Bis-methionine axial ligation of haem in bacterioferritin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The iron-containing bacterioferritins contain the protoporphyrin IX haem group. It has been established that Escherichia coli cytochrome b1, cytochrome b557 and bacterioferritin are identical. The optical spectra at room temperature of the haem group show it to be predominantly low-spin in both the ferrous and ferric states. The nature of the axial ligands binding the haem group to the polypeptide has, however, remained unknown. Low-spin, bis-coordinate haem centres in proteins typically have a role in rapid electron transfer as redox changes at the metal ion lead to little structural rearrangement. There are only four amino acids with side-chains that have ligand field strengths sufficient to generate the low-spin state of haem, namely, histidine, lysine, methionine and cysteine. Hence there are, potentially, ten different pairs of these four ligands which could be discovered in electron transfer haemoproteins. To date only three have been established with certainty. They are bis-histidine, as in mammalian cytochrome b5, methionine-histidine, typified by cytochrome c and lysine-histidine, recently recognized by spectroscopic methods in cytochrome f. Here we report the electron paramagnetic resonance and near infrared magnetic circular dichroism spectra of the oxidized state of Ps. aeruginosa bacterioferritin which enable the axial ligands to be identified as the thioether side chains of two methionine residues, a ligation scheme not previously reported for haem in any protein.     

An atypical haem in the cytochrome b(6)f complex

Photosystems I and II (PSI and II) are reaction centres that capture light energy in order to drive oxygenic photosynthesis; however, they can only do so by interacting with the multisubunit cytochrome b(6)f complex. This complex receives electrons from PSII and passes them to PSI, pumping protons across the membrane and powering the Q-cycle. Unlike the mitochondrial and bacterial homologue cytochrome bc(1), cytochrome b(6)f can switch to a cyclic mode of electron transfer around PSI using an unknown pathway. Here we present the X-ray structure at 3.1 A of cytochrome b(6)f from the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The structure bears similarities to cytochrome bc(1) but also exhibits some unique features, such as binding chlorophyll, beta-carotene and an unexpected haem sharing a quinone site. This haem is atypical as it is covalently bound by one thioether linkage and has no axial amino acid ligand. This haem may be the missing link in oxygenic photosynthesis.     

新型水溶性手性钌催化剂的制备及应用

利用发烟硫酸磺化手性双胺双膦配体[（R．R）-C6P2（NH）2]．合成了PNNP-型水溶性手性双胺双膦配体[（R．R）-C6P2（NH）2（SO3Na）4]，并分别与简单的钌、铑络合物反应，制备水溶性手性钌络合物催化剂[（R，R）-C6P2（NH）2（SO3Na）4RuCl2]和铑络合物催化剂[（R，R）-C6P2（NH）2（SO3Na）4RhCl]．经元素分析、红外光谱和核磁共振等对手性配体及手性Ru络合物进行了结构表征．进而用这些水溶性的钌，铑络合物催化剂或水溶性手性配体与铱络合物[IrHCl2（COD）]2组成的混合催化体系研究了多种芳香酮的不对称转移氢化。结果表明．在以异丙醇作为氢源时．对芳香酮的不对称转移氢化都具有较好的催化活性．与铑，铱催化体系相比，水溶性手性钌络合物催化体系具有更高的活性和对映选择性．对于苯乙酮的氢化．其转化率和对映选择性分别达到91.6％和93．0％e．e．．此外，进一步考察了反应温度和KOH用量对水溶性手性钌络合物催化苯乙酮不对称转移氢化性能的影响，并将水溶性手性钌络合物催化体系应用于多种芳香酮的不对称转移氢化，获得了高的收率和对映选择性，分别可达92．0％和96．4％e．e．．研究结果表明，水溶性手性钌络合物[CR．R）-G6P2（NH）2（SO3Na）4RuCl2]是芳香酮不对称氢转移催化氢化的优良催化剂.     

Proton-coupled electron transfer drives the proton pump of cytochrome c oxidase

Electron transfer in cell respiration is coupled to proton translocation across mitochondrial and bacterial membranes, which is a primary event of biological energy transduction. The resulting electrochemical proton gradient is used to power energy-requiring reactions, such as ATP synthesis. Cytochrome c oxidase is a key component of the respiratory chain, which harnesses dioxygen as a sink for electrons and links O2 reduction to proton pumping. Electrons from cytochrome c are transferred sequentially to the O2 reduction site of cytochrome c oxidase via two other metal centres, Cu(A) and haem a, and this is coupled to vectorial proton transfer across the membrane by a hitherto unknown mechanism. On the basis of the kinetics of proton uptake and release on the two aqueous sides of the membrane, it was recently suggested that proton pumping by cytochrome c oxidase is not mechanistically coupled to internal electron transfer. Here we have monitored translocation of electrical charge equivalents as well as electron transfer within cytochrome c oxidase in real time. The results show that electron transfer from haem a to the O2 reduction site initiates the proton pump mechanism by being kinetically linked to an internal vectorial proton transfer. This reaction drives the proton pump and occurs before relaxation steps in which protons are taken up from the aqueous space on one side of the membrane and released on the other.     

Identification of the electron transfers in cytochrome oxidase that are coupled to proton-pumping

Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase is a functionally complex, membrane-bound respiratory enzyme which catalyses both the reduction of O2 to water and proton-pumping. During respiration, an exogenous donor, cytochrome c, donates four electrons to O2 bound at the bimetallic haem alpha 3 Fe-Cu centre within the enzyme. These four electron transfers are mediated by the enzyme's haem alpha and CuA redox centres and result in the translocation of four protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The molecular mechanism of proton translocation has not yet been delineated, however, and in the absence of direct experimental evidence all four electron transfers have been assumed to couple equally to proton-pumping. Here, I report the effects of proton-motive force and membrane potential on two equilibria involving intermediates of the bimetallic centre at different levels of O2 reduction. The results show that only two of the electron transfers, to the 'peroxy' and 'oxyferryl' intermediates of the bimetallic centre, are linked to proton translocation, a finding which strongly constrains candidate mechanisms for proton-pumping.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of cytochrome c shows that an invariant Phe is not essential for function

Phenylalanine 87 of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c (Phe 82 in horse heart and bonito) is phylogenetically conserved and occurs near the surface of the protein. It has been suggested that this residue is directly involved in electron transfer between cytochrome c and cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP) and may also control the polarity of the haem environment. Because Phe residues are not susceptible to chemical modification, no direct means of studying the functional role of Phe 87 has been available, so we have chosen Phe 87 as our initial target here to test the feasibility of using site-directed mutagenesis as a means of studying structure-function relationships in cytochrome c. We have changed the codon for Phe 87 to that of either a Ser, a Tyr or a Gly. The mutated genes have been introduced into a yeast strain lacking both isozymes of cytochrome c. Unlike the recipient strain, transformants grow on a non-fermentable carbon source, indicating that the mutant proteins can reduce cytochrome oxidase. The purified mutant proteins are similar to wild type with respect to their visible spectra, 20-70% as active as wild-type protein in the CCP assay, and their reduction potentials are lowered by as much as 50 mV. Thus Phe 87 is not essential for cytochrome c to transfer electrons but is involved in determining the reduction potential.     

Structural insights into electron transfer in caa3-type cytochrome oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase is a member of the haem copper oxidase superfamily (HCO). HCOs function as the terminal enzymes in the respiratory chain of mitochondria and aerobic prokaryotes, coupling molecular oxygen reduction to transmembrane proton pumping. Integral to the enzyme's function is the transfer of electrons from cytochrome c to the oxidase via a transient association of the two proteins. Electron entry and exit are proposed to occur from the same site on cytochrome c. Here we report the crystal structure of the caa3-type cytochrome oxidase from Thermus thermophilus, which has a covalently tethered cytochrome c domain. Crystals were grown in a bicontinuous mesophase using a synthetic short-chain monoacylglycerol as the hosting lipid. From the electron density map, at 2.36?? resolution, a novel integral membrane subunit and a native glycoglycerophospholipid embedded in the complex were identified. Contrary to previous electron transfer mechanisms observed for soluble cytochrome c, the structure reveals the architecture of the electron transfer complex for the fused cupredoxin/cytochrome c domain, which implicates different sites on cytochrome c for electron entry and exit. Support for an alternative to the classical proton gate characteristic of this HCO class is presented.     

Reversible redox energy coupling in electron transfer chains

Reversibility is a common theme in respiratory and photosynthetic systems that couple electron transfer with a transmembrane proton gradient driving ATP production. This includes the intensely studied cytochrome bc1, which catalyses electron transfer between quinone and cytochrome c. To understand how efficient reversible energy coupling works, here we have progressively inactivated individual cofactors comprising cytochrome bc1. We have resolved millisecond reversibility in all electron-tunnelling steps and coupled proton exchanges, including charge-separating hydroquinone-quinone catalysis at the Q(o) site, which shows that redox equilibria are relevant on a catalytic timescale. Such rapid reversibility renders popular models based on a semiquinone in Q(o) site catalysis prone to short-circuit failure. Two mechanisms allow reversible function and safely relegate short-circuits to long-distance electron tunnelling on a timescale of seconds: conformational gating of semiquinone for both forward and reverse electron transfer, or concerted two-electron quinone redox chemistry that avoids the semiquinone intermediate altogether.     

Electrostatic effect on electron transfer between cytochrome b5 and cytochrome c

The binding and electron transfer between wild type, E44A, E56A, E44/56A, E44/48/56A/D60Aand F35Y variants of cytochrome b5 and cytochrome c were studied. When mixed with cytochrome c, the cytochrome b5E44/48/56A/D60A did not show the typical UV-vis difference spectrum of absorption, indicating that the alteration ofthe surface electrostatic potential obviously influenced the spectrum. The electron transfer rates of wild type cytochromeb5, its variants and cytochrome e at different temperature and ionic strength exhibited an order of F35Y > wild type >E56A > E44A > E44/48/56A/D60A. The enthalpy and entropy of the reaction did not change obviously, suggestingthat the mutation did not significantly disturb the electron transfer conformation. The investigation of electron transfer rateconstants at different ionic strength demonstrated that electrostatic interaction obviously affected the electron transfer pro-cess. The significant difference of Cyt b5 F35Y and E44/48/56A/D60A from the wild type protein further confirmed thegreat importance of the electrostatic interaction in the protein electron transfer.     

Electrochemical behavior of novel bis (aliphatic amine) ruthenium (II) and osmium (II) porphyrins

Bis (aliphatic amine) ruthenium (II) and osmium (II) porphyrins, M (Por)-(H₂NR)₂ and M(Por)(HNR′₂)₂, [M=Ru and Os; Por=meso-tetrakis (p-tolyl) porphyrinato (TTP), meso-tetrakis (4-chlorophenyl) porphyrinato (4-Cl-TPP), meso-tetrakis (3, 5-dichlorophenyl) porphyrinato (3, 5-Cl-TPP) and meso—tetraphenyl porphyrinato(TPP); R=methyl, ethyl, iso-propyl and t-butyl; R′=methyl and ethyl] were synthesized by us. The electrochemical behavior of these complexes in 1, 2-dichloroethane with TBABF₄ as supporting electrolyte, has been studied by cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis. Bis (aliphatic amine) ruthenium (II) porphyrins under go reversible one-electron oxidation and one-electron reduction processes in 1,2-dichloroethane solution. The osmium (II) analogues is shown two oxidation couples III and V, an additional small wave IV. The redox potentials of these complexes are markedly dependent on the nature of the substituent bound to the phenyl group of the porphyrin ring. It is obvious that redox potentials increases the electron-withdrawing power of the substituents increases. The couple I was found at −0.34, −0.23 and −0.15 V vs Cp₂ Fe^+/0 (Cp₂Fe=ferrocene) for Ru(TPP)(H₂NBu-t)₂, Ru(4-Cl-TPP) (H₂NBu-t)₂ and Ru(3,5-Cl-TPP)(H₂NBu-t)₂ respectively. Supported by the foundation of the Chinese Education Commission Li Zaoying: born in 1949, Associate Professor     

Electrochemical behavior of novel bis (aliphatic amine) ruthenium (II) and osmium (II) porphyrins

Bis (aliphatic amine) ruthenium (II) and osmium (II) porphyrins, M (Por)-(H₂NR)₂ and M(Por)(HNR′₂)₂, [M=Ru and Os; Por=meso-tetrakis (p-tolyl) porphyrinato (TTP), meso-tetrakis (4-chlorophenyl) porphyrinato (4-Cl-TPP), meso-tetrakis (3, 5-dichlorophenyl) porphyrinato (3, 5-Cl-TPP) and meso—tetraphenyl porphyrinato(TPP); R=methyl, ethyl, iso-propyl and t-butyl; R′=methyl and ethyl] were synthesized by us. The electrochemical behavior of these complexes in 1, 2-dichloroethane with TBABF₄ as supporting electrolyte, has been studied by cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis. Bis (aliphatic amine) ruthenium (II) porphyrins under go reversible one-electron oxidation and one-electron reduction processes in 1,2-dichloroethane solution. The osmium (II) analogues is shown two oxidation couples III and V, an additional small wave IV. The redox potentials of these complexes are markedly dependent on the nature of the substituent bound to the phenyl group of the porphyrin ring. It is obvious that redox potentials increases the electron-withdrawing power of the substituents increases. The couple I was found at −0.34, −0.23 and −0.15 V vs Cp₂ Fe^+/0 (Cp₂Fe=ferrocene) for Ru(TPP)(H₂NBu-t)₂, Ru(4-Cl-TPP) (H₂NBu-t)₂ and Ru(3,5-Cl-TPP)(H₂NBu-t)₂ respectively. Supported by the foundation of the Chinese Education Commission Li Zaoying: born in 1949, Associate Professor     

[Ru(bpy)2(dmbpy)]PF6Cl的合成方法及性质分析

介绍了R u的有关bpy配合物的合成和性质,给出了手性试剂在亚砜条件下R u的bpy配合物的合成,通过圆二色谱仪、紫外-可见分光光度计、X-R ay衍射仪及电化学仪器研究该配合物的性质,讨论了R u的bpy配合物的结构和电化学等特性。     

Electrostatic effect on electron transfer between cytochrome b5 and cytochrome c

The binding and electron transfer between wild type, E44A, E56A, E44/56A, E44/48/56A/D60A and F35Y variants of cytochrome b5 and cytochrome c were studied. When mixed with cytochrome c, the cytochrome b, E44/48/56A/D60A did not show the typical UV-vis difference spectrum of absorption, indicating that the alteration of the surface electrostatic potential obviously influenced the spectrum. The electron transfer rates of wild type cytochrome bj, its variants and cytochrome c at different temperature and ionic strength exhibited an order of F35Y > wild type > E56A > E44A > E44/48/56A/D60A. The enthalpy and entropy of the reaction did not change obviously, suggesting that the mutation did not significantly disturb the electron transfer conformation. The investigation of electron transfer rate constants at different ionic strength demonstrated that electrostatic interaction obviously affected the electron transfer process. The significant difference of Cyt b, F35Y and E44/48/56A/D60A from the wild type protein further confirmed the great importance of the electrostatic interaction in the protein electron transfer.     

硫化镉/Ru(Ⅱ)配合物复合敏化ZnO纳米晶多孔膜电极的光电化学

用光电流作用谱,光电流-电势图和UV-Vis吸收光谱研究了CdS和RuL2(NCS)2(L=2, 2'-bipyriclyl-4-4'-dicarboxylic acid)复合敏化ZnO纳米晶电极的光电化学行为。实验证实采用复合敏化比分别用CdS或Ru(Ⅱ)配合物单独敏化ZnO纳米晶电极效果好,通过复合敏化可防止导带上由光注入产生的电子的反向转移而避免了电子的损失。复合敏化电极使可见光光吸收增加,光电流起始波长红移至大于600nm,光电转换效率明显提高。     

Structure of fumarate reductase from Wolinella succinogenes at 2.2 A resolution

Fumarate reductase couples the reduction of fumarate to succinate to the oxidation of quinol to quinone, in a reaction opposite to that catalysed by the related complex II of the respiratory chain (succinate dehydrogenase). Here we describe the crystal structure at 2.2 A resolution of the three protein subunits containing fumarate reductase from the anaerobic bacterium Wolinella succinogenes. Subunit A contains the site of fumarate reduction and a covalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide prosthetic group. Subunit B contains three iron-sulphur centres. The menaquinol-oxidizing subunit C consists of five membrane-spanning, primarily helical segments and binds two haem b molecules. On the basis of the structure, we propose a pathway of electron transfer from the dihaem cytochrome b to the site of fumarate reduction and a mechanism of fumarate reduction. The relative orientations of the soluble and membrane-embedded subunits of succinate:quinone oxidoreductases appear to be unique.     

金属钌纳米颗粒的形貌控制合成

以三氯化钌为前驱体、聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)为稳定剂,三缩四乙二醇(TEG)为溶剂和还原剂,在适量十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)存在下,制备得到了稳定的金属钌纳米棒.产物采用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X-射线粉末衍射(XRD)、X-射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-V is)等进行了表征.     

层状材料负载钌纳米簇及催化性能

通过离子交换与原位还原,实现了钉纳米簇在蒙脱石层间的负载.采用X射线衍射,透射电镜,X射线荧光分析多种手段对所制备的负载催化剂的结构、形貌和钌纳米簇负载量进行了表征;以硼氢化钠和水反应作为探针反应,考察了负载钉纳米簇对硼氢化钠水解产氢的催化性能.结果表明:钌纳米簇成功被引入蒙脱石的层间,插层后的钌纳米簇粉体分散度高,平...     

Functional relationship of cytochrome c(6) and plastocyanin in Arabidopsis

Photosynthetic electron carriers are important in converting light energy into chemical energy in green plants. Although protein components in the electron transport chain are largely conserved among plants, algae and prokaryotes, there is thought to be a major difference concerning a soluble protein in the thylakoid lumen. In cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae, both plastocyanin and cytochrome c(6) mediate electron transfer from cytochrome b(6)f complex to photosystem I. In contrast, only plastocyanin has been found to play the same role in higher plants. It is widely accepted that cytochrome c(6) has been evolutionarily eliminated from higher-plant chloroplasts. Here we report characterization of a cytochrome c(6)-like protein from Arabidopsis (referred to as Atc6). Atc6 is a functional cytochrome c localized in the thylakoid lumen. Electron transport reconstruction assay showed that Atc6 replaced plastocyanin in the photosynthetic electron transport process. Genetic analysis demonstrated that neither plastocyanin nor Atc6 was absolutely essential for Arabidopsis growth and development. However, plants lacking both plastocyanin and Atc6 did not survive.     

纳米火棉胶膜自组装细胞色素c的直接电化学研究

用纳米火棉胶膜将细胞色素c固定在玻碳电极表面,制备了细胞色素c-火棉胶膜修饰电极.吸附在火棉胶膜上的细胞色素c可以与电极发生直接电子传递.在pH=7.0的0.1mol/LPBS缓冲溶液中可得到一对准可逆的细胞色素c的血红素辅基Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ)电对氧化还原峰,实验求得细胞色素c异相电子传递速率常数k0为65.4μm/s.进一步考察了扫速、溶液pH值等因素对细胞色素c电子传递的影响,并用电化学阻抗法研究了修饰电极的电化学行为.