The effect of inhibitors on the oxygen kinetics of cytochrome c oxidase.

1. The oxygen kinetics of purified beef heart cytochrome c oxidase were investigated. 2. The effect of addition of various fixed concentrations of the inhibitors CO, HN3, HCOOH, HCN and H2S on the double reciprocal plot of respiration rate against oxygen concentration was studied. 3. CO is strictly competitive, azide and formate are uncompetitive, and cyanide and sulfide are non-competitive inhibitors towards oxygen. 4. Binding constants for the various inhibitors from secondary plots of the oxygen kinetics at pH 7.4 are: CO: Ki = 0.32 micronM, azide: Ki = 33 micronM; formate: Ki = 15 mM; cyanide: Ki = 0.2 micronM and sulfide: Ki = 0.2 micronM. 5. The possible significance of these results in the elucidation of the reaction mechanism is discussed.