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Antimycin-insensitive Cytochrome-mediated Respiration in Fresh and Aged Potato Slices ¹

Department of Biology and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

The effect of antimycin A on the respiration of fresh potato (Solanum tuberosum var. Russet Burbank) slices has been determined in the presence and absence of m-chlorobenzhydroxamic acid (CLAM). Two antimycin-binding sites are indicated. At low concentrations antimycin alone inhibits respiration only slightly. When CLAM and low antimycin are added together, respiration is sharply inhibited, as in response to cyanide. High antimycin alone is as inhibitory as cyanide. The branch point to the alternate path is intact in fresh slices, as is the hydroxamate-sensitive component. The full alternate path is inoperative, however, as indicated by the sensitivity to cyanide. The data suggest an alternate path loop which bypasses the high affinity antimycin site and returns electrons to the cytochrome path. Antimycin at high concentrations prevents articulation of the loop with the cytochrome path.

The respiration of aged slices is not only markedly resistant to antimycin at high concentrations, but quite insensitive to CLAM in the presence of antimycin. A model is proposed which involves parallel paths within complex III of the cytochrome path, with one path bearing the high affinity, and the other the low affinity antimycin site. With slice aging the antimycin affinity of the latter site is even further reduced, providing a relatively antimycin-insensitive bypass to both the high affinity antimycin-sensitive cytochrome path, and the CLAM-sensitive alternate path. The alternate path loop in fresh slices is presumed to feed into the low affinity antimycin-sensitive arm of the cytochrome path.

¹ This work was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant GM 19807 to G. G. L.