title: Dimer to monomer conversion of the cytochrome b6 f complex. Causes and consequences.
abstract: The molecular weight of the cytochrome b6 f complex purified from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii thylakoid membranes has been determined by combining velocity sedimentation measurements, molecular sieving analyses, and determination of its lipid and detergent content. The complex in its enzymatically active form is a dimer. Upon incubation in detergent solution, it converts irreversibly into an inactive, monomeric form that has lost the Rieske iron-sulfur protein, the b6 f-associated chlorophyll, and, under certain conditions, the small 32-residue subunit PetL. The results are consistent with the view that the dimer is the predominant form of the b6f in situ while the monomer observed in detergent solution is a breakdown product. Indirect observations suggest that subunit PetL plays a role in stabilizing the dimeric state. Delipidation is shown to be a critical factor in detergent-induced monomerization.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique and Paris-7 University, CNRS UPR 9052, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Breyton
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tribet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olive
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubacq
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Popot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000201:enzymology*; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D045346:Cytochrome b6f Complex; D019281:Dimerization; D007700:Kinetics; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D008055:Lipids; D045346:Cytochrome b6f Complex