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.