Control of cytochrome C redox potential: axial ligation and protein environment effects

Axial iron ligation and protein encapsulation of the heme cofactor have been investigated as effectors of the reduction potential (E degrees ') of cytochrome c through direct electrochemistry experiments. Our approach was that of partitioning the E degrees ' changes resulting from binding of imidazole, 2-methyl-imidazole, ammonia, and azide to both cytochrome c and microperoxidase-11 (MP11), into the enthalpic and entropic contributions. N-Acetylmethionine binding to MP11 was also investigated. These ligands replace Met80 and a water molecule axially coordinated to the heme iron in cytochrome c and MP11, respectively. This factorization was achieved through variable temperature E degrees ' measurements. In this way, we have found that (i) the decrease in E degrees ' of cytochrome c due to Met80 substitution by a nitrogen-donor ligand is almost totally enthalpic in origin, as a result of the stronger electron donor properties of the exogenous ligand which selectively stabilize the ferric state; (ii) on the contrary, the binding of the same ligands and N-acetylmethionine to MP11 results in an enthalpic stabilization of the reduced state, whereas the entropic effect invariably decreases E degrees ' (the former effect prevails for the methionine ligand and the latter for the nitrogenous ligands). A comparison of the reduction thermodynamics of cytochrome c and the MP11 adducts offers insight on the effect of changing axial heme ligation and heme insertion into the folded polypeptide chain. Principally, we have found that the overall E degrees ' increase of approximately 400 mV, comparing MP11 and native cytochrome c, consists of two opposite enthalpic and entropic terms of approximately +680 and -280 mV, respectively. The enthalpic term includes contributions from both axial methionine binding (+300 mV) and protein encapsulation of the heme (+380 mV), whereas the entropic term is almost entirely manifest at the stage of axial ligand binding. Both terms are dominated by the effects of water exclusion from the heme environment.     

Redox thermodynamics of the Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) couple in horseradish peroxidase and its cyanide complex.

The thermodynamics of Fe3+ to Fe2+ reduction for the five-coordinate high-spin native form of horseradish peroxidase and for its six-coordinate low-spin cyanide adduct have been determined from variable-temperature UV-vis spectroelectrochemical experiments. In both cases, the DeltaH degrees 'rc and DeltaS degrees 'rc values are positive. Hence, the negative reduction potentials turn out to be the result of two opposing and partially compensating contributions: a large enthalpic term, which is the determinant of the negative E degrees ' values for both species, and a smaller, yet relevant, entropic contribution. The decrease in E degrees ' of the Fe3+/Fe2+ couple on cyanide binding turns out to be a fully entropic effect, unequivocally demonstrating the importance of entropic effects in determining the E degrees ' values of redox metal centers.     

The redox chemistry of the covalently immobilized native and low-pH forms of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c

Cyclic voltammetry experiments were carried out on native Saccharomyces cerevisiae iso-1-cytochrome c and its C102T/N62C variant immobilized on bare polycrystalline gold electrode through the S-Au bond formed by a surface cysteine. Experiments were carried out at different temperatures (5-65 degrees C) and pH values (1.5-7). The E degrees ' value at pH 7 (+370 mV vs SHE) is approximately 100 mV higher than that for the protein in solution. This difference is enthalpic in origin and is proposed to be the result of the electrostatic repulsion among the densely packed molecules onto the electrode surface. Two additional electrochemical waves are observed upon lowering the pH below 5 (E degrees ' = +182 mV) and 3 (E degrees ' = +71 mV), which are attributed to two conformers (referred to as "intermediate" and "acidic", respectively) featuring an altered heme axial ligation. This is the first determination of the reduction potential for low-pH conformers of cytochrome c in the absence of denaturants. Since the native form of cytochrome c can be restored, bringing back the pH to neutrality, the possibility offered by this transition to reversibly modulate the redox potential of cytochrome c is appealing for bioelectronic applications. The immobilized C102T/N62C variant, which differs from the native protein in the orientation of the heme group with respect to the electrode, shows very similar reduction thermodynamics. For both species, the rate constant for electron transfer between the heme and the electrode increases for the acidic conformer, which is also found to act as a biocatalytic interface for dioxygen reduction.     

CO rebinding to protoheme: investigations of the proximal and distal contributions to the geminate rebinding barrier

The rebinding kinetics of CO to protoheme (FePPIX) in the presence and absence of a proximal imidazole ligand reveals the magnitude of the rebinding barrier associated with proximal histidine ligation. The ligation states of the heme under different solvent conditions are also investigated using both equilibrium and transient spectroscopy. In the absence of imidazole, a weak ligand (probably water) is bound on the proximal side of the FePPIX-CO adduct. When the heme is encapsulated in micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), photolysis of FePPIX-CO induces a complicated set of proximal ligation changes. In contrast, the use of glycerol-water solutions leads to a simple two-state geminate kinetic response with rapid (10-100 ps) CO recombination and a geminate amplitude that can be controlled by adjusting the solvent viscosity. By comparing the rate of CO rebinding to protoheme in glycerol solution with and without a bound proximal imidazole ligand, we find the enthalpic contribution to the proximal rebinding barrier, H(p), to be 11 +/- 2 kJ/mol. Further comparison of the CO rebinding rate of the imidazole bound protoheme with the analogous rate in myoglobin (Mb) leads to a determination of the difference in their distal free energy barriers: DeltaG(D) approximately 12 +/- 1 kJ/mol. Estimates of the entropic contributions, due to the ligand accessible volumes in the distal pocket and the xenon-4 cavity of myoglobin ( approximately 3 kJ/mol), then lead to a distal pocket enthalpic barrier of H(D) approximately 9 +/- 2 kJ/mol. These results agree well with the predictions of a simple model and with previous independent room-temperature measurements of the enthalpic MbCO rebinding barrier (18 +/- 2 kJ/mol).     

Effect of ions on the hydrophobic interaction between two plates

We use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the solvent mediated attraction and drying between two nanoscale hydrophobic surfaces in aqueous salt solutions. We study these effects as a function of the ionic charge density, that is, the ionic charge per unit ionic volume, while keeping the ionic diameter fixed. The attraction is expressed by a negative change in the free energy as the plates are brought together, with enthalpy and entropy changes that both promote aggregation. We find a strong correlation between the strength of the hydrophobic interaction and the degree of preferential binding/exclusion of the ions relative to the surfaces. The results show that amplification of the hydrophobic interaction, a phenomenon analogous to salting-out, is a purely entropic effect and is induced by high-charge-density ions that exhibit preferential exclusion. In contrast, a reduction of the hydrophobic interaction, analogous to salting-in, is induced by low-charge-density ions that exhibit preferential binding, the effect being either entropic or enthalpic. Our findings are relevant to phenomena long studied in solution chemistry, as we demonstrate the significant, yet subtle, effects of electrolytes on hydrophobic aggregation and collapse.     

Steric control of bacteriochlorophyll ligation

The axial coordination of central Mg(2+) ion in chlorophylls is of great structural and functional importance for virtually all photosynthetic chlorophyll proteins; however, little thermodynamic data are available on the ligand binding to these pigments. In the present study, spectral deconvolution of the bacteriochlorophyll Q(X) band serves to determine the ligand binding equilibria and relationships between thermodynamic parameters of ligand binding, ligand properties, and steric interactions occurring within the pigment. On the basis of the temperature effects on coordination, DeltaH degrees, DeltaS degrees, and DeltaG degrees of binding various types of ligands (acetone, dimethylformamide, imidazole, and pyridine) to diastereoisomeric bacteriochlorophylls were derived from respective van't Hoff's plots. At ambient temperatures, only ligation by imidazole and pyridine occurs spontaneously while DeltaG degrees becomes positive for ligation by acetone and dimethylformamide, due to a relatively large entropic effect, which is dominating when the energetic effects of ligation are small. It reflects, in quantitative terms, the control of the equatorial coordination of the Mg(2+) ion via the axial coordination: a "hard" free Mg(2+) ion is made into a softer center through the coordination of tetrapyrrole. Pigment structural features have comparable effects on the energetic and entropic contributions to the difference of ligation free energy between the diastereoisomers of bacteriochlorophyll. DeltaS degrees and DeltaH degrees values are consistently lower for the S epimer, most likely due to the steric crowding between bulky substituents. The two epimers show a 5 J.mol(-1).K(-1) difference in DeltaS degrees values, regardless of the ligand type, while the difference in DeltaH degrees amounts to 1.7 kJ.mol(-1), depending on the ligand. Such steric control of ligation would relate to the partial diastereoselectivity of chlorophyll self-assembly and, in particular, the very high diastereoselectivity of the ligation of chlorophylls in photosynthetic proteins.     

Effect of beta-cyclodextrin charge type on the molecular recognition thermodynamics of reactions with (ferrocenylmethyl)dimethylaminium derivatives

Complex stability constants (KS), standard molar enthalpic changes (DeltaH degrees ), and entropic changes (TDeltaS degrees ) for the inclusion complexations of native beta-cyclodextrin (1) and two oppositely charged beta-cyclodextrins, i.e., mono(6-amino-6-deoxy)- beta-cyclodextrin (2) and mono[6-O-6-(4-carboxylphenyl)]- beta-cyclodextrin (3), with two (ferrocenylmethyl)dimethylaminium derivatives, i.e., FC4+Br(-) and FC8+Br(-), were determined at 25 degrees C in aqueous phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.20) by means of isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC). Cyclic voltammetry studies showed that the ferrocene groups of the guests were included in the beta-cyclodextrin cavity to form host-guest complexes. As compared with neutral beta-cyclodextrin, the positively charged host 2 showed decreased binding toward (ferrocenylmethyl)dimethylaminium guests. This was attributed to electrostatic repulsion, while the negatively charged host 3 displayed increased binding due to electrostatic attractions. Thermodynamically, the ionization of host CDs affects both enthalpic and entropic changes of host-guest complexations presumably by changing the hydrophobicity and the desolvation effect of hosts upon inclusion complexation. Moreover, the solvent effect was also discussed from the viewpoint of thermodynamics.     

Enthalpic and entropic contributions to the conformational free energies of methylthio, methylsulfinyl, methylsulfonyl, phenylthio, phenylsulfinyl, and phenylsulfonyl

A variable-temperature NMR study of (cis-4-methylcyclohexyl)methyl sulfide (1), sulfoxide (2), and sulfone (3), as well as (cis-4-methylcyclohexyl)phenyl sulfide (4), sulfoxide (5), and sulfone (6) allowed determination of the thermodynamic parameters, DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees, for the title groups. Reproduction of the experimental results with Allinger's MM3 program was successfully accomplished in the case of the sulfoxide and sulfide groups. Nevertheless, modification of the original force field torsional parameters was required in order to adequately reproduce the experimentally observed behavior of the sulfonyl derivatives. Rationalization of the enthalpic and entropic contributions to DeltaG degrees [S(O)(n)()R, n = 0, 1, 2; R = CH(3), Ph] is advanced in terms of the steric characteristics of these sulfur-containing groups and the resulting rotameric populations in the axial and equatorial monosubstituted cyclohexanes.     

Enthalpy-entropy contributions to the potential of mean force of nanoscopic hydrophobic solutes

Entropic and enthalpic contributions to the hydrophobic interaction between nanoscopic hydrophobic solutes, modeled as graphene plates in water, have been calculated using molecular dynamics simulations in the isothermal-isobaric (NPT) ensemble with free energy perturbation methodology. We find the stabilizing contribution to the free energy of association (contact pair formation) to be the favorable entropic part, the enthalpic contribution being highly unfavorable. The desolvation barrier is dominated by the unfavorable enthalpic contribution, despite a fairly large favorable entropic compensation. The enthalpic contributions, incorporating the Lennard-Jones solute-solvent terms, largely determine the stability of the solvent separated configuration. We decompose the enthalpy into a direct solute-solute term, the solute-solvent interactions, and the remainder that contains pressure-volume work as well as contributions due to solvent reorganization. The enthalpic contribution due to changes in water-water interactions arising from solvent reorganization around the solute molecules is shown to have major contribution in the solvent induced enthalpy change.     

SURFACE ENTHALPY AND ENTROPY AND THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL NATURE OF HYDROPHOBIC AND HYDROPHILIC INTERACTIONS

The attractive Interactions between typically hydrophobic molecules such as hexane or CCl₄, and the repulsive Interactions between extremely hydrophilic molecules such as poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), when immersed in water, as well as the interactions between these molecules and water, have been examined from a surface thermodynamic viewpoint, taking the changes in surface free energy into account, as a function of temperature. It was found that attractive hydrophobic Interactions are not, as vas generally believed up to now, invariably entropic. Hydrophobic Interactions can be mainly enthalpic or mainly entropic, or more or less equal mixtures of both, depending on each individual case; however, all hydrophobic interactions are polar (in the sense of Lewis acid-base) in nature. Repulsive hydrophilic interactions are enthalpic, and also polar in nature. The interaction between hydrophobic solutes and water is mainly enthalpic, and is apolar in nature.     

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of hemoglobin entrapped in semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel based on polyacrylamide and chitosan

Semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogel based on polyacrylamide (PAM) and chitosan was prepared to immobilize redox protein hemoglobin (Hb). The Hb-PAM-chitosan hydrogel film obtained has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-VIS spectroscopy. UV-VIS spectroscopy showed that Hb kept its secondary structure similar to its native state in the Hb-PAM-chitosan hydrogel film. Cyclic voltammogram of Hb-PAM-chitosan film-modified glass carbon (GC) electrode showed a pair of well-defined and quasi-reversible redox peaks for Hb Fe(III)/Fe(II), indicating that direct electron transfer between Hb and GC electrode occurred. The electron-transfer rate constant was about 5.51 s(-1) in pH 7.0 buffers, and the formal potential (E degrees ') was -0.324 V (vs. SCE). The dependence of E degrees ' on solution pH indicated that one-proton transfer was coupled to each electron transfer in the direct electron-transfer reaction. Additionally, Hb in the semi-IPN hydrogel film retained its bioactivity and showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward H(2)O(2). The electrocatalytic current values were linear with increasing concentration of H(2)O(2) in a wide range of 5-420 microM. The unique semi-IPN hydrogel would have wide potential applications in direct electrochemistry, biosensors and biocatalysis.     

Electrochemistry of monoazahemin reconstituted myoglobin at an indium oxide electrode

Monoazahemin reconstituted myoglobin was prepared and its electrochemical behavior was studied in comparison with native myoglobin. For both myoglobins well-defined voltammograms were clearly obtained at highly hydrophilic surfaces of indium oxide electrodes. Although monoazahemin showed a more positive redox potential than hemin (measured in methanol), monoazahemin reconstituted myoglobin showed a more negative redox potential than native myoglobin in a 50 mM bis-Tris buffer solution (pH 6.5), suggesting that for both native and reconstituted myoglobins the heme environment including proximal histidine as an axial ligand of the redox center plays an important role in determining the redox potential. Also, a unique electrochemical response of cyano-monoazahemin reconstituted myoglobin was demonstrated.     

Specific ion effects on the electrochemical properties of cytochrome c

The range of salts used as supporting electrolytes in electrochemical studies of redox proteins and enzymes varies widely, with the choice of an electrolyte relying on the assumption that the electrolyte used does not affect the electrochemical properties of the proteins and enzymes under investigation. Examination of the electrochemical properties of the redox protein cytochrome c (cyt c) at a 4,4'-bipyridyl modified gold electrode demonstrates that both the redox potential (E(o')) and the faradaic current are influenced by the nature of the electrolyte used, in a manner explained primarily by Hofmeister effects. The faradaic peak currents display an atypical trend on switching from kosmotropic to chaotropic anions, with a maximum current observed in the presence of Cl(-). For a series of cations, the peak current increased in the sequence: Li(+) (0.34 μA) < guanidinium(+) (0.36 μA) < Na(+) (0.37 μA) < K(+) (0.38 μA) < Cs(+) (0.40 μA) and for anions it decreased in the sequence: Cl(-) (0.37 μA) > Br(-) (0.35 μA) > ClO(4)(-) (0.35 μA) > SCN(-) (0.31 μA) > F(-) (0.30 μA). E(o') decreased by a total of 24 mV across the series F(-) > Cl(-) > Br(-) > ClO(4)(-) > SCN(-) whereas no specific ion effect on E(o') was observed for cations. Factorisation of E(o') into its enthalpic and entropic components showed that while no specific trends were observed, large changes in ΔH(o') and ΔS(o') occurred with individual ions. The effect of anions on the faradaic peak current can be qualitatively explained by considering Collins' empirical rule of 'matching water affinities'. The effect of cations cannot be explained by this rule. However, both anion and cation effects can be understood by taking into account the cooperative action of electrostatic and ion dispersion forces. The results demonstrate that the choice of a supporting electrolyte in electrochemical investigations of redox proteins is important and emphasize that care needs to be taken in the determination and comparison of E(o'), ΔH(o') and ΔS(o') in different solutions.     

Redox potentials of oxoiron(IV) porphyrin π-cation radical complexes: participation of electron transfer process in oxygenation reactions

The oxoiron(IV) porphyrin π-cation radical complex (compound I) has been identified as the key reactive intermediate of several heme enzymes and synthetic heme complexes. The redox properties of this reactive species are not yet well understood. Here, we report the results of a systematic study of the electrochemistry of oxoiron(IV) porphyrin π-cation radical complexes with various porphyrin structures and axial ligands in organic solvents at low temperatures. The cyclic voltammogram of (TMP)Fe(IV)O, (TMP = 5,10,15,20-tetramesitylporphyrinate), exhibits two quasi-reversible redox waves at E(1/2) = 0.88 and 1.18 V vs SCE in dichloromethane at -60 °C. Absorption spectral measurements for electrochemical oxidation at controlled potential clearly indicated that the first redox wave results from the (TMP)Fe(IV)O/[(TMP(+?))Fe(IV)O](+) couple. The redox potential for the (TMP)Fe(IV)O/[(TMP(+?))Fe(IV)O](+) couple undergoes a positive shift upon coordination of an anionic axial ligand but a negative shift upon coordination of a neutral axial ligand (imidazole). The negative shifts of the redox potential for the imidazole complexes are contrary to their high oxygenation activity. On the other hand, the electron-withdrawing effect of the meso-substituent shifts the redox potential in a positive direction. Comparison of the measured redox potentials and reaction rate constants for epoxidation of cyclooctene and demethylation of N,N-dimethylanilines enable us to discuss the details of the electron transfer process from substrates to the oxoiron(IV) porphyrin π-cation radical complex in the oxygenation mechanisms.     

Binding behaviour and conformational properties of globular proteins in the presence of immobilised non-polar ligands used in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

The thermodynamic and extra-thermodynamic dependencies of five types of cytochrome c in water-acetonitrile mixtures of different composition in the presence of immobilised n-octyl ligands as a function of temperature from 278 K to 338 K have been investigated. The corresponding enthalpic, entropic and heat capacity parameters, deltaHdegrees assoc, deltaS degrees assoc and delta C degrees p, have been evaluated from the observed non-linear Van't Hoff plots of these globular proteins in these heterogeneous systems. The relationships between the free energy dependencies, various molecular parameters and extra-thermodynamic dependencies (empirical correlations) of these protein-non-polar ligand interactions have also been examined. Thus, the involvement of enthalpy-entropy compensation effects has been documented for the binding of these cytochrome cs to solvated n-octyl ligands. Moreover, the results confirm that this experimental approach permits changes in molecular surface area due to the unfolding of these proteins on association with non-polar ligands as a function of temperature to be correlated with other biophysical properties. This study thus provides a general procedure whereby the corresponding free energy dependencies of globular proteins on association with solvated non-polar ligands in heterogeneous two-phase systems can be quantitatively evaluated in terms of fundamental molecular parameters.     

Molecular recognition of amines and amino esters by zinc porphyrin receptors: binding mechanisms and solvent effects

Zinc porphyrin receptors bearing 12 ester groups in the meso phenyl groups (1-3) were prepared, and binding of amines and alpha-amino esters was studied with emphasis on the binding mechanisms. The X-ray crystallographic analysis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2, 6-bis(carbomethoxymethoxy)-4-carbomethoxyphenyl)porphyrin (free base of 1) showed that the receptor has a binding pocket above the porphyrin plane. UV-visible titration experiments revealed that the zinc porphyrin receptors bound amines and alpha-amino esters with binding constants (K(a)) ranging from 0.5 to 52 700 M(-1) in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C. The ester functional groups of 1 assisted the binding of aromatic alpha-amino esters (K(a) = 8 000-23 000 M(-1) in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C) and inhibited the binding of bulky aliphatic alpha-amino esters (K(a) = 460 M(-1) for Leu-OMe in CH(2)Cl(2) at 25 degrees C), indicating that CH-pi type interactions and steric repulsions control the selectivity. The binding of amines and alpha-amino esters was tight both in a nonpolar solvent (CH(2)Cl(2)) and in a polar solvent (water) but loose in a solvent of intermediate polarity (H(2)O-MeOH (1:1)), demonstrating that two competitive driving forces are operating: (1) attractive electrostatic forces between host and guest such as coordination of the amino group to the zinc atom, and (2) entropic forces stemming from desolvation as well as enthalpic forces due to the host-guest dispersion forces. The former forces drive the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) while the latter forces drive the binding in water. The enthalpy changes in the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) and those in water range from -50 to -30 kJ mol(-1) and from -35 to 0 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The entropy changes in CH(2)Cl(2) and those in water range from -120 to -60 J K(-1) mol(-1) and from -50 to +60 J K(-1) mol(-1), respectively. Thus the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) is characterized by large negative enthalpy changes, while that in water by less negative entropy changes. These thermodynamic parameters also indicate that host-guest polar interactions (enthalpic forces) drive the binding in CH(2)Cl(2) while both host-guest dispersion interactions (an enthalpic force) and desolvation (an entropic force) drive the binding in water. Enthalpy-entropy compensation observed for the binding in water indicates that the binding of amines and amino esters in water by zinc porphyrins is associated with conformational changes as well as a high degree of dehydration. In CH(2)Cl(2), no clear compensation was observed, consistent with the mechanism that neither desolvation processes nor conformational changes contribute significantly to the binding energetics.     

PHOTOVOLTAGE AND PHOTOCURRENT AT TETRAPHENYLPORPHYRIN AND ZINC TETRAPHENYLPORPHYRIN ELECTRODES IN ACIDIC SOLUTIONS

Abstract— Photoelectrochemical properties of tetraphenylporphyrin and zinc tetraphenylporphyrin spread on a platinum plate were investigated in acidic solutions containing a variety of electroactive species. It was found that the photovoltage measured in 0.5 M sulfuric acid solutions depended strongly on the redox potential of the electroactive species; species having a redox potential of around 1.0 V vs NHE (such as oxygen and dichromate ions) generated the largest photovoltage. A similar dependency was also observed in the photocurrent, although a little ambiguous. These phenomena are discussed from a point of semiconductor electrochemistry. The magnitude of the photocurrent was found to be influenced by solution pH, suggesting that protonation of the porphyrin film surface plays an important role in the charge transfer process.     

Contrasting pKa of protonated bis(3-aminopropyl)-terminated polyethylene glycol "Jeffamine" and the associated thermodynamic parameters in solution and covalently attached to graphite surfaces

The pKa value of protonated Jeffamine (bis(3-aminopropyl) terminated polyethylene glycol) in solution and attached as a monolayer to graphite surfaces has been determined using potentiometric titration. The protonated Jeffamine was found to have a pKa value of 9.7 in solution at 25 degrees C, whereas this value decreases to 7.1 when it is attached to a graphite surface. Potentiometric titrations from 25 to 40 degrees C allowed us to determine the surface pKa of the protonated Jeffamine at each temperature studied and hence to determine the enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy changes associated with the deprotonation of the amino-terminated surface bound Jeffamine groups. It was found that the enthalpic contribution is negligibly small and the evaluation of these thermodynamic parameters controlling the shift in surface pKa value indicates that this process is controlled by entropic contribution arising from the ordering/disordering of solvent molecules at the carbon-water interface. This suggests that the long chain Jeffamine molecules are oriented on the carbon surface rather than existing in the bulk solution.     

Structural redox control in a 7Fe ferredoxin isolated from Desulfovibrio alaskensis

The redox behaviour of a ferredoxin (Fd) from Desulfovibrio alaskensis was characterized by electrochemistry. The protein was isolated and purified, and showed to be a tetramer containing one [3Fe-4S] and one [4Fe-4S] centre. This ferredoxin has high homology with FdI from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki and Hildenborough and FdIII from Desulfovibrio africanus. From differential pulse voltammetry the following signals were identified: [3Fe-4S](+1/0) (E(0')=-158±5mV); [4Fe-4S](+2/+1) (E(0')=-474±5mV) and [3Fe-4S](0/-2) (E(0')=-660±5mV). The effect of pH on these signals showed that the reduced [3Fe-4S](0) cluster has a pK'(red)(')=5.1±0.1, the [4Fe-4S](+2/+1) centre is pH independent, and the [3Fe-4S](0/-2) reduction is accompanied by the binding of two protons. The ability of the [3Fe-4S](0) cluster to be converted into a new [4Fe-4S] cluster was proven. The redox potential of the original [4Fe-4S] centre showed to be dependent on the formation of the new [4Fe-4S] centre, which results in a positive shift (ca. 70mV) of the redox potential of the original centre. Being most [Fe-S] proteins involved in electron transport processes, the electrochemical characterization of their clusters is essential to understand their biological function. Complementary EPR studies were performed.