抄録
Cytochrome bo-type ubiquinol oxidase in Escherichia coli belongs to a superfamily of the heme-copper respiratory oxidases and catalyzes the redox-coupled proton pumping. Previous studies [Y. Orii, T. Mogi, M. Sato-Watanabe, T. Hirano, and Y. Anraku (1995) Biochemistry 34, 1127-1132] suggest that it requires chloride ions for the facilitated heme b-to-heme o intramolecular electron transfer. To extend our previous studies on chloride binding by bo-type ubiquinol oxidase, we prepared two kinds of chloride-bound enzymes, UQO-412 and UQO-409, and a chloride-depleted enzyme, UQO-407, and examined their spectroscopic and enzymatic properties. UQO-412, which exhibits the Soret peak at 412nm in the air-oxidized state, was obtained by purification with anion-exchange liquid chromatography, and UQO-409 was derived from UQO-412 by extensive washing and showed a 3-nm blue shift. UQO-407 was obtained from UQO-409 by omitting chloride ions from buffers throughout purification and showed a further blue shift in the Soret peak and the pronounced chloride-sensitive EPR signals at g=6 and g=3.15, which are attributable to spin-spin exchange interaction at the binuclear center. Kinetic studies on chloride binding by UQO-407 revealed the presence of a chloride-binding site with a Kd value of 3.5mM. Flow-flash experiments demonstrated that the heme b-to-heme o electron transfer was perturbed in both UQO-409 and UQO-407, although steady state enzyme activities of three UQOs were indistinguishable. The present studies demonstrated that the E. coli bo-type ubiquinol oxidase is endowed with a novel chloride-binding site which controls the electromagnetic state of the heme-copper binuclear center. Further, we suggest that the intramolecular electron transfer in the enzyme requires diffusible molecules other than the bound chloride ion.
