The medium reorganization energy for the charge transfer reactions in proteins

A low static dielectric permittivity of proteins causes the low reorganization energies for the charge transfer reactions inside them. This reorganization energy does not depend on the pre-existing intraprotein electric field. The charge transferred inside the protein interacts with its aqueous surroundings; for many globular proteins, the effect of this surroundings on the reorganization energy is comparable with the effect of reorganization of the protein itself while for the charge transfer in the middle of membrane the aqueous phase plays a minor role. Reorganization energy depends strongly on the system considered, and hence there is no sense to speak on the “protein reorganization energy” as some permanent characteristic parameter. We employed a simple algorithm for calculation of the medium reorganization energy using the numerical solution of the Poisson–Boltzmann equation. Namely, the reaction field energy was computed in two versions — all media having optical dielectric permittivity, and all the media with the static one; the difference of these two quantities gives the reorganization energy. We have calculated reorganization energies for electron transfer in cytochrome c, various ammine-ruthenated cytochromes c, azurin, ferredoxin, cytochrome c oxidase, complex of methylamine dehydrogenase with amicyanin, and for proton transfer in α-chymotrypsin. It is shown that calculation of the medium reorganization energy can be a useful tool in analysis of the mechanisms of the charge transfer reactions in proteins.

► Reorganization energy does not depend on the intraprotein permanent electric field.
► “Protein reorganization energy” is not a constant typical of all proteins.
► We propose a simple algorithm for calculation of the medium reorganization energy.
► We demonstrated the usefulness of this algorithm for 8 charge transfer reactions.
► We quantified the effect of reorganization of the protein's aqueous surroundings.