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. 1971 Mar;105(3):1083–1089. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.3.1083-1089.1971

Respiratory Mechanisms in the Flexibacteriaceae: Terminal Oxidase Systems of Saprospira grandis and Vitreoscilla Species

William E Dietrich Jr a,1, John Biggins a,2
PMCID: PMC248539  PMID: 4323292

Abstract

Particles from both Saprospira grandis and Vitreoscilla species, obtained by high-pressure extrusion and sonic treatment, respectively, actively catalyze the oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and succinate with O2. These activities are inhibited by cyanide but not by antimycin; Saprospira is also amytal- and rotenone-insensitive. Vitreoscilla preparations were unable to oxidize mammalian ferrocytochrome c and reduced tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, whereas the Saprospira preparations did so actively. Low-temperature (77 K) difference spectroscopy of Vitreoscilla cells and particles indicates the presence of three maxima in the cytochrome alpha-region at 554, 558, and 562 nm. All three cytochromes are active in NADH and succinate oxidation, but none is ascorbate reducible. Cytochrome o is the only CO-binding pigment present and is probably the terminal oxidase; it has properties similar to the cytochrome o isolated in solubilized form from this organism. Saprospira cells and membranes exhibit four cytochrome absorption bands whose maxima are at 550, 554, 558, and 603 nm at 77 K. The latter component has not been noted previously. NADH and succinate reduce all four cytochromes, but ascorbate reduces only the 550- and 603-nm pigments. CO spectra indicate the presence of cytochrome a,a3 which is probably the oxidase. A second CO-binding pigment is present which is not a peroxidase but may be a cytochrome.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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