The effect of silver ions on the respiratory chain of Escherichia coli

Silver ions inhibited the oxidation of glucose, glycerol, fumarate, succinate, D- and L-lactate, and endogenous substrates by intact cell suspensions of Escherichia coli. Silver ions reacted with the respiratory chain at two levels. The site most sensitive to inhibition was located between the b-cytochromes and cytochrome a 2 . The second level of inhibition was in the NADH and succinate dehydrogenase regions of the respiratory chain, and was situated on the substrate side of the flavin components.