Fusing two cytochromes b of Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome bc1 using various linkers defines a set of protein templates for asymmetric mutagenesis

Protein Eng Des Sel. 2012 Jan;25(1):15-25. doi: 10.1093/protein/gzr055. Epub 2011 Nov 25.

Abstract

Cytochrome bc(1) (mitochondrial complex III), one of the key enzymes of biological energy conversion, is a functional homodimer in which each monomer contains three catalytic subunits: cytochrome c(1), the iron-sulfur subunit and cytochrome b. The latter is composed of eight transmembrane α-helices which, in duplicate, form a hydrophobic core of a dimer. We show that two cytochromes b can be fused into one 16-helical subunit using a number of different peptide linkers that vary in length but all connect the C-terminus of one cytochrome with the N-terminus of the other. The fusion proteins replace two cytochromes b in the dimer defining a set of available protein templates for introducing mutations that allow breaking symmetry of a dimer. A more detailed comparison of the form with the shortest, 3 amino acid, linker to the form with 12 amino acid linker established that both forms display similar level of structural plasticity to accommodate several, but not all, asymmetric patterns of mutations that knock out individual segments of cofactor chains. While the system based on a fused gene does not allow for the assessments of the functionality of electron-transfer paths in vivo, the family of proteins with fused cytochrome b offers attractive model for detailed investigations of molecular mechanism of catalysis at in vitro/reconstitution level.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cytochromes b / chemistry
  • Cytochromes b / genetics
  • Cytochromes b / metabolism*
  • Electron Transport Complex III / chemistry
  • Electron Transport Complex III / genetics
  • Electron Transport Complex III / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis
  • Protein Engineering / methods*
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Rhodobacter capsulatus / genetics
  • Rhodobacter capsulatus / metabolism*
  • Spectrophotometry

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Cytochromes b
  • Electron Transport Complex III