The effects of acetylcolletotrichin on the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

1. Acetylcolletotrichin is a phytotoxic compound that has been isolated from the culture medium of the fungus Colletotrichum capsici (Grove et al., 1966). 2. With isolated liver and kidney mitochondria acetylcolletotrichin markedly inhibited the oxidation of succinate and those substrates with NAD-linked dehydrogenases, but did not inhibit the oxidation of ascorbate in the presence of tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine. In this respect its action was similar to that of antimycin A. 3. Acetylcolletotrichin differed from antimycin in that, even at high concentrations which produced a maximal inhibitory effect, its action was partially reversed by uncoupling agents. Also acetylcolletotrichin had no detectable effect on the oxidative activity of blowfly flight-muscle mitochondria and was not very effective with heart mitochondria. 4. Acetylcolletotrichin inhibited the oxidative activity of liver mitochondria more markedly when respiration was stimulated by ADP together with phosphate and was less effective when respiration was stimulated by uncoupling agents. 5. There was an unusual interaction between the succinate oxidation system and the oxidation of glutamate together with malate. Thus, glutamate together with malate, even in the presence of rotenone, markedly decreased the effectiveness of acetylcolletotrichin in inhibiting succinate oxidation. 6. These effects were paralleled in the observed redox changes of cytochrome c. 7. The unusual behaviour of the cytochromes b in the presence of acetylcolletotrichin is described, and it is suggested tentatively that this inhibitor acts between cytochromes b with absorption maxima at 30 degrees C of approximately 560 and 565nm.