Energy coupling in lysolecithin-treated submitochondrial particles.

Mitochondria isolated from mung bean hypocotyls, possessing a significant level of cyanide and antimycin A — resistant respiration $\text{via}$ an alternate pathway, were assayed for hydrogen peroxide production by yeast cytochrome $\text{c}$ peroxidase compound II formation. Rates of antimycin A — insensitive hydrogen peroxide production of 0.7–3 nmol/mg/min were observed which were too low to account for the observed oxygen consumption $\text{via}$ the alternate pathway. However, further investigations revealed the presence of significant levels of catalase, peroxidase and hydrogen donor to peroxidase, even in gradient purified mitochondria and these could easily utilize any hydrogen peroxide produced by the alternate pathway. Similar experiments performed upon submitochondrial particles demonstrated a rate of H₂O₂ production which could easily account for the net electron flux through the alternate pathway. From these results, we postulate that the alternate pathway reduces oxygen only partially to hydrogen peroxide, and that the peroxidase and catalase activities of the mitochondria prevent its accumulation.