Effect of enzymic assay conditions on sulfite reduction catalysed by desulfoviridin from Desulfovibrio gigas.

The type and the amount of end products resulting from sulfite reduction catalysed by a single partially purified desulfoviridin preparation from Desulfovibrio gigas were shown to depend upon the enzymic assay conditions employed. Both manometric and spectrophotometric assays were used, with reduced methyl viologen serving as the electron donor in each system. Trithionate, thiosulfate, tetrathionate and sulfide were identified as possible end products. In the manometric assays, sulfide production was favoured by high reduced methyl viologen concentrations, low sulfite concentrations and a pH value of 7.0 as opposed to 6.0. In the spectrophotometric assays, results approaching the stoichiometric conversion of sulfite to sulfide were obtained only at high initial reduced methyl viologen concentrations.