Studies on the immunochemical and functional similarities among iron-sulfur proteins involved in mitochondrial steroid hydroxylations

The effects of a goat anti-adrenodoxin immunoglobulin fraction on the NADPH- and NADH-dependent electron transport sequences in the mitochondria of steroidogenic tissues have been examined. The NADPH-cytochrome $\text{c}$ reductase activities of sonicated mitochondrial preparations derived from bovine adrenal cortex and rat adrenals and ovaries were inhibited in a similar manner in the presence of this antibody, while the inhibition of this activity in rat testicular mitochondrial preparations was less pronounced. The NADH-dependent reduction of cytochrome $\text{c}$ catalyzed by these mitochondrial preparations was not affected by the antibody. These results indicate that, while they may not be identical, the iron-sulfur proteins involved in mammalian mitochondrial steroid hydroxylations exhibit immunochemical and functional similarities.