JBC, Vol. 251, Issue 14, 4336-4345, Jul, 1976
The study of 1-electron equivalent oxidation-reduction reactions by fast pulse generation of reagents. Cytochrome c/ferri-ferrocyanide system
Y. Ilan, A. Shafferman and G. Stein
The method of pulse radiolysis was used to generate reagents in situ in
times (500 ns to 1.5 mus) short compared with the rates of the observed
biochemical processes. This "instant" mixing technique is compared with
rapid stopped flow measurements (limited in rates and concentrations) and
T-jump measurements (limited to relaxation in the neighborhood of
equilibrium) for the ferro-ferricytochrome c
(C(II)-C(III))/ferro-ferricyanide (FCN(II)-FCN(III)) system. The reagents
generated in situ were C(II) or FCN(III). Kinetically indistinguishable
binding sites exist on C(II) and C(III) for hexacyanide anions. Reductive
electron transfer to the protein proceeds within the FCN(II)-C(III)
complex, with a rate of 400 s-1. The binding of FCN(II) on C(II) slows down
the oxidation of C(II) by FCN(III). The sites of interaction on C(II) or
C(III) with FCN(III) show effective charges of approximately +2. The
association constant per binding site derived from the kinetics of electron
transfer is greater than or equal to 10(4) M-1 for FCN(II)-C(II) and less
than or equal to 10(4) M-1 for FCN(III)-C(III). Specific clusters of amino
acids in the model of cytochrome C are suggested as binding sites. The
oxidation-reduction reactions of FCN appear to involve electron equivalent
transfer to and from such somewhat remote binding sites on the protein.
Anions such as phosphate or sulphate also bind to these, less strongly than
hexacyanides. In the presence of perchlorate the kinetics show the
resolution of the pK=9.3 of C(III) into two parts: (a) optical changes at
695 nm due to ligand interchange on the heme-iron, unaffected by
perchlorate and (b), a kinetic change leading to biphasic oxidation of
C(II), with pK=7.4. This is attributed to the effect of perchlorate on
water structure in the close environment of the binding sites. The high
rate of oxidation of relaxed C(II) by FCN(III), (2 X 10(8) M-1 S-1 at mu=0)
is not in agreement with an outer sphere Marcus mechanism. Nonrelaxed C(II)
having a structure closer to C(III) transfers electron to FCN(III) even
faster (k=3 X 10(9) M-1 S-1 at mu=0).