On the role of ubiquinone in the respiratory chain.

(1) The V1 (substrate-Q oxidoreductase activity) and V2 (QH2 oxidase activity) for the oxidation of substrates by submitochondrial particles have been measured by using heptylhydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO) as inhibitor of V2. (2) Partial destruction of the Rieske Fe-S cluster by treatment with Bal (2,3-dimercaptopropanol) + O2 has the same effect on the QH2 oxidase activity as partial saturation of the antimycin-binding site with HQNO. (3) The extent of the rapid reduction of cytochrome b in the presence of excess antimycin is proportional to the percentage of intact Rieske Fe-S cluster. (4) The measured rate of oxidation of endogenous ubiquinol (V2) by submitochondrial particles is dependent on the substrate used to reduce ubiquinone, especially at low levels of ubiquinone. (5) Pool-function kinetics in the oxidation of substrate, found both in the presence and absence of free ubiquinone, are due both to the pool of free ubiquinone and to direct collision between Q-loaded Q-reducing and -oxidizing enzymes. At infinite Q content only the former mechanism is operative; at low Q content only the latter. (6) Duroquinone can be reduced directly by NADH dehydrogenase without mediation of ubiquinone, but duroquinol cannot be oxidized in the absence of ubiquinone. On the other hand, the reduction of cytochrome b by duroquinol does not require the presence of ubiquinone. (7) It is suggested that the need for ubiquinone for the oxidation of duroquinol is due to the requirement of ubisemiquinone for the oxidation of cytochrome b, duroquinol not being able to form a stabilized semiquinone.