Isolation and Characterization of a Hybrid Respiratory Supercomplex Consisting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cytochrome bcc and Mycobacterium smegmatis Cytochrome aa3

Recently, energy production pathways have been shown to be viable antitubercular drug targets to combat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and eliminate pathogen in the dormant state. One family of drugs currently under development, the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives, is believed to target the pathogen''s homolog of the mitochondrial bc₁ complex. This complex, denoted cytochrome bcc, is highly divergent from mitochondrial Complex III both in subunit structure and inhibitor sensitivity, making it a good target for drug development. There is no soluble cytochrome c in mycobacteria to transport electrons from the bcc complex to cytochrome oxidase. Instead, the bcc complex exists in a “supercomplex” with a cytochrome aa₃-type cytochrome oxidase, presumably allowing direct electron transfer. We describe here purification and initial characterization of the mycobacterial cytochrome bcc-aa₃ supercomplex using a strain of M. smegmatis that has been engineered to express the M. tuberculosis cytochrome bcc. The resulting hybrid supercomplex is stable during extraction and purification in the presence of dodecyl maltoside detergent. It is hoped that this purification procedure will potentiate functional studies of the complex as well as crystallographic studies of drug binding and provide structural insight into a third class of the bc complex superfamily.     

Complex structure of cytochrome c–cytochrome c oxidase reveals a novel protein–protein interaction mode

Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) transfers electrons from cytochrome c (Cyt.c) to O₂ to generate H₂O, a process coupled to proton pumping. To elucidate the mechanism of electron transfer, we determined the structure of the mammalian Cyt.c–CcO complex at 2.0‐Å resolution and identified an electron transfer pathway from Cyt.c to CcO. The specific interaction between Cyt.c and CcO is stabilized by a few electrostatic interactions between side chains within a small contact surface area. Between the two proteins are three water layers with a long inter‐molecular span, one of which lies between the other two layers without significant direct interaction with either protein. Cyt.c undergoes large structural fluctuations, using the interacting regions with CcO as a fulcrum. These features of the protein–protein interaction at the docking interface represent the first known example of a new class of protein–protein interaction, which we term “soft and specific”. This interaction is likely to contribute to the rapid association/dissociation of the Cyt.c–CcO complex, which facilitates the sequential supply of four electrons for the O₂ reduction reaction.     

Accommodation of NO in the active site of mammalian and bacterial cytochrome c oxidase aa3

Following different reports on the stoichiometry and configuration of NO binding to mammalian and bacterial reduced cytochrome c oxidase aa₃ (CcO), we investigated NO binding and dynamics in the active site of beef heart CcO as a function of NO concentration, using ultrafast transient absorption and EPR spectroscopy. We find that in the physiological range only one NO molecule binds to heme a₃, and time-resolved experiments indicate that even transient binding to Cu_B does not occur. Only at very high (∼ 2 mM) concentrations a second NO is accommodated in the active site, although in a different configuration than previously observed for CcO from Paracoccus denitrificans [E. Pilet, W. Nitschke, F. Rappaport, T. Soulimane, J.-C. Lambry, U. Liebl and M.H. Vos. Biochemistry 43 (2004) 14118-14127], where we proposed that a second NO does bind to Cu_B. In addition, in the bacterial enzyme two NO molecules can bind already at NO concentrations of ∼ 1 μM. The unexpected differences highlighted in this study may relate to differences in the physiological relevance of the CcO-NO interactions in both species.     

The Nitric-oxide Reductase from Paracoccus denitrificans Uses a Single Specific Proton Pathway

The NO reductase from Paracoccus denitrificans reduces NO to N₂O (2NO + 2H⁺ + 2e⁻ → N₂O + H₂O) with electrons donated by periplasmic cytochrome c (cytochrome c-dependent NO reductase; cNOR). cNORs are members of the heme-copper oxidase superfamily of integral membrane proteins, comprising the O₂-reducing, proton-pumping respiratory enzymes. In contrast, although NO reduction is as exergonic as O₂ reduction, there are no protons pumped in cNOR, and in addition, protons needed for NO reduction are derived from the periplasmic solution (no contribution to the electrochemical gradient is made). cNOR thus only needs to transport protons from the periplasm into the active site without the requirement to control the timing of opening and closing (gating) of proton pathways as is needed in a proton pump. Based on the crystal structure of a closely related cNOR and molecular dynamics simulations, several proton transfer pathways were suggested, and in principle, these could all be functional. In this work, we show that residues in one of the suggested pathways (denoted pathway 1) are sensitive to site-directed mutation, whereas residues in the other proposed pathways (pathways 2 and 3) could be exchanged without severe effects on turnover activity with either NO or O₂. We further show that electron transfer during single-turnover reduction of O₂ is limited by proton transfer and can thus be used to study alterations in proton transfer rates. The exchange of residues along pathway 1 showed specific slowing of this proton-coupled electron transfer as well as changes in its pH dependence. Our results indicate that only pathway 1 is used to transfer protons in cNOR.     

Doxorubicin Inactivates Myocardial Cytochrome c Oxidase in Rats: Cardioprotection by Mito-Q

Doxorubicin (DOX) is used for treating various cancers. Its clinical use is, however, limited by its dose-limiting cardiomyopathy. The exact mechanism of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy still remains unknown. The goals were to investigate the molecular mechanism of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy and cardioprotection by mitoquinone (Mito-Q), a triphenylphosphonium-conjugated analog of coenzyme Q, using a rat model. Rats were treated with DOX, Mito-Q, and DOX plus Mito-Q for 12 weeks. The left ventricular function as measured by two-dimensional echocardiography decreased in DOX-treated rats but was preserved during Mito-Q plus DOX treatment. Using low-temperature ex vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), a time-dependent decrease in heme signal was detected in heart tissues isolated from rats administered with a cumulative dose of DOX. DOX attenuated the EPR signals characteristic of the exchange interaction between cytochrome c oxidase (CcO)-Fe(III) heme a₃ and Cu_B. DOX and Mito-Q together restored these EPR signals and the CcO activity in heart tissues. DOX strongly downregulated the stable expression of the CcO subunits II and Va and had a slight inhibitory effect on CcO subunit I gene expression. Mito-Q restored CcO subunit II and Va expressions in DOX-treated rats. These results suggest a novel cardioprotection mechanism by Mito-Q during DOX-induced cardiomyopathy involving CcO.     

A Critical Role for the cccA Gene Product,Cytochrome c2, in Diverting Electrons from Aerobic Respiration to Denitrification in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a microaerophile that, when oxygen availability is limited, supplements aerobic respiration with a truncated denitrification pathway, nitrite reduction to nitrous oxide. We demonstrate that the cccA gene of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain F62 (accession number NG0292) is expressed, but the product, cytochrome c₂, accumulates to only low levels. Nevertheless, a cccA mutant reduced nitrite at about half the rate of the parent strain. We previously reported that cytochromes c₄ and c₅ transfer electrons to cytochrome oxidase cbb₃ by two independent pathways and that the CcoP subunit of cytochrome oxidase cbb₃ transfers electrons to nitrite. We show that mutants defective in either cytochrome c₄ or c₅ also reduce nitrite more slowly than the parent. By combining mutations in cccA (Δc₂), cycA (Δc₄), cycB (Δc₅), and ccoP (ccoP-C368A), we demonstrate that cytochrome c₂ is required for electron transfer from cytochrome c₄ via the third heme group of CcoP to the nitrite reductase, AniA, and that cytochrome c₅ transfers electrons to nitrite reductase by an independent pathway. We propose that cytochrome c₂ forms a complex with cytochrome oxidase. If so, the redox state of cytochrome c₂ might regulate electron transfer to nitrite or oxygen. However, our data are more consistent with a mechanism in which cytochrome c₂ and the CcoQ subunit of cytochrome oxidase form alternative complexes that preferentially catalyze nitrite and oxygen reduction, respectively. Comparison with the much simpler electron transfer pathway for nitrite reduction in the meningococcus provides fascinating insights into niche adaptation within the pathogenic neisseriae.     

Comparison of redox and ligand binding behaviour of yeast and bovine cytochrome c oxidases using FTIR spectroscopy

Redox and CO photolysis FTIR spectra of yeast cytochrome c oxidase WT and mutants are compared to those from bovine and P. denitrificans CcOs in order to establish common functional features. All display changes that can be assigned to their E242 (bovine numbering) equivalent and to weakly H-bonded water molecules. The additional redox-sensitive band reported at 1736?cm^?1 in bovine CcO and previously assigned to D51 is absent from yeast CcO and couldn't be restored by introduction of a D residue at the equivalent position of the yeast protein. Redox spectra of yeast CcO also show much smaller changes in the amide I region, which may relate to structural differences in the region around D51 and the subunit I/II interface.     

Cytochrome c6B of Synechococcus sp. WH 8102 – Crystal structure and basic properties of novel c6-like family representative

Cytochromes c are soluble electron carriers of relatively low molecular weight, containing single heme moiety. In cyanobacteria cytochrome c₆ participates in electron transfer from cytochrome b₆f complex to photosystem I. Recent phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of a few families of proteins homologous to the previously mentioned. Cytochrome c_6A from Arabidopsis thaliana was identified as a protein responsible for disulfide bond formation in response to intracellular redox state changes and c₅₅₀ is well known element of photosystem II. However, function of cytochromes marked as c_6B, c_6C and c_M as well as the physiological process in which they take a part still remain unidentified. Here we present the first structural and biophysical analysis of cytochrome from the c_6B family from mesophilic cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. WH 8102. Purified protein was crystallized and its structure was refined at 1.4 Å resolution. Overall architecture of this polypeptide resembles typical I-class cytochromes c. The main features, that distinguish described protein from cytochrome c₆, are slightly red-shifted α band of UV–Vis spectrum as well as relatively low midpoint potential (113.2 ± 2.2 mV). Although, physiological function of cytochrome c_6B has yet to be determined its properties probably exclude the participation of this protein in electron trafficking between b₆f complex and photosystem I.     

Cyanide-insensitive Respiration in Plant Mitochondria

Pathways of electron transport have been studied in mitochondria isolated from hypocotyls of etiolated mung bean seedlings and skunk cabbage spadices that show cyanide-resistant respiratory activity. The residual flux through cytochrome c oxidase is shown to be small in comparison with the flux through an unidentified alternative oxidase that is known to have a high affinity for oxygen. This alternative oxidase is not a cytochrome. Skunk cabbage and mung bean mitochondria contain cytochromes a and a₃ that have absorption peaks differing slightly from those of animal preparations. A slow oxidation-reduction of cytochrome a₃-CN has been demonstrated. Cytochromes b undergo oxidation and reduction in the presence of cyanide but play no essential role in the cyanide-resistant pathway. Antimycin inhibits to an extent similar to that of cyanide; the respiratory chain bifurcates on the substrate side of the antimycin-sensitive site. Evidence is presented for the selective inhibition by thiocyanate, α, α′-dipyridyl, and 8-hydroxyquinoline of the alternative oxidase pathway, which may therefore contain a non-heme iron protein.     

Structural Re-arrangement and Peroxidase Activation of Cytochrome c by Anionic Analogues of Vitamin E,Tocopherol Succinate and Tocopherol Phosphate

Cytochrome c is a multifunctional hemoprotein in the mitochondrial intermembrane space whereby its participation in electron shuttling between respiratory complexes III and IV is alternative to its role in apoptosis as a peroxidase activated by interaction with cardiolipin (CL), and resulting in selective CL peroxidation. The switch from electron transfer to peroxidase function requires partial unfolding of the protein upon binding of CL, whose specific features combine negative charges of the two phosphate groups with four hydrophobic fatty acid residues. Assuming that other endogenous small molecule ligands with a hydrophobic chain and a negatively charged functionality may activate cytochrome c into a peroxidase, we investigated two hydrophobic anionic analogues of vitamin E, α-tocopherol succinate (α-TOS) and α-tocopherol phosphate (α-TOP), as potential inducers of peroxidase activity of cytochrome c. NMR studies and computational modeling indicate that they interact with cytochrome c at similar sites previously proposed for CL. Absorption spectroscopy showed that both analogues effectively disrupt the Fe-S(Met⁸⁰) bond associated with unfolding of cytochrome c. We found that α-TOS and α-TOP stimulate peroxidase activity of cytochrome c. Enhanced peroxidase activity was also observed in isolated rat liver mitochondria incubated with α-TOS and tBOOH. A mitochondria-targeted derivative of TOS, triphenylphosphonium-TOS (mito-VES), was more efficient in inducing H₂O₂-dependent apoptosis in mouse embryonic cytochrome c^+/+ cells than in cytochrome c^−/− cells. Essential for execution of the apoptotic program peroxidase activation of cytochrome c by α-TOS may contribute to its known anti-cancer pharmacological activity.     

ANALYTICAL STUDY OF MICROSOMES AND ISOLATED SUBCELLULAR MEMBRANES FROM RAT LIVER : I. Biochemical Methods

The series introduced by this paper reports the results of a detailed analysis of the microsomal fraction from rat liver by density gradient centrifugation. The biochemical methods used throughout this work for the determination of monoamine oxidase, NADH cytochrome c reductase, NADPH cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome oxidase, catalase, aminopyrine demethylase, cytochromes b₅ and P 450, glucuronyltransferase, galactosyltransferase, esterase, alkaline and acid phosphatases, 5'-nucleotidase, glucose 6-phosphatase, alkaline phosphodiesterase I, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, β-glucuronidase, nucleoside diphosphatase, aldolase, fumarase, glutamine synthetase, protein, phospholipid, cholesterol, and RNA are described and justified when necessary.     

The kinetics of enzyme changes in yeast under conditions that cause the loss of mitochondria

1. Aerobically grown yeast having a high activity of glyoxylate-cycle, citric acid-cycle and electron-transport enzymes was transferred to a medium containing 10% glucose. After a lag phase of 30min. the yeast grew exponentially with a mean generation time of 94min. 2. The enzymes malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate lyase, succinate–cytochrome c oxidoreductase and NADH–cytochrome c oxidoreductase lost 45%, 17%, 27% and 46% of their activity respectively during the lag phase. 3. When growth commenced pyruvate kinase, pyruvate decarboxylase, alcohol dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP⁺-linked) and NADPH–cytochrome c oxidoreductase increased in activity, whereas aconitase, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD⁺- and NADP⁺-linked), α-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, fumarase, malate dehydrogenase, succinate–cytochrome c oxidoreductase, NADH–cytochrome c oxidoreductase, NADH oxidase, NADPH oxidase, cytochrome c oxidase, glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD⁺-linked), glutamate–oxaloacetate transaminase, isocitrate lyase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase decreased. 4. During the early stages of growth the loss of activity of aconitase, α-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, fumarase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase could be accounted for by dilution by cell division. The lower rate of loss of activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD⁺- and NADP⁺-linked), glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD⁺-linked), glutamate–oxaloacetate transaminase, NADPH oxidase and cytochrome c oxidase implies their continued synthesis, whereas the higher rate of loss of activity of malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate lyase, succinate–cytochrome c oxidoreductase, NADH–cytochrome c oxidoreductase and NADH oxidase means that these enzymes were actively removed. 5. The mechanisms of selective removal of enzyme activity and the control of the residual metabolic pathways are discussed.     

Isolation and purification of the cytochrome oxidase of Azotobacter vinelandii

A membrane-bound cytochrome oxidase from Azobacter vinelandii was purified 20-fold using a detergent-solubilization procedure. Activity was monitored using an ascorbate-TMPD oxidation assay. The oxidase was ‘solubilized’ from a sonic-type electron-transport particle (R₃ fraction) using Triton X-100 and deoxycholate. Low detergent concentrations first solubilized the flavoprotein oxidoreductases, then higher concentrations of Triton X-100 and KCl solubilized the oxidase, which was precipitated at 27–70% (NH₄)₂SO₄. The highly purified cytochrome oxidase has a V of 60–78 μgatom O consumed/min per mg protein. TMPD oxidation by the purified enzyme was inhibited by CO, KCN, NaN₃ and NH₂OH; NaNO₂ (but not NaNO₃) also had a potent inhibitory effect. Spectral analyses revealed two major hemoproteins, the c-type cytochrome c₄ and cytochrome o; cytochromes a₁ and d were not detected. The Azotobacter cytochrome oxidase is an integrated cytochrome c₄?o complex, TMPD-dependent cytochrome oxidase activity being highest in preparations having a high c-type cytochrome content. This TMPD-dependent cytochrome oxidase serves as a major oxygen-activation site for the A. vinelandii respiratory chain. It appears functionally analogous to cytochrome a+a₃ oxidase of mammalian mitochondria.     

Anomalies in the polarographic measurement of cytochrome oxidase activity

Reaction kinetics of the reduction of O₂ by cytochrome oxidase follow essentially the same rate equation as that proposed for the oxidation of cytochrome c. However, the apparent second order rate constant varies with the oxidase concentration. The redox level of cytochrome c at the steady state was found to be essentially temperature-independent. Currently recognized pathways (or mechanisms) of electron transport from cytochrome c to O₂ do not predict, and cannot account for the occurrence of these phenomena.     

Crystal structure of Trypanosoma cruzi heme peroxidase and characterization of its substrate specificity and compound I intermediate

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of American trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as Chagas disease. To survive in the host, the T. cruzi parasite needs antioxidant defense systems. One of these is a hybrid heme peroxidase, the T. cruzi ascorbate peroxidase-cytochrome c peroxidase enzyme (TcAPx-CcP). TcAPx-CcP has high sequence identity to members of the class I peroxidase family, notably ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP), as well as a mitochondrial peroxidase from Leishmania major (LmP). The aim of this work was to solve the structure and examine the reactivity of the TcAPx-CcP enzyme. Low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectra support the formation of an exchange-coupled [Fe(IV)=O Trp₂₃₃^•+] compound I radical species, analogous to that used in CcP and LmP. We demonstrate that TcAPx-CcP is similar in overall structure to APX and CcP, but there are differences in the substrate-binding regions. Furthermore, the electron transfer pathway from cytochrome c to the heme in CcP and LmP is preserved in the TcAPx-CcP structure. Integration of steady state kinetic experiments, molecular dynamic simulations, and bioinformatic analyses indicates that TcAPx-CcP preferentially oxidizes cytochrome c but is still competent for oxidization of ascorbate. The results reveal that TcAPx-CcP is a credible cytochrome c peroxidase, which can also bind and use ascorbate in host cells, where concentrations are in the millimolar range. Thus, kinetically and functionally TcAPx-CcP can be considered a hybrid peroxidase.     

Cytochrome c biogenesis System I: An intricate process catalyzed by a maturase supercomplex?

Cytochromes c are ubiquitous heme proteins that are found in most living organisms and are essential for various energy production pathways as well as other cellular processes. Their biosynthesis relies on a complex post-translational process, called cytochrome c biogenesis, responsible for the formation of stereo-specific thioether bonds between the vinyl groups of heme b (protoporphyrin IX-Fe) and the thiol groups of apocytochromes c heme-binding site (C₁XXC₂H) cysteine residues. In some organisms this process involves up to nine (CcmABCDEFGHI) membrane proteins working together to achieve heme ligation, designated the Cytochrome c maturation (Ccm)-System I. Here, we review recent findings related to the Ccm-System I found in bacteria, archaea and plant mitochondria, with an emphasis on protein interactions between the Ccm components and their substrates (apocytochrome c and heme). We discuss the possibility that the Ccm proteins may form a multi subunit supercomplex (dubbed “Ccm machine”), and based on the currently available data, we present an updated version of a mechanistic model for Ccm. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 18th European Bioenergetic Conference.     

The NT-26 cytochrome c552 and its role in arsenite oxidation

Arsenite oxidation by the facultative chemolithoautotroph NT-26 involves a periplasmic arsenite oxidase. This enzyme is the first component of an electron transport chain which leads to reduction of oxygen to water and the generation of ATP. Involved in this pathway is a periplasmic c-type cytochrome that can act as an electron acceptor to the arsenite oxidase. We identified the gene that encodes this protein downstream of the arsenite oxidase genes (aroBA). This protein, a cytochrome c₅₅₂, is similar to a number of c-type cytochromes from the α-Proteobacteria and mitochondria. It was therefore not surprising that horse heart cytochrome c could also serve, in vitro, as an alternative electron acceptor for the arsenite oxidase. Purification and characterisation of the c₅₅₂ revealed the presence of a single heme per protein and that the heme redox potential is similar to that of mitochondrial c-type cytochromes. Expression studies revealed that synthesis of the cytochrome c gene was not dependent on arsenite as was found to be the case for expression of aroBA.     

Internal charge transfer in cytochrome c oxidase at a limited proton supply: Proton pumping ceases at high pH

Background

In the membrane-bound enzyme cytochrome c oxidase, electron transfer from cytochrome c to O₂ is linked to proton uptake from solution to form H₂O, resulting in a charge separation across the membrane. In addition, the reaction drives pumping of protons across the membrane.

Methods

In this study we have measured voltage changes as a function of pH during reaction of the four-electron reduced cytochrome c oxidase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides with O₂. These electrogenic events were measured across membranes containing purified enzyme reconstituted into lipid vesicles.

Results

The results show that the pH dependence of voltage changes (primarily associated with proton transfer) during O₂ reduction does not match that of the previously studied absorbance changes (primarily associated with electron transfer). Furthermore, the voltage changes decrease with increasing pH.

Conclusions

The data indicate that cytochrome c oxidase does not pump protons at high pH (10.5) (or protons are taken from the “wrong” side of the membrane) and that at this pH the net proton-uptake stoichiometry is ∼ 1/2 of that at pH 8. Furthermore, the results provide a basis for interpretation of results from studies of mutant forms of the enzyme.

General significance

These results provide new insights into the function of cytochrome c oxidase.     

Temperature-dependent structural transition following X-ray-induced metal center reduction in oxidized cytochrome c oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) is the terminal enzyme in the electron transfer chain in the inner membrane of mitochondria. It contains four metal redox centers, two of which, Cu_B and heme a₃, form the binuclear center (BNC), where dioxygen is reduced to water. Crystal structures of CcO in various forms have been reported, from which ligand-binding states of the BNC and conformations of the protein matrix surrounding it have been deduced to elucidate the mechanism by which the oxygen reduction chemistry is coupled to proton translocation. However, metal centers in proteins can be susceptible to X-ray-induced radiation damage, raising questions about the reliability of conclusions drawn from these studies. Here, we used microspectroscopy-coupled X-ray crystallography to interrogate how the structural integrity of bovine CcO in the fully oxidized state (O) is modulated by synchrotron radiation. Spectroscopic data showed that, upon X-ray exposure, O was converted to a hybrid O∗ state where all the four metal centers were reduced, but the protein matrix was trapped in the genuine O conformation and the ligands in the BNC remained intact. Annealing the O∗ crystal above the glass transition temperature induced relaxation of the O∗ structure to a new R∗ structure, wherein the protein matrix converted to the fully reduced R conformation with the exception of helix X, which partly remained in the O conformation because of incomplete dissociation of the ligands from the BNC. We conclude from these data that reevaluation of reported CcO structures obtained with synchrotron light sources is merited.     

Formamide probes a role for water in the catalytic cycle of cytochrome c oxidase

Formamide is a slow-onset inhibitor of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase that is proposed to act by blocking water movement through the protein. In the presence of formamide the redox level of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase evolves over the steady state as the apparent electron transfer rate from cytochrome a to cytochrome a₃ slows. At maximal inhibition cytochrome a and cytochrome c are fully reduced, whereas cytochrome a₃ and Cu_B remain fully oxidized consistent with the idea that formamide interferes with electron transfer between cytochrome a and the oxygen reaction site. However, transient kinetic studies show that intrinsic rates of electron transfer are unchanged in the formamide-inhibited enzyme. Formamide inhibition is demonstrated for another member of the heme-oxidase family, cytochrome c oxidase from Bacillus subtilis, but the onset of inhibition is much quicker than for mitochondrial oxidase. If formamide inhibition arises from a steric blockade of water exchange during catalysis then water exchange in the smaller bacterial oxidase is more open. Subunit III removal from the mitochondrial oxidase hastens the onset of formamide inhibition suggesting a role for subunit III in controlling water exchange during the cytochrome c oxidase reaction.