Free-living nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans possess in their mitochondriaan additional rhodoquinone, an essential component of the eukaryotic fumarate reductase system

Citation
S. Takamiya et al., Free-living nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans possess in their mitochondriaan additional rhodoquinone, an essential component of the eukaryotic fumarate reductase system, ARCH BIOCH, 371(2), 1999, pp. 284-289
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Biochemistry & Biophysics
Journal title
ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
ISSN journal
00039861 → ACNP
Volume
371
Issue
2
Year of publication
1999
Pages
284 - 289
Database
ISI
SICI code
0003-9861(19991115)371:2<284:FNCEPI>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
The respiratory chain of Caenorhabditis elegans was characterized in mitoch ondria isolated from aerobically grown nematodes. Nematode mitochondria con tain ubiquinone-9 as a major component and rhodoquinone-9 as a minor compon ent. The ratio of ubiquinone-9/rhodoquinone-9 is higher in C. elegans mitoc hondria than in mitochondria from second-stage larvae of Ascaris suum, the free-living stage of porcine gut-dwelling nematode. The individual oxidored uctase activities comprising succinate oxidase and the amount of substrate- reducible cytochromes are comparable to those of mitochondria from second-s tage larvae of A. suum, The specific activity of fumarate reductase is lowe r in C. elegans mitochondria than in mitochondria from second-stage larvae of A. suum, but still higher than in mammalian mitochondria. These results indicate that the free-living nematode C. elegans is capable of synthesizin g rhodoquinone, as distinguished from aerobic mammalian species, although i ts mitochondria appear more aerobic than A. suam larval mitochondria. (C) 1 999 Academic Press.