Electron transfer cytochromes

Electron-transfer chains in plants differ in several striking aspects from their mammalian counterparts. Plant mitochondria are well known to contain alternative oxidase that couples oxidation of hydroquinones (e.g., ubiquinol) directly to reduction of oxygen. Semiquinones (anion-radicals) and superoxide ions are formed in such reactions. The alternative oxidase thus provides a bypass to the conventional cytochrome electron-transfer pathway and allows plants to respire in the presence of compounds such as cyanides and carbon monoxide. There are a number of studies on this problem (e.g., see Affourtit et al. 2000, references therein). 

Cytochrome Electron Transfers in Photosynthetic Bacteria can be Temperature Insensitive.184... 

Figure C3.2.5. Strongest tunnelling patliways between surface histidines and tire iron atom in cytochrome c. Steps in patliways are denoted by solid lines (covalent bonds), dashed lines (hydrogen bonds), and tlirough-space contacts (dotted lines). Electron transfer distance to His 72 is 5 A shorter tlian in His 66, yet tire two rates are approximately...

Cytochromes c (Cyt c) can be defined as electron- transfer proteins having one or several haem c groups, bound to the protein by one or, more commonly two, thioether bonds. Cyt c possesses a wide range of properties and function in a large number of different redox processes. 

Although not discussed in detail here, the normal mode analysis method has been used to calculate the electron transfer reorganization spectrum in / M-modified cytochrome c [65,66]. In this application the normal mode analysis fits comfortably into the theory of electron transfer. 

AK Churg, RM Weiss, A Warshel, T Takano. On the action of cytochrome c Correlating geometry changes upon oxidation with energies of electron transfer. J Phys Chem 87 1683-1694, 1983. 

Fig. 13. Arrhenius plot of k(T) for electron transfer from cytochrome c to the special pair of bacteriochlorophylls in the reaction center of c-vinosum.

The most conspicuous use of iron in biological systems is in our blood, where the erythrocytes are filled with the oxygen-binding protein hemoglobin. The red color of blood is due to the iron atom bound to the heme group in hemoglobin. Similar heme-bound iron atoms are present in a number of proteins involved in electron-transfer reactions, notably cytochromes. A chemically more sophisticated use of iron is found in an enzyme, ribo nucleotide reductase, that catalyzes the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides, an important step in the synthesis of the building blocks of DNA. 

All these intermediates except for cytochrome c are membrane-associated (either in the mitochondrial inner membrane of eukaryotes or in the plasma membrane of prokaryotes). All three types of proteins involved in this chain— flavoproteins, cytochromes, and iron-sulfur proteins—possess electron-transferring prosthetic groups. 

FIGURE 21.17 The electron transfer pathway for cytochrome oxidase. Cytochrome c binds on the cytosolic side, transferring electrons through the copper and heme centers to reduce O9 on the matrix side of the membrane. 

Cytochrome c oxidase contains two heme centers (cytochromes a and %) as well as two copper atoms (Figure 21.17). The copper sites, Cu and Cug, are associated with cytochromes a and respectively. The copper sites participate in electron transfer by cycling between the reduced (cuprous) Cu state and the oxidized (cupric) Cu state. (Remember, the cytochromes and copper sites are one-electron transfer agents.) Reduction of one oxygen molecule requires passage of four electrons through these carriers—one at a time (Figure... 

Thenoyltrifluoroacetone and carboxin and its derivatives specifically block Complex II, the succinate-UQ reductase. Antimycin, an antibiotic produced by Streptomyees griseus inhibits the UQ-cytochrome c reductase by blocking electron transfer between bn and coenzyme Q in the Q site. Myxothiazol inhibits the same complex by acting at the site. 

Electron Transfer Within the Cytochrome fig/Cytochrome/ Complex... 

Electron Transfer from the Cytochrome 6g/Cytochrome f Complex to PSI... 

FIGURE 22.18 Model of the R. viridis reaction center, (a, b) Two views of the ribbon diagram of the reaction center. Mand L subunits appear in purple and blue, respectively. Cytochrome subunit is brown H subunit is green. These proteins provide a scaffold upon which the prosthetic groups of the reaction center are situated for effective photosynthedc electron transfer. Panel (c) shows the spatial relationship between the various prosthetic groups (4 hemes, P870, 2 BChl, 2 BPheo, 2 quinones, and the Fe atom) in the same view as in (b), but with protein chains deleted. 

This impressive reaction is catalyzed by stearoyl-CoA desaturase, a 53-kD enzyme containing a nonheme iron center. NADH and oxygen (Og) are required, as are two other proteins cytochrome 65 reductase (a 43-kD flavo-protein) and cytochrome 65 (16.7 kD). All three proteins are associated with the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Cytochrome reductase transfers a pair of electrons from NADH through FAD to cytochrome (Figure 25.14). Oxidation of reduced cytochrome be, is coupled to reduction of nonheme Fe to Fe in the desaturase. The Fe accepts a pair of electrons (one at a time in a cycle) from cytochrome b and creates a cis double bond at the 9,10-posi-tion of the stearoyl-CoA substrate. Og is the terminal electron acceptor in this fatty acyl desaturation cycle. Note that two water molecules are made, which means that four electrons are transferred overall. Two of these come through the reaction sequence from NADH, and two come from the fatty acyl substrate that is being dehydrogenated. 

Cytochrome c oxidase contains two, or possibly three, copper atoms referred to as Cua and Cub since they do not fit into the usual classification. The former (possibly a dimer) is situated outside the mitochondrial membrane, whereas the latter is associated with an iron atom within the membrane. Both have electron transfer functions but details are as yet unclear. 

Scheme 10.3 Electron-transport systems associated with cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Arrows indicate electron transfer.

Atovaquone, a hydroxynaphthoquinone, selectively inhibits the respiratory chain of protozoan mitochondria at the cytochrome bcl complex (complex III) by mimicking the natural substrate, ubiquinone. Inhibition of cytochrome bcl disrupts the mitochondrial electron transfer chain and leads to a breakdown of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Atovaquone is effective against all parasite stages in humans, including the liver stages. 

Laccase, 6,699 copper, 6,654 cytochrome oxidases concerted electron transfer, 6,683 fungal... 

A more detailed study of the biological oxidation of sulphoxides to sulphones has been reported165. In this study cytochrome P-450 was obtained in a purified form from rabbit cells and was found to promote the oxidation of a series of sulphoxides to sulphones by NADPH and oxygen (equation 56). Kinetic measurements showed that the process proceeds by a one-electron transfer to the activated enzymatic intermediate [an oxenoid represented by (FeO)3+] according to equation (57). 

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