Interaction of cellular hydrogenase, cytochrome c3, and desulfoviridin in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki with their antibodies.

Anti-sera for hydrogenase, cytochrome c3, and desulfoviridin (abbreviated as anti-hyd, anti-c3, and anti-dvn, respectively) were raised in mice, and used to locate these antigens in cells of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki. The activity of the intact cells to absorb H2 with methyl viologen or sulfite as an electron acceptor was cumulatively inhibited by treating the cells with anti-hyd and anti-c3 but unaffected by anti-dvn treatment. The activity of the intact cells to produce H2 from formate was also inhibited by anti-c3 treatment, but the inhibition by anti-hyd treatment was not significant. The fluorescent antibody technique applied to intact cells of D. vulgaris Miyazaki indicated that both hydrogenase and cytochrome c3 are localized on the surface of the cell. These results are not exactly in conformity with the hydrogen-cycling hypothesis for proton gradient formation in the energy metabolism in Desulfovibrio. The procedure described in the present paper provides a new technique to elucidate the roles of proteins by applying anti-sera to intact cells without destroying the cellular structure.