antimycin and funiculosin-(anthraquinone)

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.

Topics: Anthraquinones; Antifungal Agents; Antimycin A; Benzaldehydes; Benzoquinones; Chromosome Mapping; Culture Media; DNA, Mitochondrial; Electron Transport Complex III; Mitochondria; Models, Molecular; Mutation; Oxygen; Pyridones; Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Funiculosin, a center N inhibitor of the bc1 complex, induces a blue-shift in the cytochrome b spectrum. A thermosensitive revertant [Coppee, J.Y. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 269 (1994) 4221-4226] isolated from a cytochrome b respiratory-deficient mutant, exhibits a red-shift instead of the blue-shift retained in the original mutant and shows resistance to this inhibitor. Replacing cytochrome b-Asparagine-208 by Lysine in this revertant, keeping the original mutation S206L, leads, when mitochondria are incubated at non-permissive temperature, to complete loss of bc1 complex activity and funiculosin-binding, while the antimycin-binding is conserved. These data suggest some inhibitor site specificity and close proximity between the funiculosin-binding site and the catalytic center N domain (QN).

Topics: Anthraquinones; Antifungal Agents; Antimycin A; Asparagine; Binding Sites; Cytochrome b Group; Electron Transport Complex III; Mitochondria; Mutation; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Spectrophotometry; Temperature

Topics: Anthraquinones; Antifungal Agents; Antimycin A; Cytochrome b Group; Diuron; Frameshift Mutation; Hydroxyquinolines; Mitochondria; Point Mutation; Protein Conformation; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Recombinant Proteins; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Spectrophotometry

The results are presented of an electrochemical and high-resolution spectral analysis of the heme prosthetic groups in the bc1 complex from mouse cells. To study the long-range interactions between the Qo and Qi quinone redox sites and the b heme groups, we analyzed the effects on the proximal and distal b heme groups, and the c1 heme, of inhibitors that tightly and specifically bind to the Qi or Qo redox site. A number of results emerged from these studies. (1) There is inhomogeneous broadening of the b heme alpha band absorption spectra. Furthermore, contrary to the conclusion from low-resolution spectral analysis, the higher energy transition in the split-alpha band spectrum of the bL heme is more intense than the lower energy transition. (2) Inhibitors that bind at the Qi site have significant effects upon the electronic environment of the distal bL heme. Conversely, Qo site inhibitors induced changes in the electronic environment of the distal bH heme. (3) In contrast, inhibitor binding at either site has little effect upon the midpoint potential of the distal heme. (4) Experiments in which both a Qi and a Qo inhibitor are bound at the redox sites indicate that the long-range effects of one inhibitor are not blocked by the second inhibitor; enhanced effects are often observed. (5) In the double-inhibitor titrations involving the Qo inhibitor myxothiazol, there is evidence for two electrochemically and spectrally distinct species of the bL heme group, a phenomenon not observed previously. (6) The high-resolution deconvolutions of alpha band absorption spectra allow an interpretation of these inhibitor-induced changes in terms of homogeneous broadening, inhomogeneous broadening, and changes in x-y degeneracy. The general conclusion from these experiments is that when an inhibitor binds to a quinone redox site of the cytochrome b protein, it produces local conformational changes that, in turn, are transmitted to distal regions of the protein. The ligation of the bH and bL hemes between two parallel transmembrane helices provides a mechanism by which long-distance interactions can be propagated. The lack of long-range effects upon the midpoint potentials of the heme groups suggests, however, that protein conformational changes are unlikely to be a major control mechanism for the transmembrane electron- and proton-transfer steps of the Q cycle.

Topics: Animals; Anthraquinones; Antimycin A; Benzoquinones; Binding Sites; Cell Line; Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Cytochrome b Group; Cytochromes c1; Electrochemistry; Electron Transport Complex III; Fibroblasts; Heme; Methacrylates; Mice; Oxidation-Reduction; Polyenes; Spectrophotometry; Thiazoles

O2-. generation by the succinate oxidase segment of the respiratory chain of mitochondria and submitochondrial particles from hepatoma 22a and hepatoma Zajdela has been studied with the use of the Tiron method. In the presence of succinate, superoxide generation is induced by antimycin, 2-n-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide or funiculosin, and is inhibited by mucidin, myxothiazol or cyanide. The rate of O2-. generation in the antimycin-inhibited state is maximal at the [succinate]/[fumarate] ratio of 1:10 and diminishes at more positive and more negative redox potentials. These characteristics of O2-.-generation are the same as observed earlier in submitochondrial particles from normal tissues. Accordingly, the mechanism of superoxide production is suggested to be the same in tumor and normal mitochondria, namely, autoxidation of the unstable ubisemiquinone in the ubiquinol-oxidizing centre o of cytochrome bc1 complex. With respect to the rate of O2-. generation, the hepatoma mitochondrial membranes are approximately twice as active as bovine heart submitochondrial particles and exceed those from rat liver by more than one order of magnitude.

Topics: 1,2-Dihydroxybenzene-3,5-Disulfonic Acid Disodium Salt; Animals; Anthraquinones; Antimycin A; Benzoquinones; Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; Electron Transport; Free Radicals; Hydroxyquinolines; Kinetics; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mitochondria; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidoreductases; Quinones; Rats; Submitochondrial Particles; Succinates; Succinic Acid; Superoxides

Changes are described that are brought about by antimycin, NoHOQnO, funiculosin, myxothiazol and mucidin in the alpha-, beta- and gamma-absorption bands of reduced and oxidized cytochromes b in the isolated complex bc1 form beef heart mitochondria. The inhibitors can be divided into 2 groups. Antimycin, funiculosin and NoHOQnO are likely to shift the spectrum of b-562 and compete for specific binding with complex bc1, with each other but not with myxothiazol and mucidin. The spectral effects of the latter two inhibitors are more difficult to interpret and may involve contributions not only from b-562 but from b-566 as well. The existence of 2 independent inhibitor binding-sites in the complex bc1 corroborates the Q-cycle hypothesis.

Topics: Alkenes; Animals; Anthraquinones; Antimycin A; Cattle; Cytochrome b Group; Electron Transport; Electron Transport Complex III; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Hydroxyquinolines; Methacrylates; Mitochondria, Heart; Multienzyme Complexes; NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; Quinone Reductases; Spectrophotometry; Strobilurins; Thiazoles

Bovine-heart Complex III can catalyze the reduction of spinach plastocyanin by a decyl analog of ubiquinol-2 at a rate comparable with the rate of plastocyanin reduction by plastoquinol as catalyzed by the cytochrome b6-f complex purified from spinach leaves. This plastocyanin reduction as catalyzed by Complex III was almost completely inhibited by myxothiazol at stoichiometric concentrations, partially inhibited by UHDBT (5-n-undecyl-6-hydroxy-4,7-dioxobenzothiazole) and funiculosin, and was relatively insensitive to antimycin and HQNO (2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide). Cytochrome c reduction as catalyzed by Complex III displayed a residual, inhibitor-insensitive rate of 5% of the uninhibited rate for each of the three inhibitors, antimycin, myxothiazol, and UHDBT. However, the residual rate that was insensitive to each of the inhibitors added singly was inhibited further by addition of the remaining two inhibitors. From these results it is concluded that plastocyanin reduction involves an electron-transfer pathway through Complex III that is distinct from the pathway utilized for reduction of cytochrome c.

Topics: Animals; Anthraquinones; Antimycin A; Cattle; Drug Resistance; Electron Transport; Electron Transport Complex III; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydroxyquinolines; Methacrylates; Models, Chemical; Multienzyme Complexes; Myocardium; NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; Oxidation-Reduction; Plant Proteins; Plastocyanin; Quinone Reductases; Thiazoles

Antimycin, 2-nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide and funiculosin induce O.2(-) generation by submitochondrial particles oxidizing succinate, whereas KCN, mucidin, myxothiazol or 2,3-dimercaptopropanol inhibit O.2(-) generation. Thenoyltrifluoroacetone does not induce superoxide production by itself but slightly stimulates the reaction initiated by antimycin. The results indicate that auto-oxidation of unstable ubisemiquinone formed in centre o of the Q-cycle generates most of the O.2(-) radicals in the cytochrome bc1-site of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Topics: Alkenes; Animals; Anthraquinones; Antimycin A; Cattle; Dimercaprol; Electron Transport Complex III; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Hydroxyquinolines; Methacrylates; Mitochondria, Heart; Multienzyme Complexes; NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; Oxygen; Quinone Reductases; Strobilurins; Superoxides; Thenoyltrifluoroacetone; Thiazoles

Anaerobic potentiometric titrations of b cytochromes have been carried out in beef heart submitochondrial particles in the presence of several specific inhibitors of electron transfer through the b-c1-site of the respiratory chain. Whereas antimycin shows no significant effect on the titration curve of cytochrome b-562, NoHOQnO is found to shift the Em of b-562 by 20-30 mV to the positive. Funiculosin raises the Em of b-562 by greater than 100 mV and also appears to bring about a minor shift of b-566 midpoint potential. In the presence of myxothiazol, both b cytochromes titrate with Em values 15-30 mV more positive than in the control.

Topics: Animals; Anthraquinones; Antimycin A; Binding Sites; Cattle; Cytochromes; Electron Transport Complex III; Hydroxyquinolines; Methacrylates; Mitochondria, Heart; Multienzyme Complexes; NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; Oxidation-Reduction; Potentiometry; Quinone Reductases; Thiazoles