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PubMed1999

Identification and reconstitution of an isoform of the 116-kDa subunit of the vacuolar proton translocating ATPase.

We have identified a cDNA encoding an isoform of the 116-kDa subunit of the bovine vacuolar proton translocating ATPase. The predicted protein sequence of the new isoform, designated a2, consists of 854 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 98,010 Da; it has approximately 50% identity to the original isoform (a1) we described (Peng, S.-B., Crider, B. P., Xie, X.-S., and Stone, D.K. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 17262-17266). Sequence comparison indicates that the a2 isoform is the bovine homologue of a 116-kDa polypeptide identified in mouse as an immune regulatory factor (Lee, C.-K., Ghoshal, K., and Beaman, K.D. (1990) Mol. Immunol. 27, 1137-1144). The bovine a1 and a2 isoforms share strikingly similar structures with hydrophilic amino-terminal halves that are composed of more than 30% charged residues and hydrophobic carboxyl-terminal halves that contain 6-8 transmembrane regions. Northern blot analysis demonstrates that isoform a2 is highly expressed in lung, kidney, and spleen. To determine the possible role of the a2 isoform in vacuolar proton pump function, we purified from bovine lung a vacuolar pump proton channel (VO) containing isoform a2. This VO conducts bafilomycin-sensitive proton flow after reconstitution and acid activation, and supports proton pumping activity after assembly with the catalytic sector (V1) of vacuolar-type proton translocating ATPase (V-ATPase) and sub-58-kDa doublet, a 50-57-kDa polypeptide heterodimer required for V-ATPase function. These data indicate that the a2 isoform of the 116-kDa polypeptide functions as part of the proton channel of V-ATPases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Voltage-dependent proton fluxes in liposomes.

Liposomes containing buffered KCl were prepared from bacterial lipids, were diluted into K+-free media and were treated with valinomycin to induce the formation of a diffusion potential (delta psi). Upon formation of such a potential, substantial proton influx was observed, as assayed by the quenching of 9-aminoacridine fluorescence. Complete reversal of fluorescence quenching occurred when the potential was collapsed by addition of KCl or when methylamine was added. Studies of proton influx as a function of the theoretical magnitude of the delta psi indicated that the phenomenon occurred only above a delta psi of about -60 mV. Establishment of a Na+ diffusion potential also resulted in proton influx. Treatment of K+-loaded liposomes with N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide did not reduce the delta psi-dependent proton influx. Moreover, proton influx could be demonstrated upon imposition of a diffusion potential in liposomes prepared from a synthetic lipid. The proton fluxes associated with generation of a diffusion potential in liposomes may complicate studies of reconstituted systems in which proton translocation should occur, and may affect the magnitude of the electrochemical proton gradient that is operant under some conditions.

Aminacrine↗
PubMed1990

The proton leak across the mitochondrial inner membrane.

The proton conductance of the mitochondrial inner membrane increases at high protonmotive force in isolated mitochondria and in mitochondria in situ in rat hepatocytes. Quantitative analysis of its importance shows that about 20-30% of the oxygen consumption by resting hepatocytes is used to drive a heat-producing cycle of proton pumping by the respiratory chain and proton leak back to the matrix. The flux control coefficient of the proton leak pathway over respiration rate varies between 0.9 and zero in mitochondria depending on the rate of respiration, and has a value of about 0.2 in hepatocytes. Changes in the proton leak pathway in situ will therefore change respiration rate. Mitochondria isolated from hypothyroid animals have decreased proton leak pathway, causing slower state 4 respiration rates. Hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats also have decreased proton leak pathway, and this accounts for about 30% of the decrease in hepatocyte respiration rate. Mitochondrial proton leak may be a significant contributor to standard metabolic rate in vivo.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of the interaction of NADH with proton pumping E. coli transhydrogenase reconstituted in the absence and in the presence of bacteriorhodopsin.

(1) Proton-pumping nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase from Escherichia coli was purified in a reconstitutively active form employing affinity chromatography on immobilized palmitoyl-Coenzyme A. Reconstituted transhydrogenase showed an active proton pumping and a stimulation of the rate of reduction of 3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ by NADPH by uncouplers. Reconstitution in the absence of a thiol-reducing agent, e.g. dithiothreitol, abolished proton pumping without affecting catalytic activity, giving a decoupled transhydrogenase. (2) Co-reconstitution of transhydrogenase with bacteriorhodopsin gave vesicles which catalyzed a 5-10-fold increased rate of reduction of thio-NADP+ by NADH in the light. The Km for NADH, but not that for thio-NADP+, decreased markedly in the light, indicating an effect of the electrochemical proton potential on the affinity of the enzyme for NADH. Inhibition by substrate derivatives in the absence or presence of light supported this conclusion. Replacement of NADH with 2'-deoxy-NADH gave a strongly sigmoidal concentration dependence, indicating an allosteric change induced by binding to the NAD(H)-site. (3) Reduction of 3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ by NADH in the presence of NADPH, previously demonstrated to be catalyzed by both reconstituted bovine transhydrogenase and detergent-dispersed E. coli transhydrogenase, occurred at a pH below 6.5. This reaction did not pump protons. Proton pumping by 3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ plus NADPH occurred at a pH above 5.5. The two reactions were thus close to mutually exclusive, with a cross point at pH 5.8. Assuming a helix bundle structure of the membrane domain of transhydrogenase, a model is proposed involving histidine 91 of the beta subunit which previously was shown to be essential by site-directed mutagenesis. According to the model the extent of protonation of this histidine determines whether proton pumping or the NADH-3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ reaction takes place.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗
PubMed1980

Effects of ATP and protons on the Na : K selectivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase studied by ligand effects on intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence.

The effect of pH and of ATP on the Na : K selectivity of the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase has been tested under equilibrium conditions. The Na+ : K+-induced change in intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and in fluorescence of eosin maleimide bound to the system has been used as a tool. 1 mol of eosin maleimide per mol of enzyme gives no loss in either ATPase or phosphatase activity and the fluorescence in the presence of Na+ is about 30% higher than in the presence of K+. Choline, protonated Tris, protonated histidine and Mg2+ have an 'Na+' effect on the extrinsic fluorescence, while Rb+, Cs+ and NH4+ have a 'K+' effect. Choline and protonated Tris have an Na+ effect on intrinsic fluorescence. A close correlation between the effect of Na+ compared to K+ on the fluorescence change and on Na+ activation of hydrolysis indicates that the observed changes in fluorescence are due to an effect of Na+ and of K+ on the internal sites of the system. The equilibrium between the two conformations, which are reflected by the difference in fluorescence with Na+ and K+, respectively, is highly influenced by the concentration of protons. At a given Na+ : K+ ratio, an increase in the proton concentration shifts the equilibrium towards the 'K+' fluorescence form while a decrease shifts the equilibrium towards the 'Na+' fluorescence form, i.e., protons increase the apparent affinity for K+ and vice versa, K+ increases pK values of importance for the Na+ : K+ selectivity. Conversely, a decrease in protons increases the apparent affinity for Na+ and vice versa, Na+ decreases the pK. ATP decreases the apparent pK for the protonation-deprotonation, i.e., ATP facilitates the deprotonation which accompanies Na+ binding. The results suggest two effects of ATP for the hydrolysis in the presence of Na+ and K+ : (i) at low ATP concentrations (K0.5 < 10 microM) on the K+-Na+ exchange on the internal sites and (ii) at higher, substrate, concentrations on the activation by K+ on the external sites.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1981

Probing the micelle/water interface by a rapid laser-induced proton pulse.

The laser-induced pH jump (Gutman, M. and Huppert, D.J. (1979) Biochem. Biophys. Methods 1, 9-19) has a time resolution capable of measuring the diffusion-controlled rate constant of proton binding. In the present study we employed this technique for measuring the kinetics of protonation-deprotonation of surface groups of macromolecules. The heterogeneous surface of proteins excludes them from serving as a simple model, therefore we used micelles of a neutral detergent (Brij 58) as a high molecular weight structure. The charge was varied by the addition of a low concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate and the surface group with which the protons react was an adsorbed pH indicator (bromocresol green or neutral red). The dissociation of a proton from adsorbed bromocresol green is slower than that from free indicator. This effect is attributed to the enhanced stabilization of the acid form of the indicator in the pallisade region of the micelle. The pK shift of bromocresol green adsorbed on neutral micelles is thus quantitatively accounted for by the decreased rate of proton dissociation. Indicators such as neutral red, which are more lipid soluble in their alkaline form, do not exhibit such decelerated proton dissociation in their adsorbed state nor a pK shift on adsorption to neutral micelles. The protonation of an indicator is a diffusion-controlled reaction, whether it is free in solution or adsorbed on micelles. By varying the electric charge of the micelle this rate can be accelerated or decelerated depending on the total charge of the micelle. The micellar charge calculated from this method was corroborated by other measurements which rely only on equilibrium parameters. The high time resolution of the pH jump is exemplified by the ability to estimate the diffusion coefficient of protons through the hydrated shell of the micelle.

Colloids↗
PubMed1989

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance assignments.

The procedures outlined here have been used successfully for more than 30 proteins to date, and are nearly routine for molecules up to a molecular weight of 10,000. Some of the proteins assigned have a molecular weight greater than 10,000. For these larger proteins, relayed-COSY and TOCSY experiments have been essential for the identification of spin systems, although for thioredoxin these experiments could not be used. In this case, assignments were accomplished using nonspecific deuteration to the level of 75% and specific, nearly complete, deuteration of certain kinds of residues (see LeMaster [2], this volume). Nonspecific deuteration reduces the cross-relaxation rates of each proton to the rest of the molecule, thus reducing the linewidths. The cross-peak patterns were also narrowed due to simplification of the coupling patterns. Such a laborious procedure of nonspecific deuteration may not be necessary for complete proton assignments of proteins in this size range, as evidenced by the fact that this method was not used for the other two molecules mentioned above. It may prove, however, to be quite valuable in the study of larger molecules, where linewidths are expected to increase due to longer rotational correlation times. Overlap problems in the NH chemical shifts can be dealt with by making use of the differential temperature dependence of these shifts. Another technique is to take advantage of the wide range of exchange rates between these protons and the solvent. Spectra containing only the slowly exchanging NH protons can be obtained by acquiring spectra of the protein soon after dilution in D2O, and spectra of only the rapidly exchanging protons can be obtained by obtaining spectra in a freshly prepared H2O solution of the protein after having completely exchanged all the NH protons with deuterium. Variation of the pH will resolve problems of overlap in all regions of the spectrum, although many chemical shifts may be unaffected by pH. In some cases, pH variation may change the conformation of the molecule. This may, in fact, assist in the sequential assignment if the chemical shifts can be followed with pH. Finally, the relayed-NOESY experiments can resolve overlap problems with the alpha-proton chemical shifts. Thus, it is very likely that the assignment methods outlined here will be successful for the assignment of the proton spectra of even larger molecules if there is significant secondary structure and significant variety of residues to provide enough dispersion of the chemical shifts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bacteriorhodopsin: a paradigm for proton pumps?

Recent studies of the photochemistry of wild type and mutant bacteriorhodopsins, their proton release and uptake kinetics, and their X-ray diffraction structure have suggested a hypothesis for the way energy is coupled in this light-driven proton pump. The first and critical step in converting light energy to a vectorial proton potential is the transfer of the Schiff base proton to D85 which causes dissociation of the Schiff base-counterion complex. Removal of this primarily coulombic interaction destabilizes the protein structure, and results in transition to an alternative conformation in which the two proton conduction pathways between the active site and the membrane surfaces are reorganized. Recovery of the initial charge state of the Schiff base and D85 must therefore occur through a series of unidirectional proton transfers that create a transmembrane electrochemical proton gradient. Passage of the transported proton through the two peripheral protein domains appears to utilize hydrogen bonded networks containing aspartate, arginine and bound water. This kind of mutual interaction between the active site and the protein conformation that determines the conductive pathways to the two membrane surfaces may have relevance to ion pumps in general.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1993

MR imaging of fat-containing tissues: valuation of two quantitative imaging techniques in comparison with localized proton spectroscopy.

Since lipid protons, consisting mainly of triacylglycerols (TAG), are rather mobile, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is ideally suited for the examination of fat-containing tissues such as bone marrow. In contrast to water protons, however, lipid protons are chemically distinct and give rise to at least eight resonance peaks with different T1 and T2 relaxation times in the 1H spectrum. This is why the characterization of fat-containing tissues by quantitative MRI is much more difficult than that of most other tissues. In our study we wanted to examine the accuracy and the potential of a 1H chemical shift imaging (CSI) technique and a multiple spin-echo imaging (MSEI) technique. A stimulated-echo (STEAM) sequence for spatially localized proton spectroscopy was used as the reference method. In the first part of this paper, we describe quantitative imaging experiments which were performed to assess the accuracy of the fat-water separation according to the Dixon method and the bi-exponential decomposition of the MSEI data. For that purpose, we used a two-compartment phantom filled with either an aqueous Gd-DTPA solution and vegetable oil or with two different aqueous Gd-DTPA solutions, respectively. The analysis of the 1H CSI data revealed that the presence of non-methylen protons in neutral fats leads to a slight under-estimation (of about 15%) of the relative fat fraction. The error is described theoretically and verified quantitatively by STEAM measurements. The bi-exponential analysis of the transverse relaxation data, on the other hand, yields reliable T2 values if the relative proton density of both components is higher than 15%. IN the second part of our investigation, the same techniques were applied to acquire data from the subcutaneous fatty tissue, the femoral head, and the lumbar vertebrae of three healthy volunteers. In the bone marrow spectra, only two broad resonances could be resolved; they were superpositions of diverse molecular groups with different T1 and T2 relaxation times. In these cases, localized proton spectroscopy does not provide additional information with respect to 1H CSI. The MSEI data of the three examined fat containing tissue regions were adequately fitted by a bi-exponential function despite the fact that there were much more chemically distinct protons present in fatty tissues.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

Understanding the cytochrome c oxidase proton pump: thermodynamics of redox linkage.

The cytochrome c oxidase complex (CcO) catalyzes the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water by using electrons from ferrocytochrome c. Redox free energy released in this highly exergonic process is utilized to drive the translocation of protons across a transmembrane electrochemical gradient. Although numerous chemical models of proton pumping have been developed, few attempts have been made to explain the stepwise transfer of energy in the context of proposed protein conformational changes. A model is described that seeks to clarify the thermodynamics of the proton pumping function of CcO and that illustrates the importance of electron and proton gating to prevent the occurrence of the more exergonic electron leak and proton slip reactions. The redox energy of the CcO-membrane system is formulated in terms of a multidimensional energy surface projected into two dimensions, a nuclear coordinate associated with electron transfer and a nuclear coordinate associated with elements of the proton pump. This model provides an understanding of how a transmembrane electrochemical gradient affects the efficiency of the proton pumping process. Specifically, electron leak and proton slip reactions become kinetically viable as a result of the greater energy barriers that develop for the desired reactions in the presence of a transmembrane potential.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2002

Reliability of proton and goldmann applanation tonometers in normal and postkeratoplasty eyes.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the reliability of intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements with the ProTon tonometer and the Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT) in normal and post-penetrating keratoplasty (post-PK) eyes. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized, comparative case series. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four individuals (48 eyes) with no known ocular disorder and 59 patients (59 eyes) that had undergone penetrating keratoplasty (PK) were included in the normal and post-PK groups, respectively. METHODS: Three readings at 5-minute intervals each were obtained with GAT and ProTon in both the groups. Each reading with ProTon was a mean of five accepted readings with the highest accuracy (standard error of mean, <0.5 mmHg). In post-PK eyes with more than 3.00 diopters of astigmatism or with irregular astigmatism, the mean of two readings taken with GAT in the steepest and flattest axis was considered to be the IOP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The IOP measurements in all groups were compared using a two-tail paired t test. The coefficient of repeatability and Cronbach's coefficient alpha were calculated separately for the IOP measured using both instruments in each group. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the second (r1) and third (r2) IOP reading using the GAT and ProTon tonometers in normal and post-PK eyes. The coefficients of repeatability for GAT and ProTon were 2.64 and 2.49 in normal versus 3.72 and 3.47 in the post-PK group. The Cronbach's alpha for GAT and ProTon was 0.94 and 0.95 in the normal group versus 0.95 for both GAT and ProTon in the post-PK group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that the ProTon tonometer is reliable and comparable with GAT for recording IOP in normal and post-PK eyes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Kinetics for exchange of imino protons in deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and hybrid oligonucleotide helices.

The lifetime for opening of individual base pairs in a DNA (dCA5G + dCT5G), and RNA (rCA5G + rCU5G), and a hybrid DNA-RNA (rCA5G + dCT5G) helix have been measured by proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The lifetimes were obtained by saturation recovery experiments performed on the hydrogen-bonding imino protons of the Watson-Crick base pairs. In these oligonucleotide helices the observed relaxation rates were dominated by exchange with water, with the magnetic spin-lattice relaxation time of the imino protons possibly being important only at the lowest temperatures in the DNA helix. It was shown that three interior base pairs in the DNA heptamer dCA5G + dCT5G were in the open-limited region, which means that these imino protons exchange every time the base pair opens. The lifetime of the terminal G X C base pairs in the DNA helix are much shorter than the interior A X T base pairs. The pH dependence of the terminal base pairs indicated that the ends of the helix open and close many times before exchange of the imino protons with water takes place. The temperature dependence of the lifetimes of the interior A X T imino protons in the DNA helix showed that these protons exchange only when the double helix has dissociated into single strands. Thus, these lifetimes measure the rate for dissociation of the double helix. The activation energy for this process was found to be 47 kcal/mol. Comparison of the lifetimes of the interior protons in the DNA, RNA, and hybrid helices showed that the rates of dissociation of the RNA and hybrid helices are very similar at 5 degrees C, whereas the rate for the DNA helix was approximately 1 order of magnitude smaller than that for the other two helices. The reasons for the differences in the kinetics of the three helices are discussed, as are the general dynamics of oligonucleotide helices in solution.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Structure of the anthramycin-d(ATGCAT)2 adduct from one- and two-dimensional proton NMR experiments in solution.

One- and two-dimensional 400-MHz proton NMR experiments are used to examine the solution structure of the covalent adduct formed by the interaction of anthramycin methyl ether with the self-complementary deoxyoligonucleotide d(ATGCAT)2. The concentration dependence of chemical shifts and nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) experiments are utilized to assign the adenine H2 protons within the minor groove for both free d(ATGCAT)2 and the adduct. These studies demonstrate that one of the four adenine H2 protons is in close proximity to the bound anthramycin and this results in its upfield shift of 0.3 ppm compared to the adenine H2 protons of the free duplex. Effects of the covalent attachment of anthramycin to the d(ATGCAT)2 duplex result in an increased shielding of selected deoxyribose protons located within the minor groove of the adduct, as demonstrated by two-dimensional autocorrelated (COSY) NMR techniques. Interactions between the protons of the covalently attached anthramycin and the d(ATGCAT)2 duplex are determined by utilizing two-dimensional NOE (NOESY) techniques. Analysis of these data reveals NOE cross-peaks between the anthramycin methyl, H6, and H7 protons with specific deoxyoligonucleotide protons within the minor groove, thus allowing the orientation of the drug within the minor groove to be determined. Nonselective inversion recovery (T1) relaxation experiments are used to probe the structural and dynamic properties of the anthramycin-d(ATGCAT)2 adduct. These data suggest that the binding of anthramycin alters the correlation time of the d(ATGCAT)2 duplex and stabilizes both of the internal A X T base pairs with respect to solvent exchange.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anthramycin↗
PubMed1986

Variation of nonexchangeable proton resonance chemical shifts as a probe of aberrant base pair formation in DNA.

Variation of nonexchangeable proton resonance chemical shifts for deoxycytidine and deoxy-adenosine as a function of protonation and imino tautomer formation has been determined. Protonation induces downfield shifts of proton resonances whereas formation of the rare imino tautomer induces upfield shifts. Titration curves are constructed on the basis of spectrophotometrically determined pK values. Excellent fit is obtained between theoretical titration curves and experimental data, which indicates that chemical shifts of base protons may be used to quantitatively determine the relative concentrations of either rare imino tautomeric conformations or protonated base forms. These data may be utilized as an aid in the elucidation of the nature of hydrogen bonding between mismatched base pairs in DNA oligomers containing cytosine or adenine residues. These data, in conjunction with the oligonucleotide study of Patel et al. [Patel, D. J., Kozlowski, S.A., Ikuta, S., & Itakura, K. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 3218-3226], have been used to rigorously argue the existence of a "protonated" adenine residue in the A-C mismatch. This structure allows reconciliation of the NMR solution data with crystallographic data [Hunter, W.N., Brown, T., Anand, N.N., & Kennard, O. (1986) Nature (London) 320, 552-555], which support the protonated base pair.

Base Composition↗
PubMed1976

A simple, quantitative approach to the coupling of photophosphorylation to electron flow in terms of proton fluxes.

A simple relationship between observed phosphorylation efficiencies (P/e ratios) and internal proton concentration in spinach chloroplast thylakoids has been derived. P/e ratios, varked by either changing the light intensity or by adding the energy transfer inhibitor, 4'-deoxyphlorizin, were found to change with internal proton concentration in accordance with this relationship. A quantitative prediction of the effect of uncouplers on the P/e ratio can probably also be made. By extrapolation of plots of observed P/e ratios against internal proton concentration divided by the overall rate of electron flow, a maximum intrinsic P/e of about 0.66 is obtained. Assuming that two protons appear inside thylakoids per electron transferred, a P/e ratio of 0.66 suggests that three internal protons are consumed for each ATP formed. Internal protons may be considered to be substrates for the phosphorylation reaction. Hill plots of phosphorylation rate vs. internal proton concentration also indicate that three protons are consumed for each ATP synthesized. Thus, the H+ concentration gradient behaves quantitatively, as well as qualitatively, as if it is the connecting link between electron flow and phosphorylation in illuminated thylakoids.

Chloroplasts↗
PubMed1997

In bacterial reaction centers rapid delivery of the second proton to QB can be achieved in the absence of L212Glu.

In the reaction center (RC) of Rhodobacter capsulatus, residue L212Glu is a component of the pathway for proton transfer to the reduced secondary quinone, QB. We isolated phenotypic revertants of the photosynthetically incompetent (PS-) L212Glu-->Gln mutant; all of them retain the L212Glu-->Gln substitution and carry a second-site mutation: L227Leu-->Phe, L228Gly-->Asp, L231Arg-->Cys, or M231Arg-->Cys. We also characterized the L212Ala strain, which is a phenotypic revertant of the PS- L212Glu-L213Asp-->Ala-Ala mutant. The activities of the RCs of these strains--all of which lack L212Glu--were studied by flash-induced absorption spectroscopy. At pH 7.5, the rate of second electron transfer in the L212Q mutant is comparable to the wild-type rate. However, this mutant shows a marked decrease in the rate of cytochrome oxidation under strong continuous illumination and a very slow phase (0.66 s-1) of the proton transfer kinetics following the second flash, indicating that transfer of the second proton to QB is slowed more than 1000-fold. The levels of recovery of the functional capabilities in the revertant RCs vary widely; their rates of cytochrome oxidation were intermediate between those of the wild-type and the L212Q mutant. The kinetics of proton transfer following the second flash show a significant recovery in the L212Q + M231C and L212A RCs (330-540 s-1), but the L212Q + L227F RCs recover this function only partially. Compensation for the lack of L212Glu in revertant RCs is discussed in terms of (i) conformational changes that could allow water molecules to approach closer to QB and/or (ii) the increase in the negative electrostatic environment and the resultant rise in the free energy level of QB- that is induced by the mutations. The stoichiometries of H+/QB- proton uptake below pH 7.5 in the L212Q mutant, the L212Q + M231C revertant, and the wild-type strains are essentially equivalent, suggesting that L212Glu is protonated at neutral pH in wild-type RCs. This is also supported by the P+QB- charge recombination data. Comparison of H+/QB- proton uptake data with those obtained previously for the stoichiometries of H+/QA- proton uptake [Miksovska, J., Maróti, P., Tandori, J., Schiffer, M., Hanson, D. K., Sebban, P. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 15411-15417] suggests that L212Glu is the key to the electrostatic and perhaps structural interaction between the two quinone sites.

Cytochrome c Group↗
PubMed2003

The crystallographic structure of a Lewis acid-assisted chiral Brønsted acid as an enantioselective protonation reagent for silyl enol ethers.

It is difficult to control the enantioselectivity in the protonation of silyl enol ethers with simple chiral Brønsted acids, mainly due to bond flexibility between the proton and its chiral counterion, the orientational flexibility of the proton, and the fact that the proton sources available are limited to acidic compounds such as chiral carboxylic acids. To overcome these difficulties, we have developed a Lewis acid-assisted chiral Brønsted acid (LBA) system. The coordination of Lewis acids with Brønsted acids restricts the orientation of protons and increases their acidity. Optically active binaphthol (BINOL) derivative.SnCl4 complexes are very effective as enantioselective protonation reagents for silyl enol ethers. However, their exact structures have not yet been determined. We describe here optically active 1,2-diarylethane-1,2-diol derivative.SnCl4 as a new type of LBA for the enantioselective protonation as well as its crystallographic structure. A variety of optically active 1,2-diarylethane-1,2-diols could be readily prepared by asymmetric syn-dihydroxylation. This is a great advantage over BINOL for the flexible design of a new LBA. The most significant finding is that we were able to specify the conformational direction of the H-O bond of LBA, which has some asymmetric inductivity, by X-ray diffraction analysis. The stereochemical course in the enantioselective protonation of silyl enol ethers using LBA would be controlled by a linear OH/pi interaction with an initial step. The absolute stereopreference in enantioselective reactions using BINOL.SnCl4 can also be explained in terms of this uniformly mechanistic interpretation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Protons in supercritical water: a multistate empirical valence bond study.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to analyze microscopic details related to aqueous solvation of excess protons along the supercritical T = 673 K isotherm, spanning a density interval from a typical liquid down to vapor environments. The simulation methodology relies on a multistate empirical valence bond Hamiltonian model that includes a proton translocation mechanism. Our results predict a gradual stabilization of the solvated Eigen cation [H(3)O.(H(2)O)(3)](+) at lower densities, in detriment of the symmetric Zundel dimer [H.(H(2)O)(2)](+). At all densities, the average solvation structure in the close vicinity of the hydronium is characterized by three hydrogen bond acceptor water molecules and presents minor changes in the solute water distances. Characteristic times for the proton translocation jumps have been computed using population relaxation time correlation functions. Compared to room temperature results, the rates at high densities are 4 times faster and become progressively slower in steamlike environments. Diffusion coefficients for the excess proton have also been computed. In agreement with conductometric data, our results show that contributions from the Grotthus mechanism to the overall proton transport diminish at lower densities and predict that in steamlike environments, the proton diffusion is almost 1 order of magnitude slower than that for pure water. Spectroscopic information for the solvated proton is accordant to the gradual prevalence of proton localization in Eigen-like structures at lower densities.

Journal Article↗