Membrane effects on proton transfer in cytochrome c oxidase

Abstract: The biological membrane is composed of lipids and proteins that make up dynamic barriers around cells and organelles. Membrane-spanning proteins are involved in many key processes in the cell such as energy conversion, nerve conduction and signal transduction. These proteins interact closely with lipids as well as with other proteins in the membrane, which modulates and affects their structure and function. In the energy-conversion process, membrane-bound proton-transport proteins maintain an electrochemical proton gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane or the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria. This gradient is utilized for ATP synthesis or transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Results from earlier studies have shown that proton transporters are influenced by their environment.Here, one of these proton transporters, cytochrome c oxidase, has been purified and reconstituted into liposomes or nanodiscs and membrane effects on specific proton-transfer processes were studied. In these studies we observed that the membrane accelerated proton transfer to the surface of cytochrome c oxidase and that there is a protonic link, via a Glu residue that mediates proton transfer from the membrane surface to a proton-transfer pathway in this protein. In addition, the membrane was shown to modulate specific internal electron and proton-transfer reactions.The results from these studies show that the membrane composition influences transmembrane transport. Consequently, our understanding of these processes requires investigation of these transporter proteins in different membrane-mimetic systems of variable and well-defined composition. Furthermore, the data show that membrane surfaces facilitate lateral proton transfer which is presumably essential for maintaining high efficiency in energy conversion. This is particular important in organisms such as alkaliphilic bacteria where the driving force of the electrochemical proton gradient, between the bulk solution on each side of the membrane is not sufficient for ATP synthesis.