Evidence for Fast Electron Transfer between the High-Spin Haems in Cytochrome bd-I from Escherichia coli

Cytochrome bd-I is one of the three proton motive force-generating quinol oxidases in the O(2)-dependent respiratory chain of Escherichia coli. It contains one low-spin haem (b(558)) and the two high-spin haems (b(595) and d) as the redox-active cofactors. In order to examine the flash-induced intraprotein reverse electron transfer (the so-called ''electron backflow''), CO was photolyzed from the ferrous haem d in one-electron reduced (b(558)(3+)b(595)(3+)d(2+)-CO) cytochrome bd-I, and the fully reduced (b(558)(2+)b(595)(2+)d(2+)-CO) oxidase as a control. In contrast to the fully reduced cytochrome bd-I, the transient spectrum of one-electron reduced oxidase at a delay time of 1.5 μs is clearly different from that at a delay time of 200 ns. The difference between the two spectra can be modeled as the electron transfer from haem d to haem b(595) in 3–4% of the cytochrome bd-I population. Thus, the interhaem electron backflow reaction induced by photodissociation of CO from haem d in one-electron reduced cytochrome bd-I comprises two kinetically different phases: the previously unnoticed fast electron transfer from haem d to haem b(595) within 0.2–1.5 μs and the slower well-defined electron equilibration with τ ~16 μs. The major new finding of this work is the lack of electron transfer at 200 ns.