Characterization of the pH-dependent dimer-to-protomer transformation of cytochrome C oxidase at alkaline pH

The pH-induced dissociation of cytochrome c oxidase from dimer to protomer has been studied in the pH range 7 to 11. Findings are as follows: The heme A:copper ratio is 1.0 at both pH 7.4 and 10.6. The relative enzymatic activity is preserved at all pH values at which the dimer or protomer are found. The fraction of protomer, determined from sedimentation velocity profiles, increases from 0 to 1 as the pH is raised. The absorption and circular dichroism spectra in the Soret region change in ways indicating that the contributions of cytochrome a in typical cytochrome aa3 spectral patterns are progressively lost as pH increases. At pH values more alkaline than the above, denaturation occurs. The fraction of protomer, and certain parameters defined to quantitate the changes in spectral form, exhibit similar pH profiles for a given preparation; but these concerted changes occur over different pH ranges for different preparations. Nevertheless the optical parameters are linearly correlated with the fraction of protomer for each preparation. It is concluded that the spectral properties of the dimer and the protomer are intrinsic attributes of each species and are not directly affected by changes in ambient pH.