Complex III of Electron Transport Chain
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
IntroductionIntroduction
Complex III of the electron transport chain contains as many as 11 subunits per monomer. The structure shown to the right has 9. (The 'initial scene' green link available in the Jmol applet shows the dimer structure along with Heavy Chain (Vh) Of Fv-Fragment, Light Chain (Vl) Of Fv-Fragment and Cytochrome C, Iso-1 all of which are a part of 1KYO.PDB.) of the complex within the inner mitochondrial membrane with labels. reveals that one of the peptides of each subunit invades the space of the other subunit. of each monomeric unit have a direct role in the passage of electrons in the respiratory chain. The subunits that are colored are active in the electron transport chain. The grey peptides have other catalytic activities and functions, and the interior spaces which are created by the positions of the other subunits have a role in the movement of the substrates from one active site to another active site within the complex. The two subunits of cytochrome b (colored green) for the most part are buried in the complex and have minimal exposure to the intermembrane space and matrix. Cytochrome c1 subunits are positioned on top of cytochrome b and their outer surfaces are exposed to the intermembrane space. They are held in place by helical tails that extend deep into the complex and membrane. The Rieske subunits are Fe/S proteins with three domains: membrane domain (long helical segment that extends into the membrane), head domain which contains the Fe/S center and hinge domain (short segment between the other two).
Structure of three active componentsStructure of three active components
Each cytochrome b contains. Identify each of the hemes by hovering the curser over an atom of the heme. Hem 501 and Hem 502 are in one cytochrome b, and Hem 521 and Hem 522 are in the other one. The two hemes in each cytochrome b are in different environments and therefore have different properties, e.g. reduction potential. Hemes 501 & 521 have a lower potential than the other two and are called bL for low potential, and the other two are called bH for high potential. Each of the cytochrome b's have two binding sites for substrate. Ubiquinol binds at one of the sites, QP, and the inhibitor stigmatellin is shown bound to this site in both cytochrome b's. THis binding site is adjacent to the bL heme. The other site, QN, binds ubiquinone and its surface is outlined. antimycin A.
As seen in the applet below each cytochrome c1 contains a heme. Viewing as it would be seen from the intermembrane space, the grey carbons of the top edge of the hemes can be seen. The heme is exposed to the surface of the membrane so that it can make contact with cytochrome c when it binds.
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