Abstract
IT is well established1 that the intracellular respiratory complex catalysing the aerobic oxidation of succinate (the succinic oxidase system) includes the cytochrome system in addition to the specific enzyme responsible for the activation of succinate (that is, succinic dehydrogenase). Thus the transport of electrons from succinate to molecular oxygen proceeds through a chain of electron carriers of successively higher oxidation-reduction potential2. Four such carriers have been identified spectroscopically, namely, cytochromes b, c, a and a3. Cytochrome a3 is probably identical with cytochrome oxidase3. The purpose of the .present communication is to present evidence for the existence of an additional carrier. This evidence was obtained by studying the mechanism of the action of certain reducing agents (particularly the dithiol 2,3 dimercaptopropanol (B.A.L.)) on the succinic oxidase system of heart muscle.
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References
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SLATER, E. A Factor in Heart Muscle Required for the Reduction of Cytochrome c by Cytochrome b. Nature 161, 405–406 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/161405a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/161405a0
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