Terminal Cytochrome Oxidase Research Articles

Effect of Melafen on functional efficiency of mitochondrial membranes from sugar beet taproots

Mitochondria were isolated from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L) taproots and incubated in the presence of low concentrations of Melafen (2 × 10−9 and 4 × 10−12 M). This treatment of mitochondrial membranes induced an appreciable decrease in microviscosity of superficial lipids in the lipid bilayer and a parallel increase in microviscosity of the deeply immersed lipid regions adjacent to membrane proteins. Melafen had no effect on fluorescence of lipid peroxidation products in membranes of freshly prepared mitochondria but declined this fluorescence to control values in artificially aged mitochondria. Melafen raised the maximum rates for oxidation of NAD-dependent substrates, elevated the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation, and activated electron transport in the terminal (cytochrome oxidase) step of mitochondrial respiratory chain, which implies the activation of energy metabolism within the cell. The acceleration of electron transport through the terminal step of mitochondrial respiratory chain was apparently accompanied by retardation of lipid peroxidation, which prevented impairment of mitochondrial membranes under stress conditions. A proposal is put forward that some properties of Melafen are favorable for adaptogenesis because its effects on mitochondrial energy metabolism depended on the functional state of mitochondria.

Interaction of the bacterial terminal oxidase cytochrome bd with nitric oxide

Cytochrome bd is a prokaryotic terminal oxidase catalyzing O 2 reduction to H 2O. The oxygen-reducing site has been proposed to contain two hemes, d and b 595, the latter presumably replacing functionally Cu B of heme-copper oxidases. We show that NO, in competition with O 2, rapidly and potently ( K i=100±34 nM at ∼70 μM O 2) inhibits cytochrome bd isolated from Escherichia coli and Azotobacter vinelandii in turnover, inhibition being quickly and fully reverted upon NO depletion. Under anaerobic reducing conditions, neither of the two enzymes reveals NO reductase activity, which is proposed to be associated with Cu B in heme-copper oxidases.

Truncated hemoglobin o of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: the oligomeric state change and the interaction with membrane components

Being an obligate aerobe, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells would have to evolve a mechanism to collect and deliver the hardly available O 2 to survive in granulomas and to maintain the low level of respiration during latency. The M. tuberculosis truncated hemoglobin o (trHbO), when heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli cells, was found to significantly enhance the cellular respiration and cell growth. This study was undertaken in an attempt to understand the molecular details for trHbO to promote the cellular respiration, focusing on the ways through which trHbO is recruited to the cell membrane and O 2 molecules are delivered. Our data demonstrate that the trHbO protein is able to promote the growth of E. coli cells in a fashion that depends on the presence of the respiratory chain terminal oxidase cytochrome o complex (or Cyo complex). The trHbO protein appears to interact with the Cyo B subunit of the Cyo complex directly, likely in a dynamic manner. The trHbO is also able to bind membrane lipids in a non-specific way, during the process electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions both likely exist. Besides, binding with membrane induces the dissociation of trHbO from dimers to monomers. In light of these observations, a hypothesis was made to explain how trHbO might serve as an O 2 collector and/or reservoir for M. tuberculosis cells under O 2-limiting or lacking conditions.

Genetic engineering of Enterobacter aerogenes with the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene: cell growth, survival, and antioxidant enzyme status under oxidative stress

Hemoglobins in unicellular organisms, like the one here in the bacterium Vitreoscilla, have greater chemical reactivity than their homologues in multicellular organisms. They can catalyze redox reactions and may protect cells against oxidative stress. The ability of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin to complement deficiencies of terminal cytochrome oxidases in Escherichia coli also suggests that this hemoglobin can receive electrons during respiration. In this study, a recombinant strain of Enterobacter aerogenes engineered to produce the Vitreoscilla Hb was investigated with regard to its susceptibility to oxidative stress. The culture response to oxidative stress produced by exogenously applied hydrogen peroxide was characterized in terms of cell growth, survival and the activities of two key antioxidant enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase). The influence of the physiological state of the cells and different media upon these culture dynamics was determined. Results showed that the hemoglobin-expressing strain is quite distinct in terms of growth/survival properties and activity of antioxidant enzymes from that of non-hemoglobin counterparts.

The quantitative measurement of H2O2 generation in isolated mitochondria.

Adequate methods to measure the rate of mitochondrial oxygen radical generation are needed since oxygen radicals are involved in many pathologies. A fluorometric method appropriate to measure the rate of generation of H2O2 in intact mitochondria is described. Just after isolation of functional mitochondria from fresh tissues, rates of generation of H2O2 are kinetically measured by fluorometry in the presence of homovanillic acid and horseradish peroxidase. The method is specific for H2O2 and is sensitive enough to assay mitochondrial H2O2 generation in the presence of respiratory substrate without inhibitors of the respiratory chain. Simultaneous measurement of mitochondrial oxygen consumption allows calculation of the free radical leak: the percentage of electrons out of sequence which reduce oxygen to oxygen radicals along the mitochondrial respiratory chain instead of reducing oxygen to water at the terminal cytochrome oxidase. The method shows instantaneous response to H2O2. This makes it appropriate to study the quick effects of different inhibitors and modulators on the rate of mitochondrial oxygen radical production. Its application to the localization of the sites where caloric restriction decreases mitochondrial oxygen radical generation in heart mitochondria is described.

Respiration capacity and consequences in Lactococcus lactis.

We recently reported that the well-studied fermenting bacterium Lactococcus lactis could grow via a respirative metabolism in the presence of oxygen when a heme source is present. Respiration induces profound changes in L. lactis metabolism, and improvement of oxygen tolerance and long-term survival. Compared to usual fermentation conditions, biomass is approximately doubled by the end of growth, acid production is reduced, and large amounts of normally minor end products accumulate. Lactococci grown via respiration survive markedly better after long-term storage than fermenting cells. We suggest that growth and survival of lactococci are optimal under respiration-permissive conditions, and not under fermentation conditions as previously supposed. Our results reveal the uniqueness of the L. lactis respiration model. The well-studied 'aerobic' bacteria express multiple terminal cytochrome oxidases, which assure respiration all throughout growth; they also synthesize their own heme. In contrast, the L. lactis cydAB genes encode a single cytochrome oxidase (bd), and heme must be provided. Furthermore, cydAB genes mediate respiration only late in growth. Thus, lactococci exit the lag phase via fermentation even if heme is present, and start respiration in late exponential phase. Our results suggest that the spectacularly improved survival is in part due to reduced intracellular oxidation during respiration. We predict that lactococcal relatives like the Enterococci, and some Lactobacilli, which have reported respiration potential, will display improved survival under respiration-permissive conditions.

A cyanobacterial hemoglobin with unusual ligand binding kinetics and stability properties.

The glbN gene of the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584 encodes a hemoprotein, named cyanoglobin, that has high oxygen affinity. The basis for the high oxygen affinity of cyanoglobin was investigated through kinetic studies that utilized stopped-flow spectrophotometry and flash photolysis. Association and dissociation rate constants were measured at 20 degrees C for oxygen, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and methyl and ethyl isocyanides. The association rate constants for the binding of these five ligands to cyanoglobin are the highest reported for any naturally occurring hemoglobin, suggesting an unhindered and apolar ligand binding pocket. Cyanoglobin also shows high rates of autoxidation and hemin loss, indicating that the prosthetic group is readily accessible to solvent. The ligand binding behavior of cyanoglobin was more similar to that of leghemoglobin a than to that of sperm whale myoglobin. Collectively, the data support the model of cyanoglobin function described by Hill et al. [(1996) J. Bacteriol. 178, 6587-6598], in which cyanoglobin sequesters oxygen, and presents it to, or is a part of, a terminal cytochrome oxidase complex in Nostoc commune UTEX 584 under microaerobic conditions, when nitrogen fixation, and thus ATP demand, is maximal.

FnrN controls symbiotic nitrogen fixation and hydrogenase activities in Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae UPM791.

Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae UPM791 contains a second copy of the fnrN gene, which encodes a redox-sensitive transcriptional activator functionally homologous to Escherichia coli Fnr. This second copy (fnrN2) is located in the symbiotic plasmid, while fnrN1 is in the chromosome. Isolation and sequencing of the fnrN2 gene revealed that the deduced amino acid sequence of FnrN2 is 87.5% identical to the sequence of FnrN1, including a conserved cysteine-rich motif characteristic of Fnr-like proteins. Individual R. leguminosarum fnrN1 and fnrN2 mutants exhibited a Fix+ phenotype and near wild-type levels of nitrogenase and hydrogenase activities in pea (Pisum sativum L.) nodules. In contrast, an fnrN1 fnrN2 double mutant formed ineffective nodules lacking both nitrogenase and hydrogenase activities. Unlike the wild-type strain and single fnrN1 or fnrN2 mutants, the fnrN1 fnrN2 double mutant was unable to induce micro-oxic or bacteroid activation of the hypBFCDEX operon, which encodes proteins essential for hydrogenase synthesis. In the search for symbiotic genes that could be controlled by FnrN, a fixNOQP operon, putatively encoding a micro-oxically induced, bacteroid-specific cbb3-type terminal cytochrome oxidase, was isolated from strain UPM791 and partially sequenced. The fixNOQP operon was present in a single copy located in the symbiotic plasmid, and an anaerobox was identified in the fixN promoter region. Consistent with this, a fixNOQP'-lacZ fusion was shown to be highly induced in micro-oxic cells of the wild-type strain. A high level of micro-oxic induction was also observed in single fnrN1 and fnrN2 mutants, but no detectable induction was observed in the fnrN1 fnrN2 double mutant. The lack of expression of fixNOQP in the fnrN1 fnrN2 double mutant is likely to cause the observed Fix- phenotype. These data demonstrate that, contrary to the situation in other rhizobia, FnrN controls both hydrogenase and nitrogenase activities of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae UPM791 in the nodule and suggest that this strain lacks a functional fixK gene.

Electron transfer proteins from the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natronobacterium pharaonis: possible components of the respiratory chain include cytochrome bc and a terminal oxidase cytochrome ba3.

Natronobacterium pharaonis, an aerobic haloalkaliphilic archaebacterium, expresses high concentrations of redox proteins as do alkaliphilic eubacteria. The first redox protein characterized from N. pharaonis was halocyanin [Scharf, B., & Engelhard, M. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 12894-12900], a small blue copper protein. It is a peripheral membrane protein and is conjectured to function in a manner similar to plastocyanin. In the present work, the respiratory chain is further elucidated and the purification and characterization of the most abundant components cytochrome bc and cytochrome ba3 from the membrane fraction are described. The cytochrome bc complex consists of a 14 and an 18 kDa subunit in a 1:1 ratio, with heme c bound to the larger polypeptide. An Fe-S subunit similar to that found in eukaryotic bc complexes has not yet been identified. The second membrane complex carries two different heme groups of the ba3-type as well as copper. It contains two subunits of 36 and 40 kDa. This cytochrome ba3 binds carbon monoxide, a feature common to terminal oxidases. There is no spectroscopic evidence for a second terminal oxidase; hence, under the growth conditions chosen the respiratory chain of N. pharaonis appears to be unbranched. In addition to these cytochromes, a succinate dehydrogenase which is solubilized from the membrane by detergents was isolated. A cytochrome c which was isolated from the cytosol has an unusually high molecular weight and a redox potential of -142 mV. A second cytosolic protein, ferredoxin, was purified to homogeneity. A comparison of the redox potentials of the isolated proteins with those obtained from the native membrane allows the construction of a possible electron transfer chain.

Characterization of phosphate transport in Strephtomyces granaticor

Transport of inorganic phosphate in Streptomyces granaticolor was characterized in two growth stages; kinetic parameters were determined and two transport systems were found in both stages, with the following values: KT1 = 0.06 mM, Jlim1 = 0.95 nmol min-1 (mg DS)-1, and KT2 = 1.80 mM, Jlim2 = 25 nmol min-1 (mg DS)-1. Both systems require metabolic energy and substrates, such as sugars or polyols; when alanine was used or the energy source was omitted, the kinetic parameters changed in both systems. Both systems were inhibited by the ionophore cccp with identical k(i). KCN, an inhibitor or terminal cytochrome oxidase, inhibited the uptake of phosphate only partially, the uptake was inhibited completely when also the inhibitor of the alternative oxidative pathway (salicylhydroxamic acid) was added. Antimycin A inhibited the uptake completely. Arsenate inhibited competitively.

The stationary-phase-exit defect of cydC (surB) mutants is due to the lack of a functional terminal cytochrome oxidase.

The surB gene was identified as a gene product required for Escherichia coli cells to exit stationary phase at 37 degrees C under aerobic conditions. surB was shown to be the same as cydC, whose product is required for the proper assembly and activity of cytochrome d oxidase. Cytochrome d oxidase, encoded by the cydAB operon, is one of two alternate terminal cytochrome oxidases that function during aerobic electron transport in E. coli. Mutations inactivating the cydAB operon also cause a temperature-sensitive defect in exiting stationary phase, but the phenotype is not as severe as it is for surB mutants. In this study, we examined the phenotypes of surB1 delta(cydAB) double mutants and the ability of overexpression of cytochrome o oxidase to suppress the temperature-sensitive stationary-phase-exit defect of surB1 and delta(cydAB) mutants and analyzed spontaneous suppressors of surB1. Our results indicate that the severe temperature-sensitive defect in exiting stationary phase of surB1 mutants is due both to the absence of terminal cytochrome oxidase activity and to the presence of a defective cytochrome d oxidase. Membrane vesicles prepared from wild-type, surB1, and delta(cydAB) strains produced superoxide radicals at the same rate in vitro. Therefore, the aerobic growth defects of the surB1 and delta(cydAB) strains are not due to enhanced superoxide production resulting from the block in aerobic electron transport.

Real Time Microfiberoptic Redox Fluorometry: Modulation of the Pyridine Nucleotide Status of the Organogenesis-Stage Rat Visceral Yolk Sac with Cyanide and Alloxan

The surface of rat visceral yolk sacs (VYS) of intact, viable rat conceptuses were continuously monitored with a microfiberoptic sensor optimized for detection of the reduced pyridine nucleotides, NADH and NADPH. Model chemical toxins, cyanide and alloxan, were used and evaluated on the basis of their differential ability to modulate NAD(H)- and NADP(H)-dependent cellular pathways, respectively. Exposure with 2 mM sodium cyanide for 5 min caused a reversible fluorescence increase of 325 arbitrary fluorescence units (AFU) and 225 AFU on Gestational Days (GD) 10 and 11, respectively. Exposure with 40 mM alloxan for 5 min resulted in a fluorescence decrease of 170 and 120 AFU on GD 10 and 11, respectively. Glutathione (GSH) levels in the VYS, as determined by HPLC, showed a marked decrease from 27.3 +/- 2.1 to 2.9 +/- 0.4 pmol/mg protein, within the 5-min alloxan exposure period on GD 10. No decrease in GSH levels was noted for the same exposure duration on GD 11. A 2-hr pretreatment with 25 microM BCNU [(1,3 bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea], to inhibit glutathione disulfide reductase (GSSG-Rd), resulted in an elimination of the fluorescence decrease, but still led to a significant drop in GSH levels as seen on both days of gestation. These results are consistent with overall changes in intracellular pyridine nucleotide concentrations, where the relative amounts of NADPH increase significantly and disproportionately from GD 10 to 11. The net oxidation of NADPH, through GSSG-Rd activity, appears to be responsible for the alloxan-induced decrease in surface fluorescence. Conversely, the cyanide-induced fluorescence increases appear to be the result of NAD+ reduction, mediated through the inhibition of the terminal cytochrome oxidase in the electron transport chain.

The Bradyrhizobium japonicum cycM gene encodes a membrane-anchored homolog of mitochondrial cytochrome c.

Mitochondrial cytochrome c is a water-soluble protein in the intermembrane space which catalyzes electron transfer from the cytochrome bc1 complex to the terminal oxidase cytochrome aa3. In Bradyrhizobium japonicum, a gene (cycM) which apparently encodes a membrane-anchored homolog of mitochondrial cytochrome c was discovered. The apoprotein deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cycM gene consists of 184 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 19,098 and an isoelectric point of 8.35. At the N-terminal end (positions 9 to 31), there was a strongly hydrophobic domain which, by forming a transmembrane helix, could serve first as a transport signal and then as a membrane anchor. The rest of the protein was hydrophilic and, starting at position 72, shared about 50% sequence identity with mitochondrial cytochrome c. The heme-binding-site motif Cys-Gly-Ala-Cys-His was located at positions 84 to 88. A B. japonicum cycM insertion mutant (COX122) exhibited an oxidase-negative phenotype and apparently lacked cytochrome aa3 in addition to the CycM protein. The wild-type phenotype with respect to all characteristics tested was restored by providing the cycM gene in trans. The data supported the conclusion that the assembly of cytochrome aa3 depended on the prior incorporation of the CycM protein in the cytoplasmic membrane.

Cytochromes and hydrogen-oxidizing activity in the thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria related to the genus Hydrogenobacter

The highly thermophilic, hydrogen-oxidizing aerobic bacteria related to Hydrogenobacter possess a respiratory chain comprising a quinone and b-type (alpha band at 556 nm and 562 nm) and c-type (alpha band at 552 nm) cytochromes. They have no aa3-type cytochromes and their terminal oxidase is an o-type cytochrome. A polarographic method with an oxygen electrode was used for the measurement of the hydrogen-oxidizing activity. This activity was strongly inhibited by HQNO (2-N-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide), an inhibitor of the respiratory chain in the quinone-cytochrome b region, and by KCN, an inhibitor of the terminal cytochrome oxidase. This study shows that the electrons released from hydrogen oxidation by the membrane-bound hydrogenase probably enter the respiratory chain at the level of the quinone-cytochrome b region.

Formation of a potent respiratory inhibitor at nitrite reduction by nitrite reductase isolated from the bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans

A new method of dissimilatory nitrite reductase (cytochrome cd1) isolation from the periplasmic fraction of anaerobically grown cells of the bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans was developed, using ionex and gel permeation chromatography with FPLC system (Pharmacia, Sweden). In experiments with isolated enzyme it was shown that through a nitrite reduction, catalysed by this enzyme, a substance (presumably nitric oxide) was formed which at submicromolar concentrations inhibited terminal cytochrome oxidase of the respiratory chain of the same bacterium. These results help to explain formerly observed sensitivity of bacterial oxidase activity to NO2- and the mechanism of switching the electron flow from O2 to nitrogen terminal acceptors.

Cytochrome c-551 from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 grown under air-limited conditions

A small-sized c-type cytochrome, designated cytochrome c-551, was prepared from membrane fraction of the thermophilic bacterium PS3 grown under air-limited conditions by extraction with cholate, precipitation with polyethylene glycol, and successive chromatographies with DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S-200 in the presence of a detergent. The purified sample contained approximately 1 mol of heme c per 10,000 g protein; it showed absorption bands at 551, 522 and 416 nm upon reduction, and a Soret peak at 409 nm upon oxidation. This cytochrome showed a single band of 10 kDa on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate. The isoelectric point of this cytochrome c-551 was pH 4.0. Cytochrome c-551 was suggested to play an important role in the respiratory chain with a terminal oxidase cytochrome o, which is produced under air-limited conditions, since cytochrome c-551 could mediate electron transfer between cytochrome bc1(b6f) complex and cytochrome o, showing quinol oxidase activity.

Proposed structure for the prosthetic group of the catalase HPII from Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli contains two catalases designated HPI and HPII. The heme prosthetic group of HPII is an unusual green chromophore that was believed to be a member of the family of d-type hemes. The heme was extracted and compared to the heme of the terminal oxidase cytochrome complex in E. coli. The two hemes were very similar by visible spectroscopy but were resolved by chromatography. The heme was converted to a free-base, esterified derivative that was characterized by 'H NMR spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The proposed structure for the free base is 12-hydroxy- 1 3-cis-spirolactone-2,7,12,18-tetramethyl-3,8-divinyl- 17-propionylporphyrin. The respiratory electron-transport chain of certain aeorobic bacteria contains an unusual prosthetic group for the terminal oxidase. This group, originally called heme a2 but later renamed to heme d, is the oxygen, carbon monoxide binding site. It is spectroscopically characterized by a red shift of the a band in the visible spectrum. In 1956 Barrett' extensively investigated the properties of heme a2 and the porphyrin derived by iron removal and tentatively proposed that it was a dihydroporphyrin. In 1985 it was shown by isolation and purification of the chlorin derived from the heme of the terminal oxidase in E. coli that the basic

Energy transduction efficiencies in nitrogenous oxide respirations of Azospirillum brasilense Sp7

For Azospirillum brasilense Sp7, the energy transformation efficiencies were measured in anaerobic respirations with either nitrate, nitrite or nitrous oxide as respiratory electron acceptors by determining the maximal molar growth yields and the H+-translocations using the oxidant pulse method. In continuous cultures grown with malate limiting, the maximal molar growth yields (Y s max -values) were essentially the same with O2 or N2O but were 1/3 and 2/3 lower with NO 2 - or NO 3 - , respectively, as respiratory electron acceptors. Both the maximal molar growth yields and the maintenance energy coefficients were surprisingly high when Azospirillum was grown with nitrite as the sole electron acceptor and source for N-assimilation. Growth under N2-fixing conditions drastically reduced the Y s max -values in the N2O and O2-respiring cells. In the H+-translocation measurements, the $$\vec H^ + $$ /oxidant ratios were 5.6 for O2→H2O, 2.5–2.8 for NO 3 - →NO 2 - , 2.2 for NO 2 - →N2O and 3.1 for N2O→N2 respirations when the cells were preincubated with valinomycin and K+. All the values were enhanced when the experiments were performed with valinomycin plus methyltriphenylphosphonium (=TPMP+) cation. The uncoupler carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyl-hydrazone diminished the H+-excretion indicating that this translocation was due to vectorial flow across the membrane. In the absence of any ionophore, nitrate and nitrite respirations were accompanied by a H+-uptake $$(NO_3^ - \to N_2 = - 2.9 \vec H^ + /NO_3^ - and NO_2^ - \to N_2 = - 2.5 \vec H^ + /NO_2^ - )$$ . Any significant H+-translocation could not be detected in N2O- and O2-respirations under these conditions. It is concluded that nitrate reduction proceeds inside the cytoplasmic membrane, whereas nitrite is reduced extramembraneously. The data are not conclusive for the location of nitrous oxide reductase. The maximal molar growth yield determinations and the absence of any H+-uptake in untreated cells indicate a cytoplasmic orientation of the enzyme similar to the terminal cytochrome oxidase of respiration. The low H+-extrusion values for N2O-respiration compared to O2-respiration in cells treated with valinomycin plus TPMP+ are, however, not in accord with such an interpretation.

Respiration-driven proton translocation in Thiobacillus versutus and the role of the periplasmic thiosulphate-oxidizing enzyme system

The periplasmic location of enzymes A and B of the thiosulphate-oxidizing multienzyme system of Thiobacillus versutus has been further confirmed by differential radiolabelling of periplasmic and cytoplasmic proteins. The stoichiometries of respiration-driven proton translocation in T. versutus were determined using the oxygen pulse and the initial rate methods. A value for the →H+/O quotient (number of protons translocated per oxygen atom reduced) of about 2.8 was found for the oxidation of thiosulphate, and of about 2.5 for sulphite. The →H+/O quotient for endogenous respiration was about 5.7. The data are shown to be in good agreement with the scheme proposed previously for thiosulphate oxidation by this organism. Proton generation during the oxidation of thiosulphate or sulphite is indicated to occur in the periplasm rather than by pumping across the cytoplasmic membrane. The results also suggest that a →H+/O quotient of six occurs during NADH oxidation (from endogenous metabolism measurements) and that the terminal cytochrome oxidase, aa3, does not function as a proton pump.

Electron flow and heme-heme interaction between cytochromes b-558, b-595 and d in a terminal oxidase of Escherichia coli

The ESR signals of the cytochromes in the Escherichia coli terminal oxidase cytochrome d complex were studied at cryogenic temperature. The intensities and g values of the rhombic high-spin signals changed when the electronic state of cytochrome d was changed from the oxidized state to the reduced or oxygen-binding or CO-binding state. These rhombic signals were therefore assigned to cytochrome b-595, which is located near cytochrome d in the oxidase complex. This assignment was supported by the finding that the E m value of the rhombic signals differed from that of cytochrome d (Hata, A. et al. (1985) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 810, 62–72). Photolysis and ligand-exchange experiments with the reduced CO complex of the oxidase were performed in the presence of oxygen at −140°C. The ESR spectra of three intermediate forms trapped by controlled low temperatures were detected. These forms were designated as the oxygenbinding intermediate I (ESR-silent), oxygen-binding intermediate II (giving ESR signals at g = 6.3, 5.5 and 2.15), and oxygen-binding intermediate III (giving signals at g = 6.3, 5.5 and 6.0). From these results, electron flow in the cytochrome d complex is proposed to proceed in the order, cytochrome b-558 → cytochrome b-595 → cytochrome d → O 2. A model of the mechanism of four-electron chemistry for oxidation of ubiquinol-8 and formation of H 2O by the cytochrome d complex is presented.