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Topographical organization of cytochrome b6 in the thylakoid membrane of spinach chloroplasts determined by fluorescence studies with N-cyclohexyl-N'-[4-(dimethylamino)naphthyl]carbodiimide.

In a recent study [Wang & Beattie (1992) Biochemistry 31, 8445-8459], we reported that dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) was bound to either aspartate-155 or glutamate-166 localized in an amphiphilic, non-membrane-spanning, helix of cytochrome. Moreover, DCCD inhibits proton translocation in a cytochrome bf complex reconstituted into proteoliposomes without significant inhibition of electron transfer, suggesting that the helix containing aspartate-155 and glutamate-166 may play a role in proton movements. In order to explore the environment of this amphiphilic helix, we employed a fluorescent derivative of DCCD, N-cyclohexyl-N'-[4-(dimethylamino)naphthyl]carbodiimide (NCD-4). After incubation of NCD-4 with a cytochrome bf complex isolated from spinach chloroplasts, a fluorescent compound was formed with a 331-nm excitation peak and 440-nm emission peak. NCD-4 was selectively bound to cytochrome b6 and inhibited proton translocation with only a minimal inhibitory effect on electron transfer in the cytochrome bf complex reconstituted into proteoliposomes. Exhaustive digestion of the NCD-4-labeled cytochrome b6 with trypsin resulted in the formation of a single 6-kDa fluorescent peptide with similar properties to the peptide labeled with radioactive DCCD. The fluorescence of NCD-4 bound to the cytochrome bf complex reconstituted into proteoliposomes was quenched by CAT-16, an amphiphilic spin label that intercalates at the membrane surface, as well as by nitroxide derivatives of stearic acid in the order 5-doxylstearic acid > 7-doxylstearic acid > 12-doxylstearic acid. At higher concentrations, the hydrophilic membrane-impermeant quenchers, CAT-1 and D-569, also quenched the fluorescence of NCD-4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure of the soluble domain of cytochrome f from the cyanobacterium Phormidium laminosum.

Cytochrome f from the photosynthetic cytochrome b(6)f complex is unique among c-type cytochromes in its fold and heme ligation. The 1. 9-A crystal structure of the functional, extrinsic portion of cytochrome f from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Phormidium laminosum demonstrates that an unusual buried chain of five water molecules is remarkably conserved throughout the biological range of cytochrome f from cyanobacteria to plants [Martinez et al. (1994) Structure 2, 95-105]. Structure and sequence conservation of the cytochrome f extrinsic portion is concentrated at the heme, in the buried water chain, and in the vicinity of the transmembrane helix anchor. The electrostatic surface potential is variable, so that the surface of P. laminosum cytochrome f is much more acidic than that from turnip. Cytochrome f is unrelated to cytochrome c(1), its functional analogue in the mitochondrial respiratory cytochrome bc(1) complex, although other components of the b(6)f and bc(1) complexes are homologous. Identical function of the two complexes is inferred for events taking place at sites of strong sequence conservation. Conserved sites throughout the entire cytochrome b(6)f/bc(1) family include the cluster-binding domain of the Rieske protein and the heme b and quinone-binding sites on the electrochemically positive side of the membrane within the b cytochrome, but not the putative quinone-binding site on the electrochemically negative side.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Sulfide-induced sulfide-quinone reductase activity in thylakoids of Oscillatoria limnetica.

Sulfide-dependent partial electron-transport reactions were studied in thylakoids isolated from cells of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria limnetica, which had been induced to perform sulfide-driven anoxygenic photosynthesis. It was found that these thylakoids have the capacity to catalyze electron transfer, from sulfide to externally added quinones, in the dark. Assay conditions were developed to measure the reaction either as quinone-dependent sulfide oxidation (colorimetrically) or as sulfide-dependent quinone reduction (by UV dual-wavelength spectrophotometry). The main features of this reaction are as follows. (i) It is exclusively catalyzed by thylakoids of sulfide-induced cells. Noninduced thylakoids lack this reaction. (ii) Plastoquinone-1 or -2 are equally good substrates. Ubiquinone-1 and duroquinone yield somewhat slower rates. (iii) The apparent Km for plastoquinone-1 was 32 microM and for sulfide about 4 microM. Maximal rates (at 25 degrees C) were about 75 mumol of quinone reduced per mg of chlorophyll.h. (iv) The reaction was not affected by extensive washes of the membranes. (v) Unlike sulfide-dependent NADP photoreduction activity of these thylakoids, which is sensitive to all the specific inhibitors of the cytochrome b6f complex, the new dark reaction exhibited differential sensitivity to these inhibitors. 2-n-Nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide was the most potent inhibitor of both light and dark reactions, working at submicromolar concentrations. 5-n-Undecyl-6-hydroxy-4,7-dioxobenzothiazole also inhibited the two reactions to a similar extent, but at 10 times higher concentrations than 2-n-nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide. 2,5-Dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone, 2-iodo-6-isopropyl-3-methyl-2',4,4'-trinitrodiphenyl ether, and stigmatellin had no effect on the dark reaction at concentrations sufficient to fully inhibit the light reaction from sulfide. We propose that the sulfide-induced factor which enables the use of sulfide as the electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis in Oscillatria limnetica is a membrane-bound sulfide-quinone reductase. Its site of interaction is suggested to be either the cytochrome b6 (at the Qc quinone binding site or the bH site) or the plastoquinone pool. The analogy to other anoxygenic photosynthetic systems is discussed.

Chloramphenicol↗

Lateral redistribution of cytochrome b6/f complexes along thylakoid membranes upon state transitions.

The cytochrome b6/f complex operates in photosynthetic electron transfer either in linear electron flow from photosystem II to photosystem I or in cyclic flow around photosystem I. Using membrane fractionation and immunocytochemistry, we show a change in lateral distribution of cytochrome b6/f complexes along the thylakoid membranes during state transitions. This change is seen in maize as well as in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. When either of the two organisms were adapted to state II in vivo, the proportion of cytochrome b6/f complexes found in the photosystem I-enriched stroma lamellae regions was significantly larger than after adaptation to state I. A similar observation was made upon state I to state II transitions done in vitro by illuminating, in the presence of ATP, broken maize chloroplasts prepared from dark-adapted leaves. This reorganization of the electron-transfer chain is concurrent with the change in light-energy distribution between the two photosystems, which requires lateral displacement of light-harvesting complex II. That the changes in lateral distribution of both cytochrome b6/f and light-harvesting II complexes seen upon state transition in vitro similarly required addition of exogenous ATP, suggests that the change in cytochrome b6/f organization also depends on kinase activity. The increased concentration of cytochrome b6/f complexes in the vicinity of photosystem I in state II is discussed in terms of an increase in cyclic electron flow, thus favoring ATP production. Because transition to state II can be triggered in vivo by ATP depletion, we conclude that state transitions should be regarded not only as a light-adaptation mechanism but also as a rerouting of photosynthetic electron flow, enabling photosynthetic organisms to adapt to changes in the cell demand for ATP.

Chlamydomonas↗

Stoichiometry of the photosynthetic apparatus and phycobilisome structure of the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485 are regulated by both light and temperature.

The role of growth temperature and growth irradiance on the regulation of the stoichiometry and function of the photosynthetic apparatus was examined in the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485 by comparing mid-log phase cultures grown at either 29 degrees C/150 micromol m(-2) s(-1), 29 degrees C/750 micromol m(-2) s(-1), 15 degrees C/150 micromol m(-2) s(-1), or 15 degrees C/10 micromol m(-2) s(-1). Cultures grown at 29 degrees C/750 micromol m(-2) s(-1) were structurally and functionally similar to those grown at 15 degrees C/150 micromol m(-2) s(-1), whereas cultures grown at 29 degrees C/150 micromol m(-2) s(-1) were structurally and functionally similar to those grown at 15 degrees C/10 micromol m(-2) s(-1). The stoichiometry of specific components of the photosynthetic apparatus, such as the ratio of photosystem (PS) I to PSII, phycobilisome size and the relative abundance of the cytochrome b(6)/f complex, the plastoquinone pool size, and the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex were regulated by both growth temperature and growth irradiance in a similar manner. This indicates that temperature and irradiance may share a common sensing/signaling pathway to regulate the stoichiometry and function of the photosynthetic apparatus in P. boryanum. In contrast, the accumulation of neither the D1 polypeptide of PSII, the large subunit of Rubisco, nor the CF(1) alpha-subunit appeared to be regulated by the same mechanism. Measurements of P700 photooxidation in vivo in the presence and absence of inhibitors of photosynthetic electron transport coupled with immunoblots of the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex in cells grown at either 29 degrees C/750 micromol m(-2) s(-1) or 15 degrees C/150 micromol m(-2) s(-1) are consistent with an increased flow of respiratory electrons into the photosynthetic intersystem electron transport chain maintaining P700 in a reduced state relative to cells grown at either 29 degrees C/150 micromol m(-2) s(-1) or 15 degrees C/10 micromol m(-2) s(-1). These results are discussed in terms of acclimation to excitation pressure imposed by either low growth temperature or high growth irradiance.

Acclimatization↗

QcrCAB operon of a nocardia-form actinomycete Rhodococcus rhodochrous encodes cytochrome reductase complex with diheme cytochrome cc subunit.

Structural genes encoding quinol-cytochrome c reductase (QcR) were cloned and sequenced from nocardia-form actinomycete Rhodococcus rhodochrous. QcrC and qcrA encode diheme cytochrome cc and the Rieske Fe-S protein, respectively, while the qcrB product is a diheme cytochrome b. These amino acid sequences are similar to those of Corynebacterium and Mycobacterium, the members of high G+C content firmicutes. The presence of diheme cytochrome cc subunit as a sole c-type cytochrome in these organisms suggests the direct elecron transfer to cytochrome c oxidase. The N-terminal half of the Rieske Fe-S proteins of these bacteria has a unique structure with three transmembrane helices, while the C-terminal half sequence is conserved. A phylogenetic tree using the latter region showed that high G+C firmicutes form a clear clade with Thermus, but not with low G+C firmicutes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cytochrome f and subunit IV, two essential components of the photosynthetic bf complex typically encoded in the chloroplast genome, are nucleus-encoded in Euglena gracilis.

The photosynthetic protist Euglena gracilis contains chloroplasts surrounded by three membranes which arise from secondary endosymbiosis. The genes petA and petD, encoding cytochrome f and subunit IV of the cytochrome bf complex, normally present in chloroplast genomes, are lacking from the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) of E. gracilis. The bf complex of E. gracilis was isolated, and the identities of cytochrome f and subunit IV were established immunochemically, by heme-specific staining, and by Edman degradation. Based on N-terminal and conserved internal protein sequences, primers were designed and used for PCR gene amplification and cDNA sequencing. The complete sequence of the petA cDNA and the partial sequence of the petD cDNA from E. gracilis are described. Evidence is provided that in this protist, the petA and petD genes have migrated from the chloroplast to the nucleus. Both genes exhibit a typical nuclear codon usage, clearly distinct from the usage of chloroplast genes. The petA gene encodes an atypical cytochrome f, with a unique insertion of 62 residues not present in other f-type cytochromes. The petA gene also acquired a region that encodes a large tripartite chloroplast transit peptide (CTP), which is thought to allow the import of apocytochrome f through the three-membrane envelope of E. gracilis chloroplasts. This is the first description of petA and petD genes that are nucleus-localized.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Electrostatic properties of cytochrome f: implications for docking with plastocyanin.

The electrostatic properties of cytochrome f (cyt f), a member of the cytochrome b6f complex and reaction partner with plastocyanin (PC) in photosynthetic electron transport, are qualitatively studied with the goal of determining the mechanism of electron transfer between cyt f and PC. A crystal structure for cyt f was analyzed with the software package GRASP, revealing a large region of positive potential generated by a patch of positively charged residues (including K58, K65, K66, K122, K185, K187, and R209) and reinforced by the iron center of the heme. This positive field attracts the negative charges of the two acidic patches on the mobile electron carrier PC. Three docked complexes are obtained for the two proteins, based on electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions or both and on steric fits by manual docking methods. The first of these three complexes shows strong electrostatic interactions between K187 on cyt f and D44 on PC and between E59 on PC and K58 on cyt f. Two other manually docked complexes are proposed, implicating H87 on PC as the electron-accepting site from the iron center of cyt f through Y1. The second complex maintains the D44/K187 cross-link (but not the E59/K58 link) while increasing hydrophobic interactions between PC and cyt f. Hydrophobic interactions are increased still further in the third complex, whereas the link between K187 on cyt f and D44 on PC is broken. The proposed reaction mechanism, therefore, involves an initial electrostatic docking complex that gives rise to a nonpolar attraction between the regions surrounding H87 on PC and Y1 on cyt f, providing for an electron-transfer active complex.

Binding Sites↗

Initiation codon mutations in the Chlamydomonas chloroplast petD gene result in temperature-sensitive photosynthetic growth.

The chloroplast petD gene encodes subunit IV of the cytochrome b6/f complex and is required for photosynthetic electron transport. We have created Chlamydomonas strains in which the initiation codon of the petD gene has been changed to AUU or AUC. These mutants can grow photosynthetically at room temperature, but not at 35 degrees C. The accumulation of subunit IV during photosynthetic or heterotrophic growth at room temperature is reduced to 10-20% of the wild-type level; petD mRNA abundance is reduced to approximately 50% of the wild-type amount. Pulse labeling experiments indicate that at room temperature, subunit IV translation proceeds at 10-20% of the wild-type rate. Cells grown heterotrophically at 35 degrees C accumulate < 5% as much subunit IV as wild-type cells grown under the same conditions, and < 1% as much subunit IV as wild-type cells grown at room temperature. We conclude that translation initiation in these mutants is inefficient, leading to decreased translation and accumulation of subunit IV. At 35 degrees C, translational inefficiency leads directly or indirectly to insufficient accumulation of subunit IV to support photosynthetic growth.

Animals↗

The use of monoclonal antibodies to study the structure and function of cytochrome f.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were prepared against native cytochrome f (cyt f) isolated from turnip leaves. The two MAbs obtained, designated MAb-JB2 and MAb-ED4, were Western blot positive to purified turnip cytochrome f and also reacted with inside-out (ISO) but not right-side-out (RSO) spinach thylakoid membranes. MAb-ED4 reacted with a covalent adduct formed by crosslinking cyt f and plastocyanin (PC), whereas MAb-JB2 did not. In contrast, MAb-JB2 reacted with the isolated cyt b6/f complex but MAb-ED4 did not. These results indicate that MAb-JB2 binds to cyt f at or near the PC binding site on f, whereas MAb-ED4 binds to a portion of cyt f which is not exposed in the cyt b6/f complex. The location of the epitopes in the primary sequence of cyt f was determined by trypsin hydrolysis, HPLC separation of tryptic peptides, and ELISA identification of the purified peptides. The molecular weights of the purified peptides, determined by gel exclusion chromatography, were found to be 5040 and 3130 Da for MAb-JB2 and MAb-ED4, respectively. Amino acid sequencing showed that the first eight amino acids of the MAb-ED4 positive peptide were L-D-Q-P-L-T-S-N. These results suggest that the 3130-Da peptide has 28 amino acids extending from Leu 223 to Arg 250. This peptide is located on the N-terminal (lumen) side of the postulated membrane-spanning sequence. The first eight amino acids of the MAb-JB2-positive peptide were N-I-L-V-I-G-P-V. This sequence and the peptide molecular weight indicate that the epitope for MAb-JB2 is located within a 44-amino acid peptide extending from Asn 111 to Arg 154.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A novel hydrophobic diheme c-type cytochrome. Purification from Corynebacterium glutamicum and analysis of the QcrCBA operon encoding three subunit proteins of a putative cytochrome reductase complex.

Electrophoresis of a Corynebacterium glutamicum membrane preparation in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, followed by staining for peroxidase activity (heme staining), showed only one band at about 28 kDa. This 28 kDa protein was purified from C. glutamicum membranes by chromatography in the presence of decylglucoside using DEAE-Toyopearl and hydroxylapatite columns, as the sole c-type cytochrome in the bacterium. The cytochrome showed an alpha band at 551 nm, and its E(m, 7) was about 210 mV. A QcrCAB operon encoding the subunits of a putative quinol cytochrome c reductase was found 3'-downstream of ctaE encoding subunit III of cytochrome aa(3) in the C. glutamicum genome. The deduced amino acid sequence of qcrC, composed of 283 amino acid residues, contained two heme C-binding motifs and was in agreement with partial peptide sequences obtained from the 28 kDa protein after V8 protease digestion. We propose to name this protein cytochrome cc. The presence of cytochrome cc is a common feature of high G+C content Gram-positive bacteria, since we could confirm this protein by electrophoresis; homologous QcrCAB operons are also known in Mycobacterium and Streptomyces. QcrA and qcrB of C. glutamicum encode the Rieske Fe-S protein and cytochrome b, respectively, although these proteins were not co-purified with cytochrome cc. The phylogenetic tree of cytochromes b and b(6) show that C. glutamicum cytochrome b, along with those of other bacteria in the high G+C group, is rather different from the Bacillus counterparts, but highly similar to the Deinococci and Thermus cytochromes. This indicates that there is a fourth group of bacteria in addition to the three clades: proteobacterial cytochrome b, cyanobacterial b(6) and green sulfur-low G+C Gram-positive bacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Dephosphorylation of photosystem II core proteins is light-regulated in vivo.

A number of photosystem II (PSII)-associated proteins, including D1, D2, CP43 and LHCII, are phosphorylated post-translationally by a membrane-bound, redox-regulated kinase activity. In vitro studies have demonstrated that these proteins can be dephosphorylated by membrane-bound phosphatase activity, reportedly insensitive to light or redox control. We demonstrate here that the PSII core proteins, D1, D2 and CP43, undergo light-stimulated, linear electron-transport-independent dephosphorylation in vivo. The in vivo dephosphorylation of D1 was characterized further and shown to depend upon light intensity, and to occur throughout the visible light spectrum with characteristics most consistent with light absorption by chlorophyll. PSII core protein dephosphorylation in vivo was stimulated by photosystem I (PSI)-specific far-red light, and inhibited by 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone, an inhibitor of plastoquinol oxidation by the cytochrome b6f complex. Based on these findings, we propose that PSI excitation is involved in regulating dephosphorylation of PSII core proteins in vivo.

Dibromothymoquinone↗

Cloning and sequencing of the petBD operon from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002.

The genes encoding the photosynthetic cytochrome b6 (petB) and subunit 4 (petD) have been cloned and sequenced from the unicellular, photoheterotrophic, transformable cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, formerly designated Agmenellum quadruplicatum. The gene arrangement was found to be similar to that reported in the cyanobacterium Nostoc PCC 7906. The DNA and derived protein sequences were compared to chloroplast and the other cyanobacterial sequences. By pulsed-field electrophoresis, the petBD operon and the petCA operon, encoding the Rieske iron-sulfur protein and cytochrome f, were found to be located on separate, unlinked, Not I-digested DNA fragments. The petBD operon was found on the third largest Not I fragment (NC-325) while the petCA operon was found on the second largest Not I fragment (NB-370). These results suggest the two operons are not in proximity. The 1.35 kb transcript was shown to be light-regulated. Transcripts from cells grown under constant illumination showed a decrease in petB transcript levels to undetectable levels within 2 h after the cells were placed in the dark. Upon reillumination, transcript levels rose to three-fold over that seen initially under constant illumination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A new way to monitor by-pass restorations of electron transport in inhibited chloroplasts by cyclic electron flow cofactors--a study by modulated fluorimetry.

Inhibition of electron transport in broken chloroplasts by DBMIB, under light-limiting conditions, is shown to be bypassed by PMS in a manner similar to the known effects of the phenylenediamine derivatives TMPD and DAD. These bypasses were demonstrated and further studied by modulated fluorimetry, monitoring DBMIB inhibition by the shift of the steady-state fluorescence towards the Fm level and the release of inhibition by a reverse shift together with establishment of a quenching effect by background far-red light. Comparative studies were also made with electron transport blocked by DCMU or BNT. A weak bypass by TMPD and a weaker one by PMS of the block created by DCMU was observed by modulated fluorimetry. The block created by BNT is similarly shown to be bypassed by TMPD but hardly or not at all by PMS. Bypass effects persisted even in the presence of ascorbate. It appears that, following reduction of the different cofactors by ascorbate in the stroma side, illumination caused the accumulation of a pool of oxidized cofactor molecules in the lumen, which is able to mediate electron transport between reduced plastoquinone and plastocyanin or P-700. The existence and the size of this pool were found to depend largely on the internal pH at the lumen, presenting an artificial system in which electron flow is controlled by the lumenal pH. The bypassing electron transport in the presence of DBMIB presumably avoids the participation of the cytochrome b6f complex. During its occurrence, there is also a strong imbalance in the activities of the two photosystems for linear electron flow, in favor of PS II. These experiments may thus serve to establish an in vitro model system for a future investigation of effects related to changes in the imbalance between the two photosystems and its regulation. Furthermore, this experimental system may also be utilized to study the role of the internal lumenal pH in control of photosynthesis.

Ascorbic Acid↗

The rates of proton uptake and electron transfer at the reducing side of photosystem II in thylakoids.

Proton and electron transfer at the reducing side of photosystem II of green plants was studied under flashing light, the former at improved time resolution by using Neutral red. The rates of electron transfer within QAFeQB were determined by pump-probe flashes through electrochromic transients. The extent of proton binding was about 1 H+/e-. The rates of proton transfer were proportional to the concentration of Neutral red (collisional transfer), whereas the rates of electron transfer out of QA- and from QAFeQB- to the cytochrome b6f complex were constant. The half-rise times of electron transfer (tau e) and the apparent times of proton binding (tau h) at 30 microM Neutral red were: QA- --> FeIIIQB (tau c < or = 100 microseconds, tau h = 230 microseconds); QA- --> FeIIQB (tau c = 150 microseconds, tau h = 760 microseconds); and QA- --> FeIIQB (tau c = 150 microseconds, tau h = 760 microseconds); and QA- --> FeIIQB (tau c = 620 microseconds, tau h = 310 microseconds).

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Iron-sulfur cluster reconstitution of spinach chloroplast Rieske protein requires a partially prefolded apoprotein.

The Rieske 2Fe-2S protein is a central component of the photosynthetic electron transport cytochrome b6f complex in chloroplast and cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes. We have constructed plasmids for expression in Escherichia coli of full-length and truncated Spinacia oleracea Rieske (PetC) proteins fused to the MalE, maltose binding protein. The expressed Rieske fusion proteins were found predominantly in soluble form in the E. coli cytoplasm. These proteins could be readily purified for further experimentation. In vitro reconstitution of the characteristic, "Rieske-type" 2Fe-2S cluster into these fused proteins was accomplished by a chemical method employing reduced iron and sulfide. Cluster incorporation was monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance and optical circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. CD spectral analysis in the ultraviolet region suggests that the spinach Rieske apoprotein must be in a partially folded conformation to incorporate an appropriate iron-sulfur cluster. These data further suggest that upon cluster integration, further folding occurs, allowing the Rieske protein to attain a final, native structure. The data presented here are the first to demonstrate successful chemical reconstitution of the 2Fe-2S cluster into a Rieske apoprotein from higher plant chloroplasts.

Apoproteins↗

Cytochrome c-551 from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 grown under air-limited conditions.

A small-sized c-type cytochrome, designated cytochrome c-551, was prepared from membrane fraction of the thermophilic bacterium PS3 grown under air-limited conditions by extraction with cholate, precipitation with polyethylene glycol, and successive chromatographies with DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S-200 in the presence of a detergent. The purified sample contained approximately 1 mol of heme c per 10,000 g protein; it showed absorption bands at 551, 522 and 416 nm upon reduction, and a Soret peak at 409 nm upon oxidation. This cytochrome showed a single band of 10 kDa on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate. The isoelectric point of this cytochrome c-551 was pH 4.0. Cytochrome c-551 was suggested to play an important role in the respiratory chain with a terminal oxidase cytochrome o, which is produced under air-limited conditions, since cytochrome c-551 could mediate electron transfer between cytochrome bc1(b6f) complex and cytochrome o, showing quinol oxidase activity.

Bacterial Proteins↗

State transitions, cyclic and linear electron transport and photophosphorylation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

The relationship between state transitions and the kinetic properties of the electron transfer chain has been studied in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The same turnover rate of cytochrome f was found in state 1 and 2. However, while DBMIB was inhibitory in both states, DCMU was effective only in state 1. These observations suggest that linear electron transport was active only in state 1, while a cyclic pathway around photosystem (PS) I operated in state 2. The reversible shift from linear to cyclic electron transport was modulated by changes of PSII antenna size, which inactivated the linear pathway, and by oxygen, which inhibited the cyclic one. Attainment of state 2, under anaerobiosis in the dark, was associated with the decline of the ATP/ADP ratio in the cells and the dark reduction of the intersystem carriers. Upon illumination of the cells, the ATP/ADP ratio increased in a few seconds to the aerobic level. Then, several minutes later, the F(m) returned to the state 1 level, and O(2) evolution was reactivated. This suggests that ATP, though required for photosynthesis, is not the rate-limiting factor in the reactivation of photosynthetic O(2) evolution, which is rather controlled by the redox state of the electron carriers.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗