Effect of changing the detergent bound to bovine cytochrome c oxidase upon its individual electron-transfer steps

The influence of the detergent environment upon individual electron-transfer rates of cytochrome c oxidase was investigated by stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The effects of three detergents were studied: lauryl maltoside, which supports a high turnover number (TN = 350 s-1), n-dodecyl octaethylene glycol monoether (C12E8), which supports an intermediate TN (150 s-1), and Triton X-100 in which oxidase is nearly inactive (TN = 2-3 s-1). Under limited turnover conditions (cytochrome c:cytochrome c oxidase ratio = 1:1 to 8:1), the rate of oxidation of cytochrome c was measured and compared with the fast reduction of cytochrome a and its relatively slow reoxidation. Two reducing equivalents of cytochrome c were rapidly oxidized in a burst phase; the remaining two to six equivalents were oxidized more slowly, concurrent with the reoxidation of cytochrome a; i.e., the percent reduced cytochrome a reflects the percent reduced cytochrome c. With the resting enzyme, the bimolecular reaction between reduced cytochrome c and cytochrome a was rapid, was insensitive to the detergent environment, and was not the rate-limiting step in the presence of any detergent. The rate of internal electron transfer from cytochrome a to cytochrome a3 in the resting enzyme was slow and only slightly affected by the detergent environment: 1.0-1.1 s-1 in Triton X-100, 5-7 s-1 in C12E8, and 5-12 s-1 in lauryl maltoside. With the pulsed enzyme, the intramolecular electron transfer between cytochrome a and cytochrome a3 increased 4-5-fold in the lauryl maltoside enzyme but did not increase in the Triton X-100 enzyme (intermediate values were obtained with the C12E8 enzyme). We conclude that cytochrome c oxidase acquires the pulsed conformation only in those detergents that support high TN's, e.g., lauryl maltoside and C12E8, but it is locked in the resting conformation in those detergents which result in low TN's, e.g., Triton X-100.     

Purification of yeast cytochrome c oxidase with a subunit composition resembling the mammalian enzyme.

Yeast cytochrome c oxidase has been isolated by ion exchange chromatography using lauryl maltoside (n-dodecyl beta-D-maltoside) as the solubilizing detergent. The enzyme prepared in this way has a heme aa3 concentration of 8-9 nmol/mg of protein and a turnover number in the range of 180-210 s-1 at pH 6.2 in 0.01% lauryl maltoside at 20 degrees C. Yeast cytochrome c oxidase prepared by any of several previously published methods which use Triton X-100 contains nine subunits. The enzyme isolated in lauryl maltoside contains these same nine different polypeptides and three others, including homologues of subunits VIa and VIb of the mammalian enzyme.     

Electrophoretically monodisperse cytochrome c oxidases

A discontinuous gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions has been used to demonstrate monodispersity of procaryotic and eucaryotic cytochrome c oxidase preparations. Alkaline treated bovine enzyme which contains nine subunits as analysed by subsequent discontinuous SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is a monodisperse dimer in 0.1% Triton X-100 and a monomer in 0.1% dodecyl maltoside. The Mr-values corrected for bound detergent are 286,000 in Triton X-100 and 152,000 in dodecyl maltoside respectively. The two-subunit bacterial cytochrome c oxidase of Paracoccus denitrificans is proved to be a monomer with a corrected Mr of 76,000 in both nonionic detergents Triton X-100 and dodecyl maltoside.     

Interaction of detergents with cytochrome c oxidase.

The binding of ionic and nonionic, nondenaturing detergents to cytochrome c oxidase has been examined. All bind and displace part but not all of the phospholipid that is associated with the enzyme after isolation. From 6 to 10 phospholipid molecules, depending on the detergent used, do not exchange and these are mostly diphosphatidylglycerol molecules as first shown by Awasthi et al. ((1971) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 226, 42). The binding of Triton X-100 and deoxycholate to the cytochrome c oxidase complex has been studied in detail. Both bind to the enzyme above their critical micelle concentrations: Triton X-100 in the amount of 180 +/- 10 molecules per complex and deoxycholate in the amount of 80 +/- 4 molecules per complex. In nonionic detergents, cytochrome c oxidase exists as a dimer (4 heme complex). The enzyme is dissociated into the monomer or heme aa3 complex by delipidation in bile salts. Activity measurements in different detergents suggest that cytochrome c oxidase requires a flexible, hydrophobic environment for maximal activity and that the dimer or 4 heme complex may be the active species.     

Potential intercellular futile cycling of carbohydrates in diabetes.

A simple and rapid method for the isolation of a large quantity of cytochrome c oxidase from bovine heart mitochondria was developed, based on selective solubilization of mitochondrial protein with first Triton and then lauryl maltoside. Gel filtration shows that the lauryl maltoside-solubilized oxidase preparation is in a hydrodynamically homogeneous state with a Stokes radius of 7.5 +/- 0.2 nm. It contains 8.0 mumol of haem (with an a/a3 ratio of 1)/g of protein. The catalytic constant (maximum turnover number) with respect to cytochrome c approaches 600 S-1. After further purification of the solubilized enzyme on a sucrose-gradient centrifugation, the purified enzyme has a haem content of 10.3 mumol/g of protein and eight major polypeptide bands shown on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis.     

Lipid and subunit III depleted cytochrome c oxidase purified by horse cytochrome c affinity chromatography in lauryl maltoside

Cytochrome oxidase is purified from rat liver and beef heart by affinity chromatography on a matrix of horse cytochrome c-Sepharose 4B. The success of this procedure, which employs a matrix previously found ineffective with beef or yeast oxidase, is attributed to thorough dispersion of the enzyme with nonionic detergent and a low density of cross-linking between the lysine residues of cytochrome c and the cyanogen bromide activated Sepharose. Beef heart oxidase is purified in one step from mitochondrial membranes solubilized with lauryl maltoside, yielding an enzyme of purity comparable to that obtained on a yeast cytochrome c matrix [Azzi, A., Bill, K., & Broger, C. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 2447-2450]. Rat liver oxidase is prepared by hydroxyapatite and horse cytochrome c affinity chromatography in lauryl maltoside, yielding enzyme of high purity (12.5-13.5 nmol of heme a/mg of protein), high activity (TN = 270-400 s-1), and very low lipid content (1 mol of DPG and 1 mol of PI per mol of aa3). The activity of the enzyme is characterized by two kinetic phases, and electron transfer can be stimulated to maximal rates as high as 650 s-1 when supplemented with asolectin vesicles. The rat liver oxidase purified by this method does not contain the polypeptide designated as subunit III. Comparisons of the kinetic behavior of the enzyme in intact membranes, solubilized membranes, and the purified delipidated form reveal complex changes in kinetic parameters accompanying the changes in state and assay conditions, but do not support previous suggestions that subunit III is a critical factor in the binding of cytochrome c at the high-affinity site on oxidase or that cardiolipin is essential for the low-affinity interaction of cytochrome c. The purified rat liver oxidase retains the ability to exhibit respiratory control when reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles, providing definitive evidence that subunit III is not solely responsible for the ability of cytochrome oxidase to produce or respond to a membrane potential or proton gradient.     

Heme-copper oxidases with modified D- and K-pathways are yet efficient proton pumps

The cytochrome aa(3)-type quinol oxidase from the archaeon Acidianus ambivalens and the ba(3)-type cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus are divergent members of the heme-copper oxidase superfamily of enzymes. In particular they lack most of the key residues involved in the proposed proton transfer pathways. The pumping capability of the A. ambivalens enzyme was investigated and found to occur with the same efficiency as the canonical enzymes. This is the first demonstration of pumping of 1 H(+)/electron in a heme-copper oxidase that lacks most residues of the K- and D-channels. Also, the structure of the ba(3) oxidase from T. thermophilus was simulated by mutating Phe274 to threonine and Glu278 to isoleucine in the D-pathway of the Paracoccus denitrificans cytochrome c oxidase. This modification resulted in full efficiency of proton translocation albeit with a substantially lowered turnover. Together, these findings show that multiple structural solutions for efficient proton conduction arose during evolution of the respiratory oxidases, and that very few residues remain invariant among these enzymes to function in a common proton-pumping mechanism.     

Purification of 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase from rat liver.

A rapid and simple purification of milligram amounts of 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase, an integral membrane enzyme that catalyzes the cyclization of squalene epoxide to lanosterol, is reported. Several nonionic detergents (Triton X-100, Tween 80, Emulphogene, and lauryl maltoside) were evaluated for solubilization of oxidosqualene cyclase from rat liver microsomes. At a detergent concentration of 5 mg/ml, lauryl maltoside was approximately 10 times more effective than Emulphogene in the solubilization of oxidosqualene cyclase; Triton X-100 and Tween 80 were less effective than Emulphogene as judged by the relative specific activities of the solubilized enzyme. Treatment of microsomes with lauryl maltoside resulted in a selective solubilization of the cyclase with concomitant activation of the enzyme. The solubilized enzyme was purified to homogeneity by fast protein liquid chromatography. The purified enzyme consists of a single subunit that has an apparent molecular weight of 65,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme obeys saturation kinetics and the apparent Km of (2,3)-oxidosqualene is 15 microM; the apparent kcat/Km is 200 M-1.min-1. An improved assay of the enzyme that utilizes high performance liquid chromatography methods is also described.     

Phospholipid vesicles containing bovine heart mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase and subunit III-deficient enzyme: analysis of respiratory control and proton translocating activities

Phospholipid vesicles containing bovine heart mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COV) or subunit III (Mr 29884)-deficient enzyme (COV-III) were characterized for electron transfer and proton translocating activities in order to investigate the relationship between the respiratory control ratio (RCR) and the apparent proton translocated to electron transferred stoichiometry (H+/e- ratio) in these preparations. We did not observe a quantitative correlation between the RCR value and the H+/e- ratio in the preparations. Significant deviation between these two parameters was observed in COV-III and also in COV. However, a new parameter, RCRval, did show a linear relationship with the H+/e- ratio of each preparation. Subunit III (SIII)-deficient cytochrome c oxidase isolated by either native gel electrophoresis or chymotrypsin treatment and incorporated into COV-III exhibited H+/e- ratios of 0.34 +/- 0.10, compared to 0.63 +/- 0.09 for COV, emphasizing that the 50% decrease of proton translocating activity is independent of the method of removal of SIII from the enzyme. COV and COV-III also showed similar rates of alkalinization of the extravesicular media after the initial proton translocation reaction (0.07-0.09 neq OH-/s), suggesting that these two preparations had similar endogenous proton permeabilities. In contrast, cytochrome c oxidase (COX) treated with Triton X-100 (3 mg/mg COX) and incorporated into phospholipid vesicles [COV (+TX)] exhibited slower rates of alkalinization (0.04 neq OH-/s), while having a H+/e- ratio similar to that of COV (0.66 +/- 0.10). The passive proton permeabilities of these preparations were tested by valinomycin-induced K+/H+ exchange activity. COV (+TX) and COV-III exhibited similar pseudo-first-order rate constants (10 peq OH-/s), while COV had a 20-fold higher rate constant. These results taken together suggest that the different preparations of COX-containing phospholipid vesicles have different biophysical properties. In addition, the decrease in proton-pumping activity observed in COV-III is due to removal of SIII from COX, suggesting that SIII may act either as a passive proton-conducting channel or as a regulator of COX conformation and/or functional activities.     

Optimal conditions for determination of cytochrome c oxidase activity in the rat heart

The determination of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity represents an important indicator for the evaluation of cell oxidative capacity. However, it has been shown repeatedly that different factors modify the rate of COX activity under various experimental conditions. The most important concern the ionic concentrations of the medium and the application of various detergents for the solubilization of mitochondrial membranes. We found the highest activity of COX in rat heart homogenates and mitochondria at 40-60 mM potassium phosphate. The rate of COX activity is dependent on the detergent/protein (P) ratio. Using n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (lauryl maltoside, LM) as the detergent, we obtained the highest activity at LM/P ratios of (50:100):1. By kinetic measurements of low-affinity binding sites in heart mitochondria, we found Vlim values of 4.3 and 22.2 micromol cytochrome c per min per mg P in the presence or absence of lauryl maltoside, respectively. The Km values were 16.7 micromol in the presence or absence of lauryl maltoside. Our results thus indicate that 1) the exact assessment of COX activity in heart homogenates and mitochondria requires the determination of optimum phosphate concentrations in the medium used, and 2) even small modifications of the experimental procedure may induce significant differences in the maximum values of COX activity.     

Mechanism of strong resistance of Helicobacter pylori respiration to nitric oxide

The aim of the present work is to elucidate the mechanism by which the respiration of Helicobacter pylori but not of Escherichia coli shows a strong resistance to nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide strongly but reversibly inhibited the oxygen consumption by sonicated membranes from H. pylori and Triton X-100-treated cells. Although the sensitivity of the H. pylori respiration to cyanide was low, it also increased after the treatment with Triton X-100. Kinetic analyses revealed that NO was rapidly degraded by E. coli and the Triton X-100-treated H. pylori, but not by the intact H. pylori. Thus, the low sensitivity to NO might reflect the low affinity of the cytochrome c oxidase for this radical within the membrane/lipid bilayers of H. pylori. Such properties of the oxidase in H. pylori membranes may, at least in part, underlie the mechanism by which this bacterium thrives in NO-enriched gastric juice.     

Synthesis of cardiolipin derivatives with protection of the free hydroxyl: its application to the study of cardiolipin stimulation of cytochrome c oxidase

Cardiolipin derivatives retaining the free hydroxyl on the polar head group were synthesized. With the use of a tetrahydropyranyl ether to protect this hydroxyl, fatty acyl substitutions were made at both of the 2-positions of cardiolipin (CL). The disubstituted derivatives were obtained in high yields. The stimulation of delipidated cytochrome c oxidase activity shows a hyperbolic dependence on the concentration of these CL derivatives. Both activation parameters, the apparent dissociation constant (Kd,app) and the maximum change in molecular activity (delta Actmax), depend on the chain length of the tails, with less dependence on the degree of saturation. Natural CL (92% C18:2, 8% C18:1) and CL disubstituted with oleic acid (47% C18:2, 52% C18:1) were equally effective at stimulating cytochrome c oxidase activity, with an apparent dissociation constant of approximately 1 microM when incubated in 0.3% Triton X-100 and assayed in lauryl maltoside. CL disubstituted with hexanoic acid, however, is a poorer activator, with an apparent dissociation constant of 6.8 microM and a delta Actmax that is 50% of that achieved with natural CL. Dilysocardiolipin, with complete removal of two of the fatty acid tails, shows negligible stimulation of cytochrome c oxidase activity.     

Structural characterization of the ATP-hydrolyzing portion of the coated vesicle proton pump

The ATP-hydrolyzing portion of the proton pump from clathrin-coated vesicles (isolated from calf brain) was solubilized with three nondenaturing detergents (cholate, octyl glucoside, and Triton X-100). The hydrodynamic properties of the solubilized (Mg2+)-ATPase were then determined by sedimentation analysis in H2O and D2O and gel filtration on Sepharose 4B. The coated vesicle (Mg2+)-ATPase migrated under all conditions as a single peak of activity. In cholate, the sedimentation coefficient (S20,w), Stokes radius (a), and partial specific volume (vc) were 8.25 (+/- 0.20) S, 68 (+/- 2) A, and 0.71 (+/- 0.03) cm3/g, respectively. In octyl glucoside and Triton X-100 these values were respectively 7.90 (+/- 0.20) and 7.45 (+/- 0.20) S, 68 (+/- 3) and 101 (+/- 5) A, and 0.74 (+/- 0.03) and 0.75 (+/- 0.03) cm3/g. Application of the Svedberg equation to these data gave a molecular weight for the protein-detergent complex of 217,000 +/- 21,000 (cholate), 234,000 +/- 26,000 (octyl glucoside), and 337,000 +/- 40,000 (Triton X-100). Assuming the protein binds one micelle of detergent, these values correspond to a protein molecular weight of 215,000 +/- 21,000 (cholate), 226,000 +/- 26,000 (octyl glucoside), and 247,000 +/- 40,000 (Triton X-100). The cholate-solubilized, gradient-purified (Mg2+)-ATPase, when combined with a 100,000 g pellet fraction, could be reconstituted by dialysis into phospholipid vesicles which displayed ATP-dependent proton uptake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Catalytic properties of cytochrome c oxidase purified from Nitrosomonas europaea

Cytochrome c oxidase of Nitrosomonas europaea reacts with not only the native cytochrome c (N. europaea cytochrome c-552) but also horse and yeast cytochromes c. The effects on its reactivity of various reagents were very different between the reactions with the native and eukaryotic cytochromes c as the electron donors. The oxidation of eukaryotic ferrocytochrome c by the oxidase was activated by addition of anionic detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium cholate, and anionic phospholipids such as cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine, while the reaction was not activated by Triton X-100, Tween 20, or phosphatidylcholine. However, the reaction with the native cytochrome c of the enzyme was hardly affected by any of the detergents and phospholipids mentioned above, while it was activated by the presence of poly-L-lysine.     

The effect of detergents on bovine cytochrome c oxidase: a kinetic approach

(1) Investigation of the relationship between the detergent concentration and steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetics of cytochrome c oxidase proved to be a valid approach in the study of protein-detergent interaction. (2) Laurylmaltoside, sodium cholate and Triton X-100 influenced the kinetics of cytochrome c oxidase cooperatively at detergent concentrations near their critical micelle concentration. This mode of interaction reflects disaggregation of the oxidase as a result of cooperative binding of the detergent. (3) Addition of increasing concentrations of Tween-80 to the aggregated enzyme caused a more gradual decrease in aggregation of the oxidase, which did not result in a change in activity of the enzyme. This suggests that aggregation of cytochrome c oxidase occurs in a highly regular manner in which no catalytic sites are shielded off. (4) Oxidase aggregates present at detergent concentrations below the critical micelle concentration of laurylmaltoside and Triton X-100 showed considerable activity. Their kinetics were equal to those of the oxidase in Tween-80, suggesting that the protein molecules are aligned in a similar way in all oligomers. Aggregates present in low concentrations of sodium cholate showed turnover rates that were twice as low as those observed with other aggregates. (5) Solubilisation of the oxidase by sodium cholate or Triton X-100 resulted in almost complete inhibition of enzymic activity, whereas the association rate of ferrocytochrome c was almost equal to that found for monomeric oxidase in laurylmaltoside. These results are in agreement with a mixed-type inhibition.     

Triton X-100 induced dissociation of beef heart cytochrome c oxidase into monomers

Purified beef heart cytochrome c oxidase, when solubilized with at least 5 mg of Triton X-100/mg of protein, was found to be a monodisperse complex containing 180 molecules of bound Triton X-100 with a protein molecular weight of 200 000, a Stokes radius of 66-72 A, and an s(0)20,w = 8.70 S. These values were determined by measurement of the protein molecular weight by sedimentation equilibrium in the presence of D2O, evaluation of the sedimentation coefficient, S(0)20,w, by sedimentation velocity with correction for its dependence upon the concentration of protein and detergent, and measurement of the effective radius by calibrated Sephacryl S-300 gel chromatography. The monomeric complex was judged to be homogeneous and monodisperse since the effective mass of the complex was independent of the protein concentration throughout the sedimentation equilibrium cell and a single protein schlieren peak was observed during sedimentation velocity. These results are interpreted in terms of a fully active monomeric complex that exhibits typical biphasic cytochrome c kinetics and contains 2 heme a groups and stoichiometric amounts of the 12 subunits normally associated with cytochrome c oxidase. With lower concentrations of Triton X-100, cytochrome c oxidase dimers and higher aggregates can be present together with the monomeric complex. Monomers and dimers can be separated by sedimentation velocity but cannot be separated by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration, probably because the size of the Triton X-100 solubilized dimer is not more than 20% larger than the Triton X-100 solubilized monomer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Characterization of (Mg,Ca)-ATPase activity in rat pancreatic plasma membranes.

1. Pancreatic plasma membranes containing a high adenylate cyclase activity and a low contamination by cytochrome c oxidase were isolated from the rat by sucrose density centrifugation. The preparation contained an (Mg,Ca)-ATPase of high activity with the following characteristics. 2. The ATPase activity was shown to have two apparent Km values for Mg-ATP (0.24 +/- 0.09 mM and 1.15 +/- 0.21 mM) and two apparent Km values for Ca-ATP (0.14 +/- 0.09 mM and 0.68 +/- 0.10 mM). Mg-GTP and Ca-GTP were also hydrolysed by the preparation. The phase transition temperature was 19.3 +/- 1.0 degrees C for the Mg-ATPase and 22.6 +/- 1.1 degrees C for the Ca-ATPase activities. 3. Three lines of evidence suggest that Mg-ATP and Ca-ATP were substrates for the same enzyme: Mg-dependent and Ca-dependent activities were not additive; the two activities showed the same pH optimum at 8.0; and the nonionic detergents Triton X-100, Triton X-305, Triton N-101, Lubrol P 12 A, and digitonin, produced a parallel solubilization of the two activities. 4. Enzyme activities were insensitive to potassium, sodium, ouabain, pancreozymin, carbamoyl-choline, secretin, concanavalin A, wheat germ agglutinin, and soybean lectin.     

Cytochrome o (bo) is a proton pump in Paracoccus denitrificans and Escherichia coli

Spheroplasts from aerobically grown wild-type Paracoccus denitrificans cells respire with succinate despite specific inhibition of the cytochrome bc1 complex by myxothiazol. Coupled to this activity, which involves only b-type cytochromes, there is translocation of 1.5-1.9 h+/e- across the cytoplasmic membrane. Similar H+ translocation ratios are observed during oxidation of ubiquinol in spheroplasts from aerobically grown mutants of Paracoccus lacking cytochrome c oxidase, or deficient in cytochrome c, as well as in a strain of E. coli from which cytochrome d was deleted. These observations show that the cytochrome o complex is a proton pump much like cytochrome aa3 to which it is structurally related.     

Biophysical and biochemical characterization of reconstituted and purified Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase in phospholipid vesicles sheds insight into its functional oligomeric structure

Discontinuous sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation was used to separate liposomes containing Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase (pCOV) from liposomes devoid of the enzyme, and the biophysical and biochemical properties of pCOV were compared to unpurified liposomes containing cytochrome c oxidase (COV). Isolated and purified R. sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase (COX) was reconstituted into asolectin phospholipid vesicles by cholate dialysis, and this preparation was purified further on a discontinuous sucrose gradient to isolate only those vesicles which contained the enzyme (pCOV). After centrifugation at 300,000g for 22h, 80% of the enzyme recovered was in a single band. The number of COX molecules per pCOV liposome was estimated by measuring the visible absorbance spectrum of cytochrome c oxidase (for heme aa(3)) and inorganic phosphate concentration (for phospholipid). The number of COX molecules incorporated per pCOV was estimated to be approximately one (0.72+/-0.19-1.09+/-0.28). The pCOV exhibited similar physical properties as COV; respiratory control ratios (indicators of endogenous proton permeability) and maximum enzymatic turnover number at pH 7.4 were comparable (6.0+/-1.3 and 535+/-130s(-1)). Furthermore, proton pumping activities of the pCOV were at least 70% of COV, indicating that discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation is a useful technique for functional experiments in R. sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase. Our results suggest that the monomeric form of R. sphaeroides COX when reconstituted into a phospholipid bilayer is completely functionally active in its ability to perform electron transfer and proton pumping activities of the enzyme.     

Isolation of mitochondrial succinate: ubiquinone reductase, cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome c oxidase from Neurospora crassa using nonionic detergent.

The electron transfer complexes, succinate: ubiquinone reductase, ubiquinone: cytochrome c reductase, and cytochrome c: O2 oxidase were isolated from the mitochondrial membranes of Neurospora crassa by the following steps. Modification of the contents of the complexes in mitochondria by growing cells on chloramphenicol; solubilisation of the complexes by Triton X-100; affinity chromatography on immobilized cytochrome c and ion exchange and gel chromatography. Ubiquinone reductase was obtained in a monomeric form (Mr approximately 130 000) consisting of a flavin subunit (Mr 72 000) an iron-sulfur subunit (Mr 28 000) and a cytochrome b subunit (Mr probably 14 000). Cytochrome c reductase was obtained in a dimeric form (Mr approximately 550 000), the monomeric unit comprising the cytochromes b (Mr each 30 000), a cytochrome c1 (Mr 31 000), the iron-sulfur subunit (Mr 25 000), and six subunits without known prosthetic groups (Mr 9000, 11 000, 14 000, 45 000, 45 000, and 52 000). Cytochrome c oxidase was also isolated in a dimeric form (Mr approximately 320 000) comprising two copies each of seven subunits (Mr 9000, 12 000, 14 000, 18 000, 21 000, 29 000, and 40 000). The complexes were essentially free of phospholipid. Each bound one micelle of Triton X-100 (Mr approximately 90 000). After isolation, the bound Triton X-100 could be replaced by other nonionic detergents such as: alkylphenyl polyoxyethylene ethers, alkyl polyoxyethylene ethers and acyl polyoxyethylene sorbitan esters.