The reaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c oxidase with carbon monoxide.

The binding of CO to ascorbate-reduced Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase was investigated by static-titration, stopped-flow and flash-photolytic techniques. Static-titration data indicated that the binding process was non-stoicheiometric, with a Hill number of 1.44. Stopped-flow kinetics obtained on the binding of CO to reduced Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase were biphasic in form; the faster rate exhibited a linear dependence on CO concentration with a second-order rate constant of 2 X 10(4) M-1-s-1, whereas the slower reaction rapidly reached a pseudo-first-order rate limit at approx. 1s-1. The relative proportions of the two phases observed in stopped-flow experiments also showed a dependency on CO concentration, the slower phase increasing as the CO concentration decreased. The kinetics of CO recombination after flash-photolytic dissociation of the reduced Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase-CO complex were also biphasic in character, both phases showing a linear pseudo-first-order rate dependence on CO concentration. The second-order rate constants were determined as 3.6 X 10(4)M-1-s-1 and 1.6 X 10(4)M-1-s-1 respectively. Again the relative proportions of the two phases varied with CO concentration, the slower phase predominating at low CO concentrations. CO dissociation from the enzyme-CO complex measured in the presence of O2 and NO indicated the presence of two rates, of the order of 0.03s-1 and 0.15s-1. When sodium dithionite was used as a reducing agent for the Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase, the CO-combination kinetics observed by both stopped flow and flash photolysis were extremely complex and not able to be simply analysed.     

The electron-transfer reaction between azurin and the cytochrome c oxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A stopped-flow investigation of the electron-transfer reaction between oxidized azurin and reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c-551 oxidase and between reduced azurin and oxidized Ps. aeruginosa cytochrome c-551 oxidase was performed. Electrons leave and enter the oxidase molecule via its haem c component, with the oxidation and reduction of the haem d1 occurring by internal electron transfer. The reaction mechanism in both directions is complex. In the direction of oxidase oxidation, two phases assigned on the basis of difference spectra to haem c proceed with rate constants of 3.2 X 10(5)M-1-S-1 and 2.0 X 10(4)M-1-S-1, whereas the haem d1 oxidation occurs at 0.35 +/- 0.1S-1. Addition of CO to the reduced enzyme profoundly modifies the rate of haem c oxidation, with the faster process tending towards a rate limit of 200S-1. Reduction of the oxidase was similarly complex, with a fast haem c phase tending to a rate limit of 120S-1, and a slower phase with a second-order rate of 1.5 X 10(4)M-1-S-1; the internal transfer rate in this direction was o.25 +/- 0.1S-1. These results have been applied to a kinetic model originally developed from temperature-jump studies.     

A temperature-jump study of the reaction between azurin and cytochrome c oxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The electron-transfer reaction between azurin and the cytochrome oxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated by temperature-jump relaxation in the absence of O2 and in the presence of CO. The results show that: (i) reduced azurin exists in two forms in equilibrium, only one of which is capable of exchanging electrons with the Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase, in agreement with M. T. Wilson, C. Greenwood, M. Brunori & E. Antonini (1975) (Biochem. J. 145, 449-457); (ii) the electron transfer between azurin and Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase occurs within a molecular complex of the two proteins; this internal transfer becomes rate-limiting at high reagent concentrations.     

A purification procedure for the soluble cytochrome oxidase and some other respiratory proteins from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The production of the soluble cytochrome oxidase/nitrite reductase in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is favoured by anaerobic conditions and the presence of KNO3(20g/l) in the culture medium. Of three methods commonly used for the disruption of bacterial suspensions (ultrasonication, liquid-shear homogenization and glass-bead grinding), sonication proved the most efficient in releasing the Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase. A polarographic assay of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase activity with sodium ascorbate as substrate and NNN'N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride as electron mediator is described. A purification procedure was developed which can be used on the small scale (40-litre cultures) or the large scale (400-litre cultures) and provides high yields of three respiratory-chain proteins, Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase, cytochrome c551 and azurin, in a pure state. A typical preparation of 250g of Ps.aeruginosa cell paste yielded 180mg of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase, 81 mg of Pseudomonas cytochrome c551 and 275mg of Pseudomonas azurin.     

The subunit structure of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase.

Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.3.2) is composed of two subunits. Each subunit has a molecular weight of approx. 63000 and, according to the iron determination, contains two hemes. Cytochrome oxidase was subjected to various dissociation procedures to determine the stability of the dimeric structure. Progressive succinylation of 14 to 68% of the lysine residues of the enzyme increases the amount of the protein appearing in the subunit form (S20,W approximately 4 S) from 18 to 92%. At a high degree of succinylation a component with a sedimentation coefficient of approx. 2 S appears. The subunits with sedimentation coefficients of approx. 4 S and 2 S are also formed when the pH is below 4 or above 11. The same molecular weight (63000) was found for these two components in sodium dodecylsulphate electrophoresis. No dissociation of cytochrome oxidase was observed in salt solutions like 3 M NaC1 and 1 M Na2SO4, or in 6 M urea. The slight decrease in the sedimentation coefficients in NaC1 solutions is partly explained by preferential hydratation of the protein.     

Some magnetic properties of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase.

The magnetic properties of the haem groups of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase and its cyanide-bound derivatives were studied in both the oxidized and reduced states by means of m.c.d. (magnetic circular dichroism) at low temperatures. In addition, the oxidized forms of the enzyme were also investigated by e.p.r. (electron-paramagnetic-resonance) spectroscopy, and a parallel study, using both e.p.r. and m.c.d., was made on Pseudomonas cytochrome c-551 to aid spectral assignments. For ascorbate-reduced Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase, the temperature-independence of those features in the m.c.d. spectrum corresponding to the haem c, and the temperature-dependence of those signals corresponding to the haem d1, showed the former to be low-spin and the latter to be high-spin (s = 2). However, addition of cyanide to the reduced enzyme gave a form of the protein that was completely low-spin. The e.p.r. and m.c.d. sectra of oxidized Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase and its cyanide derivative were consistent with the haem c and d1 components being low-spin in both cases. Pseudomonas cytochrome c-551 was found to be low-spin in both its oxidized and reduced redox states.     

The reaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c oxidase with sodium metabisulphite (Short Communication)

Spectrophotometric evidence is presented for the formation of a complex between metabisulphite and reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c oxidase. The effects of metabisulphite on the recombination of CO with the reduced enzyme are discussed in terms of alternate binding sites for S(2)O(5) (2-) and CO.     

Electron-paramagnetic-resonance studies of structure and function of the two-haem enzymes Pseudomonas cytochrome c peroxidase and beef heart cytochrome c oxidase

Beef heart cytochrome c oxidase contains two cytochromes, a and a3, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c peroxidase has one high- and one low-potential c haem, cHP and cLP. The parallelism in co-ordination and spin states between cytochrome a and haem cHP on the one hand and between cytochrome a3 and haem cLP on the other is illustrated. The two latter haems become accessible to cyanide, when the former are reduced. Such reduction also leads to an activation of the enzymes. Mechanisms are presented in which ferryl forms of cytochromes a3 and haem cLP take part. The enzymes reach an oxidation state, formally the same as resting enzyme, but with different properties.     

The reaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c-551 oxidase with oxygen.

The reaction of ascorbate-reduced Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase with oxygen was studied by using stopped-flow techniques at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C. The observed time courses were complex, the reaction consisting of three phases. Of these, only the fastest process, with a second-order rate constant of 3.3 X 10(4) M-1.S-1, was dependent on oxygen concentration. The two slower processes were first-order reactions with rates of 1.0 +/- 0.4s-1 and 0.1 +/- 0.03s-1. A kinetic titration experiment revealed that the enzyme had a relatively low affinity constant for oxygen, approx. 10(4)M-1. Kinetic difference spectra were determined for all three reaction phases, showing each to have different characteristics. The fast-phase difference spectrum showed that changes occurred at both the haem c and haem d1 components of the enzyme during this process. These changes were consistent with the haem c becoming oxidized, but with the haem d1 assuming a form that did not correspond to the normal oxidized state, a situation that was not restored even after the second kinetic phase, which reflected further changes in the haem d1 component. The results are discussed in terms of a kinetic scheme.     

High voltage redox properties of cytochrome c oxidase.

In earlier studies evidence was obtained for the existence of both high and low redox potential forms of cytochrome a3 (Hendler et al. 1986. Biophys. J. 49:717-729; Hendler and Sidhu. 1988. Biophys. J. 54:121-133). The current paper describes additional experiments that support this conclusion and then reviews a large number of experimental observations that appear to be consistent with the view that cytochrome a3 displays at least (see Sidhu and Hendler. 1990. Biophys. J. 57:1125-1140) two different forms, which are distinguishable by their redox potentials, spectra, and reactivity with CO.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome oxidase. Product inhibition by low thermodynamic driving force

The steady-state kinetics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome oxidase were studied. Reduced cytochrome c551 and azurin from the same bacteria were used as the electron-donating substrates, while dioxygen served as the electron acceptor. Oxidized cytochrome c551 and azurin exhibited product inhibition of the reaction. However, apo-azurin and azurin derivatives in which the copper was substituted by the redox-inert ions Ni2+, Co2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+, did not show any effect on the kinetics. These observations implied that complex formation between the substrates or the products and the enzyme is not a rate-limiting step and is not the cause for product inhibition. The integrated rate law for a reaction scheme in which we assumed that complex formation was not rate limiting was fitted to the complete reaction traces. The results suggested that it is the low thermodynamic driving force, expressed in the small differences in redox potential between the substrates and heme c of the enzyme, which cause the observed product inhibition.     

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.     

Some spectral and steady-state kinetic properties of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase.

Some spectra of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase are reported, both for comparison with those of other workers and to illustrate the differences between the ascorbate- and dithionite-reduced forms of the enzyme. A spectrum of the reduced enzyme-CO complex, prepared in the absence of added reductants by incubation under CO, is also included. Ultracentrifugation studies yielded a value for the sedimentation coefficient (s20,w) of 7.5S, and an isoelectric point of pH6.9 was determined by isoelectric focusing. Steady-state kinetic constants of the electron donors, quinol, sodium ascorbate, reduced Pseudomonas azurin and Pseudomonas ferrocytochrome c551 were investigated giving Km values of 30mM, 4mM, 49muM and 5.6muM respectively. The two protein substrates were observed to be subject to product inhibition and the Ki for oxidized Pseudomonas azurin was evaluated at 4.9muM. Steady-state kinetics were also used to investigate the effects of the oxidation products of dithionite on the oxidase and nitrite reductase activities of Pseudomonas cytochrome oxidase. These experiments showed that whereas the oxidase activity was inhibited, the nitrite reductase activity was slightly enhanced.     

Calcium-bound structure of bovine cytochrome c oxidase

The crystal structure of bovine cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) shows a sodium ion (Na⁺) bound to the surface of subunit I. Changes in the absorption spectrum of heme a caused by calcium ions (Ca²⁺) are detected as small red shifts, and inhibition of enzymatic activity under low turnover conditions is observed by addition of Ca²⁺ in a competitive manner with Na⁺. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of Ca²⁺-bound bovine CcO in the oxidized and reduced states at 1.7 Å resolution. Although Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ bound to the same site of oxidized and reduced CcO, they led to different coordination geometries. Replacement of Na⁺ with Ca²⁺ caused a small structural change in the loop segments near the heme a propionate and formyl groups, resulting in spectral changes in heme a. Redox-coupled structural changes observed in the Ca²⁺-bound form were the same as those previously observed in the Na⁺-bound form, suggesting that binding of Ca²⁺ does not severely affect enzymatic function, which depends on these structural changes. The relation between the Ca²⁺ binding and the inhibitory effect during slow turnover, as well as the possible role of bound Ca²⁺ are discussed.     

Ligand binding to cytochrome c peroxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The high potential heme site of Pseudomonas cytochrome c peroxidase has His and Met as ligands. On reduction, the Fe-met bond becomes photosensitive. Following photolysis, the bond reforms with a half-time of 35 ps. The low potential heme peroxidatic site of the fully reduced enzyme has been shown to bind to a range of ligands. The compounds with carbon monoxide, methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, and t-butyl isonitriles have been investigated by laser flash photolysis. All are photosensitive and show different degrees of geminate recombination of ligand in the picosecond and nanosecond time ranges. Carbon monoxide shows the least effect. The three straight-chain isonitriles show about 50% geminate recombination with half-times of the order of 10 ns. t-Butyl isonitrile shows more and faster recombination. These results imply considerable freedom of movement within the active site for the smaller ligands.     

The reduction of Pseudomonas cytochrome c551 oxidase by chromous ions.

The reduction of cytochrome c551 oxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Cr2+ ions was followed in the stopped-flow apparatus at a number of wavelengths. The c-haem reduction proceeded in a biphasic fashion with second-order rate constants of 2.6 X 10(5)M-1-S-1 and 4.8 X 10(4)M-1-S-1 at 25 degrees C, whereas the biphasic reduction of the d1-haem appeared to be independent of reductant concentration with rate constants of approx. 1.0S-1 and 0.25S-1 respectively. The kinetically determined difference spectra (reduced minus oxidized) for the c- and d1-haems are presented.     

The subunit structure of the cytochrome c oxidase complex.

The subunit structure of the cytochrome c oxidase complex has been obtained for three preparations each isolated by a different detergent procedure. Six polypeptides were present in all samples with the following molecular weights: subunits I, 36000; II, 22500, III, 17100; IV, 12500; V, 9700; and VI, 5300. These subunits have been purified by gel filtration in sodium dodecyl sulfate or in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and their amino acid compositions have been determined. Subunit I is hydrophobic in character with a polarity of 35.7%. Subunits II through VI are more hydrophilic with polarities of 45.5, 48.6, 47.8, 49.7, and 53.7%, respectively.