A 3.3 Å-Resolution Structure of Hyperthermophilic Respiratory Complex III Reveals the Mechanism of Its Thermal Stability

Respiratory chain complexes convert energy by coupling electron flow to transmembrane proton translocation. Owing to a lack of atomic structures of cytochrome bc₁ complex (Complex III) from thermophilic bacteria, little is known about the adaptations of this macromolecular machine to hyperthermophilic environments. In this study, we purified the cytochrome bc₁ complex of Aquifex aeolicus, one of the most extreme thermophilic bacteria known, and determined its structure with and without an inhibitor at 3.3 Å resolution. Several residues unique for thermophilic bacteria were detected that provide additional stabilization for the structure. An extra transmembrane helix at the N-terminus of cyt. c₁ was found to greatly enhance the interaction between cyt. b and cyt. c₁ , and to bind a phospholipid molecule to stabilize the complex in the membrane. These results provide the structural basis for the hyperstability of the cytochrome bc₁ complex in an extreme thermal environment.