The interaction of a quinone pigment, xanthomegnin, with the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

The interaction of xanthomegnin, a quinone pigment, with the mitochondrial respiratory chain was demonstrated. Xanthomegnin was reduced by succinate, in the presence of submitochondrial particles or mitochondria, only after all oxygen had been consumed in the system, and the reduction was inhibited by antimycin A or KCN. Xanthomegnin was immediately reduced by NADH in a similar system, the reduced xanthomegnin was reoxidized by oxygen but the reduction by NADH was not inhibited by antimycin A or KCN. Xanthomegnin was also immediately reduced by NADH catalyzed by a purified particulate NADH dehydrogenase complex showing a molar ratio of 2 moles NADH for one mole of xanthomegnin. Reoxidation of the reduced pigment by oxygen occurred in this system. Oxygen consumption was accelerated when xanthomegnin was added to a reaction medium containing NADH, NADH segment and cytochrome c oxidase. Subsequent addition of cytochrome c resulted in a further marked acceleration of oxygen consumption. These results suggest that xanthomegnin interacts with the NAD-linked respiratory chain to produce a xanthomegnin shunt, but this does not occur with the succinate-linked chain.