Abstract
CYTOCHROME c oxidase catalyses the 4-electron reduction of dioxygen to water and translocates protons vectorially across the inner mitochondrial membrane. Proposed reaction pathways for the catalytic cycle of the O2 reduction1–3 are difficult to verify without knowing the structures of the intermediates, but we now have such information for the catalytic intermediates in the first steps of the reaction of O2 with cytochrome c oxidase from resonance Raman spectroscopy4–6, a technique that enables iron-ligand stretching modes to be identified4–7. Here we report on two more key intermediates: a ferryl–oxo (Fe4+=O2−) and a ferric-hydroxy (Fe3+–OH−) intermediate at the level of 3- and 4-electron reduction, respectively. We identified these intermediates by their characteristic iron-oxygen stretching frequencies (786cm−1 for Fe4+=O2−, and 450cm−1 for Fe3+–OH−) and oxygen and deuterium isotope shifts. The oxo atom in the ferryl intermediate is hydrogen-bonded and the iron–oxygen bond in the hydroxy intermediate is anomalously weak. With the identification of the primary, ferryl and hydroxy intermediates, the predominant structures at almost all stages of O2 reduction are now known and the catalytic pathway can be described with more certainty.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Oliveberg, M., Brzezinski, P. & Malmström, B. G. Biochim. biophys. Acta 977, 322–328 (1989).
Wikström, M. Nature 338, 776–778 (1989).
Chan, S. I. & Li, P. M. Biochemistry 29, 1–12 (1990).
Varotsis, C., Woodruff, W. H. & Babcock, G. T. J. Am. chem. Soc. 111, 6439–6440 (1989); 112, 1297 (1990).
Han, S., Ching, Y.-C. & Rousseau, D. L. Biochemistry 29, 1380–1384 (1990).
Han, S., Ching, Y.-C. & Rousseau, D. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 2491–2495 (1990).
Argade, P. V., Ching, Y.-C. & Rousseau, D. L. Science 225, 329–331 (1984).
Han, S., Ching, Y.-C. & Rousseau, D. L. J. Am. chem. Soc. (in the press).
Hill, B. C., Greenwood, C. & Nicholls, P. Biochim. biophys. Acta 853, 91–113 (1986).
Han, S., Ching, Y.-C. & Rousseau, D. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).
Terner, J., Sitter, A. J. & Reczek, C. M. Biochim. biophys. Acta 828, 73–80 (1985).
Sitter, A. J., Reczek, C. M. & Terner, J. J. biol. Chem. 260, 7515–7522 (1985).
Hashimoto, S., Tatsuno, Y. & Kitagawa, T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 2417–2421 (1986).
Hashimoto, S., Nakajima, R., Yamazaki, I., Tatsuno, Y. & Kitagawa, T. FEBS Lett. 208, 305–307 (1986).
Hashimoto, S., Tareoka, J., Inubushi, T., Yonetani, T. & Kitagawa, T. J. biol. Chem. 261, 11110–11118 (1986).
Chuang, W.-J., Heldt, J. & VanWart, H. E. J. biol. Chem. 264, 14209–14215 (1989).
Sitter, A. J., Reczek, C. M. & Terner, J. Biochim. biophys. Acta 828, 229–235 (1985).
Wikström, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 4051–4054 (1981).
Wikström, M. Chemica Scripta 27B, 53–58 (1987).
Wikström, M. Chemica Scripta 28A, 71–74 (1988).
Blair, D. F., Witt, S. N. & Chan, S. I. J. Am. chem. Soc. 107, 7389–7399 (1985).
Witt, S. N., Blair, D. F. & Chan, S. I. J. biol. Chem. 261, 8104–8107 (1986).
Kumar, C., Naqui, A., Powers, L., Ching, Y.-C. & Chance, B. J. biol. Chem. 263, 7159–7163 (1958).
Asher, S. A., Vickery, L. E., Schuster, T. M. & Sauer, K. Biochemistry 16, 5849–5856 (1977).
Asher, S. A. & Schuster, T. M. Biochemistry 18, 5377–5387 (1979).
Desbois, A., Lutz, M. & Banerjee, R. Biochemistry 18, 1510–1518 (1979).
Han, S., Ching, Y.-C. & Rousseau, D. L. J. biol. Chem. 264, 6604–6607 (1989).
Yonetani, T. J. biol. Chem. 235, 845–852 (1960).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Han, S., Ching, Yc. & Rousseau, D. Ferryl and hydroxy intermediates in the reaction of oxygen with reduced cytochrome c oxidase. Nature 348, 89–90 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/348089a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/348089a0
This article is cited by
-
Structural insights into functional properties of the oxidized form of cytochrome c oxidase
Nature Communications (2023)
-
The secondary coordination sphere and axial ligand effects on oxygen reduction reaction by iron porphyrins: a DFT computational study
JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry (2016)
-
A biosynthetic model of cytochrome c oxidase as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction
Nature Communications (2015)
-
A flash-photolysis study of the reactions of acaa 3-ttype cytochrome oxidase with dioxygen and carbon monoxide
Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes (1996)
-
The histidine cycle: A new model for proton translocation in the respiratory heme-copper oxidases
Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes (1994)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.