Stabilized ubisemiquinone in reconstituted succinate ubiquinone reductase

QP-S, a ubiquinone (Q) protein, accepts electrons from succinate through succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). A new method has produced a preparation of QP-S which has a different amino acid composition and SDS gel electrophoretic pattern from that of the old preparation (Biochemistry 19, 3579-3585 (1980)). The new preparation contains less than 1 nmol heme/mg protein; the activity of the preparation was not proportional to its heme content. A thenoyltrifluoroacetone sensitive free radical signal was detected by EPR spectroscopy in succinate-Q reductase reconstituted from this QP-S and SDH; the characteristics of this species identify it as ubisemiquinone. At pH 7.4, the Em of the two electron step was about 70 mV with E1 = 5 mV and E2 = 125 mV. The properties of the radical differed slightly from those of "Qs" radical in more intact preparations (e.g. submitochondrial particles). The present is the simplest system in which such a succinate reducible ubisemiquinone free radical has been demonstrated.     

Evidence of ubisemiquinone radicals in electron transfer at the cytochromes b and c1 region of the cardiac respiratory chain

A highly purified reduced ubiquinone-cytochrome c reductase preparation (the b-c₁III complex) has been made. The b-c₁III complex is not reconstitutively active with succinate dehydrogenase. When the complex at about 10 mg/ml is reduced by succinate in the presence of catalytic (nanomolar) amounts of SDH and a ubiquinone protein (required in the succinate dehydrogenase region i.e, OP-S), a ubisemiquinone radical(s) has been detected using EPR measurements. The formation of the radical(s) is concurrent with the reduction of cytochrome b after the complete reduction of cytochrome c₁. All these rates are dependent on the amounts of succinate dehydrogenase and QP-S used. The maximal concentration of the radical formed is independent of the amounts of succinate dehydrogenase and QP-S added but dependent on the amount of succinate present. The formation of the radical and the reduction of b and c₁ by succinate requires the presence of phospholipids. Addition of thenoyltrifluoroacetone not only prevents the formation of the ubisemiquinone but also abolishes the prior formed radical and causes the reoxidation of b. Antimycin A also diminishes the radical intensity but causes only slight reoxidation of prior reduced cytochrome b. Treatment of the b-c₁III complex with α-chymotrypsin results in the diminishing of the radical formation. Consideration of all these results presented collectively indicates the existence of a ubiquinone binding protein in the b-c₁III complex preparation.     

Superoxide production and electron transport in mitochondrial oxidation of dihydroorotic acid.

Production of superoxide radical during oxidation of dihydroorotate in rat liver mitochondria was not affected by antimycin A, thenoyltrifluoroacetone, or added ubiquinone but was inhibited by orotate, a product inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. It appears likely that superoxide is generated at the primary dehydrogenase. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase differs from succinate dehydrogenase both in its utilization of ubiquinone and in the mechanism of cytochrome b reduction. Thenoyltrifluoroacetone completely inhibits fumarate synthesis and reduction of cytochrome b by succinate. Formation of orotate is only partially inhibited by thenolytrifluoroacetone and the inhibitor does not prevent reduction of cytochrome b by dihydroorotate. It is proposed that several pathways exist for linkage of the primary dihydrorotate dehydrogenase with the electron transport chain. One route involves electron transfer from ubiquinone to cytochrome c and is inhibited by thenoyltrifluoroacetone. A second route bypasses ubiquinone and is inhibited by antimycin A. A third pathway utilizes both ubiquinone and cytochrome b and is partiayly inhibited by either thenoyltrifluoroacetone or antimycin A.     

Two sites of ubisemiquinone binding in mitochondrial succinate oxidase

The inhibiting effects of several phenol compounds on electron transfer in the respiratory chain of submitochondrial particles were studied. It was shown that the terminal part of the succinate dehydrogenase complex contains a site, which specifically binds the negatively charged phenols (e. g. pentachlorophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol, 2-methoxy-4,6-dibromophenol). The efficiency of the inhibitor anion binding by this site is increased 12-fold after introduction of a methoxy-group into the o-position of 2,4-dibromophenol. Since this site binds both methoxy- and negatively charged phenol groups, it can also act as a possible site of ubisemiquinone interaction with succinate dehydrogenase. Based on the structural similiarity of the b-c1 complex inhibitors, e. g. antimycin, o-hydroxybenzoic acid amides, 2-hydroxy-3-alkyl-1,4-quinones, and ubisemiquinone, an assumption has been made on possible ubisemiquinone binding between cytochromes b and c1. A structural analysis of phenols inhibiting succinate dehydrogenase and the b-c1 complex revealed that in the region between cytochromes b and c1 there act only the inhimitors which contain: a) a negatively charged phenol group; b) a group comprising a heteroatom with an undepleted electron pair and which can act as a ligand, and c) a hydrophobic residue.     

Characterization of ubisemiquinone radical in the cytochrome b-c1 segment of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

The ubiquinone protein, QP-C, in reduced ubiquinone-cytochrome c reductase (the b?c₁-III complex) shows a stable ubisemiquinone radical when the enzyme is reduced by succinate in the presence of catalytic amounts of succinate dehydrogenase and QP-S. At room temperature using EPR technique the redox titration of the b?c₁-III complex in the presence of redox dyes or succinate/fumarate couple reveals that the ubisemiquinone radical has a midpoint potential of approximately +67 mV at pH 8.0. Further analysis yields E₁ of +83 mV and E₂ of +51 mV corresponding to ($\text{QH}{}_2\text{QH·}$) and ($\text{QH·}\text{Q}$) or other electronated forms, respectively. The equilibrium radical concentration has been found to be affected both by pH and succinate/fumarate couple. At pH 9.0 the radical shows the maximal amplitude and stability. Below pH 7.0, little radical was detected. The electron spin relaxation behavior of ubisemiquinone radical, as examined by microwave power saturation, indicates that the ubisemiquinone radical of QP-C is somewhat isolated from other paramagnetic centers. The effects of phospholipids, QP-S, and other agents on ubisemiquinone radical formation as well as the enzymatic activity of QP-C have been studied in detail.     

The role of Sdh4p Tyr-89 in ubiquinone reduction by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate dehydrogenase

Succinate dehydrogenase (complex II or succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is a tetrameric, membrane-bound enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of succinate and the reduction of ubiquinone in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Two electrons from succinate are transferred one at a time through a flavin cofactor and a chain of iron-sulfur clusters to reduce ubiquinone to an ubisemiquinone intermediate and to ubiquinol. Residues that form the proximal quinone-binding site (Q(P)) must recognize ubiquinone, stabilize the ubisemiquinone intermediate, and protonate the ubiquinone to ubiquinol, while minimizing the production of reactive oxygen species. We have investigated the role of the yeast Sdh4p Tyr-89, which forms a hydrogen bond with ubiquinone in the Q(P) site. This tyrosine residue is conserved in all succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductases studied to date. In the human SDH, mutation of this tyrosine to cysteine results in paraganglioma, tumors of the parasympathetic ganglia in the head and neck. We demonstrate that Tyr-89 is essential for ubiquinone reductase activity and that mutation of Tyr-89 to other residues does not increase the production of reactive oxygen species. Our results support a role for Tyr-89 in the protonation of ubiquinone and argue that the generation of reactive oxygen species is not causative of tumor formation.     

The role of Sdh4p Tyr-89 in ubiquinone reduction by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate dehydrogenase

Succinate dehydrogenase (complex II or succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is a tetrameric, membrane-bound enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of succinate and the reduction of ubiquinone in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Two electrons from succinate are transferred one at a time through a flavin cofactor and a chain of iron-sulfur clusters to reduce ubiquinone to an ubisemiquinone intermediate and to ubiquinol. Residues that form the proximal quinone-binding site (Q_P) must recognize ubiquinone, stabilize the ubisemiquinone intermediate, and protonate the ubiquinone to ubiquinol, while minimizing the production of reactive oxygen species. We have investigated the role of the yeast Sdh4p Tyr-89, which forms a hydrogen bond with ubiquinone in the Q_P site. This tyrosine residue is conserved in all succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductases studied to date. In the human SDH, mutation of this tyrosine to cysteine results in paraganglioma, tumors of the parasympathetic ganglia in the head and neck. We demonstrate that Tyr-89 is essential for ubiquinone reductase activity and that mutation of Tyr-89 to other residues does not increase the production of reactive oxygen species. Our results support a role for Tyr-89 in the protonation of ubiquinone and argue that the generation of reactive oxygen species is not causative of tumor formation.     

Dissociation constants of succinate dehydrogenase complexes with succinate, fumarate and malonate

The rates of the oxidized (Eox) and reduced (Ered) (by NAD . H through the ubiquinone pool) succinate dehydrogenase inhibition by N-ethyl-maleimide are equal and obey pseudo-first order kinetics. The protection of the enzyme against irreversible alkylation was used to quantitate the dissociation constants for Eox and Ered complexes with fumarate, succinate and malonate under conditions when no intramolecular redox reactions might occur. the membrane-bound succinate dehydrogenase catalyzes the succinate : phenazine-methosulphate reductase reaction in the presence of thenoyltrifluoroacetone by a Slater-Bonner mechanism. A comparison of the constants measured by the protection with those derived from the steady-state kinetics shows that succinate affinity for Eox is about 10 times higher than that for Ered; the reverse relations were found for fumarate, whereas the affinity for malonate only slightly depends on the redox state of the enzyme. The data obtained suggest that the dicarboxylate binding at the active site induces changes in the enzyme redox potential. The surface charge does not contribute significantly to the energy of the dicarboxylate binding to the active site of the membrane-bound enzyme.     

Reconstitution of succinate-Q reductase.

Reconstitution of succinate-Q reductase is achieved by admixing soluble succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and ubiquinone-protein-S (QP-S), a new protein isolated from the soluble cytochrome $\text{b-c}{}_1$ complex. The reconstituted reductase catalyzes reduction of Q by succinate. The reaction is fully sensitive to thenoyltrifluoroacetone. The reconstituted reductase (same as succinate-cytochrome $\text{c}$ reductase or submitochondrial particles) does not show “low concentration ferricyanide reductase activity” as soluble dehydrogenase does. In other words, this enzymic site on SDH is occupied by QP-S. When an artificial dye, such as phenazine methosulfate or Wurster's Blue, is used as electron acceptor the rate of oxidation of succinate by SDH is not significantly changed regardless of whether the dehydrogenase is in the free or in the reconstituted succinate-Q reductase forms.     

Inhibition of mammalian succinate dehydrogenase by carboxins.

Carboxin (5,6-dihydro-2-methyl-1,4-oxathiin-3-carboxanilide), a systemic fungicide, is known to inhibit the oxidation of succinate selectively in a variety of fungi and bacteria. Except for one report, the action of carboxin and of structurally related oxathiin derivatives on mammalian succinate dehydrogenase have not been investigated, however. In the present study, the inhibition of succinate oxidation by a number of carboxin derivatives have been studied using inner membrane preparations, purified particulate preparations (Complex II), and soluble preparations from beef heart. The site of action of carboxins has been studied by using a variety of electron acceptors. It has been concluded that carboxins inhibit mammalian succinate dehydrogenase by reacting at the same site as thenoyltrifluoroacetone but are effective at far lower concentrations. The maximal extent of inhibition by carboxins varies with the type of catalytic assay used and, in general, parallels the extent of inactivation brought about by cyanide, as if both types of agents modified the environment of an iron-sulfur component in the enzyme, presumably the superoxidized (HiPIP) Fe-S cluster.     

Interaction of ubisemiquinone with succinate dehydrogenase and the cytochrome chain of mitochondria

The free radical EPR signals of ubisemiquinone in mitochondria and submitochondrial particles (SMP) were investigated. One of the signals observed under the conditions of the respiratory chain highly oxidized and characterized by an unusually short time of the spin-lattice relaxation has previously been termed as SQ-2. The intensity of SQ-2 in SMP strongly depends on pH, the maximal concentration of QH. is reached at about 8.5. The signal is absent in the succinate dehydrogenase-depleted SMP and is highly sensitive to specific inhibitors of succinate: CoQ-oxidoreductase, such as alpha-thenoyltrifluoroacetone and carboxin. In SMP SQ-2 disappears in the presence of low concentrations of ferricyanide, while in mitochondria this non-penetrating oxidant provokes the appearance of SQ-2. The data obtained suggest that SQ-2 belongs to a stable ubisemiquinone which forms a complex with a FeS center of succinate dehydrogenase, is localized at the M-side of the membrane, and is kinetically isolated from the cytochrome chain. Oxidation of the terminal segment of the respiratory chain of mitochondria and SMP reduced by succinate in the presence of antimycin, is in some cases accompanied by an appearance of a strong free radical EPR signal which is stable at 77K but disappears rapidly in the frozen samples at -30- -40 degrees C. It is suggested that the signal is generated by an antimycin-insensitive oxidation of QH2 to QH. via the branch of the respiratory chain comprised of the Rieske FeS-protein and cytochrome c1. The mechanisms of how the two-electron oxidation-reduction of CoQ is coupled with the one-electron transfer through the cytochromes and FeS centers in the respiratory chain are discussed.     

Studies on the succinate dehydrogenating system. II. Reconstitution of succinate-ubiquinone reductase from the soluble components

1. A protein fraction containing three polypeptides (the major one with M_r < 13 000) was isolated by means of Triton X-100 extraction of submitochondrial particles specifically treated to remove succinate dehydrogenase.2. The mixing of the protein fraction with the soluble reconstitutively active succinate dehydrogenase results in formation of highly active succinate-DCIP reductase which is sensitive to thenoyltrifluoroacetone or carboxin.3. The maximal turnover number of succinate dehydrogenase in the succinate-DCIP reductase reaction revealed in the presence of a saturating amount of the protein fraction is slightly higher than that measured with phenazine methosulfate as artificial electron acceptor.4. The protein fraction greatly increases the stability of soluble succinate dehydrogenase under aerobic conditions.5. The titration of soluble succinate dehydrogenase by the protein fraction shows that smaller amounts of the protein fraction are required to block the reduction of ferrycyanide by Hipip center than that required to reveal the maximal catalytic capacity of the enzyme.6. The apparent K_m of the reconstituted system for DCIP depends on the amount of protein fraction; the more protein fraction added to the enzyme, the lower the K_m value obtained.7. A comparison of different reconstituted succinate-ubiquinone reductases described in the literature is presented and the possible arrangement of the native and reconstituted succinate-ubiquinone region of the respiratory chain is discussed.     

Role of ubiquinone in the mitochondrial generation of hydrogen peroxide.

Antimycin-inhibited bovine heart submitochondrial particles generate O2- and H2O2 with succinate as electron donor. H2O2 generation involves the action of the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, in accordance with the McCord & Fridovich [(1969) j. biol. Chem. 244, 6049-6055] reaction mechanism. Removal of ubiquinone by acetone treatment decreases the ability of mitochondrial preparations to generate O2- and H2O2, whereas supplementation of the depleted membranes with ubiquinone enhances the peroxide-generating activity in the reconstituted membranes. Addition of superoxide dismutase to ubiquinone-reconstituted membranes is essential in order to obtain maximal rates of H2O2 generation since the acetone treatment of the membranes apparently inactivates (or removes) the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase. Parallel measurements of H2O2 production, succinate dehydrogenase and succinate-cytochrome c reductase activities show that peroxide generation by ubiquinone-supplemented membranes is a monotonous function of the reducible ubiquinone content, whereas the other two measured activities reach saturation at relatively low concentrations of reducible quinone. Alkaline treatment of submitochondrial particles causes a significant decrease in succinate dehydrogenase activity and succinate-dependent H2O2 production, which contrasts with the increase of peroxide production by the same particles with NADH as electron donor. Solubilized succinate dehydrogenase generates H2O2 at a much lower rate than the parent submitochondrial particles. It is postulated that ubisemiquinone (and ubiquinol) are chiefly responsible for the succinate-dependent peroxide production by the mitochondrial inner membrane.     

Kinetics of the reoxidation of succinate dehydrogenase.

The reoxidation phase of the catalytic cycle of succinate dehydrogenase was studied in Complex II preparations' by the rapid freeze-electron paramagnetic resonance (epr) technique. With the synthetic water-soluble Q₁ analog, 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-pentyl-1, 4-benzoquinone (DPB), as the oxidant, the observed reoxidation of the epr-detectable components, previously reduced with dithionite or succinate, came to completion within a few milliseconds, well within the turnover time of the enzyme. Only ~80% of Fe-S center 1 and the HiPIP (the high-potential cluster) Fe-S center reacted rapidly with DPB, however; similarly incomplete reactions were observed previously in our studies of the reduction of the enzyme by succinate. The subsequent addition of ferricyanide, which appears to act as a chemical oxidant in these experiments, caused immediate reoxidation of the Fe-S centers and of the free radical. Ferricyanide and phenazine methosulfate (PMS) reoxidized all epr-detectable components in Complex II as well as in reconstitutively active, soluble preparations in' <6 ms, even at 0°C. Thus, reoxidation of the purified enzyme by PMS cannot be rate-limiting. Carboxamides and thenoyltrifluoroacetone inhibit strongly the reoxidation of the Fe-S center 1 and the HiPIP center by DPB, but not their reduction by succinate. These and other data suggest that these inhibitors block electron transport from the dehydrogenase to the Q pool on the O₂-side of the HiPIP center, but there is no evidence that they combine directly with the iron. A recent report that Wurster's blue reacts with soluble succinate dehydrogenase much more rapidly than does PMS could not be confirmed. The two oxidants react at equal rates with the purified soluble enzyme before and after it has been reincorporated into membranes.     

Light-induced accumulation of lactate and succinate in Anabaena cylindrica

In the cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica lactate accumulated in large amounts when the cells were exposed to light. The presence or absence of oxygen, or a change in CO₂ concentration did not affect the lactate accumulation. The cellular succinate level also increased in the light when CO₂ was supplied at the high concentration of 1%. 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea (DCMU), an inhibitor of photosynthetic electron flow, inhibited the increase in the concentration of lactate and succinate. Photosynthesis is a prerequisite for the increase of these organic acids. Thenoyltrifluoroacetone, an inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase, inhibited the increase of succinate, suggesting that the succinate is formed via fumarate by the reverse of reactions of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Upon addition of ammonium to the cell suspension in the light under high CO₂ concentration, the increases in the concentrations of lactate and succinate were inhibited while those of glutamine, glutamate and aspartate were stimulated. Ammonium apparently changed the products of metabolism of pyruvate and oxaloacetate from lactate and succinate to amino acids.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea - TTFA thenoyltrifluoroacetone - PCA perchloric acid     

叠氮水杨酰胺类化合物对呼吸链琥珀酸-细胞色素c还原酶的抑制作用

合成了３－叠氮基－Ｎ－正癸烷基水杨酰胺和５－叠氮基－Ｎ－正癸烷基水杨酰胺并检测了它们对呼吸链酶系从琥珀酸到细胞色素ｃ段电子传递活性的抑制作用．两种化合物对琥珀酸－泛醌还原酶的抑制能力基本相同,而５位叠氮基取代物对泛醌－细胞色素ｃ还原酶的抑制能力较３位叠氮基取代物为强．它们与泛醌反应抑制剂３－硝基－Ｎ－正癸烷基水杨酰胺相比较,其抑制性质基本相似,只是抑制能力较后者为弱     

Bypasses of the antimycin a block of mitochondrial electron transport in relation to ubisemiquinone function

Two different bypasses around the antimycin block of electron transport from succinate to cytochrome c via the ubiquinol-cytochrome c oxidoreductase of intact rat liver mitochondria were analyzed, one promoted by N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) and the other by 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCIP). Both bypasses are inhibited by myxothiazol, which blocks electron flow from ubiquinol to the Rieske iron-sulfur center, and by 2-hydroxy-3-undecyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, which inhibits electron flow from the iron-sulfur center to cytochrome c1. In the bypass promoted by TMPD its oxidized form (Wurster's blue) acts as an electron acceptor from some reduced component prior to the antimycin block, which by exclusion of other possibilities is ubisemiquinone. In the DCIP bypass its reduced form acts as an electron donor, by reducing ubisemiquinone to ubiquinol; reduced DCIP is regenerated again at the expense of either succinate or ascorbate. The observations described are consistent with and support current models of the Q cycle. Bypasses promoted by artificial electron carriers provide an independent approach to analysis of electron flow through ubiquinol-cytochrome c oxidoreductase.     

Studies on the succinate dehydrogenating system. I. Kinetics of the succinate dehydrogenase interaction with a semiquindiimine radical of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine.

1. The activities of the soluble reconstitutively active succinate dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.99.1) measured with three artificial electron acceptors, e.g. ferricyanide, phenazine methosulfate and free radical of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (WB), have been compared. The values estimated by extrapolation to infinite acceptor concentration using double reciprocal plots 1/v versus 1/[acceptor] are nearly the same for ferricyanide and phenazine methosulfate and about twice as high for the WB. 2. The double reciprocal plots 1/v versus 1/[succinate] in the presence of malonate at various concentrations of WB give a series of straight lines intercepting in the third quadrant. The data support the mechanism of the overall reaction, in which the reduced enzyme is oxidized by WB before dissociation of the enzyme-product complex. 3. The dependence of the rate of the overall reaction on WB concentration shows that only one kinetically significant redox site of the soluble succinate dehydrogenase is involved in the reduction of WB. 4. Studies of the change of V and Km values during aerobic inactivation of the soluble enzyme suggest that only 'the low Km ferricyanide reactive site' (Vinogradov, A.D., Gavrikova, E.V. and Goloveshkina, V.G. (1975) Biochem. Biophys, Res. Commun. 65, 1264--1269) is involved in reoxidation of the reduced enzyme by WB. 5. The pH dependence of V for the succinate-WB reductase reaction shows that the group of the enzyme with the pKa value of 6.7 at 22 degrees C is responsible for the reduction of dehydrogenase in the enzyme-substrate complex. 6. When WB interacts with the succinate-ubiquinone region of the respiratory chain, the double reciprocal plot 1/v versus 1/[WB] gives a straight line. The thenoyltrifluoroacetone inhibition of succinate-ubiquinone reductase or extraction of ubiquinone alter the 1/v versus 1/[WB] plots for the curves with a positive initial slope intercepting the ordinate at the same V as in the native particles. The data support the mechanism of succinate-ubiquinone reduction, in which no positive modulation of succinate dehydrogenase by ubiquinone exist in the membrane.     

Coupling site I and the rotenone-sensitive ubisemiquinone in tightly coupled submitochondrial particles

The rotenone-sensitive g = 2.00 low temperature EPR signal attributed to ubisemiquinone is observed in submitochondrial particles during coupled electron transfer from NADH to oxygen and from succinate to NAD+. The signal is seen only in the presence of oligomycin added to induce the respiratory control (7-9 with NADH and 3-4 with succinate) and it disappears in the presence of uncouplers (CCCP or gramicidin D). No reduction of the iron-sulfur center N-2 in the presence of 20 mM succinate and cyanide is observed, thus suggesting that N-2 is not in equilibrium with the ubiquinone pool. A hypothesis is proposed on delta mu H+ generation coupled with electron transfer between iron-sulfur center N-2 and the ubiquinone pool.     

Inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport by hydrophilic metal chelators. Determination of dehydrogenase topography

The topography of the inner mitochondrial membrane was investigated using inhibitors of electron transport on preparations of beef heart mitochondria and electron transport particles of opposite orientation. Reductions of juglone, ferricyanide, indophenol, coenzyme Q, duroquinone, and cytochrome c by NADH are inhibited to different extents on both sides of the membrane by the impermeant hydrophilic chelators bathophenanthroline sulfonate and orthophenanthroline. The extent of inhibition for each acceptor increased in the order given. At least two chelator-sensitive sites are present on each membrane face between the flavoprotein and coenzyme Q and a chelator-sensitive site is present on the matrix face between the sites of coenzyme Q and duroquinone interaction. Duroquinol oxidation in mitochondria only is stimulated by bathophenanthroline sulfonate. Juglone reduction is stimulated in electron transport particles (only) by p-hydroxymercuribenzenesulfonate, but after mercurial treatment, juglone reduction in both particles and mitochondria is more sensitive to bathophenanthroline sulfonate.Succinate dehydrogenase components are inhibited by hydrophilic orthophenanthroline or bathophenanthroline sulfonate in mitochondria only. Electron flow between the dehydrogenases of succinate and NADH occurs via a chelator-sensitive site located on the matrix face of the membrane. Inter-complex electron flow is prevented by rotenone or thenoyltrifluoroacetone. The lack of succinate-indophenol reductase inhibition by bathophenanthroline sulfonate in the presence of rotenone or thenoyltrifluoroacetone indicates that the rotenone-sensitive site may be located on the matrix face and demonstrates that electrons flow between the NADH and succinate dehydrogenases via a hydrophilic chelator and rotenone-thenoyltrifluoroacetone-sensitive site on the matrix face of the membrane. Inhibition by hydrophilic chelators only in mitochondria indicates that succinate dehydrogenase as well as NADH dehydrogenase has a transmembranous orientation.