TY - JOUR
T1 - Correlating kinetic and structural data on ubiquinone binding and reduction by respiratory complex I
AU - Fedor, Justin G.
AU - Jones, Andrew J.Y.
AU - Di Luca, Andrea
AU - Kaila, Ville R.I.
AU - Hirst, Judy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/11/28
Y1 - 2017/11/28
N2 - Respiratory complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase), one of the largest membrane-bound enzymes in mammalian cells, powers ATP synthesis by using the energy from electron transfer from NADH to ubiquinone-10 to drive protons across the energy-transducing mitochondrial inner membrane. Ubiquinone-10 is extremely hydrophobic, but in complex I the binding site for its redox-active quinone headgroup is ~20 Å above the membrane surface. Structural data suggest it accesses the site by a narrow channel, long enough to accommodate almost all of its ~50-Å isoprenoid chain. However, how ubiquinone/ubiquinol exchange occurs on catalytically relevant timescales, and whether binding/ dissociation events are involved in coupling electron transfer to proton translocation, are unknown. Here, we use proteoliposomes containing complex I, together with a quinol oxidase, to determine the kinetics of complex I catalysis with ubiquinones of varying isoprenoid chain length, from 1 to 10 units. We interpret our results using structural data, which show the hydrophobic channel is interrupted by a highly charged region at isoprenoids 4–7. We demonstrate that ubiquinol-10 dissociation is not rate determining and deduce that ubiquinone-10 has both the highest binding affinity and the fastest binding rate. We propose that the charged region and chain directionality assist product dissociation, and that isoprenoid stepping ensures short transit times. These properties of the channel do not benefit the exhange of short-chain quinones, for which product dissociation may become rate limiting. Thus, we discuss how the long channel does not hinder catalysis under physiological conditions and the possible roles of ubiquinone/ubiquinol binding/dissociation in energy conversion.
AB - Respiratory complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase), one of the largest membrane-bound enzymes in mammalian cells, powers ATP synthesis by using the energy from electron transfer from NADH to ubiquinone-10 to drive protons across the energy-transducing mitochondrial inner membrane. Ubiquinone-10 is extremely hydrophobic, but in complex I the binding site for its redox-active quinone headgroup is ~20 Å above the membrane surface. Structural data suggest it accesses the site by a narrow channel, long enough to accommodate almost all of its ~50-Å isoprenoid chain. However, how ubiquinone/ubiquinol exchange occurs on catalytically relevant timescales, and whether binding/ dissociation events are involved in coupling electron transfer to proton translocation, are unknown. Here, we use proteoliposomes containing complex I, together with a quinol oxidase, to determine the kinetics of complex I catalysis with ubiquinones of varying isoprenoid chain length, from 1 to 10 units. We interpret our results using structural data, which show the hydrophobic channel is interrupted by a highly charged region at isoprenoids 4–7. We demonstrate that ubiquinol-10 dissociation is not rate determining and deduce that ubiquinone-10 has both the highest binding affinity and the fastest binding rate. We propose that the charged region and chain directionality assist product dissociation, and that isoprenoid stepping ensures short transit times. These properties of the channel do not benefit the exhange of short-chain quinones, for which product dissociation may become rate limiting. Thus, we discuss how the long channel does not hinder catalysis under physiological conditions and the possible roles of ubiquinone/ubiquinol binding/dissociation in energy conversion.
KW - Bioenergetics
KW - Coenzyme Q10
KW - Electron transport chain
KW - Mitochondria
KW - NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85035751028&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1714074114
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1714074114
M3 - Article
C2 - 29133414
AN - SCOPUS:85035751028
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 114
SP - 12737
EP - 12742
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 48
ER -