Separation and analysis of Bacillus subtilis respiratory chain complexes.

Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive bacterium with a respiratory chain embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane. The respiratory chain is bifurcated after menaquinol into a cytochrome bc + caa branch and a branch with up to three quinol oxidases. The complexes that generate the proton gradient are bc, associated with caa and aa oxidase.