Role of the low-affinity binding site in electron transfer from cytochrome c to cytochrome c peroxidase

by Mei, Hongkang; Geren, Lois; Miller, Mark A.; Durham, Bill; Millett, Francis

The interaction of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c (yCc) with the high- and low-affinity binding sites on cytochrome c peroxidase compound I (CMPI) was studied by stopped-flow spectroscopy. When 3 muM reduced yCc(II) was mixed with 0.5 muM CMPI at 10 mM ionic strength, the Trp-191 radical cation was reduced from the high-affinity site with an apparent rate constant >3000 s(-1), followed by slow reduction of the oxyferryl heme with a rate constant of only 10 s(-1). In contrast, mixing 3 muM reduced yCc(II) with 0.5 muM preformed CMPI.yCc(III) complex led to reduction of the radical cation with a rate constant of 10 s(-1). followed by reduction of the oxyferryl heme in compound II with the same rate constant. The rate constants for reduction of the radical cation and the oxyferryl heme both increased with increasing concentrations of yCc(II) and remained equal to each other. These results are consistent with a mechanism in which both the Trp-191 radical cation and the oxyferryl heme are reduced by yCc(II) in the high-affinity binding site, and the reaction is rate-limited by product dissociation of yCc(III) from the high-affinity site with apparent rate constant k(d). Binding yCc(II) to the low-affinity site is proposed to increase the rate constant for dissociation of yCc(III) from the high-affinity site in a substrate-assisted product dissociation mechanism. The value of k(d) is <5 s(-1) for the 1:1 complex and >2000 s(-1) for the 2:1 complex at 10 mM ionic strength. The reaction of horse Ce-II with CMPI was greatly inhibited by binding 1 equiv of yCc(III) to the high-affinity site, providing evidence that reduction of the oxyferryl heme involves electron transfer from the high-affinity binding site rather than the low-affinity site. The effects of CcP surface mutations on the dissociation rate constant indicate that the high-affinity binding site used for the reaction in solution is the same as the one identified in the yCc.CcP crystal structure.

Journal
Biochemistry
Volume
41
Issue
12
Year
2002
Start Page
3968-3976
URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/bi016020a
ISBN/ISSN
1520-4995; 0006-2960
DOI
10.1021/bi016020a