Proton-translocating NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.5.3, complex I or type I NADH dehydrogenase) is the most complex enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It is responsible for oxidation of matrix NADH and is the major entry point for electrons to the respiratory chain. Mammalian complex I consists of at least 45 subunits (1), of which more than 30 are so-called "accessory" subunits, not directly involved in catalysis, whose functions are still unclear. Some of them may have a structural role, assisting in the assembly of the enzyme (2), whereas others may be necessary for the fine regulation of the activity of the enzyme in response to signals from the cytoplasm and matrix.Some years ago inhibition of complex I-mediated respiration was demonstrated in cells after incubation with activated macrophages (3). Following the discovery that nitric oxide (NO) 2 is generated endogenously and acts as a biological mediator (4), this inhibition of complex I activity was found to be due to NO (5). An inhibitory effect of the combined action of NO and superoxide anion on complexes I and II was demonstrated in preparations of intact mitochondria. This was shown to be due to peroxynitrite (ONOO Ϫ ), a compound that explains the NOdependent inactivation of several components of the respiratory chain (6 -8). Our group found that prolonged exposure to high concentrations of NO led to persistent inhibition of complex I, which we attributed to nitrosation of critical thiol residue(s) (9 -11), a finding that has been confirmed by other groups (12-16). Although the degree of inhibition of complex 1 caused by various NO donors and the stoichiometry of the subsequent modification(s) have been investigated, the precise nature of the targeted subunit(s) and the possibility of nitrosation of complex I during physiological processes have not been established.The catalytic properties of eukaryotic complex I are not simple (for a review see Ref. 17). Two catalytically and structurally distinct forms exist in any given preparation of the enzyme as follows: one is the fully competent, so-called "active" A-form and the other is the disabled, silent, "de-activated" D-form. Socalled pseudoreversible A/D transitions have been described in mammalian complex I (18) and other eukaryotic complex I (19) and have been reviewed in detail (17,20). After exposure of idle enzyme preparations (mitochondria (21), submitochondrial particles (SMP) (18), or purified complex I (22)) to elevated but physiological temperatures (Ͼ30°C) in the absence of substrate, when catalytic turnover cannot occur, the enzyme converts to the D-form. In such a preparation there is a considerable lag phase during the continuous assay of the NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase reaction. Addition of a small (5-10 M) pulse of NADH before the assay results in activation of the enzyme after several slow turnovers when NADH is oxidized by the quinone. This eliminates the lag phase, and the enzyme becomes fully active and catalyzes oxidation of NADH at a linear rate (18,22)...