Phenotype of a temperature-sensitive, respiration-deficient (cyt) mutant of yeast.

A temperature-sensitive respiration-deficient mutant of yeast lacks hemoproteins and accumulates coproporphyrin III when cultivated at elevated temperatures. Cells grown at 20 C respired normally and contained cytochromes a, b, and c. Cells grown at 35 C showed respiration-deficient mutant characters; they did not respire, lacked cytochromes, and accumulated coproporphyrin III. Addition of protoporphyrin IX or protohemin IX to the culture medium restored the respiratory activity of this mutant during growth at 35 C. The activities of various enzymes, including succinate-2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH(2))-DCPIP, succinate-cytochrome c, and NADH(2)-cytochrome c oxidoreductase, and cytochrome oxidase, and the cytochrome c content of cells cultured in various conditions were determined. Changes in the number and structure of mitochondria were associated with changes in respiratory activity.