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NADH oxidase activity demonstrated spectrophotometrically in kappa of Paramecium aurelia stock 51, was inhibited by KCN, antimycin A and HOQNO. Using a split beam spectrophotometer we obtained low temperature reduced minus oxidized spectra of whole paramecia and of the mitochondrial fraction of paramecia. Two absorption maxima at 588 and 556 nm. were revealed in addition to the peaks of the known a and c cytochromes. From the reduced minus oxidized difference spectrum, the carbon monoxide difference spectrum and other studies, we concluded that kappa has a cytochrome system very different from that of its host but very much like that of bacteria in the families of Brucellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae. The slight contamination in the preparations could not be responsible for the spectra obtained. These findings strongly support the recent belief that kappas and other symbionts in P. aurelia are procaryotic in nature and origin.
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