Ultraviolet resonance Raman spectra of cytochrome c conformational states

Ultraviolet resonance Raman (UV RR) spectra are reported for ferricytochrome c from tuna and horse heart at pH 1.6, 7, 10, and 13, representing distinct conformational states of the protein (states II, III, IV, and V, respectively). The spectra were obtained with pulsed laser excitation at 200 and 218 nm, via H2 Raman shifting the fourth harmonic output of a pulsed YAG laser. At these deep UV wavelengths, strong enhancement is observed for vibrational modes associated with tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine side chains and with the amide groups of the polypeptide backbone. The amide I peak frequency is consistent with a dominant contribution from alpha-helical regions, although a broad high-frequency tail reflects a variety of unordered conformations. The peak frequency is 12 cm-1 higher for cytochrome c from tuna than from horse, suggesting a less tightly wound structure, which is consistent with the lower denaturation temperature previously reported for the tuna protein. The amide I peak broadens when native protein (state III) is converted to the low- or high-pH forms (states II and IV), reflecting some disordering of the polypeptide chain, but the peak frequencies are unshifted, establishing that the alpha-helical segments are not completely unfolded in these states. Raising the pH to 13 (state V), however, does produce a frequency upshift, reflecting helix unfolding. The amide II and III frequencies are likewise consistent with a dominant alpha-helix contribution in the native proteins; they gain intensity, and amide III is shifted to a lower frequency, in states II and IV, consistent with partial disordering.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)