RED LIGHT-INDUCED REDUCTION OF A PARTICLE-ASSOCIATED B-TYPE CYTOCHROME FROM CORN IN THE PRESENCE OF METHYLENE-BLUE

Abstract— In the presence of methylene blue, red light causes the reduction of a h‐type cytochrome in particulate fractions from corn coleoptiles. Two types of difference spectra for the cytochromes in these fractions are presented: (a) red light‐minus‐dark in the presence of methylene blue, and (b) dithionite‐reduced‐minus‐oxidized. Comparison of these spectra shows that photoexcited methylene blue selectively reduces a b‐type cytochrome which constitutes at most only 30% of the total dithionite‐reducible cytochrome present in the most active fractions. The photoreducible cytochrome has an alpha band at room temperature near 557 nm. Bleaching of methylene blue precedes cytochrome reduction under appropriate conditions, suggesting that the photoreduced dye is donating an electron to the cytochrome. This electron transfer does not involve a flavin, at least as judged by the absence of light‐induced spectral changes attributable to flavins. Preliminary kinetic studies suggest that EDTA provides the pool of electrons for the reaction. The cytochrome cannot be assigned exclusively either to mitochondria or to endoplasmic reticulum, as judged by its sedimentation properties. These results and the current literature are discussed in the context of the hypothesis that this b‐type cytochrome may be involved in the photoreception mechanism for blue and uv light in vivo. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved