Ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase activities in bovine thyroid. Possible relationship to iodotyrosine deiodinase.

NADPH-ferredoxin reductase and ferredoxin activities have been identified in bovine thyroid particulate fractions (mainly mitochondria) after ultrasonication and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The proteins were identified by their ability to reconstitute NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity when used in combination. NADPH ferredoxin reductase and ferredoxin also catalyzed NADPH-dependent deiodination of L-diiodotyrosine; bovine adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase could partially replace the thyroidal components in NADPH-dependent deiodination of L-diiodotyrosine. Both these reconstitutive activities were substantially inhibited by the iron chelators, alpha, alpha'-dipyridyl and o-phenanthroline. Deiodination by the NADPH-ferredoxin reductase-ferredoxin system was inhibited by the addition of a previously characterized dithionite-responsive flavoprotein iodotyrosine deiodinase (preparation F), isolated and purified from bovine thyroid particulate fractions after solubilization with steapsin. Ferredoxin reductase alone showed dithionite-responsive deiodinase activity and elution profiles of this activity on gel filtration before and after steapsin treatment suggest that preparation F may be a form of ferredoxin reductase modified by steapsin.