Molecular basis for resistance to myxothiazol, mucidin (strobilurin A), and stigmatellin. Cytochrome b inhibitors acting at the center o of the mitochondrial ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The respiratory bc1 complex transfers the electrons from ubiquinol to cytochrome c oxidase. Myxothiazol, strobilurin A (mucidin), and stigmatellin are center o inhibitors preventing electron transfer at the ubiquinone redox site Qo, which is located closer to the outer side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. The cytochrome b gene is carried by the organelle DNA. Yeast mutants resistant to myxothiazol and mucidin have been previously isolated and mapped to specific loci of the cytochrome b gene. In the present work, stigmatellin-resistant mutants were isolated and genetically analyzed. The mutated amino acid residues from seven myxothiazol-, four mucidin-, and six stigmatellin-resistant mutants have been identified by sequencing the relevant segments of the resistant cytochrome b gene. A third myxothiazol-resistant locus and the first stigmatellin-resistant locus were identified. The mutated codons were found to be clustered in two regions of the cytochrome b protein which appeared to be responsible for the resistance to Qo site inhibitors. The first region is within the end of the first, the second, and the beginning of the third exon whereas the second region is within exon five and the beginning of the sixth exon.     

Direct interaction between the internal NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase and ubiquinol:cytochrome c oxidoreductase in the reduction of exogenous quinones by yeast mitochondria.

The reduction of duroquinone (DQ) and 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decyl-1,4-benzoquinone (DB) by NADH and ethanol was investigated in intact yeast mitochondria with good respiratory control ratios. In these mitochondria, exogenous NADH is oxidized by the NADH dehydrogenase localized on the outer surface of the inner membrane, whereas the NADH produced by ethanol oxidation in the mitochondrial matrix is oxidized by the NADH dehydrogenase localized on the inner surface of the inner membrane. The reduction of DQ by ethanol was inhibited 86% by myxothiazol; however, the reduction of DQ by NADH was inhibited 18% by myxothiazol, suggesting that protein-protein interactions between the internal (but not the external) NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase and ubiquinol:cytochrome c oxidoreductase (the cytochrome bc1 complex) are involved in the reduction of DQ by NADH. The reduction of DQ and DB by NADH and ethanol was also investigated in mutants of yeast lacking cytochrome b, the iron-sulfur protein, and ubiquinone. The reduction of both quinone analogues by exogenous NADH was reduced to levels that were 10 to 20% of those observed in wild-type mitochondria; however, the rate of their reduction by ethanol in the mutants was equal to or greater than that observed in the wild-type mitochondria. Furthermore, the reduction of DQ in the cytochrome b and iron-sulfur protein lacking mitochondria was myxothiazol sensitive, suggesting that neither of these proteins is an essential binding site for myxothiazol. The mitochondria from the three mutants also contained significant amounts of antimycin- and myxothiazol-insensitive NADH:cytochrome c reductase activity, but had no detectable succinate:cytochrome c reductase activity. These results suggest that the mutants lacking a functional cytochrome bc1 complex have adapted to oxidize NADH.     

Investigating the Qn site of the cytochrome bc1 complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with mutants resistant to ilicicolin H, a novel Qn site inhibitor

The cytochrome bc1 complex resides in the inner membrane of mitochondria and transfers electrons from ubiquinol to cytochrome c. This electron transfer is coupled to the translocation of protons across the membrane by the protonmotive Q cycle mechanism. This mechanism topographically separates reduction of quinone and reoxidation of quinol at sites on opposite sites of the membrane, referred to as center N (Qn site) and center P (Qp site), respectively. Both are located on cytochrome b, a transmembrane protein of the bc1 complex that is encoded on the mitochondrial genome. To better understand the parameters that affect ligand binding at the Qn site, we applied the Qn site inhibitor ilicicolin H to select for mutations conferring resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The screen resulted in seven different single amino acid substitutions in cytochrome b rendering the yeast resistant to the inhibitor. Six of the seven mutations have not been previously linked to inhibitor resistance. Ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase activities of mitochondrial membranes isolated from the mutants confirmed that the differences in sensitivity toward ilicicolin H originated in the cytochrome bc1 complex. Comparative in vivo studies using the known Qn site inhibitors antimycin and funiculosin showed little cross-resistance, indicating different modes of binding of these inhibitors at center N of the bc1 complex.     

Mutational analysis of the mouse mitochondrial cytochrome b gene

The protonmotive cytochrome b protein of the mitochondrial bc1 respiratory chain complex contains two reactions centers, designated Qo and Qi, which can be distinguished by the effects of different inhibitors. The nucleotide sequences have been determined of the mitochondrial cytochrome b genes from a series of mouse cell mutants selected for increased inhibitor resistance. Each mutant contains a single nucleotide change which results in an amino acid substitution. When the proximity of the altered amino acid residues to the histidines involved in heme ligation is considered, the results support a model for cytochrome b folding in which there are eight transmembrane domains rather than the nine of the Widger-Saraste model. Replacement of the Gly38 residue by valine results in resistance to the Qi inhibitors antimycin A and funiculosin but not 2-n-heptyl-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide. Based upon sequence comparisons of mitochondrial and bacterial cytochrome b and chloroplast b6 proteins, the region of the molecule involved in antimycin binding is as highly conserved as those domains involved in heme ligation. It is suggested that the antimycin binding domain of cytochrome b is involved in forming the Qi reaction center. Alterations of the Gly142 and Thr147 residues result in resistance to myxothiazol and stimatellin, respectively. While both inhibitors block the Qo reaction center, the two mutations do not confer cross-resistance to each other. This region of cytochrome b is the most highly conserved during evolution and these inhibitor binding sites probably occur within the protein domain constituting the Qo reaction center. In addition, there is a less conserved region of the protein, defined by the Leu294 residue, which may function in binding the hydrophobic portions of Qo inhibitors.     

Mitochondrial Genetics of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii: Resistance Mutations Marking the Cytochrome B Gene

We describe the genetic and molecular analysis of the first non-Mendelian mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii resistant to myxothiazol, an inhibitor of the respiratory cytochrome bc1 complex. Using a set of seven oligonucleotide probes, restriction fragments containing the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene from C. reinhardtii were isolated from a mitochondrial DNA library. This gene is located adjacent to the gene for subunit 4 of the mitochondrial NADH-dehydrogenase (ND4), near one end of the 15.8-kb linear mitochondrial genome of C. reinhardtii. The algal cytochrome b apoprotein contains 381 amino-acid residues and exhibits a sequence similarity of about 59% with other plant cytochrome b proteins. The cyt b gene from four myxothiazol resistant mutants of C. reinhardtii was amplified for DNA sequence analysis. In comparison to the wild-type strain, all mutants contain an identical point mutation in the cyt b gene, leading to a change of a phenylalanine codon to a leucine codon at amino acid position 129 of the cytochrome b protein. Segregation analysis in tetrads from reciprocal crosses of mutants with wild type shows a strict uniparental inheritance of this mutation from the mating type minus parent (UP-). However, mitochondrial markers from both parents are recovered in vegetative diploids in variable proportions from one experiment to the next for a given cross. On the average, a strong bias is seen for markers inherited from the mating type minus parent.     

The mitochondrial site of superoxide formation

Ubiquinone and cytochrome b566 have both been postulated to cause mitochondrial O2 formation by autoxidation of their reduced forms. The present investigation was made to evaluate capabilities of the two candidates to transfer electrons to molecular oxygen out of sequence of the normal pathway of respiration. The results show that electron transfer from ubisemiquinone to oxygen depends on the availability of protons. In agreement with this finding autoxidation of redox cycling ubiquinone could not be observed due to its location in an aprotic environment of the mitochondrial membrane. However, O2 release from mitochondria was found to be related to the existence of low potential cytochrome b566. The transfer of this b type cytochrome to more positive values caused a concomitant decrease and finally inhibition of univalent electron transfer to oxygen out of sequence. Our findings suggest a role of cytochrome b 566 in mitochondrial O2 formation. A contribution by ubiquinone is unlikely as long as protons are deprived from penetrating into the domain where ubiquinone is operating.     

Structure/function relationships in mitochondrial cytochrome b revealed by the kinetic and circular dichroic properties of two yeast inhibitor-resistant mutants.

The kinetic and circular dichroic properties of two yeast mutants that are resistant towards specific inhibitors of the mitochondrial cytochrome bc1 complex have been characterized. Both of these mutants have an altered cytochrome b gene in which aromatic residues are exchanged with non-polar residues in a highly conserved region of the protein. The mutant resistant to myxothiazol and mucidin that contains the substitution Phe129----Leu is not greatly affected either in its ubiquinol:cytochrome c reductase or in the spectral properties of cytochrome b. On the other hand, the mutant resistant to stigmatellin that contains the substitution Ile147----Phe shows a large decrease of the catalytic efficiency for ubiquinol and of the maximal turnover of its reductase activity. This stigmatellin mutant also shows an altered circular-dichroic spectrum of the low-potential haem of cytochrome b. This study provides biochemical and biophysical information for identifying a region in mitochondrial cytochrome b that may fulfill a crucial role in the binding of ubiquinol to the bc1 complex. The results are discussed also in terms of the structural model of cytochrome b having a core of four transmembrane helices.     

Ubiquinone accumulates in the mitochondria of yeast mutated in the ubiquinone binding protein, Qcr8p

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the trans-membrane helix of Qcr8p, the ubiquinone binding protein of complex III, contributes to the Q binding site. In wild-type cells, residue 62 of the helix is non-polar (proline). Substitution of proline 62 with a polar, uncharged residue does not impair the ability of the cells to respire, complex III assembly is unaffected, ubiquinone occupancy of the Q binding site is unchanged, and mitochondrial ubiquinone levels are in the wild-type range. Substitution with a +1 charged residue is associated with partial respiratory competence, impaired complex III assembly, and loss of cytochrome b. Although ubiquinone occupancy of the Q binding site is similar to wild-type, total mitochondrial ubiquinone doubled in these mutants. Mutants with a +2 charged substitution at position 62 are unable to respire. These results suggest that the accumulation of ubiquinone in the mitochondria may be a compensatory mechanism for impaired electron transport at cytochrome b.     

Mitochondrial heredity of resistance to 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, an inhibitor of cytochrome b oxidation, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (diuron), an inhibitor of cytochrome b oxidation, has been used for the selection of three resistant mutants (diur) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mutant diur-64 exhibits in vivo cross-resistance to antimycin A while diur-34 and diur-1 are more sensitive to antimycin A than the parental strain. The three mutants exhibit mitochondrial inheritance according to the following criteria: mitotic segregation of diuron-resistant and diuron-sensitive diploids is obtained among the diploid progeny of a cross between diur and dius; non-Mendelian segregation of diuron resistance (4:0) is observed in spores of tetrads issued from diuron-resistant diploid; extensive ethidium bromide treatment leads to the formation of Q- mutants which no longer transmit diur and dius alleles. Evidence for two distinct diuron-resistant loci were obtained by allelism tests. Recombination analysis shows that diuron-resistance is not located in the polar region of the mitochondrial genome. The diur loci are not linked to the erythromycin locus since the upper limit in recombinants frequency (26%) for a non-polar region is obtained between diur and eryr. A low recombinants frequency (3%) is observed in crosses between diur-34 mutation and the two mutants cob1 and cob2 suggesting that diur-34 might be located between these two cytochrome-b-deficient loci. The resistance to diuron is also expressed in vitro since the oxidation rates of succinate by sonicated submitochondrial particles from the mutants are clearly less sensitive to diuron than that of the wild type.     

A mutation in yeast mitochondrial DNA results in a precise excision of the terminal intron of the cytochrome b gene

The yeast nuclear gene CBP2 was previously proposed to code for a protein necessary for processing of the terminal intron in the cytochrome b pre-mRNA (McGraw, P., and Tzagoloff, A. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 9459-9468). In the present study we describe a mitochondrial mutation capable of suppressing the respiratory deficiency of cbp2 mutants. The mitochondrial suppressor mutation has been shown to be the result of a precise excision of the last intervening sequence from the cytochrome b gene. Strains with the altered mitochondrial DNA have normal levels of mature cytochrome b mRNA and of cytochrome b and exhibit wild type growth on glycerol. These results confirm that CBP2 codes for a protein specifically required for splicing of the cytochrome b intron and further suggest that absence of the intervening sequence does not noticeably affect the expression of respiratory function in mitochondria.     

Oxidation and reduction of exogenous cytochrome c by the activity of the respiratory chain.

Oxidation of exogenous NADH by isolated rat liver mitochondria is generally accepted to be mediated by endogenous cytochrome c which shuttles electrons from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane. More recently it has been suggested that, in the presence of added cytochrome c, NADH oxidation is carried out exclusively by the cytochrome oxidase of broken or damaged mitochondria. Here we show that electrons can be transferred in and out of intact mitochondria. It is proposed that at the contact sites between the inner and the outer membrane, a "bi-trans-membrane" electron transport chain is present. The pathway, consisting of Complex III, NADH-b5 reductase, exogenous cytochrome c and cytochrome oxidase, can channel electrons from the external face of the outer membrane to the matrix face of the inner membrane and viceversa. The activity of the pathway is strictly dependent on both the activity of the respiratory chain and mitochondrion integrity.     

Evidence for a concerted mechanism of ubiquinol oxidation by the cytochrome bc1 complex

To better understand the mechanism of divergent electron transfer from ubiquinol to the iron-sulfur protein and cytochrome b(L) within the cytochrome bc(1) complex, we have examined the effects of antimycin on the presteady state reduction kinetics of the bc(1) complex in the presence or absence of endogenous ubiquinone. When ubiquinone is present, antimycin slows the rate of cytochrome c(1) reduction by approximately 10-fold but had no effect upon the rate of cytochrome c(1) reduction in bc(1) complex lacking endogenous ubiquinone. In the absence of endogenous ubiquinone cytochrome c(1), reduction was slower than when ubiquinone was present and was similar to that in the presence of ubiquinone plus antimycin. These results indicate that the low potential redox components, cytochrome b(H) and b(L), exert negative control on the rate of reduction of cytochrome c(1) and the Rieske iron-sulfur protein at center P. If electrons cannot equilibrate from cytochrome b(H) and b(L) to ubiquinone, partial reduction of the low potential components slows reduction of the high potential components. We also examined the effects of decreasing the midpoint potential of the iron-sulfur protein on the rates of cytochrome b reduction. As the midpoint potential decreased, there was a parallel decrease in the rate of b reduction, demonstrating that the rate of b reduction is dependent upon the rate of ubiquinol oxidation by the iron-sulfur protein. Together these results indicate that ubiquinol oxidation is a concerted reaction in which both the low potential and high potential redox components control ubiquinol oxidation at center P, consistent with the protonmotive Q cycle mechanism.     

Isolation and RNA sequence analysis of cytochrome b mutants resistant to funiculosin, a center i inhibitor of the mitochondrial ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Funiculosin is a well-known inhibitor of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, probably acting at the ubiquinone reducing site or center i of QH2-cytochrome c reductase. We report here the isolation, mapping and RNA sequence analysis of yeast apo-cytochrome b mutants resistant to this inhibitor. Funiculosin-resistance was found to be conferred, in 4 independent isolates, upon replacement of a leucine residue by phenylalanine in position 198 of the cytochrome b polypeptide chain.     

Introduction of cytochrome b mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a method that allows selection for both functional and non-functional cytochrome b proteins

We have previously used inhibitors interacting with the Qn site of the yeast cytochrome bc(1) complex to obtain yeast strains with resistance-conferring mutations in cytochrome b as a means to investigate the effects of amino acid substitutions on Qn site enzymatic activity [M.G. Ding, J.-P. di Rago, B.L. Trumpower, Investigating the Qn site of the cytochrome bc1 complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with mutants resistant to ilicicolin H, a novel Qn site inhibitor, J. Biol. Chem. 281 (2006) 36036-36043.]. Although the screening produced various interesting cytochrome b mutations, it depends on the availability of inhibitors and can only reveal a very limited number of mutations. Furthermore, mutations leading to a respiratory deficient phenotype remain undetected. We therefore devised an approach where any type of mutation can be efficiently introduced in the cytochrome b gene. In this method ARG8, a gene that is normally encoded by nuclear DNA, replaces the naturally occurring mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, resulting in ARG8 expressed from the mitochondrial genome (ARG8(m)). Subsequently replacing ARG8(m) with mutated versions of cytochrome b results in arginine auxotrophy. Respiratory competent cytochrome b mutants can be selected directly by virtue of their ability to restore growth on non-fermentable substrates. If the mutated cytochrome b is non-functional, the presence of the COX2 respiratory gene marker on the mitochondrial transforming plasmid enables screening for cytochrome b mutants with a stringent respiratory deficiency (mit(-)). With this system, we created eight different yeast strains containing point mutations at three different codons in cytochrome b affecting center N. In addition, we created three point mutations affecting arginine 79 in center P. This is the first time mutations have been created for three of the loci presented here, and nine of the resulting mutants have never been described before.     

Decreased amounts of core proteins I and II and the iron-sulfur protein in mitochondria from yeast lacking cytochrome b but containing cytochrome c1

The effect of cytochrome b on the assembly of the subunits of complex III into the inner mitochondrial membrane has been studied in four mutants of yeast that lack a spectrally detectable cytochrome b and do not synthesize apocytochrome b. Quantitative analysis of intact mitochondria by immunoprecipitation or immunoblotting techniques with specific antisera revealed that the core proteins and the iron-sulfur protein were decreased 50% or more in the mitochondria from the mutants as compared to the wild type. Sonication of wild-type mitochondria did not result in any decrease in any of these proteins from the membrane; however, sonication of mitochondria from the four mutants resulted in a further decrease in the amount of these proteins suggesting that they are not as tightly bound to the mitochondrial membrane in the absence of cytochrome b. By contrast, the amounts of cytochrome c1 in the mitochondria, as determined both spectroscopically and immunologically, were not significantly affected by the absence of cytochrome b. In addition, no loss of cytochrome c1 was observed after sonication of the mitochondria suggesting that this protein is tightly bound to the membrane. These results suggest that the processing and/or assembly of these subunits of complex III into the mitochondrial membrane is affected by the absence of cytochrome b.     

Mucidin resistance in yeast. Isolation, characterization and genetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial mucidin-resistant mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to the antibiotic mucidin, a specific inhibitor of electron transport between cytochrome b and c, were isolated and divided into three phenotypic groups, as follows. Class 1 mutants were cross-resistant to a variety of mitochondrial inhibitors and exhibited no resistance at the mitochondrial level. Class 2 mutants were specifically resistant to mucidin exhibiting resistance also at the level of isolated mitochondria. Biochemical studies indicated that the mucidin resistance in class 2 mutants involved a modification of mucidin binding of inhibitory sites on the mitochondrial inner membrane without a significance change in the sensitivity of mitochondrial oxygen uptake to antimycin A, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide, and 2,3-dimercaptopropanol. Class 3 was represented by a mutant which showed a high degree of resistance to mucidin and was cross-resistant to a variety of mitochondrial inhibitors at the cellular level but exhibited only a resistance to mucidin at the mitochondrial level. Genetic analysis of mucidin-resistant mutants revealed the presence of both nuclear and mitochondrial genes determining mucidin resistance/sensitivity in yeast. Resistance to mucidin in class 1 mutants was due to a single-gene nuclear recessive mutation (mucPR) whereas that in class 2 mutants was caused by mutations of mitochondrial genes. Resistance in class 3 mutant was determined both by single-gene nuclear and mitochondrial mutations. In the mitochondrial mutants the mucidin resistance segregated mitotically and the resistance determinant was lost upon induction of petite mutation by ethidium bromide. Allelism tests indicated that the mucidin resistance mutations fell into two genetic loci (MUC1 and MUC2) which were apparently not closely linked in the mitochondrial genome. Recombination studies showed that the two mitochondrial mucidin loci were not allelic with other mitochondrial loci RIB1, RIB2 and OLI1. An extremely high mucidin resistance at the cellular level was shown to arise from synergistic interaction of the nuclear gene mucPR and the mitochondrial mucidin-resistance gene (MR) in a cell. The results suggest that at least two mitochondrial gene products, responsible for mucidin resistance/sensitivity in yeast, take part in the formation of the cytochrome bc1 region of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.     

Mitochondrial cytochrome b genes with a six-nucleotide deletion or single-nucleotide substitutions confer resistance to antimycin A in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

Extrachromosomal mutants resistant to antimycin, from the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, have been isolated, genetically characterized, and assigned to two specific genetic loci (Brunner et al., 1987). In the present work the cytochrome b nucleotide sequence from six of these mutants was determined. Five mutants had single point mutations, corresponding to transversions. In one mutant, a six-base-pair deletion, beginning at nucleotide 689, was observed. The amino acid sequence derived from the coding strand showed that, in three independent antimycin-resistant mutants, a change of asparagine 31 into lysine took place (two of these mutants are also resistant to diuron). Two other mutants showed a change from lysine 228 into isoleucine (or methionine). Leucine 230, isoleucine 231, and threonine 232, were lost in the deletion mutant and were replaced by serine.     

The mechanism of mitochondrial superoxide production by the cytochrome bc1 complex

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the mitochondrial respiratory chain is considered to be one of the major causes of degenerative processes associated with oxidative stress. Mitochondrial ROS has also been shown to be involved in cellular signaling. It is generally assumed that ubisemiquinone formed at the ubiquinol oxidation center of the cytochrome bc(1) complex is one of two sources of electrons for superoxide formation in mitochondria. Here we show that superoxide formation at the ubiquinol oxidation center of the membrane-bound or purified cytochrome bc(1) complex is stimulated by the presence of oxidized ubiquinone indicating that in a reverse reaction the electron is transferred onto oxygen from reduced cytochrome b(L) via ubiquinone rather than during the forward ubiquinone cycle reaction. In fact, from mechanistic studies it seems unlikely that during normal catalysis the ubisemiquinone intermediate reaches significant occupancies at the ubiquinol oxidation site. We conclude that cytochrome bc(1) complex-linked ROS production is primarily promoted by a partially oxidized rather than by a fully reduced ubiquinone pool. The resulting mechanism of ROS production offers a straightforward explanation of how the redox state of the ubiquinone pool could play a central role in mitochondrial redox signaling.     

Chloroplast genes in Chlamydomonas affecting organelle ribosomes. Genetic and biochemical analysis of analysis of antibiotic-resistant mutants at several gene loci.

Six chloroplast gene mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii resistant to spectinomycin, erythromycin, or streptomycin have been assessed for antibiotic resistance of their chloroplast ribosomes. Four of these mutations clearly confer high levels of antibiotic resistance on the chloroplast ribosomes both in vivo. Although one mutant resistant to streptomycin and one resistant to spectinomycin have chloroplast ribosomes as sensitive to antibiotics as those of wild type in vivo, these mutations can be shown to alter the wildtype sensitivity of chloroplast ribosomes in polynucleotide-directed amino acid incorporation in vitro. Genetic analysis of these six chloroplast mutants and three similar mutants (Sager, 1972), two of which have been shown to affect chloroplast ribosomes (Mets and Bogorad, 1972; Schlanger and Sager, 1974), indicates that in Chlamydomonas at least three chloroplast gene loci can affect streptomycin resistance of chloroplast ribosomes and that two can affect erythromycin resistance. The three spectinomycin-resistant mutants examined appear to be alleles at a single chloroplast gene locus, but may represent mutations at two different sites within the same gene. Unlike wild type, the streptomycin and spectinomycin resistant mutants which have chloroplast ribosomes sensitive to antibiotics in vivo, grow well in the presence of antibiotic by respiring exogenously supplied acetate as a carbon source, and have normal levels of cytochrome oxidase activity and cyanide-sensitive respiration. We conclude that mitochondrial protein synthesis in these mutants is resistant to these antibiotics, whereas in wild type it is sensitive. To explain the behavior of these two chloroplast gene mutants as well as other one-step mutants which are resistant both photosynthetically and when respiring acetate in the dark, we have postulated that a mutation in a single chloroplast gene may result in alteration of both chloroplast and mitochondrial ribosomes. Mitochondrial resistance would appear to be the minimal necessary condition for survival of all such mutants, and antibiotic-resistant chloroplast ribosomes would be necessary for survival only under photosynthetic conditions.