J. R. Soc. Interface pursuit and characterization of hydrogen tunnelling in doi:10.1098/rsif.2006.0122 a variety of oxidoreductases. Fifteen years later, Published online Chance first revealed that quantum mechanical electron tunnelling was a critical part of biological oxidation and reduction using light-active photosyn- thetic bacteria at cryogenic temperatures. In the classic REPORT 1966 paper with the late Don DeVault, he not only demonstrated the tunnelling signature of temperature insensitive rate constants between 77 and 5 K for the Quantum catalysis in millisecond oxidation of cytochrome c by the light- activated bacteriochlorophyll but also provided a enzymes: beyond the theoretical basis for a long-distance electron tunnelling of over 20 A˚. Fifty years ago, Rudolph Marcus transition state theory (Caltech) first penned his classical theory of oxida- tion–reduction reactions (equation 1.1) involving paradigm. A Discussion electron transfer in solution. In the 1970s, these Meeting held at the Royal equations became the foundation of experimental 1 KðDG ClÞ2 Society on 14 and k f pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi exp ð1:1Þ et 4lk T 15 November 2005 4plkBT B investigations into biological electron tunnelling, again 1, 2, using photosynthetic systems. The early 1980s saw the Nigel S. Scrutton *, Michael J. Sutcliffe * first heroic experimental demonstration by John Miller and P. Leslie Dutton3,* and colleagues of the parabolic rise of the log rate constant with increasing driving force (KDG)toa 1Faculty of Life Sciences, and 2School of Chemical maximum (defining the reorganization energy, l) Engineering and Analytical Science, University of followed by a fall in the ‘inverted region’ as predicted Manchester, Jackson’s Mill, Manchester M60 1QD, UK by Marcus. The relatively shallow fall of the inverted 3Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, region was indicative of strong coupling of the electron University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, tunnelling to quantized vibrational modes and hence the PA 19104-6059, USA tunnelling of nuclei as well. Application of Marcus theory has become one of the foundations of transition How do enzymes work? What is the physical basis of state theory and a mainstay of those working on the the phenomenal rate enhancements achieved by Discussion Meeting’s principal subject, tunnelling of the enzymes? Do we have a theoretical framework that hydrogen nucleus in enzymatic oxidation and reduction. accounts for observed catalytic rates? These are the Chance opened the meeting with an outline of the foremost questions—with particular emphasis on early developments by Keilin and Warburg in respir- tunnelling phenomena—debated at this Discussion ation and of Hill in photosynthesis that paved the way Meeting by the leading practitioners in the field. to the discovery of tunnelling in biological electron transfer reactions. He emphasized the early importance Keywords: quantum tunnelling; electron transfer; of purple photosynthetic bacteria in facilitating the hydrogen transfer; transition state theory; demonstration of electron tunnelling, and the later enzyme catalysis importance of the highly robust photosynthetic reaction centre proteins that offered an unprecedented breadth of biochemical and biophysical experimental scope to explore the parameters of Marcus theory in 1. BIOLOGICAL ELECTRON TUNNELLING biology. Les Dutton (University of Pennsylvania, USA) introduced the progression of work that put to test the This Discussion Meeting was fortunate to have the parameters in the quantized form after Hopfield presence of two distinguished colleagues who have (equation 1.2a and 1.2b). In the 1970s and played critical roles in the foundations and develop- ment of tunnelling mechanisms in biology, Britton K C 2 f ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi1 ðDG lÞ Chance (University of Pennsylvania, USA) and ket p exp 2 ; ð1:2aÞ 2ps2 2s Rudolph Marcus (California Institute of Technology, Zu USA), both Foreign Members of the Royal Society. s2 Z lZu coth ð1:2bÞ Moreover, 70 years ago Chance invented the stopped- 2kBT flow spectroscopic instrumentation that led to the proof 1980s, his laboratory’s work on reaction centres made of the Michaelis enzyme–substrate complex. This immediate use of technical opportunities such as ultra- complex was very much the focus of attention during fast lasers for activation for tunnelling kinetics over a the meeting that discussed theory, experimental 300 K range (rate constants and Zu) and replacement of cofactors and mutagenesis to change the driving *Authors for correspondence ([email protected]; force by as much as an electron volt and estimate [email protected]; [email protected]). reorganization energies (DG and l). Reaction centres Received 3 March 2006 Accepted 3 March 2006 q 2006 The Royal Society 2 Quantum catalysis in enzymes N. S. Scrutton and others were the first membrane proteins to yield high- hydrogen, and barriers to the reaction that reflect resolution crystal structures that provided critical environmental reorganization, was notable at the inter-cofactor edge-to-edge distances (R) and atomic meeting. This is a significant departure from views level details of protein packing (r). Dutton reported on held until recently by many in the field that tunnelling how these Marcusian tunnelling parameters are is restricted to a few enzyme systems, and where selected and varied in biology in the natural engineering observed, can be interpreted using the Bell ‘tunnelling of oxidoreductases. This Darwinian examination at the correction’ of semi-classical transition state theory. molecular scale yields a remarkable simplifying picture. Kohen presented his experimental studies of H-tunnelling One by one, the parameters were shown to be more or in dihydrofolate reductase. He emphasized the role of less generic components of the engineering (Zu, r and l distal mutations on enzymic H-tunnelling probed varying but not selected), leaving a clear and dominant through measurement of kinetic isotope effects and selection of distance for the engineering of electron their temperature dependence. Using isotopically transfer chains and catalytic clusters. DG is sometimes labelled cofactors, he presented kinetic data that are selected and sometimes not, especially when the consistent with full tunnelling models for the hydrogen distance between the redox cofactors is small. It is nucleus. His kinetic studies with mutant enzymes also not unusual that electron tunnelling through altered at residues distal to the active site—residues chains encounters major endergonic redox step(s) (up that are predicted theoretically to be part of a network to several hundreds of meV) in electron transfer chains of motions coupled to the active site—provide exper- that overall are mildly exergonic. Dutton provided test imental support for coupling of motion to active site drives for the resultant Darwin-purged quantized chemistry, and are consistent with environmentally Marcus expression (equations 1.3a and 1.3b) coupled models of H-transfer. Dihydrofolate reductase C 2 featured also in the presentation of Ruedi Allemann exer ðDG lÞ log ket Z 15K0:6RK3:1 ð1:3aÞ (University of Cardiff, UK). Unlike Kohen’s approach l which relies on measurements in the steady-state and K C 2 ender ð DG lÞ DG analysis of the commitment to catalysis to extract log k Z 15K0:6RK3:1 K ð1:3bÞ et l 0:06 intrinsic kinetic isotope effects, Allemann ‘isolated’ the in several simulations of native electron transfer chemical step using stopped-flow methods. He empha- systems. This included (i) light-activated electron sized studies with a thermostable dihydrofolate tunnelling mediated charge separation and recombina- reductase from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga tion in the highly complex electron transfer chains of maritima as well as the intensively studied Escherichia the reaction centres of plant photosystems; (ii) electron coli enzyme and he presented kinetic data consistent transfer through the long chain of nitrate reductase with environmentally coupled models of H-tunnelling. that includes a 600 meV thermal redox barrier that Of interest was his finding that at physiological pH, the marshals multiple electrons before delivery to the kinetic isotope effect data are consistent with the need catalytic site and (iii) the role of the barriers of proton to invoke ‘gated motion’ along the H-transfer coordi- pumping and dioxygen reduction in cytochrome oxi- nate, but at elevated pH the reaction was dominated by dase in removing the possibility of electrons by-passing passive motions. the catalytic site. Dutton also noted the power of Judith Klinman (University of California–Berkeley, shortened electron tunnelling distances between cofac- USA) developed further the theme of environmentally tors at the thresholds of catalytic sites. He identified the coupled hydrogen tunnelling by reference to her work energetic limit in two-electron catalysis for two, with soybean lipoxygenase. She emphasized recent sequential one-electron tunnelling to a thermally studies with wild-type and mutant enzymes that accessible radical transition state. Beyond this limit, exhibit very large primary deuterium kinetic isotope when the one-electron reduction is energetically effects and the notion of ‘distance sampling’ required to remote, a dramatic mechanistic change must occur bring donor and acceptor atoms sufficiently close to towards the principal subject matter of the meeting, the effect efficient wavefunction overlap. The wild-type concerted two-electron transfer