A simple strategy based on ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy to monitor substrate intake and metabolite release by growing bacteria

Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) difference spectroscopy has been employed for a variety of applications spanning from reaction mechanisms analysis to interface phenomena assessment. This technique is based on the detection of spectral changes induced by the chemical modification of the original sample. In the present study, we highlight the potential of the ATR-FTIR difference approach in the field of microbial biochemistry and biotechnology, reporting on the identification of main soluble species consumed and released by growing bacteria during the biohydrogen production process. Specifically, the mid-infrared spectrum of a model culture broth, composed of glucose, malt extract and yeast extract, was used as background to acquire the FTIR difference spectrum of the same broth as modified by Enterobacter aerogenes metabolism. The analysis of difference signals revealed that only glucose is degraded during hydrogen evolution in anaerobic conditions, while ethanol and 2,3-butanediol are the main soluble metabolites released with H2. This fast and easy analytical approach can therefore represent a sustainable strategy to screen different bacterial strains and to select raw and waste materials to be employed in the field of biofuel production.

Shape-Driven Response of Gold Nanoparticles to X-rays

Radiotherapy (RT) involves delivering X-ray beams to the tumor site to trigger DNA damage. In this approach, it is fundamental to preserve healthy cells and to confine the X-ray beam only to the malignant cells. The integration of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in the X-ray methodology could be considered a powerful tool to improve the efficacy of RT. Indeed, AuNPs have proven to be excellent allies in contrasting tumor pathology upon RT due to their high photoelectric absorption coefficient and unique physiochemical properties. However, an analysis of their physical and morphological reaction to X-ray exposure is necessary to fully understand the AuNPs' behavior upon irradiation before treating the cells, since there are currently no studies on the evaluation of potential NP morphological changes upon specific irradiations. In this work, we synthesized two differently shaped AuNPs adopting two different techniques to achieve either spherical or star-shaped AuNPs. The spherical AuNPs were obtained with the Turkevich-Frens method, while the star-shaped AuNPs (AuNSs) involved a seed-mediated approach. We then characterized all AuNPs with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Uv-Vis spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), zeta potential and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The next step involved the treatment of AuNPs with two different doses of X-radiation commonly used in RT, namely 1.8 Gy and 2 Gy, respectively. Following the X-rays' exposure, the AuNPs were further characterized to investigate their possible physicochemical and morphological alterations induced with the X-rays. We found that AuNPs do not undergo any alteration, concluding that they can be safely used in RT treatments. Lastly, the actin rearrangements of THP-1 monocytes treated with AuNPs were also assessed in terms of coherency. This is a key proof to evaluate the possible activation of an immune response, which still represents a big limitation for the clinical translation of NPs.

Polymer Encapsulated Liposomes for Oral Co-Delivery of Curcumin and Hydroxytyrosol

Curcumin (Cur) is a hydrophobic polyphenol from the rhizome of Curcuma spp., while hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a water-soluble polyphenol from Olea europaea. Both show outstanding antioxidant properties but suffer from scarce bioavailability and low stability in biological fluids. In this work, the co-encapsulation of Cur and HT into liposomes was realized, and the liposomal formulation was improved using polymers to increase their survival in the gastrointestinal tract. Liposomes with different compositions were formulated: Type 1, composed of phospholipids and cholesterol; Type 2, also with a PEG coating; and Type 3 providing an additional shell of Eudragit^® S100, a gastro-resistant polymer. Samples were characterized in terms of size, morphology, ζ-potential, encapsulation efficiency, and loading capacity. All samples were subjected to a simulated in vitro digestion and their stability was investigated. The Eudragit^®S100 coating demonstrated prevention of early releases of HT in the mouth and gastric phases, while the PEG shell reduced bile salts and pancreatin effects during the intestinal digestion. In vitro antioxidant activity showed a cumulative effect for Cur and HT loaded in vesicles. Finally, liposomes with HT concentrations up to 40 μM and Cur up to 4.7 μM, alone or in combination, did not show cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells.

Chemical and morphological effects of the contraceptive hormone 17 α-ethynylestradiol on fluid lipid membranes

The lack of studies involving the effects in human health associated with the chronic ingestion of pollutants lead to the path of investigating the action of these compounds in cell membrane models. We demonstrated the interaction (causes and consequences) of the hormone 17 α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) with lipid monolayers (prepared as Langmuir films) and bilayers prepared as small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Both fluidity and majority chemical composition of real plasma cell membrane were guaranteed using the phospholipid 1-palmitoil-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC). Surface pressure-mean molecular area (π-A) isotherms and PM-IRRAS measurements highlighted the strong interaction of EE2 with POPC monolayers, leading the hormone to remain at the air/water interface and promoting its penetration into the phospholipid hydrophobic chains. In the case of bilayers, the entrance of the hormone inside the SUV is likely facilitated by their high curvature. In GUVs, EE2 was responsible for changes in the spherical shape, forming structures like buds and lipid protrusions. The set of results indicates the strong effects of EE2 on fluid membranes, which is an important feature to predict its damage in human cells.

Nanocellulose/Fullerene Hybrid Films Assembled at the Air/Water Interface as Promising Functional Materials for Photo-electrocatalysis

Cellulose nanomaterials have been widely investigated in the last decade, unveiling attractive properties for emerging applications. The ability of sulfated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to guide the supramolecular organization of amphiphilic fullerene derivatives at the air/water interface has been recently highlighted. Here, we further investigated the assembly of Langmuir hybrid films that are based on the electrostatic interaction between cationic fulleropyrrolidines deposited at the air/water interface and anionic CNCs dispersed in the subphase, assessing the influence of additional negatively charged species that are dissolved in the water phase. By means of isotherm acquisition and spectroscopic measurements, we demonstrated that a tetra-sulfonated porphyrin, which was introduced in the subphase as anionic competitor, strongly inhibited the binding of CNCs to the floating fullerene layer. Nevertheless, despite the strong inhibition by anionic molecules, the mutual interaction between fulleropyrrolidines at the interface and the CNCs led to the assembly of robust hybrid films, which could be efficiently transferred onto solid substrates. Interestingly, ITO-electrodes that were modified with five-layer hybrid films exhibited enhanced electrical capacitance and produced anodic photocurrents at 0.4 V vs Ag/AgCl, whose intensity (230 nA/cm2) proved to be four times higher than the one that was observed with the sole fullerene derivative (60 nA/cm2).

Assessing the Quality of in Silico Produced Biomolecules: The Discovery of a New Conformer

The computational procedures for predicting the 3D structure of aptamers interacting with different biological molecules have gained increasing attention in recent years. The information acquired through these methods represents a crucial input for research, especially when relevant crystallographic data are not available. A number of software programs able to perform macromolecular docking are currently accessible, leading to the prediction of the quaternary structure of complexes formed by two or more interacting biological macromolecules. Nevertheless, the scoring protocols employed for ranking the candidate structures do not always produce satisfactory results, making difficult the identification of structures that are most likely to occur in nature. In this paper, we propose a novel procedure to improve the predictive performances of computational scoring protocols, using a maximum likelihood estimate based on topological and electrical properties of interacting biomolecules. The reliability of the new computational approach, enabling the ranking of aptamer-protein configurations produced by an open source docking program, has been assessed by its successful application to a set of antiangiopoietin aptamers, for which experimental data highlighting the sequence-dependent affinity toward the target protein are available. The procedure led to the identification of two main types of aptamer conformers involved in angiopoietin binding. Interestingly, one of these reproduces the arrangement of angiopoietin with its natural target, tyrosine kinase, while the other one is completely unexpected. The possible scenarios related to these results have been discussed. The methodology here described can be used to refine the outcomes of different computational procedures and can be applied to a wide range of biological molecules, thus representing a new tool for guiding the design of bioinspired sensors with enhanced selectivity.

Phosphate Modified Screen Printed Electrodes by LIFT Treatment for Glucose Detection

The design of new materials as active layers is important for electrochemical sensor and biosensor development. Among the techniques for the modification and functionalization of electrodes, the laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) has emerged as a powerful physisorption method for the deposition of various materials (even labile materials like enzymes) that results in intimate and stable contact with target surface. In this work, Pt, Au, and glassy carbon screen printed electrodes (SPEs) treated by LIFT with phosphate buffer have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to reveal a flattening effect of all surfaces. The electrochemical characterization by cyclic voltammetry shows significant differences depending on the electrode material. The electroactivity of Au is reduced while that of glassy carbon and Pt is greatly enhanced. In particular, the electrochemical behavior of a phosphate LIFT treated Pt showed a marked enrichment of hydrogen adsorbed layer, suggesting an elevated electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation. When Pt electrodes modified in this way were used as an effective glucose sensor, a 1–10 mM linear response and a 10 µM detection limit were obtained. A possible role of phosphate that was securely immobilized on a Pt surface, as evidenced by XPS analysis, enhancing the glucose electrooxidation is discussed.

Selective Targeting of Proteins by Hybrid Polyoxometalates: Interaction Between a Bis-Biotinylated Hybrid Conjugate and Avidin

The Keggin-type polyoxometalate [γ-SiW₁₀O₃₆]^8- was covalently modified to obtain a bis-biotinylated conjugate able to bind avidin. Spectroscopic studies such as UV-vis, fluorimetry, circular dichroism, coupled to surface plasmon resonance technique were used to highlight the unique interplay of supramolecular interactions between the homotetrameric protein and the bis-functionalized polyanion. In particular, the dual recognition mechanism of the avidin encompasses (i) a complementary electrostatic association between the anionic surface of the polyoxotungstate and each positively charged avidin subunit and (ii) specific host-guest interactions between each biotinylated arm and a corresponding pocket on the tetramer subunits. The assembly exhibits peroxidase-like reactivity and it was used in aqueous solution for L-methionine methyl ester oxidation by H₂O₂. The recognition phenomenon was then exploited for the preparation of layer-by-layer films, whose structural evolution was monitored in situ by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Finally, cell tracking studies were performed by exploiting the specific interactions with a labeled streptavidin.

Encapsulation of Curcumin-Loaded Liposomes for Colonic Drug Delivery in a pH-Responsive Polymer Cluster Using a pH-Driven and Organic Solvent-Free Process

The present study aimed to develop and optimize liposome formulation for the colonic delivery of biologically active compounds. A strategy to facilitate such targeting is to formulate liposomes with a polymer coating sensitive to the pH shifts in the gastrointestinal tract. To this end, liposomes encapsulating curcumin-chosen as the biologically active compound model-and coated with the pH-responsive polymer Eudragit S100 were prepared and characterized. Curcumin was encapsulated into small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) by the micelle-to-vesicle transition method (MVT) in a simple and organic solvent-free way. Curcumin-loaded liposomes were coated with Eudragit S100 by a fast and easily scalable pH-driven method. The prepared liposomes were evaluated for size, surface morphology, entrapment efficiency, stability, in vitro drug release, and curcumin antioxidant activity. In particular, curcumin-loaded liposomes displayed size lower than 100 nm, encapsulation efficiency of 98%, high stability at both 4 °C and 25 °C, high in vitro antioxidant activity, and a cumulative release that was completed within 200 min. A good Eudragit S100 coating which did not alter the properties of the curcumin-loaded liposomes was obtained. The present work therefore provides a fast and solvent-free method to prepare pH-responsive polymer-coated liposomes for the colonic delivery of biologically active compounds.

Luminescent CdSe@ZnS nanocrystals embedded in liposomes: a cytotoxicity study in HeLa cells

The use of fluorescent nanocrystals (NCs) as probes for bioimaging applications has emerged as an advantageous alternative to conventional organic fluorescent dyes. Therefore their toxicological evaluation and intracellular delivery are currently a primary field of research. In this work, hydrophobic and highly fluorescent CdSe@ZnS NCs were encapsulated into the lipid bilayer of liposomes by the micelle-to-vesicle transition (MVT) method. The obtained aqueous NC-liposome suspensions preserved the spectroscopic characteristics of the native NCs. A systematic study of the in vitro toxicological effect on HeLa cells of these red emitting NC-liposomes was then carried out and compared to that of empty liposomes. By using liposomes of different phospholipid composition, we evaluated the effect of the lipid carrier on the cytotoxicity towards HeLa cells. Surprisingly, a cell proliferation and death study along with the MTT test on HeLa cells treated with NC-liposomes have shown that the toxic effects of NCs, at concentrations up to 20 nM, are negligible compared to those of the lipid carrier, especially when this is constituted by the cationic phospholipid DOTAP. In particular, obtained data suggest that DOTAP has a dose- and time-dependent toxic effect on HeLa cells. In contrast, the addition of PEG to the liposomes does not alter significantly the viability of the cells. In addition, the ability of NC-liposomes to penetrate the HeLa cells was assessed by fluorescence and confocal microscopy investigation. Captured images show that NC-liposomes are internalized into cells through the endocytic pathway, enter early endosomes and reach lysosomes in 1 h. Interestingly, red emitting NCs co-localized with endosomes and were positioned at the limiting membrane of the organelles. The overall results suggest that the fluorescent system as a whole, NCs and their carrier, should be considered for the development of fully safe biological applications of CdSe@ZnS NCs, and provide essential indications to define the optimal experimental conditions to use the proposed system as an optical probe for future in vivo experiments.

Effect of ultrasound on the function and structure of a membrane protein: The case study of photosynthetic Reaction Center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Ultrasounds are used in many industrial, medical and research applications. Properties and function of proteins are strongly influenced by the interaction with the ultrasonic waves and their bioactivity can be lost because of alteration of protein structure. Surprisingly, to the best of our knowledge no study was carried out on Integral Membrane Proteins (IMPs), which are responsible for a variety of fundamental biological functions. In this work, the photosynthetic Reaction Center (RC) of the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been used as a model for the study of the ultrasound-induced IMP denaturation. Purified RCs were suspended in i) detergent micelles, in ii) detergent-free buffer and iii) reconstituted in liposomes, and then treated with ultrasound at 30W and 20kHz at increasing times. The optical absorption spectra showed a progressive and irreversible denaturation in all cases, resulting from the perturbation of the protein scaffold structure, as confirmed by circular dichroism spectra that showed progressive alterations of the RC secondary structure. Charge recombination kinetics were studied to assess the protein photoactivity. The lifetime for the loss of RC photoactivity was 32min in detergent micelles, ranged from 3.8 to 6.5min in the different proteoliposomes formulations, and 5.5min in detergent-free buffer. Atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of large RC aggregates related to the sonication-induced denaturation, in agreement with the scattering increase observed in solution.

Modeling the microscopic electrical properties of thrombin binding aptamer (TBA) for label-free biosensors

Aptamers are chemically produced oligonucleotides, able to bind a variety of targets such as drugs, proteins and pathogens with high sensitivity and selectivity. Therefore, aptamers are largely employed for producing label-free biosensors (aptasensors), with significant applications in diagnostics and drug delivery. In particular, the anti-thrombin aptamers are biomolecules of high interest for clinical use, because of their ability to recognize and bind the thrombin enzyme. Among them, the DNA 15-mer aptamer (TBA), has been widely explored around the possibility of using it in aptasensors. This paper proposes a microscopic model of the electrical properties of TBA and of the aptamer-thrombin complex, combining information from both structure and function, following the issues addressed in an emerging branch of electronics known as proteotronics. The theoretical results are compared and validated with measurements reported in the literature. Finally, the model suggests resistance measurements as a novel tool for testing aptamer-target affinity.

Photosynthetic machineries in nano-systems

Photosynthetic reaction centres are membrane-spanning proteins, found in several classes of autotroph organisms, where a photoinduced charge separation and stabilization takes place with a quantum efficiency close to unity. The protein remains stable and fully functional also when extracted and purified in detergents thereby biotechnological applications are possible, for example, assembling it in nano-structures or in optoelectronic systems. Several types of bionanocomposite materials have been assembled by using reaction centres and different carrier matrices for different purposes in the field of light energy conversion (e.g., photovoltaics) or biosensing (e.g., for specific detection of pesticides). In this review we will summarize the current status of knowledge, the kinds of applications available and the difficulties to be overcome in the different applications. We will also show possible research directions for the close future in this specific field.

Lipid/detergent mixed micelles as a tool for transferring antioxidant power from hydrophobic natural extracts into bio-deliverable liposome carriers: the case of lycopene rich oleoresins

Lipid/detergent mixed micelles promote and modulate the incorporation of carotenoids from natural oleoresins into bio-deliverable liposome carriers.

Oxidoreductase activity of chromatophores and purified cytochrome bc1 complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides: a possible role of cardiolipin

Osmotic shock was used as a tool to obtain cardiolipin (CL) enriched chromatophores of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. After incubation of cells in iso- and hyper-osmotic buffers both chromatophores with a physiological lipid profile (Control) and with an almost doubled amount of CL (CL enriched) were isolated. Spectroscopic properties, reaction centre (RC) and reducible cytochrome (cyt) contents in Control and CL enriched chromatophores were the same. The oxidoreductase activity was found higher for CL enriched than for Control chromatophores, raising from 60 ± 2 to 93 ± 3 mol cyt c s(-1) (mol total cyt c)(-1). Antymicin and myxothiazol were tested to prove that oxidoreductase activity thus measured was mainly attributable to the cyt bc ( 1 ) complex. The enzyme was then purified from BH6 strain yielding a partially delipidated and almost inactive cyt bc ( 1 ) complex, although the protein was found to maintain its structural integrity in terms of subunit composition. The ability of CL in restoring the activity of the partially delipidated cyt bc ( 1 ) complex was proved in micellar systems by addition of exogenous CL. Results here reported indicate that CL affects oxidoreductase activity in the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides both in chromatophore and in purified cyt bc ( 1 ) complex.

Reversible binding of metal ions onto bacterial layers revealed by protonation-induced ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy

The ability of microorganisms to adhere to abiotic surfaces and the potentialities of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy have been exploited to study protonation and heavy metal binding events onto bacterial surfaces. This work represents the first attempt to apply on bacteria the recently developed method known as perfusion-induced ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy. Such a technique allows measurement of even slight changes in the infrared spectrum of the sample, deposited as a thin layer on an ATR crystal, while an aqueous solution is perfused over its surface. Solutions at different pH have been used for inducing protonation/deprotonation of functional groups lying on the surface of Rhodobacter sphaeroides cells, chosen as a model system. The interaction of Ni(2+) with surface protonable groups of this microorganism has been investigated with a double-difference approach exploiting competition between nickel cations and protons. Protonation-induced difference spectra of simple model compounds have been acquired to guide band assignment in bacterial spectra, thus allowing identification of major components involved in proton uptake and metal binding. The data collected reveal that carboxylate moieties on the bacterial surface of R. sphaeroides play a role in extracellular biosorption of Ni(2+), establishing with this ion relatively weak coordinative bonds.

Enthalpy/entropy driven activation of the first interquinone electron transfer in bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers embedded in vesicles of physiologically important phospholipids

The thermodynamics and kinetics of light-induced electron transfer in bacterial photosynthetic RCs are sensitive to physiologically important lipids (phosphatidylcholine, cardiolipin and phosphatidylglycerol) in the environment. The analysis of the temperature-dependence of the rate of the P(+)Q(A)(-)Q(B)-->P(+)Q(A)Q(B)(-) interquinone electron transfer revealed high enthalpy change of activation in zwitterionic or neutral micelles and vesicles and low enthalpy change of activation in vesicles constituted of negatively charged phospholipids. The entropy change of activation was compensated by the changes of enthalpy, thus the free energy change of activation ( approximately 500 meV) did not show large variation in vesicles of different lipids.

Testing the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides as heavy metal removal tool

We present some preliminary results relevant to the ability of the purple non-sulphur bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain R26.1 to sequester heavy metals from contaminated growth media. The microorganism was chosen because of its significant tolerance to relatively high concentrations of the investigated ions Ni2+, Co2+, CrO4(2-), and MoO4(2-). In this paper the optimized conditions for the bacterial growth and the sample preparation used to infer the ability of the microorganism to cope with metal pollutants are presented. Elemental analysis has been performed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry previous mineralization of samples by a microwave system.

α-Cyclodextrin Functionalized CdS Nanocrystals for Fabrication of 2/3 D Assemblies

Different types of cyclodextrins (CDs) have been tested as mediators for the water phase transfer of organic-capped CdS nanocrystals (NCs), and alphaCD has been demonstrated to be the most effective system. The formation of a complex based on alphaCDs and colloidal NCs has been considered to be responsible for the phase transfer process and extensively investigated by optical, structural, and calorimetric measurements, as a function of the experimental parameters (pH and NC and CD concentration). A mechanism for the complexation phenomena has been suggested. The fabrication of 2/3 D supramolecular architectures has been proposed according to two different strategies. First, a layer-by-layer procedure has been used to obtain multilayered structures where polyelectrolyte layers have been intercalated with negatively charged alphaCD-CdS NC complexes by exploiting electrostatic interaction between polyelectrolyte and cyclodextrin OH groups. Second, a monolayer of CdS NCs has been deposited onto a self-assembled monolayer of sulfated CDs, thus combining the use of an electrostatic-force-based approach and host-guest chemistry. The important role played by host-guest interactions has then been revealed.

Heavy metal ion influence on the photosynthetic growth of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The potential of purple non-sulphur bacteria for bioremediation was assessed by investigating the ability of Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain R26.1 to grow photosynthetically in heavy metal contaminated environments. Bacterial cultures were carried out in artificially polluted media, enriched with the transition metal ions Hg2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Ni2+, Co2+, MoO4(2-), and CrO4(2-) in millimolar concentration range. For each investigated ion the effect on growth parameters was evaluated. The analysis of concentration-effect curves revealed a differentiated response, indicating that diverse mechanisms of tolerance and/or resistance are involved. Adaptation or selection procedures were not applied, leading to assess intrinsic abilities of coping with these contaminants. The microorganism proved to be highly tolerant to heavy metal exposure, especially towards Co2+, Fe2+ and MoO4(2-). In addition Ni2+ and Co2+ were found to decrease the cellular content of light harvesting complexes. A characteristic behavior was observed with mercuric ions, which produced a significant increase of the lag-phase.

Ethane-Bridged Zinc Porphyrin Dimers in Langmuir−Shäfer Thin Films: Structural and Spectroscopic Properties

This work reports on the structural and spectroscopic properties of ethane-bridged Zn porphyrin dimers (1) in Langmuir-Schäfer (LS) thin films by combining scanning force microscopy (SFM) with film balance, UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, and nanosecond laser flash photolysis measurements. Results show that depending on the surface pressure the Langmuir films of pure 1 can be arranged in two different condensed phases, whereas SFM of the LS films shows characteristic fractal networks constituted by nanoscopic aggregates. The spectral findings agree with a picture in which 1 is apparently present in the anti conformation but aggregated in a sort of H-type structure whose optical features resemble those of the syn conformer. This type of structure is not responsive to light stimuli. By diluting 1 in arachidic acid the porphyrin aggregation is significantly minimized with 1 exhibiting almost exclusively the anti conformation. As a result the LS films become photoresponsive, showing fluorescence emission and triplet-triplet transient absorption.

pH-sensitive fluorescent dye as probe for proton uptake in photosynthetic reaction centers

Isolated and purified reaction centers (RC) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26.1 were solubilised in detergent with excess quinone and external electron donors and illuminated in the presence of pyranine. The pH change accompanying the reaction center photocycle was monitored by recording the variation of the pyranine fluorescence intensity. Using Q(B)-depleted reaction centers or blocking the photocycle with terbutryne strongly reduced the pH change. The usefulness and limits of this technique in monitoring the pH changes during the RC photocycle are also discussed.

Redox-induced transitions in bovine cytochrome bc1 complex studied by perfusion-induced ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

Redox transitions in a film of detergent-purified bovine cytochrome bc(1) complex were investigated by perfusion-induced attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The technique provides a flexible method for generating redox-induced IR changes of components of bovine cytochrome bc(1) complex at a high signal:noise ratio. These IR redox difference spectra arise from perturbations of prosthetic groups and surrounding protein. Visible difference spectra were recorded synchronously using a light beam reflected from the exposed prism surface and provided a quantitative means of determining the redox transitions that were occurring. IR and visible redox difference spectra of iron-sulfur protein/cytochrome c(1), heme b(H), and heme b(L) were separated by selective reduction and/or oxidation that extends published data on the homologous bacterial enzyme. Several bands could be tentatively assigned to redox-sensitive modes of hemes and ubiquinone and changes in the surrounding protein by comparison with available data for bacterial bc(1) complex, other related heme proteins, and model compounds. Some tentative assignments of further signals to specific amino acids are made on the basis of known crystal structures.