Electrochemical reactions of redox cofactors in Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction center proteins in lipid films

Cyclic voltammetry of thin films made from the lipid dimyristoylphosphatidyl choline and reaction centers from the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides on pyrolytic graphite electrodes in bromide-free pH 8 buffers at 4 °C revealed an oxidation peak at 0.98 V and a reduction peak at −0.17 V vs. NHE. No reverse CV peaks were found, suggesting chemical irreversibility. The reduction peak disappeared for reaction centers depleted of quinones, suggesting that the peak represents reduction of this cofactor. The oxidation peak showed a catalytic current increase in the presence of small amounts of ferrous cytochrome c, and decreased by 85% when illuminated by visible light, suggesting assignment to the primary donor (P) cofactor. While oxidized primary donor P+ is destroyed upon electrochemical formation in the film, reaction of ferrous cyt c with P+ suggests its persistence in the films on the microsecond time scale.