The modification of cytochrome c by the effect of benzoate, salicylate and lauryl sulfate was studied by measuring the spectral changes, CO-binding affinity and oxidatic activity as the criteria of the structural modification of its protein portion. The result obtained are as follows:
1. When benzoate was added to the solution of reduced cytochrome c, the latter became accessible to the bonding with carbon monoxide, which could be proved by its absorption spectra after the saturation of the solution with CO-gas. It was assumed thus, that sodium benzoate effects for the modification of the protein portion of cytochrome c. This stage of the modification was proved to be reversible.
The relation between the percentages of the formation of modified cytochrome c delivering CO-compound and the concentration of benzoate presented was indicated by a sigmoid curve of a high order reaction.
2. A similar result was obtained by using sodium salicylate in place of sodium benzoate. In this case, however, the modification of cytohrome c occured in lower concentration than in the case with benzoate. At 0.8
M sodium salicylate, the absorption of the CO-compound of the modified cytochrome c reached the final figure.
Further increase of the salicylate concentration caused a diversed changes in the spectrum of reduced cytochrome c even without the presence of carbon monoxide. This absorption change could distinctly be observed also by the addition of lauryl sulfate. These absorption changes were proved to be irreversible. More serious modification seemed to be occuring, in this case, in the protein portion of cytochrome c.
3. Investigating the oxidase activity of modified cytochrome c with ascorbic acid as the substrate, the relation between the percentages of the promotion of oxidase activity and concentration of benzoate presented was obtained as a bell shaped curve. In the concentration range of added benzoate effective for the promotion of oxidase activity of thus modified cytochrome c, the formation of CO-compound of the latter in reduced form could not yet be proved. Above 1.0
M of benzoate, at which its CO-compound is now available, the percentage of the promotion of oxidase activity was decreased. This seems to be due to the decreased rate of the reduction of thus modified cytochrome c by ascorbate. A similar phenomenon could also be observed by salicylate, as already mentioned above.
The present authors wish to thank Prof. K. Kaziro for his encouragement and helpful discussions during the course of this work. This work was supported in part by the Scientific Research Fund of Ministry of Education for which we wish to express our thanks.
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