ELECTRON AND PROTON-TRANSFER TO THE QUINONES IN BACTERIAL PHOTOSYNTHETIC REACTION CENTERS - INSIGHT FROM COMBINED APPROACHES OF MOLECULAR-GENETICS AND BIOPHYSICS

SEBBAN P MAROTI P HANSON DK

P. Sebban et al., ELECTRON AND PROTON-TRANSFER TO THE QUINONES IN BACTERIAL PHOTOSYNTHETIC REACTION CENTERS - INSIGHT FROM COMBINED APPROACHES OF MOLECULAR-GENETICS AND BIOPHYSICS, Biochimie, 77(7-8), 1995, pp. 677-694

67

INGLESE

Article

Biology

Biochimie → ACNP

0300-9084

77

7-8

1995

677 - 694

ISI

0300-9084(1995)77:7-8<677:EAPTTQ>2.0.ZU;2-J

We present here new results together with an overview of the current k nowledge on the coupled processes of electron and proton transfer in b acterial reaction centers. The importance of a multidisciplinary appro ach associating molecular genetics, structural biology, biochemistry a nd spectroscopy is underlined. We emphasize the electrostatic role of the protein to maintain a negative electrostatic potential near the se cond quinone electron acceptor in order to: i) accelerate the overall rate of proton transfer from the cytoplasm to this acceptor by increas ing the pKs of some groups involved in this process; ii) increase the local proton concentration near this acceptor. We also point out the p ossibility of long distance propagation of the electrostatic effects t hrough the protein associated with relaxation processes triggered by t he formation of the semiquinone anions on the first flash.