies similar secondary structure properties for the protein in both the suspension and the sugar detergent. The cleavage of MIP26 with Staphylococcus aureus protease, which results in removal of a 5-kilodalton peptide and which mimics the age-dependent posttranslational changes that take place in the lens, did not significantly affect the conformation of the core protein as judged by the near-ultraviolet circular dichroism spectra.

Purification of highly active cytochrome bc1 complexes from phylogenetically diverse species by a single chromatographic procedure

A method has been developed for purification of highly active ubiquinol-cytochrome c oxidoreductase (cytochrome bc1) complexes from wild-type Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodobacter capsulatus MT1131, bovine heart and yeast mitochondria. This is the first report of the isolation of cytochrome bc1 complex from a wild-type strain of Rb. sphaeroides and from any strain of Rb. capsulatus. The purification involves extraction of membranes with dodecyl maltoside and two successive DEAE column chromatography steps. All of the resulting bc1 complexes are free of succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase activities. The purified bc1 complexes from both photosynthetic bacteria contain four polypeptide subunits, although the molecular weights of some of their subunits differ. They are also free of reaction center and light-harvesting pigments and polypeptides. The turnover number of the Rb. sphaeroides complex is 128 s-1, and that of the Rb. capsulatus complex is 64 s-1. The bc1 complex from bovine heart contains eight polypeptides and has a turnover number of 1152 s-1, while the yeast complex contains nine polypeptides and has a turnover number of 219 s-1. The activities of these complexes are equal to or better than those commonly obtained by previously reported methods. This method of purification is relatively simple, reproducible, and yields cytochrome bc1 complexes which largely retain the turnover number of the starting material and are pure on the basis of optical spectra, enzymatic activities and polypeptide composition. The purification of cytochrome bc1 complexes from energy-transducing membranes which differ markedly in their lipid and protein composition makes it likely that with minor modifications this method could be applied to species other than those described here.