2-n-nonyl-4-hydroxy[3-3H]quinoline N-oxide: interaction with the mitochondrial membrane

Effects of bc1-site electron transfer inhibitors on the absorption spectra of mitochondrial cytochromes b

Changes are described that are brought about by antimycin, NoHOQnO, funiculosin, myxothiazol and mucidin in the alpha-, beta- and gamma-absorption bands of reduced and oxidized cytochromes b in the isolated complex bc1 form beef heart mitochondria. The inhibitors can be divided into 2 groups. Antimycin, funiculosin and NoHOQnO are likely to shift the spectrum of b-562 and compete for specific binding with complex bc1, with each other but not with myxothiazol and mucidin. The spectral effects of the latter two inhibitors are more difficult to interpret and may involve contributions not only from b-562 but from b-566 as well. The existence of 2 independent inhibitor binding-sites in the complex bc1 corroborates the Q-cycle hypothesis.

Effect of electron transfer inhibitors on superoxide generation in the cytochrome bc1 site of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

Antimycin, 2-nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide and funiculosin induce O.2(-) generation by submitochondrial particles oxidizing succinate, whereas KCN, mucidin, myxothiazol or 2,3-dimercaptopropanol inhibit O.2(-) generation. Thenoyltrifluoroacetone does not induce superoxide production by itself but slightly stimulates the reaction initiated by antimycin. The results indicate that auto-oxidation of unstable ubisemiquinone formed in centre o of the Q-cycle generates most of the O.2(-) radicals in the cytochrome bc1-site of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Kinetics of cytochrome b reduction in submitochondrial particles

(1) In agreement with Eisenbach and Gutman (Eisenbach, M. and Gutman, M. (1975) Eur. J. Biochem. 52, 107--116) the reduction of cytochrome b in beef-heart submitochondrial particles by succinate in the presence of antimycin was found to be biphasic, the relative amounts of fast and slow phases being dependent on the redox state of a compound located on the oxygen side of the antimycin block. (2) HQNO is a concentration sufficiently large to saturate the specific antimycin- and HQNO-binding sites can substitute for antimycin in these experiments. (3) The rate of the slow phase of the reduction of cytochrome b is decreased under anaerobic conditions and after pretreatment with 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL). (4) In the presence of antimycin and cyanide, cytochrome b-562 is, to some extent, preferentially reduced in the rapid phase and b-566 in the slow phase. (5) The previously proposed regulatory effects of redox-sensitive components X and Y on the redox level and reduction kinetics, respectively, of cytochrome b are ascribed to the role of the Fe-S protein, when it is oxidized, in producing the reductant of cytochrome b by oxidation of QH2, and by the fact that when QH2 is bound to it, the reduced Fe-S protein cannot be oxidized by its natural oxidant, cytochrome c.