The development of cytochromes during the cell cycle of a glucose-repressed fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe 972h−

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Abstract
1. Spectrophotometric analysis of intact cells of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, harvested from exponentially growing cultures during the phase of glucose repression, revealed the presence of cytochromes a+a3, c and at least two species of cytochrome b. 2. An absorption maximum at 554nm at 77°K, previously attributed to cytochrome c1, has been identified as a b-type cytochrome. 3. CO-difference spectra reveal the presence of cytochromes P-420 and P-450 in addition to cytochrome a3. 4. The cell cycle was analysed by separation of cells into classes representing successive stages in the cell cycle by isopycnic zonal centrifugation. 5. Cytochromes c548, b554 and b560 each exhibited a single broad maximum of synthesis during the cell cycle. 6. Amounts of cytochromes a+a3 and b563 (tentatively identified as cytochrome bT by its reaction on pulsing anaerobic cell suspensions with O2) oscillated in phase, and showed two maxima during the cycle; the second maximum of cytochromes a+a3 was coincident with a maximum of activity of enzymically active cytochrome c oxidase. 7. The amount of cytochrome P-420 decreased during the first three-quarters of the cell-cycle, whereas that of cytochrome P-450 increased during this period. 8. The discrepancy between spectrophotometric and enzymic assay of cytochrome c oxidase, the changing ratio of cytochrome a3/cytochrome a and the relationship between changes in cellular content of cytochromes and previous observations on respiratory oscillations during the cell cycle are discussed.