From low- to high-potential bioenergetic chains: Thermodynamic constraints of Q-cycle function.

The electrochemical parameters of all cofactors in the supercomplex formed by the Rieske/cytb complex and the SoxM/A-type O2-reductase from the menaquinone-containing Firmicute Geobacillus stearothermophilus were determined by spectroelectrochemistry and EPR redox titrations. All redox midpoint potentials (Em) were found to be lower than those of ubi- or plastoquinone-containing systems by a value comparable to the redox potential difference between the respective quinones. In particular, Em values of +200mV, -360mV, -220mV and -50mV (at pH7) were obtained for the Rieske cluster, heme bL, heme bH and heme ci, respectively. Comparable values of -330mV, -200mV and +120mV for hemes bL, bH and the Rieske cluster were determined for an anaerobic Firmicute, Heliobacterium modesticaldum. Thermodynamic constraints, optimization of proton motive force build-up and the necessity of ROS-avoidance imposed by the rise in atmospheric O2 2.5billionyears ago are discussed as putative evolutionary driving forces resulting in the observed redox upshift. The close conservation of the entire redox landscape between low and high potential systems suggests that operation of the Q-cycle requires the precise electrochemical tuning of enzyme cofactors to the quinone substrate as stipulated in P. Mitchell's hypothesis.

Living on acetylene. A primordial energy source.

The tungsten iron-sulfur enzyme acetylene hydratase catalyzes the conversion of acetylene to acetaldehyde by addition of one water molecule to the C-C triple bond. For a member of the dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) reductase family this is a rather unique reaction, since it does not involve a net electron transfer. The acetylene hydratase from the strictly anaerobic bacterium Pelobacter acetylenicus is so far the only known and characterized acetylene hydratase. With a crystal structure solved at 1.26 Å resolution and several amino acids around the active site exchanged by site-directed mutagenesis, many key features have been explored to understand the function of this novel tungsten enzyme. However, the exact reaction mechanism remains unsolved. Trapped in the reduced W(IV) state, the active site consists of an octahedrally coordinated tungsten ion with a tightly bound water molecule. An aspartate residue in close proximity, forming a short hydrogen bond to the water molecule, was shown to be essential for enzyme activity. The arrangement is completed by a small hydrophobic pocket at the end of an access funnel that is distinct from all other enzymes of the DMSO reductase family.

On the universal core of bioenergetics.

Living cells are able to harvest energy by coupling exergonic electron transfer between reducing and oxidising substrates to the generation of chemiosmotic potential. Whereas a wide variety of redox substrates is exploited by prokaryotes resulting in very diverse layouts of electron transfer chains, the ensemble of molecular architectures of enzymes and redox cofactors employed to construct these systems is stunningly small and uniform. An overview of prominent types of electron transfer chains and of their characteristic electrochemical parameters is presented. We propose that basic thermodynamic considerations are able to rationalise the global molecular make-up and functioning of these chemiosmotic systems. Arguments from palaeogeochemistry and molecular phylogeny are employed to discuss the evolutionary history leading from putative energy metabolisms in early life to the chemiosmotic diversity of extant organisms. Following the Occam's razor principle, we only considered for this purpose origin of life scenarios which are contiguous with extant life. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The evolutionary aspects of bioenergetic systems.