Role of Bradyrhizobium japonicum cytochrome c550 in nitrite and nitrate respiration

Bradyrhizobium japonicum cytochrome c ₅₅₀, encoded by cycA , has been previously suggested to play a role in denitrification, the respiratory reduction of nitrate to dinitrogen. However, the exact role of this cytochrome in the denitrification process is unknown. This study shows that cytochrome c ₅₅₀ is involved in electron transfer to the copper-containing nitrite reductase of B. japonicum , as revealed by the inability of a cycA mutant strain to consume nitrite and, consequently, to grow under denitrifying conditions with nitrite as the electron acceptor. Mutation of cycA had no apparent effect on methylviologen-dependent nitrite reductase activity. However, succinate-dependent nitrite reduction was largely inhibited, suggesting that c ₅₅₀ is the in vivo electron donor to copper-containing nitrite reductase. In addition, this study demonstrates that a cytochrome c ₅₅₀ mutation has a negative effect on expression of the periplasmic nitrate reductase. This phenotype can be rescued by extending the growth period of the cells. A model is proposed whereby a mutation in cycA reduces expression of the cbb ₃-type oxidase, affecting oxygen consumption rate by the cells and consequently preventing maximal expression of the periplasmic nitrate reductase during the first days of the growth period.     

The nitrite oxidizing system of Nitrobacter winogradskyi

Abstract Cytochrome components which participate in the oxidation of nitrite in Nitrobacter winogradskyi have been highly purified and their properties studied in detail. Cytochrome a ₁ c ₁ is an iron-sulphur molybdoenzyme which has haems a and c and acts as a nitrite-cytochrome c oxidoreductase. Cytochrome c -550 is homologous to eukaryotic cytochrome c and acts as the electron mediator between cytochrome a ₁ c ₁ and aa ₃-type cytochrome c oxidase. The oxidase is composed of two kinds of subunits, has two molecules of haem a and two atoms of copper in the molecule, and oxidizes actively eukaryotic ferrocytochrome c as well as its own ferrocytochrome c -550. Further, a flavoenzyme has been obtained which has transhydrogenase activity and catalyses reduction of NADP⁺ with benzylviologen radical. This enzyme may be responsible for production of NADPH in N. winogradskyi . The electron transfer against redox potential from NO₂⁻ to cythochrome c could be pushed through prompt removal by cytochrome aa ₃ of H⁺ formed by the dehydrogenation of NO₂⁻+ H₂O. As cytochrome c in anaerobically kept cell-free extracts is rapidly reduced on addition of NO₂⁻, a membrane potential does not seem necessary for the reduction of cytochrome c by cytochrome a ₁ c ₁ with NO₂⁻ in vivo.     

A cytochrome aa3-type quinol oxidase from Desulfurolobus ambivalens, the most acidophilic archaeon

Abstract Membranes of the extremely thermoacidophilic archaeon Desulfurolobus ambivalens grown under aerobic conditions contain a quinol oxidase of the cytochrome aa ₃-type as the most prominent hemoprotein. The partially purified enzyme consists of three polypeptide subunits with apparent molecular masses of 40, 27 and 20 kDa and contains two heme A molecules and one copper atom. CO difference spectra suggest one heme to be a heme a ₃-centre. The EPR spectra indicate the presence of a low-spin and a high-spin heme species. Redox titrations of the solubilized enzyme show the presence of two reduction processes, with apparent potentials of + 235 and + 330 mV. The enzyme cannot oxidize reduced cytochrome c , but rather serves as an oxidase of caldariella quinone. Due to their very simple composition, D . ambivalens cell appear as a promising candidate to study Structure-function relationships of cytochrome aa ₃ in the integral membrane state.     

Role of cytochrome b562 in the archaeal aerobic respiratory chain of Sulfolobus sp. strain 7

Abstract The role of cytochrome b ₅₆₂, a fragile constituent of the respiratory terminal oxidase supercomplex of the thermoacidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus sp. strain 7, was investigated spectroscopically in the membrane-bound state. Cytochrome b ₅₆₂ did not react with CO or cyanide in the membrane-bound state, while it was irreversibly modified to a CO-reactive form ( b ₅₆₂) upon solubilization in the presence of cholate and LiCl. Cyanide titration analyses with the succinate-reduced membrane suggested that cytochrome b ₅₆₂ was upstream of both the ' g _y= 1.89' Rieske FeS cluster and the a -type cytochromes. These results show that the b -type cytochrome functions as an intermediate electron transmitter in the terminal oxidase supercomplex.     

Expression of Bradyrhizobium japonicum cbb3 terminal oxidase under denitrifying conditions is subjected to redox control

Bradyrhizobium japonicum utilizes cytochrome cbb ₃ oxidase encoded by the fixNOQP operon to support microaerobic respiration under free-living and symbiotic conditions. It has been previously shown that, under denitrifying conditions, inactivation of the cycA gene encoding cytochrome c ₅₅₀, the electron donor to the Cu-containing nitrite reductase, reduces cbb ₃ expression. In order to establish the role of c ₅₅₀ in electron transport to the cbb ₃ oxidase, in this work, we have analyzed cbb ₃ expression and activity in the cycA mutant grown under microaerobic or denitrifying conditions. Under denitrifying conditions, mutation of cycA had a negative effect on cytochrome c oxidase activity, heme c (FixP and FixO) and heme b cytochromes as well as expression of a fixP '–' lacZ fusion. Similarly, cbb ₃ oxidase was expressed very weakly in a napC mutant lacking the c -type cytochrome, which transfers electrons to the NapAB structural subunit of the periplasmic nitrate reductase. These results suggest that a change in the electron flow through the denitrification pathway may affect the cellular redox state, leading to alterations in cbb ₃ expression. In fact, levels of fixP '–' lacZ expression were largely dependent on the oxidized or reduced nature of the carbon source in the medium. Maximal expression observed in cells grown under denitrifying conditions with an oxidized carbon source required the regulatory protein RegR.     

Cytochrome c oxidase in prokaryotes

Abstract Several heme aa ₃-type cytochrome c oxidases, purified from the cytoplasmic membranes of bacteria, are able to catalyze the same reactions as the structurally far more complex eukaryotic enzyme, i.e., electron transport from cytochrome c to oxygen coupled to proton translocation. However, these oxidases show a very simple subunit pattern, and moreover, individual polypeptides even have homologous amino-acid sequences. This review summarizes the present data on purified bacterial cytochrome c oxidases and relates these findings to results obtained with the mitochondrial enzymes.     

Purification and characterization of membrane-bound CO-reactive hemoprotein from Tetrahymena pyriformis mitochondria

Abstract A CO-reactive hemoprotein was purified from the mitochondrial membrane fraction of Tetrahymena pyriformis . It showed absorption peaks at 615 and 455 nm in the reduced form and an α peak at 565 nm in the pyridine ferrohemochrome spectrum. Although the spectral properties were apparently similar to those of 'cytochrome a ₆₂₀' which was previously proposed as a mitochondrial terminal oxidase in T. pyriformis , it did not contain any molecules of heme a or copper atoms. Further, it showed neither cytochrome c oxidase nor cytochrome c peroxidase activity. These results suggest that 'cytochrome a ₆₂₀' may not be the terminal oxidase in the mitochondrial respiratory chain of T. pyriformis .     

Purification of a cytochrome aa3 terminal oxidase from protoplast membrane vesicles of Micrococcus luteus

Abstract A cytochrome aa₃ terminal oxidase was isolated from protoplast membrane vesicles of Micrococcus luteus grown under aerobic conditions. The purified complex showed similarities to cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) of the electron transport chain of mitochondria and many prokaryotes. The enzyme was solubilized by subsequent treatment with the detergents CHAPS and n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside and purified by ion-exchange chromatography using poly-L-lysine agarose and TMAE-fractogel-650 (S) columns, followed by hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purified complex is composed of two major subunits with apparent molecular masses of 54 and 32 kDa. After purification the isolated enzyme contains 12.1 nmol of heme A (mg protein)⁻¹ and exhibits absorption maxima at 424 nm and 598 nm in the oxidized state and at 442 nm and 599 nm in the reduced state. The CO-difference spectrum shows peaks at 428 and 590 nm which is indicative of heme a ₃, furthermore oxygen consumption was found to be sensitive to cyanide.     

Does the low respiratory rate in unfertilized eggs result mainly from depression of the redox reaction catalyzed by flavoproteins? Analysis of the respiratory system by light-induced release of CO-mediated inhibition

In unfertilized eggs of the sea urchin, the quite low respiratory rate is enhanced by tetramethyl- p -phenylenediamine (TMPD), phenazine methosulfate (PMS) and sperm and this augmentation is completely inhibited by carbon monoxide (CO). Exposure to light releases eggs from this CO-mediated inhibition. The action spectra for photoreactivation of CO-inhibited cytochrome c oxidase in isolated mitochondria and CO-blocked respiration in TMPD-treated eggs were found to be similar to the absorption spectrum of CO-bound cytochrome aa ₃. In PMS-treated eggs and fertilized eggs, the maximum photoreactivation of CO-inhibited respiration occurred at a light fluence rate higher than that for maximum photoreactivation of CO-inhibited respiration in TMPD-treated eggs, with peaks at the same wavelengths as those in the absorption spectrum of reduced cytochrome b. A similar phenomenon was seen for NADH cytochrome c reductase in mitochondria. Thus, cytochrome c oxidase and NADH cytochrome c reductase, whose activities are not altered by fertilization, seem to be functional, even in unfertilized eggs. In unfertilized eggs, difference spectra indicated that PMS and sperm augmented cytochrome b reduction and that TMPD accelerated cytochrome c reduction without cytochrome b reduction. Therefore, it is likely that depression of electron transport to cytochrome b , which is augmented by PMS and sperm, is responsible for the low respiratory rate in unfertilized eggs.     

Respiration-dependent proton translocation and the mechanism of protonmotive force generation in Nitrobacter winogradskyi

Abstract Proton translocation associated with electron flow to oxygen has been observed with cells of Nitrobacter winogradskyi in the presence of either potassium ferrocyanide or isoascorbate plus N , N , N ', N ' tetramethyl- p -phenylenediamine. The data are consistent with a proton pumping function for the terminal oxidase, cytochrome aa ₃, in this organism as the mechanism for generating a protonmotive force. The failure of previous work with Nitrobacter [4] to detect proton translocation linked to oxidation of nitrite, the physiological substrate, is discussed.     

A periplasmic location for the thiosulphate-oxidizing multi-enzyme system from Thiobacillus versutus

Abstract Evidence is presented to show that the thiosulphate-oxidising multi-enzyme system from Thiobacillus versutus has a periplasmic location, and that the oxygen-binding site of the cytochrome oxidase ( aa ₃) is on the inner surface of the membrane. A scheme for the mechanism of generation of a proton motive force during electron flow from thiosulphate to oxygen via cytochrome c and aa ₃ is proposed.     

The cytochrome bd terminal oxidase of Azotobacter vinelandii: Low temperature photodissociation spectrophotometry reveals reactivity of cytochromes b595 and d with both carbon monoxide and oxygen

Abstract Cytochromes d and b ₅₉₅ were studied by low temperature photodissociation of CO-ligated Azotobacter vinelandii membranes. White light or He-Ne laser irradiation revealed 436 and 594–597 nm absorption bands to be due to Fe¹¹ cytochrome b ₅₉₅. Oxy-cytochrome d (648 nm) was formed when the CO adduct was photolysed in the presence of oxygen. This was followed by ligand recombination (presumably oxygen) to the high-spin cytochrome b ₅₉₅, with a distinctive shift to shorter wavelengths of the α-band of the cytochrome, and a decrease in the oxygenated form. All spectral changes were light-reversible. We demonstrate the light-reversible binding of CO to both cytochromes b ₅₉₅ and d , and suggest migration of oxygen from cytochrome d to cytochrome b ₅₉₅ at a haem-haem binuclear centre during the oxidase reaction.     

Paracoccus denitrificans CcmG is a periplasmic protein–disulphide oxidoreductase required for c- and aa3-type cytochrome biogenesis; evidence for a reductase role in vivo

Cloning and sequencing of the Paracoccus denitrificans ccmG gene indicates that it codes for a periplasmic protein–disulphide oxidoreductase; the presence of the sequence Cys-Pro-Pro-Cys at the CcmG active site suggests that it may act in vivo to reduce disulphide bonds rather than to form them. A CcmG–PhoA fusion confirmed the periplasmic location. Disruption of the ccmG gene resulted in not only the expected phenotype of pleiotropic deficiency in c -type cytochromes, but also loss of spectroscopically detectable cytochrome aa ₃, cytochrome c oxidase and ascorbate/TMPD oxidase activities; there was also an enhanced sensitivity to growth inhibition by some component of rich media and by oxidized thiol compounds. Dithiothreitol promoted the growth of the ccmG mutant on rich media and substantially restored spectroscopically detectable cytochrome aa ₃ and cytochrome c oxidase activity, although it did not restore c -type cytochrome biogenesis. Assembly of the disulphide-bridged proteins methanol dehydrogenase and Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase was unaffected in the ccmG mutant. It is proposed that P. denitrificans CcmG acts in vivo to reduce protein–disulphide bonds in certain protein substrates including c -type cytochrome polypeptides and/or polypeptides involved in c -type cytochrome biogenesis.     

The relationship between the in situ reduction level of the cytochrome c pool of Azorhizobium caulinodans growing in a chemostat with NH4+ or N2 as the N source and the total activity of cytochrome c oxidases

Abstract The in situ method for determination of reduction levels of cytochromes b and c pools during steady-state growth (Pronk et al., Anal. Biochem. 214, 149–155, 1993) was applied to chemostat cultures of the wild-type, a cytochrome aa₃ single mutant and a cytochrome aa₃/d double mutant of Azorhizobium caulinodans . For growth with NH₄⁺ as the N source, the results indicate that (i) the aa₃ mutant strains growing at a dissolved O₂ tension of 0.5% possess an active alternative cytochrome c oxidase, which is hardly present during fully aerobic growth, and assuming that (i) also pertains to the wild-type, (ii) the wild-type uses cytochrome aa₃ under fully aerobic conditions. For growth with N₂ as the N source, it was found that the aa₃ mutant strains growing at dissolved O₂ tensions ranging from 0.5 to 3.0% also contain an active alternative cytochrome c oxidase.     

REDOX PROPERTIES OF CYTOCHROME OXIDASE AND VASCULAR REACTIVITY OF ASTROCYTOMAS AND NEUROBLASTOMAS IN VIVO

Abstract— Dual wavelength reflection spectrophotometry was used to determine steady state changes in the reduction-oxidation ratio of cytochrome c oxidase ( a,a ₃) and vascular reactivity accompanying progressive growth of cortical and subcutaneous astrocytomas and neuroblastomas in vivo. Blood volume responses indicate that vessels invading the tumors retain regulatory reactivity typical of the body region of implantation and do not acquire those typical of the tissue of origin of the neoplastic cells. In comparison with non neoplastic tissue, early stage tumor growth was associated with highly oxidized ratios of cytochrome a,a ₃. A transition to highly reduced cytochrome a,a ₃ occurred during late stage tumor development. Such differences from normal cerebral tissues reflect alterations in micro-circulation and respiratory chain function accompanying the dynamics of tumor growth, and could provide a basis for selective therapeutic measures.     

Nitric Oxide Causes Glutamate Release from Brain Synaptosomes

Abstract: We determined the ability of pathological levels of nitric oxide (NO) to cause glutamate release from isolated rat brain nerve terminals using a fluorometric assay. It was found that NO (0.7 and 2 µ M ) produced (4 and 10 nmol/mg of synaptosomal protein) Ca²⁺-independent glutamate release from synaptosomes (after 1 min of exposure). Spermine/NO complex (spermine NONOate; a slow NO donor) and potassium cyanide (an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase) also caused Ca²⁺-independent glutamate release. Preincubation of synaptosomes with 5 µ M 1 H -[1,2,4]oxadiazole[4,3- a ]quinoxalin-1-one (an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase) had no effect on NO-induced Ca²⁺-independent glutamate release. Ca²⁺-independent glutamate release produced by NO was greater in a low-oxygen medium. NO, spermine NONOate, and potassium cyanide inhibited synaptosomal respiration with a similar order of potency with respect to their ability to cause glutamate release. Because NO has been shown previously to inhibit reversibly cytochrome oxidase in competition with oxygen, our findings in this study suggest that NO (and cyanide) causes glutamate release following inhibition of mitochondrial respiration at the level of cytochrome oxidase. Thus, elevated NO production leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate release, and excitotoxicity may contribute to neuronal death in neurological diseases.     

Plasmalemma from the roots of cucumber: Isolation by two-phase partitioning and characterization

Plasmalemma was isolated from the roots of 2-week-old cucumber plants ( Cucumis sativus L. cv. Rhensk druv) by utilizing an aqueous polymer two-phase system with 6.5%:6.5% (w/w) Dextran T500 and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 at pH 7.8. The plasmalemma fraction comprised ca 6% of the membrane proteins contained in the microsomal fraction. The specific activity of the plasma membrane marker enzyme (K⁺, Mg²⁺-ATPase) was 14- to 17-times higher in the upper (PEG-rich) than in the lower (Dextran-rich) phase, and the reverse was true for marker enzymes (cytochrome c oxidase, EC 1.9.3.1, and antimycin A-resistant NADPH cytochrome c reductase) of intracellular membranes. The ATPase was highly stimulated by the addition of detergent (Triton X-100), so that the isolated plasmalemma vesicles appear tightly sealed and in a right-side-out orientation. Further characterization of the ATPase activities showed a pH optimum at 6.0 in the presence of Mg²⁺. This optimum was shifted to pH 5.8 after addition of K⁺. K⁺ stimulated the ATPase activity below pH 6 and inhibited above pH 6. The ATPase activity was specific for ATP and sensitive to N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and sodium vanadate, with K⁺ enhancing the vanadate inhibition. The enzyme was insensitive to sodium molybdate, NO⁻₃, azide and oligomycin. No Ca²⁺-ATPase was detected, and even as little as 0.05 m M Ca²⁺ inhibited the Mg²⁺-ATPase activity.     

Respiratory properties of cysts and vegetative cells of Azotobacter vinelandii

Abstract The respiratory activity of cysts of Azotobacter vinelandii has been compared with that of vegetative cells. Whole cysts had a much reduced respiratory activity which was less sensitive to KCN. Substrate oxidation rates by membrane preparations from cysts were reduced approximately 10-fold and sensitivity to KCN was decreased by a similar factor. Difference spectra of cyst membranes revealed changes in cytochrome content. Cytochrome oxidase d was apparently absent, cytochrome a ₁ levels were approximately halved whilst those of cytochrome oxidase o were almost doubled. Cytochromes of the b and c -type were present in similar amounts to those in vegetative cells.