| Abstract: | Though previously described as very low or absent in yeast, we find significant pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenation (NADPH + acetyl pyridine-NAD+----NADP+ + acetyl pyridine-NADH) activity in yeast extracts when assayed at pH 8-9, and describe here the subcellular distribution and separation of the various molecular forms contributing to the total activity in two yeast species. Gentle subcellular fractionation reveals transhydrogenase activity only in the cytosolic fraction of both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis while intact mitochondria and microsomes are without activity. On sucrose gradient centrifugation, this soluble cytosolic activity proves to be primarily in a high-molecular-weight (greater than 10(6)) band which has salmon-colored fluorescence on uv illumination. Sonication of the particulate subcellular fractions solubilizes substantial transhydrogenase activity from mitochondria of C. utilis (but not from S. cerevisiae) which on sucrose gradients consists of both high (greater than 10(6))- and low-molecular-weight active fractions, each with yellow-green fluorescence. Ammonium sulfate fractionation and sucrose gradient centrifugation of protein solubilized from whole yeast of both species by vigorous homogenization with glass beads confirms the presence and fluorescence of these various molecular weight forms. The relationship of these activities to other enzymatic activities (especially the mitochondrial external NADH dehydrogenase) is discussed. |
