NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity in the kinetoplasts of the plant trypanosomatid Phytomonas serpens.

NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity is present in mitochondrial lysates of Phytomonas serpens. Rotenone at 2-10 microM inhibited the activity 50-75%, indicating that it belongs to respiratory complex I. The activity was also inhibited 50-60% in the presence of 10-30 nM atovaquone suggesting that inhibition of complex I represents a likely mechanism of the known antileishmanial activity of this drug. The complex was partially purified by chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B and gel-filtration on Sepharose CL-2B. The NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity in this preparation was completely inactivated by 20 nM atovaquone. The partially purified complex was present in a low amount and its subunits could not be discerned by staining with Coomassie. However, one of its components, a homologue of the 39 kDa subunit of the bovine complex I, was identified immunochemically in the original lysate and in the partially purified material.