Optical and Potentiometric Study of the b- and c-Type Cytochromes in Mushroom Agaricus bisporus Lge Mitochondria

Abstract

Agaricus bisporus Lge. mushroom belongs to the Basidiomycete species and lies in the evolution tree between lower mushrooms, Ascomycete species (like yeast, Neurospora crassa), and higher plant organisms. This variety of mushroom is, therefore, of particular interest when looking at some evolution effects on oxidation metabolisms or on the structure and function of the respiratory chain in the mitochondrial membrane. Results concerning the number and the role of the Cyt b in the mitochondrial respiratory chain depend on the investigated organisms, and it should be of some help to shed some light in that direction.It is generally accepted that there are only two b-type Cyt in complex III of the mammalian mitochondrial respiratory chain (28,33), although a larger number of components have been described optically or potentiometrically (35). Dual wavelength difference spectrometry has brought evidence for three spectral forms of b-type Cyt in higher plants (24,27). However, more Permanent address: