Use of Ruthenium Photooxidation Techniques to Study Electron Transfer in the Cytochrome bc1 Complex

摘要

>Ruthenium photooxidation methods are presented to study electron transfer between the cytochrome bc1 complex and cytochrome c, and within the cytochrome bc1 complex. Methods are described to prepare a ruthenium cytochrome c derivative, Ruz-39-Cc, by labeling the single sulfhydryl on yeast H39C;C102T iso-1-Cc with the reagent Ru(bpz)2(4-bromomethyl-4′-methylbipyridine). The ruthenium complex attached to Cys-39 on the opposite side of Cc from the heme crevice does not affect the interaction with cyt bc1. Laser excitation of reduced Ruz-39-Cc results in photooxidation of heme c within 1 μs with a yield of 20%. Flash photolysis of a 1:1 complex between reduced yeast cytochrome bc1 and Ruz-39-Cc leads to electron transfer from heme c1 to heme c with a rate constant of 1.4 × 10⁴ s^-1. Methods are described for the use of the ruthenium dimer, Ru2D, to photooxidize cyt c1 in the cytochrome bc1 complex within 1 μs with a yield of 20%. Electron transfer from the Rieske iron-sulfur center [2Fe2S] to cyt c1 was detected with a rate constant of 6 × 10⁴ s^-1 in R. sphaeroides cyt bc1 using this method. This electron transfer step is rate-limited by the rotation of the Rieske iron-sulfur protein in a conformational gating mechanism. This method provides critical information on the dynamics of rotation of the iron-sulfur protein (ISP) as it transfers electrons from QH2 in the Qo site to cyt c₁ These ruthenium photooxidation methods can be used to measure many of the electron transfer reactions in cytochrome bc₁ complexes from any source.