Redox potential of the non-heme iron complex in bacterial photosynthetic reaction center

In bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (bRC), the electron is transferred from the special pair (P) via accessory bacteriochlorophyll (B_A), bacteriopheopytin (H_A), the primary quinone (Q_A) to the secondary quinone (Q_B). Although the non-heme iron complex (Fe complex) is located between Q_A and Q_B, it was generally supposed not to be redox-active. Involvement of the Fe complex in electron transfer (ET) was proposed in recent FTIR studies [A. Remy and K. Gerwert, Coupling of light-induced electron transfer to proton uptake in photosynthesis, Nat. Struct. Biol. 10 (2003) 637-644]. However, other FTIR studies resulted in opposite results [J. Breton, Steady-state FTIR spectra of the photoreduction of Q_A and Q_B in Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction centers provide evidence against the presence of a proposed transient electron acceptor X between the two quinones, Biochemistry 46 (2007) 4459-4465]. In this study, we calculated redox potentials of Q_A/B (E_m(Q_A/B)) and the Fe complex (E_m(Fe)) based on crystal structure of the wild-type bRC (WT-bRC), and we investigated the energetics of the system where the Fe complex is assumed to be involved in the ET. E_m(Fe) in WT-bRC is much less pH-dependent than that in PSII. In WT-bRC, we observed significant coupling of ET with Glu-L212 protonation upon oxidation of the Fe complex and a dramatic E_m(Fe) downshift by 230 mV upon formation of Q_A⁻ (but not Q_B⁻) due to the absence of proton uptake of Glu-L212. Changes in net charges of the His ligands of the Fe complex appear to be the nature of the redox event if we assume the involvement of the Fe complex in the ET.     

Redox potential of the cytochrome c in the flavocytochrome p-cresol methylhydroxylase

The redox potential of the cytochrome c in 5 flavocytochrome c proteins, all p-cresol methylhydroxylases purified from species of Pseudomonas, was measured. All gave similar values ranging from 226-250 mV. Two of the enzymes, from Pseudomonas putida NC1B 9866 and NC1B 9869, were resolved into their flavoprotein and cytochrome subunits and the redox potentials of the isolated cytochrome c subunits measured. The values for these were 60-70 mV below those for the whole enzymes but, in both cases, reconstitution of active enzyme by addition of the flavoprotein subunit restored the original potential.     

Thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the outer membrane cytochrome OmcF,a key protein for extracellular electron transfer in Geobacter sulfurreducens

Gene knock-out studies on Geobacter sulfurreducens have shown that the monoheme c-type cytochrome OmcF is essential for the extracellular electron transfer pathways involved in the reduction of iron and uranium oxy-hydroxides, as well as, on electricity production in microbial fuel cells. A detailed electrochemical characterization of OmcF was performed for the first time, allowing attaining kinetics and thermodynamic data. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant was determined at pH?7 (0.16?±?0.01?cm?s^?1) indicating that the protein displays high electron transfer efficiency compared to other monoheme cytochromes. The pH dependence of the redox potential indicates that the protein has an important redox-Bohr effect in the physiological pH range for G. sulfurreducens growth. The analysis of the structures of OmcF allowed us to assign the redox-Bohr centre to the side chain of His⁴⁷ residue and its pK_a values in the reduced and oxidized states were determined (pK_ox?=?6.73; pK_red?=?7.55). The enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy associated with the redox transaction were calculated, pointing the reduced form of the cytochrome as the most favourable. The data obtained indicate that G. sulfurreducens cells evolved to warrant a down-hill electron transfer from the periplasm to the outer-membrane associated cytochrome OmcF.     

Redox and reduction potentials as parameters to predict the degradation pathway of chlorinated benzenes in anaerobic environments

Abstract The anaerobic degradation pathway of hexachlorobenzene starts with a series of reductive dehalogeneration steps. In the present paper it was evaluated whether the dehalogenation pathway observed in microbial ecosystems could be predicted by the redox potential and/or the reduction potential (the latter determined in dimethylsulfoxide) of the various potential intermediates. It was found that these two parameters suggest different pathways. The redox potential correctly predicts the dominant pathway observed in microbial systems, while the reduction potential does not. The redox potential of the various redox couples showed no correlation with the kinetic constants for the various dechlorination steps as determined with a quantitative structure-activity relationship developed for the environmental reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated aromatic compounds, even though both approaches predicted the same pathway.     

细菌产黄素类化合物介导的电子传递及对环境污染物的厌氧生物转化研究进展

氧化还原介体能够加速有毒环境污染物的厌氧生物转化。黄素类化合物是一类微生物自身合成分泌的氧化还原介体,其应用可有效地避免外源性介体带来的成本较高及造成二次污染的问题,因此引起了广泛的关注。研究表明,细菌合成的微量黄素类化合物不仅能够作为黄素蛋白的辅酶因子参与偶氮染料、铬酸盐和硝基芳烃等污染物的厌氧生物转化,并且还可以分泌到胞外将电子传递给固态电子受体如含铁矿物和电极等来参与生物修复过程。根据黄素类化合物的功能,本文综述了黄素类化合物的合成与分泌,及其介导的胞内外电子传递和对环境污染物厌氧生物转化的影响,以促进其在实际环境污染物处理中的应用。     

On-line rheological measurements and control in fungal fermentations

A system for on-line rheological measurements and control in filamentous fermentations is presented. The output signals from the control unit can be used in terms of process control. Diluting the broth in a growth controlled feed pattern was found to influence the viscosity of the broth and lead to process improvements. Just diluting the fermentation broth to keep the viscosity below a preset value was seen to give only temporary process improvements. The higher the viscosity, the less effective the viscosity controlled dilutions. The failure to get full control over the viscosity by the dilution techniques used is caused by the large number of factors influencing the rheological properties of an Aspergillus niger culture. The factors shown in this work to influence the rheological properties of the fermentation broth were the biomass concentration, the specific growth rate, mixing qualities (impeller speed and working volume), and the dissolved oxygen concentration. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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.     

Ethanol production from sweet sorghum juice in batch and fed-batch fermentations by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

Sweet sorghum juice supplemented with 0.5% ammonium sulphate was used as a substrate for ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5048. In batch fermentation, kinetic parameters for ethanol production depended on initial cell and sugar concentrations. The optimum initial cell and sugar concentrations in the batch fermentation were 1 × 10⁸ cells ml⁻¹ and 24 °Bx respectively. At these conditions, ethanol concentration produced (P), yield (Y _ps) and productivity (Q _p ) were 100 g l⁻¹, 0.42 g g⁻¹ and 1.67 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ respectively. In fed-batch fermentation, the optimum substrate feeding strategy for ethanol production at the initial sugar concentration of 24 °Bx was one-time substrate feeding, where P, Y _ps and Q _p were 120 g l⁻¹, 0.48 g g⁻¹ and 1.11 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ respectively. These findings suggest that fed-batch fermentation improves the efficiency of ethanol production in terms of ethanol concentration and product yield.     

Structural control of electron-transfer properties in metalloproteins

Summary The factors that control long-range electron transfer between two redox centers in a protein are summarized. Rack-induced bonding in blue copper proteins is described. The protein conformation forces the Cu(II) ion into a distorted geometry, lying at least 70 kJ mol^–1 above the preferred square-planar geometry in energy. The distortion has the effect that the structural change associated with electron transfer is minimal and thus the reorganization energy small. Variations in back bonding are suggested to modulate the reduction potentials of blue proteins without any change in the energy of the charge-transfer transitions. In proton pumps there must be a structural control of the electron transfer rates (electron gating) and model studies suggest that this is best achieved by variations in the reorganization energy.     

Influence of fermentation metabolites on redox potential in anaerobic digestion of proteinaceous solid wastes by Synergistes sp.

The anaerobic digestion of animal fleshing from tannery solid waste was investigated with regard to hydrolytic enzymes, protease and lipase, fermentative enzyme deaminase, soluble protein and amino acids, redox potential (Eh), volatile fatty acids, ammonia and carbon dioxide up to 120 h of retention time. The release of these fermentation metabolites at various retention times greatly influenced the Eh. In the hydrolytic phase, the maximum value of Eh was ?50 mV and it reached the minimum of ?350 mV in 24 h in the fermentative phase. The minimum and maximum values of Eh were ?387 and ?452 mV at 80 h of anaerobic digestion. The release of extracellular metabolites was confirmed by HPLC and GC‐MS. In this study, we have found that the ammonia and pH had a substantial influence on the Eh during the anaerobic digestion of animal fleshing.     

氧化还原电位对Actinobacillus succinogenes厌氧发酵生产丁二酸的影响

为提高琥珀酸放线菌Actinobacillus succinogenes CGMCC1593厌氧发酵产丁二酸的水平。研究了以葡萄糖为C源,发酵液中不同氧化还原电位（VORP）对A．succirtogenes CGMCC1593生长和代谢产物分布的影响。结果表明：菌体生长和丁二酸积累的较佳VORP分别为-220mV和-270mV;利用代谢流分析法,比较VORP在-220mV和-270mV时发酵对数生长期（8h）和稳定期（20h）的代谢通量分布,以及发酵过程中磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸（PEP）、丙酮酸（Pyr）节点,NADH通量分配的变化,由此得出在VORP为-270mV时,NADH总通量和丁二酸方向代谢通量增幅明显。在发酵过程中,通过降低VORP至-270mV,使丁二酸的产率从70％提高到85％。     

Aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in Entamoeba histolytica

Respiration by Entamoeba histolylica is confirmed. A doubling of the rate of oxygen uptake was observed upon the addition of d-glucose to cells in which the glycogen reserve had been partially depleted. In cells metabolizing endogenous substrates the rate of oxygen uptake was not influenced by sodium cyanide or sodium succinate. It was slightly depressed when d-mannose was the added sugar. The end products, CO₂, ethanol, and acetate accounted for essentially all of the glucose carbon utilized in both aerobic and anaerobic experiments. The radioactivity from uniformly labelled ¹⁴C-glucose was found in these products. Three times as much ethanol as acetate was produced in the anaerobic experiments and in the aerobic experiments this ratio was approximately reversed.     

Anti-cooperativity in the two electron oxidation of the S118C disulfide dimer of azurin

We have constructed a disulfide dimer of S118C azurin, in which two copper centers are coupled through a relatively short covalent pathway, and studied its electron transfer properties. The dimer exhibits intriguing mechanistic properties. Due to the strain in the molecule, caused by the limited accessibility of Cys118, anti-cooperativity occurs in the two step oxidation of the dimer with a difference in redox potential between the two half reactions of 33 mV. Upon oxidation, the dimer favours the semi-reduced over the fully oxidized state, as the Cu(I) site in the semi-reduced dimer is able to stabilize the strained dimer complex. The internal electron transfer is surprisingly slow, which could be partially due to an increase in reorganization energy.     

The effect of ambient redox potential on the transient electron spin echo signals observed in chloroplasts and photosynthetic algae

Time-resolved electron spin echo (ESE) studies were carried out at room temperature on chloroplast preparations and whole cells of photosynthetic algae. The signals observed exhibit the unexpected special ESE signal which we have proposed to be the result of transient interactions between P⁺-700 and an early electron acceptor of Photosystem I (Thurnauer, M.C. and Norris, J.R. (1980) Chem. Phys. Lett. 76, 557–561). The intensity of the special ESE signal decreases with the chemical reduction of the Center A-Center B complex. The results suggest that in the untreated photosynthetic systems we are initially observing P⁺-700 as it interacts with the reduced acceptor which precedes the Center A-Center B complex. Then the decay of the special ESE signal (approx. 170 ns) gives the lifetime of this reduced acceptor as it participates in forward electron transport.     

Electrostatics of the FeS clusters in respiratory complex I

Respiratory complex I couples the transfer of electrons from NADH to ubiquinone and the translocation of protons across the mitochondrial membrane. A detailed understanding of the midpoint reduction potentials (E_m) of each redox center and the factors which influence those potentials are critical in the elucidation of the mechanism of electron transfer in this enzyme. We present accurate electrostatic interaction energies for the iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters of complex I to facilitate the development of models and the interpretation of experiments in connection to electron transfer (ET) in this enzyme. To calculate redox titration curves for the FeS clusters it is necessary to include interactions between clusters, which in turn can be used to refine E_m values and validate spectroscopic assignments of each cluster. Calculated titration curves for clusters N4, N5, and N6a are discussed. Furthermore, we present some initial findings on the electrostatics of the redox centers of complex I under the influence of externally applied membrane potentials. A means of determining the location of the FeS cofactors within the holo-complex based on electrostatic arguments is proposed. A simple electrostatic model of the protein/membrane system is examined to illustrate the viability of our hypothesis.     

Production of mannitol by Lactobacillus intermedius NRRL B-3693 in fed-batch and continuous cell-recycle fermentations

Improved fermentation processes were developed for the production of mannitol by a heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium (Lactobacillus intermedius NRRL B-3693). A fed-batch fermentation protocol overcame limitations caused by high substrate concentrations. The process was developed using corn steep liquor and glucose as inexpensive industrial nutrient sources, supplemented with a small amount of soy peptone and manganese. The fed-batch process resulted in a concentration of 176 ± 0.5 g mannitol from 184 ± 0 g fructose and 92 ± 0.1 g glucose per L of final fermentation broth in 30 h with a volumetric productivity of 5.9 g/(L h). Further increases in volumetric productivity of mannitol were obtained in a continuous cell-recycle fermentation process that reached more than 40 g/(L h), despite reduced mannitol levels of 78–98 g/L and residual substrate of 10–20 g/L. This is the first report of such a high volumetric productivity of mannitol by a heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium.     

Electrostatic role of the non-heme iron complex in bacterial photosynthetic reaction center

To elucidate the role of the non-heme iron complex (Fe-complex) in the electron transfer (ET) events of bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (bRC), we calculated redox potentials of primary/secondary quinones Q(A/B) (E(m)(Q(A/B))) in the Fe-depleted bRC. Removing the Fe-complex, the calculated E(m)(Q(A/B)) are downshifted by approximately 220 mV/ approximately 80 mV explaining both the 15-fold decrease in ET rate from bacteriopheophytin (H(A)(-)) to Q(A) and triplet state occurrence in Fe-depleted bRC. The larger downshift in E(m)(Q(A)) relative to E(m)(Q(B)) increases the driving-energy for ET from Q(A) to Q(B) by 140 meV, in agreement with approximately 100 meV increase derived from kinetic studies.     

Surface potential and reaction of the membrane-bound electron transfer components. II. Integrity of the chloroplast membrane and reaction of P-700

Electrostatic characteristics of the membrane surface in the vicinity of P-700 were estimated by analyzing the salt and detergent effects on its reaction rate with ionic reagents using the Gouy-Chapman diffuse double layer theory in various preparations of chloroplasts.

Upon disruption of thylakoid membranes by sonic treatment or by treatment with digitonin, the reaction rate markedly increased, while the estimated surface charge density became smaller.

It was concluded that the membrane surface which determines the reaction rate between P-700 and the ionic reagents changed as the disruption of thylakoid structure. The outer thylakoid surface had more negative charges than the inner one.

Changes in the electrical potential profile across the thylakoid membrane during the illumination were also discussed from these results.