Oxidation of Reduced Pyridine Nucleotides and of Sulphite by Pea Root Mitochondria

Abstract

IT has been shown¹ that freshly isolated pea root mitochondria oxidize α-oxoglutarate poorly or not at all if the oxygen uptake is measured by a polarographic method (in which the mitochondria are not shaken), and the oxygen uptake is not stimulated by diphosphopyridine nucleotide (oxidized form, DPN). However, if the mitochondria are first shaken for 30 min. in a water bath at 25°, they do oxidize α-oxoglutarate and DPN increases the rate of oxygen uptake (Table 1).