Intramolecular electron transfer and conformational changes in cytochrome c oxidase

The photolysis intermediates of partially and fully reduced CO-bound cytochrome oxidase derivatives were investigated. A gated optical spectrometric multichannel analyzer was used to collect visible and near-infrared transient difference spectra on time scales from nanoseconds to milliseconds. The spectra were analyzed by a singular value decomposition method combined with a global exponential fitting procedure. Global analysis of the mixed-valence CO complex transient difference spectra shows that five intermediates are present with apparent lifetimes of 1.4 microseconds, 4.8 microseconds, 76.7 microseconds, 10.6 ms, and 21.6 ms. The data were fitted to a kinetic model involving a sequential pathway with accompanying equilibria. On the basis of this mechanism, the absorption spectra of the intermediates were determined. The first step, also present in the fully reduced enzyme, is attributed to a conformational change at cytochrome a3. The spectral changes associated with the second step are similar to those expected for 1:1 electron transfer from cytochrome a3 to cytochrome a, except for a higher absorbance between 480 and 550 nm. A comparison of the experimental spectral change associated with this step, (a2+ minus a3+) minus (a3(2+) minus a3(3+), and the calculated spectral change, (a2+ CuA+ minus a3+ CuA2+) minus a3(2+) CuB+ minus a3(3+) CuB2+), allowed extraction of the absorbance spectrum of CuA2+ in the 480-550 nm region. The spectral change associated with the third step is consistent with the oxidation of cytochrome a. A decrease in the 830 nm band on the same time scale indicates that the electron acceptor is CuA. The data also suggest that the redox state of CuB significantly affects the absorption spectrum of oxidized cytochrome a3 in the visible region. The two processes on a millisecond time scale are attributed to CO recombination and intramolecular electron transfer.