Alternative hypotheses of proton ejection in cytochrome oxidase vesicles. Transmembrane proton pumping or redox-linked deprotonation of phospholipid-cytochrome c complex(es)

A review of published experimental and interpretative knowledge concerning proton ejection associated with cytochrome c oxidation by artificial phospholipid vesicles inlaid with cytochrome c oxidase indicates that the detailed characteristics of the redox-linked proton ejection cannot be simply explained by proton pumping. We propose an alternative hypothesis according to which proton ejection is due to the redox-linked deprotonation of a complex involving phospholipid and cytochrome c at the surface of the vesicles. The postulates upon which this hypothesis depends are explicitly outlined, and some methods of testing the hypothesis are suggested.     

Transmembrane proton translocation by cytochrome c oxidase

Respiratory heme-copper oxidases are integral membrane proteins that catalyze the reduction of molecular oxygen to water using electrons donated by either quinol (quinol oxidases) or cytochrome c (cytochrome c oxidases, CcOs). Even though the X-ray crystal structures of several heme-copper oxidases and results from functional studies have provided significant insights into the mechanisms of O₂-reduction and, electron and proton transfer, the design of the proton-pumping machinery is not known. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the identity of the structural elements involved in proton transfer in CcO. Furthermore, we discuss the order and timing of electron-transfer reactions in CcO during O₂ reduction and how these reactions might be energetically coupled to proton pumping across the membrane.