Structure of the yeast cytochrome bc1 complex with a hydroxyquinone anion Qo site inhibitor bound.

Bifurcated electron transfer during ubiquinol oxidation is the key reaction of cytochrome bc1 complex catalysis. Binding of the competitive inhibitor 5-n-heptyl-6-hydroxy-4,7-dioxobenzothiazole to the Qo site of the cytochrome bc1 complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was analyzed by x-ray crystallography. This alkylhydroxydioxobenzothiazole is bound in its ionized form as evident from the crystal structure and confirmed by spectroscopic analysis, consistent with a measured pKa = 6.