Cyanide-binding site of bd-type ubiquinol oxidase from Escherichia coli

We extended our investigation on the structure of the redox centers of bd-type ubiquinol oxidase from Escherichia coli using cyanide as a monitoring probe. We found that addition of cyanide to the air-oxidized O2-bound enzyme caused appearance of an infrared C-N stretching band at 2161 cm-1 and concomitant disappearance of the 647 nm absorption band of the cytochrome d (Fe2+)-O2 species. Addition of cyanide to the air-oxidized CO-bound enzyme also resulted in disappearance of the 635 nm absorption band and the 1983.4 cm-1 C-O infrared band of the cytochrome d (Fe2+)-CO species. The resulting species had a derivative-shaped electron paramagnetic resonance signal at g = 3.15. Upon partial reduction with sodium dithionite, this species was converted partly to a transient heme d (Fe3+)-C = N species having an electron paramagnetic resonance signal at gz = 2.96 and a C-N infrared band at 2138 cm-1. These observations suggest that the active site of the enzyme has a heme-heme binuclear metal center distinct from that of the heme-copper terminal oxidase and that the treatment of the air-oxidized enzyme with cyanide resulted in a cyanide-bridging species with "heme d(Fe3+)-C = N-heme b595(Fe3+)" structure.