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EspañolOXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
The electron transport chain in the mitochondrion is the site of oxidative phosphorylation in eukaryotes. The NADH and succinate generated in the citric acid cycle is oxidized, releasing energy that is used to power the ATP synthase.
'Oxidative phosphorylation' is a metabolic pathway that uses energy released by the oxidation of nutrients to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Although the many forms of life on Earth utilize a range of different nutrients, almost all carry out oxidative phosphorylation to produce ATP, the molecule that supplies energy to metabolism. This pathway is probably so pervasive because it is a highly efficient way of storing energy, compared to alternative fermentation processes such as glycolysis.
During oxidative phosphorylation, electrons are transferred from electron donors to electron acceptors such as oxygen, in a redox reaction. This redox step releases energy, which is captured in the form of ATP. In eukaryotes these redox reactions are carried out by a series of protein complexes within mitochondria, whereas in prokaryotes, these proteins are located in the cells' inner membranes. These linked sets of enzymes are called electron transport chains. In eukaryotes, five main protein complexes are involved, whereas in prokaryotes many different enzymes are present, using a variety of electron donors and acceptors.
The energy released as electrons flow through this electron transport chain is used to transport protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane, in a process called ''chemiosmosis''. This generates potential energy in the form of a pH gradient and a electrical potential across this membrane. This store of energy is tapped by allowing protons to flow back across the membrane and down this gradient, through a large enzyme called ATP synthase. This enzyme uses this energy to generate ATP from adenosine diphosphate (ADP), in a phosphorylation reaction. Unusually, the ATP synthase works by the proton flow driving the rotation of part of the enzyme—it is a rotary mechanical motor.
Although oxidative phosphorylation is a vital part of metabolism, it produces reactive oxygen species such as free radicals that damage cells and contribute to ageing and disease. The enzymes carrying out this metabolic pathway are also the target of many drugs and poisons that inhibit their activities.
Overview of energy transfer by chemiosmosis
Oxidative phosphorylation works by using energy-releasing chemical reactions to drive energy-requiring reactions; the two sets of reactions are said to be ''coupled'', as one cannot occur without the other. The flow of electrons through the electron transport chain, from electron donors such as NADH to electron acceptors such as oxygen, is an exergonic process – it releases energy; while the synthesis of ATP is an endergonic process that requires an input of energy. From the perspective of pure [chemistry]], oxidative phosphorylation is striking because it connects two otherwise disparate reaction types, redox and esterification (ATP is a phosphate ester).
Both the electron transport chain and the ATP synthase are embedded in a membrane, and energy is transferred from one enzyme to the other by a flow of protons across this membrane, in a process called ''chemiosmosis''.[1] In practice, this is like an simple electric circuit, with a current of protons being driven from the negative N-side of the membrane to the positive P-side by the proton-pumping enzymes of the electron transport chain. These enzymes are like a battery, as they perform work to drive current through the circuit. The movement of protons creates an electrochemical gradient across the membrane, which is often called the ''proton-motive force''. This gradient has two components: a difference in proton concentration (a pH gradient) and a difference in electric potential, with the N-side having a negative charge. The energy is stored largely as the difference of electric potentials in mitochondria, but as a pH gradient in chloroplasts. Crucial role of the membrane potential for ATP synthesis by F(1)F(o) ATP synthases, Dimroth P, Kaim G, Matthey U, , , J. Exp. Biol., 2000
ATP synthase releases this stored energy by completing the circuit and allowing protons to flow down the electrochemical gradient, back to the N-side of the membrane. Structures and proton-pumping strategies of mitochondrial respiratory enzymes, Schultz B, Chan S, , , Annu Rev Biophys Biomol Struct, 2001 This enzyme is like an electric motor as it uses the proton-motive force to drive the rotation of part of its structure and couples this motion to the synthesis of ATP.
The amount of energy released by oxidative phosphorylation is high, compared with the amount produced by anaerobic fermentation. Glycolysis only produces 2 ATP molecules, but 26 ATPs are produced by the oxidative phosphorylation of the 10 NADH and 2 succinate molecules that are made by converting one molecule of glucose to carbon dioxide and water.[2] This ATP yield is the theoretical maximum value; in practice some protons leak across the membrane, lowering the yield of ATP.[3]
Electron and proton transfer molecules
Reduction of coenzyme Q from its ubiquinone form (Q) to the reduced ubiquinol form (QH2).
The electron transport chain carries both protons and electrons, passing electrons from donors to acceptors, and transporting protons across a membrane. These processes use both soluble and protein-bound transfer molecules. In mitochondria, electrons are transferred within the intermembrane space by the water-soluble electron transfer protein cytochrome c.[4] This carries only electrons, and these are transferred by the reduction and oxidation of an iron atom that the protein holds within a heme group in its structure. Cytochrome c is also found in some bacteria, where it is located within the periplasmic space.[5]
Within the inner mitochondrial membrane, the lipid-soluble electron carrier coenzyme Q10 (Q) carries both electrons and protons by a redox cycle.[6] This small benzoquinone molecule is very hydrophobic, so it diffuses freely within the membrane. When Q accepts two electrons and two protons, it becomes reduced to the ''ubiquinol'' form (QH2); when QH2 releases two electrons and two protons, it becomes oxidized back to the ''ubiquinone'' (Q) form. As a result, if two enzymes are arranged so that Q is reduced on one side of the membrane and QH2 oxidized on the other, ubiquinone will couple these reactions and shuttle protons across the membrane.[7] Some bacterial electron transport chains use different quinones, such as menaquinone, in addition to ubiquinone. Microbial ubiquinones: multiple roles in respiration, gene regulation and oxidative stress management, Søballe B, Poole RK, , , Microbiology (Reading, Engl.), 1999
Within proteins, electrons are transferred between iron–sulfur clusters, metal ions and flavin cofactors. Structure, function, and formation of biological iron-sulfur clusters, Johnson D, Dean D, Smith A, Johnson M, , , Annu Rev Biochem, 2005 There are several types of iron–sulfur cluster. The simplest kind found in the electron transfer chain consists of two iron atoms joined by two atoms on inorganic sulfur; these are called [2Fe–2S] clusters. The second kind, called [4Fe–4S], contains a cube of four iron atoms and four sulfur atoms. Metal ion cofactors undergo redox reactions without binding or releasing protons, so in the electron transport chain they serve solely to transport electrons through proteins. Electrons move through quite long distances in proteins by hopping along between chains of these cofactors.[8] This occurs by quantum tunnelling, which is rapid over distances of less than 14 Å.[9]
Eukaryotic electron transport chains
Many catabolic biochemical processes, such as glycolysis, the citric acid cycle and beta oxidation, produce the reduced coenzyme NADH. This coenzyme contains electrons that have a high transfer potential; in other words, they will release a large amount of energy upon oxidation. However, the cell does not release this energy all at once, as this would be an uncontrollable reaction. Instead, the electrons are removed from NADH and passed to oxygen through a series of enzymes that each release a small amount of the energy. This set of enzymes, consisting of complexes I through IV, is called the electron transport chain and is found in the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. Succinate is also oxidized by the electron transport chain, but feeds into the pathway at a different point.
In eukaryotes, the enzymes in this electron transport system use the energy released from the oxidation of NADH to pump protons across the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. This causes protons to build up in the intermembrane space, and generates an electrochemical gradient across the membrane. The energy stored in this potential is then used by ATP synthase to produce ATP. Oxidative phosphorylation in the eukaryotic mitochondrion is the best-understood example of this process. The mitochondrion is present in almost all eukaryotes, with the exception of anaerobic protozoa such as ''Trichomonas vaginalis'' that instead reduce protons to hydrogen in a remnant mitochondrion called a hydrogenosome.[10]
NADH-coenzyme Q oxidoreductase (complex I)
Complex I or NADH-Q oxidoreductase. The abbreviations are discussed in the text. In all diagrams of respiratory complexes, the matrix is at the bottom, with the intermembrane space above.
NADH-coenzyme Q oxidoreductase, also known as ''NADH dehydrogenase'' or ''complex I'', is the first protein in the electron transport chain. Energy transduction by respiratory complex I--an evaluation of current knowledge, Hirst J, , , Biochem. Soc. Trans., 2005 Complex I is a giant enzyme with the mammalian complex I having 46 subunits and a molecular mass of about 1,000 kilodaltons (kDa). Mitochondrial Complex I: structural and functional aspects, Lenaz G, Fato R, Genova M, Bergamini C, Bianchi C, Biondi A, , , Biochim Biophys Acta, 2006 The structure is not known in detail but the complex resembles a boot with a large “ball” poking out past the membrane.[11][12] The genes that encode the individual proteins are contained in both the cell nucleus and the mitochondrial genome, as is the case for many enzymes present in the mitochondrion.
The reaction which is catalyzed by this enzyme is the reduction by NADH of coenzyme Q10 or ''ubiquinone'' (represented as Q in the equation below), a lipid-soluble quinone that is found in the mitochondrion membrane:
The start of the reaction, and indeed of the entire electron chain, is the binding of a NADH molecule to complex I and the donation of two electrons. The electrons enter complex I via a prosthetic group attached to the complex, flavin mononucleotide (FMN). The addition of electrons to FMN converts it to its reduced form, FMNH2. The electrons are then transferred through a series of iron–sulfur clusters: the second kind of prosthetic group present in the complex. Organization of iron-sulfur clusters in respiratory complex I, Hinchliffe P, Sazanov LA, , , Science, 2005 There are both [2Fe–2S] and [4Fe–4S] iron–sulfur clusters in complex I.
As the electrons pass through this complex, four protons are pumped from the matrix into the intermembrane space. Exactly how this occurs is unclear, but it seems to involve conformational changes in complex I that cause the protein to bind protons on the N-side of the membrane and then move them onto the P-side of the membrane.[13] Finally, the electrons are transferred from the chain of iron–sulfur clusters to a ubiquinone molecule in the membrane. Reduction of ubiquinone also contributes to the generation of a proton gradient, as two protons are taken up from the matrix as it is reduced to ubiquinol (QH2).
Complex II: Succinate-Q oxidoreductase.
Succinate-Q oxidoreductase (complex II)
Succinate-Q oxidoreductase, also known as ''complex II'', is a second entry point to the electron transport chain.[14] It is unusual as it is the only enzyme that participates in both the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain. Complex II consists of four protein subunits and contains a bound flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor, iron–sulfur clusters and heme groups.[15] It oxidizes succinate to fumarate and reduces ubiquinone. As this reaction releases less energy than the oxidation of NADH, complex II does not transport protons across the membrane and does not contribute to the proton gradient.
In some eukaryotes, such as the parasitic worm ''Ascaris suum'', complex II operates in reverse to oxidize ubiquinol and reduce fumarate. This allows the worm to survive in the anaerobic environment of the large intestine, carrying out anaerobic oxidative phosphorylation with fumarate as the electron acceptor.[16] Another unconventional function of complex II is seen in the malaria parasite ''Plasmodium falciparum''. Here, the reversed action of complex II as an oxidase is important in regenerating ubiquinol, which the parasite uses in an unusual form of pyrimidine biosynthesis.[17]
Electron transfer flavoprotein-Q oxidoreductase
Electron transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETF-Q oxidoreductase), also known as ''electron transferring-flavoprotein dehydrogenase'', is a third entry point to the electron transport chain. It is an enzyme that accepts electrons from electron-transferring flavoprotein in the mitochondrial matrix, and uses these electrons to reduce ubiquinone.[18] This enzyme contains a flavin and a [4Fe–4S] cluster, but unlike the other respiratory complexes, it attaches to the surface of the membrane and does not cross the lipid bilayer.[19]
In mammals, this metabolic pathway is important in beta oxidation of fatty acids and catabolism of amino acids and choline, as it accepts electrons from multiple acetyl-CoA dehydrogenases.[20][21] In plants, ETF-Q oxidoreductase is also important in the metabolic responses that allow survival in extended periods of darkness.[22]
Q-cytochrome c oxidoreductase (complex III)
The two electron transfer steps in complex III: Q-cytochrome c oxidoreductase.
Q-cytochrome c oxidoreductase is also known as ''cytochrome c reductase'', ''cytochrome bc1 complex'', or simply ''complex III''.[23][24] In mammals, this enzyme is a dimer, with each subunit complex containing 11 protein subunits, an [2Fe-2S] iron–sulfur cluster and two cytochromes.[25] A cytochrome is a kind of electron-transferring protein which contains at least one heme group. The iron atoms inside complex III’s heme groups alternate between a reduced ferrous (+2) and oxidized ferric (+3) state as the electrons are transferred through the protein.
The reaction catalyzed by complex III is the oxidation of one molecule of ubiquinol and the reduction of two molecules of cytochrome c, a heme protein loosely associated with the mitochondrion. Unlike coenzyme Q, which carries two electrons, cytochrome c only carries one electron.
As only one of the electrons can be transferred from the QH2 donor to a cytochrome c acceptor at a time, the reaction mechanism of complex III is more elaborate than those of the other respiratory complexes, and occurs in two steps called the ''Q cycle''.[26] In the first step, the enzyme binds three substrates. Firstly QH2, which is then oxidized, with one electron being passed to the second substrate, cytochrome c. The two protons released from QH2 pass into the intermembrane space. The third substrate is Q, which accepts the second electron from the QH2 and is reduced to Q.-, which is the ubisemiquinone free radical. The first two substrates are released, but this ubisemiquinone intermediate remains bound. In the second step, a second molecule of QH2 is bound and again passes one electron to a cytochrome c acceptor. The second electron is passed to the bound ubisemiquinone, reducing it to QH2 as it accepts two protons from the mitochondrial matrix. This QH2 is then released from the enzyme.[27]
As coenzyme Q is reduced to ubiquinol on the inner side of the membrane and oxidized to ubiquinone on the other, this causes the net transfer of protons across the membrane, adding to the proton gradient. The rather complex two-step mechanism by which this occurs is important as it increases the efficiency of proton transfer. If instead of the Q cycle, one molecule of QH2 was used to directly reduce two molecules of cytochrome c, the efficiency would be halved, with only one proton transferred per cytochrome c reduced.
Complex IV: cytochrome c oxidase.
Cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV)
Cytochrome c oxidase, also known as ''complex IV'', is the final protein complex in the electron transport chain.[28] The mammalian enzyme has an extremely complex structure and contains 13 subunits, two heme groups, as well as multiple metal ion cofactors –- in all three atoms of copper, one of magnesium and one of zinc.[29]
This enzyme mediates the final reaction in the electron transport chain and transfers electrons to oxygen, while pumping protons across the membrane.[30] The final electron acceptor oxygen, which is also called the ''terminal electron acceptor'', is reduced to water in this step. Both the direct pumping of protons and the consumption of matrix protons in the reduction of oxygen contribute to the proton gradient. The reaction catalyzed is the oxidation of cytochrome c and the reduction of oxygen:
Alternative reductases and oxidases
Many eukaryotic organisms have electron transport chains that differ from the well-studied mammalian enzymes described above. For example, in plants, alternative NADH oxidases exist that oxidize NADH in the cytosol, rather than the mitochondrial matrix, and pass these electrons to the ubiquinone pool.[31] These enzymes do not transport protons and therefore reduce ubiquinone without altering the electrochemical gradient across the inner membrane.[32]
Another example of a divergent electron transport chain is the ''alternative oxidase'', which is found in plants, as well as some fungi, protists and possibly some animals.[33][34] This enzyme transfers electrons directly from ubiquinol to oxygen.[35]
The electron transport pathways produced by these alternative NADH and ubiquinone oxidases have lower ATP yields than the full pathway. The advantages produced by a shortened pathway are not entirely clear. However, the alternative oxidase is produced in response to stresses such as cold, reactive oxygen species and infection by pathogens, as well as other factors that inhibit the full electron transport chain.[36][37] Alternative pathways might therefore enhance an organisms' resistance to injury, by reducing oxidative stress.[38]
Organization of complexes
The original model for how the respiratory chain complexes are organized was that they diffuse freely and independently in the mitochondrial membrane. A critical appraisal of the mitochondrial coenzyme Q pool, Lenaz G, , , FEBS Lett., 2001 However, recent data suggest that the complexes might form higher-order structures called supercomplexes or "respirasomes".[39] In this model, the various complexes exist as organized sets of interacting enzymes.[40] These associations might allow channeling of substrates between the various enzyme complexes, increasing the rate and efficiency of electron transfer.[41] Within such mammalian supercomplexes, some components would be present in higher amounts than others, with a ratio between complexes I/II/III/IV and the ATP synthase of approximately 1:1:3:7:4.[42] However, the debate over this supercomplex model is not completely resolved, as some data do not appear to fit with this model.[43]
Prokaryotic electron transport chains
In contrast to the general similarity in structure and function of the electron transport chains in eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea possess a large variety of electron-transfer enzymes. These use an equally wide set of chemicals as substrates.[44] In common with eukaryotes, prokaryotic electron transport uses the energy released from the oxidation of a substrate to pump ions across a membrane and generate an electrochemical gradient. In the bacteria, oxidative phosphorylation in ''Escherichia coli'' is understood in most detail, while archaeal systems are at present poorly-understood.[45]
The main difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic oxidative phosphorylation is that bacteria and archaea use many different substances to donate or accept electrons. This allows prokaryotes to grow under a wide variety of environmental conditions. The respiratory chains of Escherichia coli, Ingledew WJ, Poole RK, , , Microbiol. Rev., 1984 In ''E. coli'', for example, oxidative phosphorylation can be driven by a large number of pairs of reducing agents and oxidizing agents, which are listed below. The midpoint potential of a chemical measures how much energy is released when it is oxidized or reduced, with reducing agents having negative potentials and oxidizing agents positive potentials.
| Respiratory enzymes and substrates in ''E. coli'' Alternative respiratory pathways of Escherichia coli: energetics and transcriptional regulation in response to electron acceptors, Unden G, Bongaerts J, , , Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1997 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Respiratory enzyme | Redox pair | Midpoint potential (Volts) |
| Formate dehydrogenase | Bicarbonate / Formate | −0.43 |
| Hydrogenase | Proton / Hydrogen | −0.42 |
| NADH dehydrogenase | NAD+ / NADH | −0.32 |
| Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase | DHAP / Gly-3-P | −0.19 |
| Pyruvate oxidase | Acetate + Carbon dioxide / Pyruvate | ? |
| Lactate dehydrogenase | Pyruvate / Lactate | −0.19 |
| D-amino acid dehydrogenase | 2-oxoacid + ammonia / D-amino acid | ? |
| Glucose oxidase | Glucose / Gluconate | −0.14 |
| Succinate dehydrogenase | Succinate / Fumarate | +0.03 |
| Ubiquinol oxidase | Oxygen / Water | +0.82 |
| Nitrate reductase | Nitrate / Nitrite | +0.42 |
| Nitrite reductase | Nitrite / Ammonia | +0.36 |
| Dimethyl sulfoxide reductase | DMSO / DMS | +0.16 |
| Trimethylamine ''N''-oxide reductase | TMAO / TMA | +0.13 |
| Fumarate reductase | Fumarate / Succinate | +0.03 |
As shown above, ''E. coli'' can grow with reducing agents such as formate, hydrogen or lactate as electron donors, and nitrate, DMSO or oxygen as acceptors. The larger the difference in midpoint potential between an oxidizing and reducing agent, the more energy is released when they react. Out of these compounds, the succinate/fumarate pair is unusual, as its midpoint potential is close to zero. Succinate can therefore be oxidized to fumarate if a strong oxidizing agent such as oxygen is available, or fumarate can be reduced to succinate using a strong reducing agent such as formate. These alternative reactions are catalyzed by succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate reductase, respectively.[46]
Some prokaryotes use redox pairs that have only a small difference in midpoint potential. For example, nitrifying bacteria such as ''Nitrobacter'' oxidize nitrite to nitrate, donating the electrons to oxygen. The small amount of energy released in this reaction is enough to pump protons and generate ATP, but not enough to produce NADH or NADPH directly for use in anabolism.[47] This problem is solved by using a nitrite oxidoreductase to produce enough proton-motive force to run part of the electron transport chain in reverse, causing complex I to generate NADH.[48][49]
Prokaryotes control their use of these electron donors and acceptors by varying which enzymes are produced, in response to environmental conditions.[50] This flexibility is possible because different oxidases and reductases use the same ubiquinone pool. This allows many combinations of enzymes to function together, linked by the common ubiquinol intermediate. These respiratory chains therefore have a modular design, with easily interchangeable sets of enzyme systems.
In addition to this metabolic diversity, prokaryotes also possess a range of isozymes – different enzymes that catalyze the same reaction. For example, in ''E. coli'' there are two different types of ubiquinol oxidase using oxygen as an electron acceptor. Under highly aerobic conditions the cell uses an oxidase with a low affinity for oxygen that can transport two protons per electron. However, if levels of oxygen fall, they switch to an oxidase that only transfers one proton per electron, but has a high affinity for oxygen.[51]
ATP synthase
ATP synthase. The FO proton channel and stalk are shown in blue, the F1 synthase domain in red and the membrane in gray.
ATP synthase, also called ''complex V'', is the final enzyme in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. This enzyme is found in all forms of life and functions in the same way in both prokaryotes or eukaryotes. The ATP synthase--a splendid molecular machine, Boyer PD, , , Annu. Rev. Biochem., 1997 The enzyme uses the energy stored in a proton gradient across a membrane to drive the synthesis of ATP from ADP and phosphate (Pi). Estimates of the number of protons required to synthesise one ATP have ranged from three to four,[52][53] with some suggesting cells can vary this ratio, to suit different conditions.[54]
This phosphorylation reaction is an equilibrium, which can be shifted by altering the proton-motive force. In the absence of a proton-motive force, the ATP synthase reaction will run from right to left, hydrolyzing ATP and pumping protons out of the matrix across the membrane. However, when the proton-motive force is high, the reaction is forced to run in the opposite direction; it proceeds from left to right, allowing protons to flow down their concentration gradient and turning ADP into ATP. Indeed, in the closely related vacuolar type H+-ATPases the same reaction is used to acidify cellular compartments, by pumping protons and hydrolysing ATP.[55]
ATP synthase is a massive protein complex with a mushroom-like shape. The mammalian enzyme complex contains 16 subunits and has a mass of approximately 600 kilodaltons.[56] The portion embedded within the membrane is called FO and contains a ring of c subunits and the proton channel. The stalk and the ball-shaped headpiece is called F1 and is the site of ATP synthesis. The ball-shaped complex at the end of the F1 portion contains six proteins of two different kinds (three α subunits and three β subunits), while the "stalk" consists of one protein: the γ subunit, with the tip of the stalk extending into the ball of α and β subunits.[57] Both the α and β subunits bind nucleotides, but only the β subunits catalyze the ATP synthesis reaction. Reaching along the side of the F1 portion and back into the membrane is a long rod-like subunit that anchors the α and β subunits into the base of the enzyme.
As protons cross the membrane through the channel in the base of ATP synthase this causes the FO proton-driven motor to rotate.[58] Rotation might be caused by changes in the ionization of amino acids in the ring of c subunits causing electrostatic interactions that propel the ring of c subunits past the proton channel.[59] This rotating ring in turn drives the rotation of the central axle (the γ subunit stalk) within the α and β subunits. The α and β subunits are prevented from rotating themselves by the side-arm, which acts as a stator. This movement of the tip of the γ subunit within the ball of α and β subunits provides the energy for the active sites in the β subunits to undergo a cycle of movements that produces and then releases ATP. Catalytic and mechanical cycles in F-ATP synthases. Fourth in the Cycles Review Series, Dimroth P, von Ballmoos C, Meier T, , , EMBO Rep, 2006
Mechanism of ATP synthase. ATP is shown in red, ADP and phosphate in pink and the rotating γ subunit in black.
This ATP synthesis reaction is called the ''binding change mechanism'' and involves the active site of a β subunit cycling between three states. Catalytic site cooperativity of beef heart mitochondrial F1 adenosine triphosphatase. Correlations of initial velocity, bound intermediate, and oxygen exchange measurements with an alternating three-site model, Gresser MJ, Myers JA, Boyer PD, , , J. Biol. Chem., 1982 In the "open" state, ADP and phosphate enter the active site (shown in brown in the diagram). The protein then closes up around the molecules and binds them loosely – the "loose" state (shown in red). The enzyme then changes shape again and forces these molecules together, with the active site in the resulting "tight" state (shown in pink) binding the newly produced ATP molecule with very high affinity. Finally, the active site cycles back to the open state, releasing ATP and binding more ADP and phosphate, ready for the next cycle.
In some bacteria and archaea, ATP synthesis is driven by the movement of sodium ions through the cell membrane, rather than the movement of protons.[60] Delta mu Na+ drives the synthesis of ATP via an delta mu Na(+)-translocating F1F0-ATP synthase in membrane vesicles of the archaeon Methanosarcina mazei Gö1, Becher B, Müller V, , , J. Bacteriol., 1994 Archaea such as ''Methanococcus'' also contain the A1Ao synthase, a form of the enzyme that contains additional proteins with little similarity in sequence to other bacterial and eukaryotic ATP synthase subunits. It is possible that in some species the A1Ao form of the enzyme is a specialized sodium-driven ATP synthase,[61] but this might not be true in all cases.
Reactive oxygen species
Molecular oxygen is an ideal terminal electron acceptor because it is a strong oxidizing agent. The reduction of oxygen does involve potentially harmful intermediates. Oxidative stress: the paradox of aerobic life, Davies K, , , Biochem Soc Symp, 1995 Although the transfer of four electrons and four protons reduces oxygen to water, which is harmless, transfer of one or two electrons produces superoxide anion and peroxide.
These reactive oxygen species and their reaction products, such as the hydroxyl radical, are very harmful to cells, as they oxidize proteins and cause mutations in DNA. This cellular damage might contribute to disease and is proposed as one cause of ageing.[62][63]
The cytochrome c oxidase complex is highly efficient at reducing oxygen to water and it releases very few partly reduced intermediates; however small amounts of superoxide anion and peroxide are produced by the electron transport chain. Mitochondria, oxygen free radicals, disease and ageing, Raha S, Robinson B, , , Trends Biochem Sci, 2000 Particularly important is the reduction of coenzyme Q in complex III, as a highly reactive ubisemiquinone free radical is formed as an intermediate in the Q cycle. This unstable species can lead to electron "leakage" when electrons transfer directly to oxygen, forming superoxide.[64]
To counteract these reactive oxygen species, cells contain numerous antioxidant systems, including antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin E, and antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidases.which detoxify the reactive species, limiting damage to the cell.
Inhibitors
There are several well-known drugs and toxins that inhibit oxidative phosphorylation. Although any one of these toxins only inhibits one enzyme in the electron transport chain, inhibition of any step in this process will halt the rest of the process. For example, if oligomycin inhibits ATP synthase, protons cannot pass back into the mitochondrion. As a result, the proton pumps are unable to operate, as the gradient becomes too strong for them to overcome. NADH is then no longer oxidized and the citric acid cycle ceases to operate because the concentration of NAD+ falls below the concentration that these enzymes can use.
| Compounds | Use | Effect on oxidative phosphorylation |
|---|---|---|
| Cyanide Carbon monoxide | Poisons | Inhibit the electron transport chain by binding more strongly than oxygen to the Fe–Cu center in cytochrome c oxidase, preventing the reduction of oxygen.[65] |
| Oligomycin | Antibiotic | Inhibits ATP synthase by blocking the flow of protons through the Fo subunit. ATP synthase complex from bovine heart mitochondria: the oligomycin sensitivity conferring protein is essential for dicyclohexyl carbodiimide-sensitive ATPase, Joshi S, Huang YG, , , Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1991 |
| CCCP 2,4-Dinitrophenol | Poisons | Ionophores that disrupt the proton gradient by carrying protons across the membrane. This uncouples proton pumping from ATP synthesis.[66] |
| Rotenone | Pesticide | Prevents the transfer of electrons from complex I to ubiquinone by blocking to the ubiquinone-binding site.[67] |
History
The field of oxidative phosphorylation began with the report in 1906 by Arthur Harden of a vital role for phosphate in cellular fermentation, but initially only sugar phosphates were known to be involved.[68] However, in the early 1940s, the link between the oxidation of sugars and the generation of ATP was firmly established by Herman Kalckar,[69] confirming the central role of ATP in energy transfer that had been proposed by Fritz Albert Lipmann in 1941.[70] Later, in 1949, Morris Friedkin and Albert L. Lehninger proved that the coenzyme NADH linked metabolic pathways such as the citric acid cycle and the synthesis of ATP.[71]
For another twenty years the mechanism by which ATP was generated remained mysterious, with scientists searching for an elusive "high-energy intermediate" that would link oxidation and phosphorylation reactions.[72] This puzzle was solved by Peter D. Mitchell with the publication of the chemiosmotic theory in 1961.[73] At first this proposal was highly controversial, but it was slowly accepted and Mitchell was awarded a Nobel prize in 1978.[74][75] Subsequent research concentrated on purifying and characterizing the enzymes involved, with major contributions being made by David E. Green on the complexes of the electron-transport chain, as well as Efraim Racker on the ATP synthase.[76] A critical step towards solving the mechanism of the ATP synthase was provided by Paul D. Boyer, by his development in 1973 of the "binding change" mechanism, followed by his radical proposal of rotational catalysis in 1982.[77] More recent work has included structural studies on the enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation by John E. Walker, with Walker and Boyer being awarded a Nobel prize in 1997.[78]
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Further reading
'Introductory'
★ Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, Nelson DL, , , W. H. Freeman, 2004,
★ Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics and Life, Schneider ED, , , University of Chicago Press, 2006,
'Advanced'
★ Bioenergetics 3, Nicholls DG, , , Academic Press, 2002,
★ Biological Thermodynamics, Haynie D, , , Cambridge University Press, 2001,
★ Introduction to Bioenergetics, Rajan SS, , , Anmol, 2003,
★ Biophysical and Structural Aspects of Bioenergetics, Wikstrom M (Ed), , , Royal Society of Chemistry, 2005,
External links
'General resources'
★ Animated diagrams illustrating oxidative phosphorylation Wiley and Co ''Concepts in Biochemistry''
★ Oxidative phosphorylation Metabolic Pathways of Biochemistry, the online reference of metabolism for students and teachers, at George Washington University
★ ATP synthase - the rotary engine in the cell Brief introduction, including videos of microscope images of the enzyme rotating, at Tokyo Institute of Technology
'Structural resources'
★ Animations of the ATP synthase Hongyun Wang and George Oster, University of California, Berkeley
★ PDB molecule of the month:
★
★ ATP synthase
★
★ Cytochrome c
★
★ Cytochrome c oxidase
★ Interactive molecular models at Universidade Fernando Pessoa:
★
★ NADH dehydrogenase
★
★ succinate dehydrogenase
★
★ Coenzyme Q - cytochrome c reductase
★
★ cytochrome c oxidase
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