Purified leukocyte cytochrome b558 incorporated into liposomes catalyzes a cytosolic factor dependent diaphorase...

The leukocyte iodonitrotetrazolium violet (INT) reductase activity of disrupted bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils is closely associated with the activation of the O2(-)-generating NADPH oxidase in a cell-free system. It is dependent upon NADPH, cytosolic factors, and amphiphiles (such as arachidonate), the same factors required for O2- generation. Both O2- generation and INT reductase activity are inhibited by phenylarsine oxide, an inhibitor of the activation of the NADPH oxidase [Li, J., & Guillory, R. J. (1997) J. Biochem. Mol. Biol. Biophys. (in press)]. In this report, the INT diaphorase activity of disrupted bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils is shown to be resolved by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography into two fractions: an NADPH-cytochrome c reductase-containing fraction and a cytochrome b558-associated fraction. The diaphorase activity in the NADPH-cytochrome c reductase-containing portion is not dependent upon the presence of an amphiphile or phospholipid and is not associated with O2- generation. Upon incorporation into liposomes, the cytochrome b558-containing fraction demonstrates high O2- and INT reductase activities in the presence of cytosolic factors. Both O2- generation and INT reductase activities are SDS and FAD dependent and further stimulated by GTPgammaS. Phenylarsine oxide inhibits both O2- generation and INT reductase activities when added prior to activation by SDS. With the cytochrome b-containing liposomes, the Km values (O2- formation) for NADPH and NADH are 27.2 microM and 810 microM, and for INT reductase the Km values are 27.5 microM and 1017 microM, respectively. Under anaerobic conditions and thus in the absence of O2- formation, the NADPH-dependent INT reductase activity does not change, indicating that the dye reduction is not due to its direct reduction by O2 anion but is an intrinsic property of the superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase. Cytochrome b558 is the essential component of the NADPH oxidase and contains all the redox centers necessary for electron flow between NADPH and oxygen. The correlation of the activation and inhibition patterns for O2- generation and INT reduction by cytochrome b558 incorporated into artificial liposomes strongly indicates that the two activities are associated with the same membrane protein, cytochrome b558.