The pH Dependent Protein Structure Transitions and Related Spin-State Transition of Cytochrome c′ from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans NCIMB 11015#

The unusual magnetic/spectroscopic properties of Cytochrome c′ (Cyt c′) have been discussed, especially concerning the possibility of a quantum mechanically mixed-spin configuration of heme Fe(III). Here, four unique-spin species were identified from the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of Cyt c′ from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans (AxCyt c′). The electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic data showed the overall conformation of AxCyt c′ was unchanged, in complete contrast to the drastic changes in the heme MCD spectra over the range of pH 3.5 and 11.8. The pH dependency of ESI-MS, electronic absorption, MCD, and CD spectroscopic properties of AxCyt c′ enabled us to reveal the undiscovered correlation between the protein-folding state and the electronic structure of the active site as a function of pH. The mechanism of alkaline spin-state transition through the rearrangement of the hydrogen-bonding linkage between Helix C and D is also proposed on the ...