New insight into the mechanism of mitochondrial cytochrome c function

We investigate functional role of the P(76)GTKMIFA(83) fragment of the primary structure of cytochrome c. Based on the data obtained by the analysis of informational structure (ANIS), we propose a model of functioning of cytochrome c. According to this model, conformational rearrangements of the P(76)GTKMIFA(83) loop fragment have a significant effect on conformational mobility of the heme. It is suggested that the conformational mobility of cytochrome c heme is responsible for its optimal orientation with respect to electron donor and acceptor within ubiquinol–cytochrome c oxidoreductase (complex III) and cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV), respectively, thus, ensuring electron transfer from complex III to complex IV. To validate the model, we design several mutant variants of horse cytochrome c with multiple substitutions of amino acid residues in the P(76)GTKMIFA(83) sequence that reduce its ability to undergo conformational rearrangements. With this, we study the succinate–cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome c oxidase activities of rat liver mitoplasts in the presence of mutant variants of cytochrome c. The electron transport activity of the mutant variants decreases to different extent. Resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) data demonstrate, that all mutant cytochromes possess heme with the higher degree of ruffling deformation, than that of the wild-type (WT) cytochrome c. The increase in the ruffled deformation of the heme of oxidized cytochromes correlated with the decrease in the electron transport rate of ubiquinol–cytochrome c reductase (complex III). Besides, all mutant cytochromes have lower mobility of the pyrrol rings and methine bridges, than WT cytochrome c. We show that a decrease in electron transport activity in the mutant variants correlates with conformational changes and reduced mobility of heme porphyrin. This points to a significant role of the P(76)GTKMIFA(83) fragment in the electron transport function of cytochrome c.