title: Internal electron transfer in Cu-heme oxidases. Thermodynamic or kinetic control?
abstract: We present novel experimental evidence that, starting with the oxidized enzyme, the internal electron transfer in cytochrome c oxidase is kinetically controlled. The anaerobic reduction of the oxidized enzyme by ruthenium hexamine has been followed in the absence and presence of CO or NO, used as trapping ligands for reduced cytochrome a3. In the presence of NO, the rate of formation of the cytochrome a32+-NO adduct is independent of the concentration of ruthenium hexamine and of NO, indicating that in the oxidized enzyme cytochrome a and a3 are not in very rapid redox equilibrium; on the other hand, CO proved to be a poor "trapping" ligand. We conclude that the intrinsic rate constant for a --> a3 electron transfer in the oxidized enzyme is 25 s-1. These data are discussed with reference to a model (Verkhovsky, M. I., Morgan, J. E., and Wikström, M. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 7483-7491) in which H+ diffusion and/or binding at the binuclear site is the rate-limiting step in the reduction of cytochrome a3 in the oxidized enzyme.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Sciences A. Rossi-Fanelli and CNR Center of Molecular Biology, University of Rome La Sapienza, I-00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giuffrè
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Itri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sarti
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D004579:Electron Transport; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism*; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D017975:Ruthenium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D017975:Ruthenium Compounds; C031584:hexammineruthenium; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D006418:Heme; D003300:Copper; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D010100:Oxygen