2,3-butanedione desensitization of bovine adrenal 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase to adenosine-5'-diphosphate.

2- Oxoglutarate dehydrogenase from bovine adrenal glands is inactivated under the actions of 2,3-butanedione, a modifier of arginine residues. On treatment of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase with 2,3-butanedione in the presence of 2-oxoglutarate the basal activity is maintained, while enzyme sensitivity to the stimulatory effect of adenosine-5'-diphosphate (ADP) is lost. The data obtained provide evidence for the positive effector, ADP, to act by an allosteric mechanism. Arginine residues are likely to incorporate into both the active and allosteric centers of adrenal 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase.