Cytochrome c oxidase: A decade of progress

The author reviews the progress that has been made over the past decade in elucidating the structure and function of the metal sites in cytochrome c oxidase. Structural results obtained from both magnetic resonance experiments as well as EXAFS measurements are reviewed. The role of each of the metal centers in the overall function of the enzyme is discussed in the light of these structural results as well as recent insights obtained on the details of electron transfer, the mechanism of dioxygen reduction and site-site redox interactions. Efforts to modify the enzyme for further structural and functional studies are discussed