The role of protein and lipids in stabilizing the activity of bovine heart succinate dehydrogenase.

When incubated in an air atmosphere, solubilized succinate dehydrogenase (succinate:(acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.3.99.1) quickly loses the capability to recombine with membrane components to catalyze mitochondrial related electron transport activities. At 0 degrees the loss in reconstitution capability is a first-order process; the half-life of the enzyme is 1.6 hr at this temperature. The enzyme is stabilized by recombining it with submitochondrial particles or with a cytochrome b preparation-phospholipid mixture. The presence of the cytochrome b preparation in the succinate dehydrogenase-cytochrome b-phospholipid complex is obligatory, indicating that protein-protein interactions between succinate dehydrogenase and other membrane components are important in stabilizing the capability of the flavoprotein to transfer electrons to other respiratory components. Treatment of this complex with phospholipase C results in loss of most of the succinate-dichlorophenolindophenol reductase activity and almost complete hydrolysis of phospholipid. Succinate dehydrogenase maintains its capability to participate in mitochondrial electron transport for several hours if the phospholipase treated complex is reconstituted with lysolecithin at the time of assay. Phospholipids are therefore not required for the stabilization process, but rather for formation of an active reductase complex. A lipophilic environment, if required for stabilization, can be provided by diglycerides. Diglycerides also can provide an environment conducive to electron transfer from succinate to ubiquinone but do so less efficiently than intact phospholipids.