ABSTRACT
Effects of interfacial interactions on the electrocatalytic activity of protein-tethered bilayer lipid membranes (ptBLMs) containing cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) for the oxygen reduction reaction are studied by using protein film electrochemistry and surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. Mammalian CcO was immobilized on a gold electrode via self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of mixed alkanethiols. The protein orientation on the electrode is controlled by SAM-CcO interactions and is critical to the cytochrome c (cyt c) binding. The CcO-phospholipid and CcO-cyt c interactions modulate the electrocatalytic activity of CcO, and more densely packed ptBLMs show higher electrocatalytic activity. Our study indicates that spectroscopic and electrochemical studies of ptBLMs can provide insights into the effects of relatively weak protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions on the enzymatic activity of transmembrane enzymes.
