Microbes are simplest organisms, with no cellular organells. respiration occours through special invaginations in memprane called MESOSOMES, that functions similar to mitochondria in Bacteria.

i mean fungi in particular, please.

Dear Jackson,

Lets be very clear about this: No mitochondria in bacteria or archaea - but in reference to Bhim's reply,  'microbes' are certainly NOT only Eubacteria and Archaea, and these 'invaginations'......'Mesosomes' were regarded as chemical fixation artifacts in the 1970s. If this issue has come-to-the-fore again with fresh evidence, I would be more than happy to have a look at a recent article? I like the idea, just never saw any decent evidence to prove it was physiological (i.e. not a lab artifact).

But to provide you, Jackson, with something useful perhaps, it depends on the lifestyle of your 'microbe' and what ion gradient and enzymes it uses to generate energy (i.e. protons or sodium ions, final electron acceptors i.e. does it 'breathe' oxygen? Nitrate? Metals!?). So, as a broad-spectrum agent for 'uncoupling' I would suggest you use something like CCCP to disrupt the membrane potential, then play with TBT, DCCD, Valinomycin, Nigericin, Monensin, Azide etc if you wish to disect a bit more. All nasty toxins so treat with care....

Thank you Duncan. I mistakenly said Microbe instead of specifying. I mean fungi particularly aspergillus species.

there are some inhibitors and uncouplers that inhibits mitochondria and mitochondrial respiration, ETC try those, that may help u.

Thanks Bhim.

If I understood right, you want to stop/minimize the mitochondrial respiration. Try potassium sorbate at 0.1% (w/v) level, this will just make the microbe difficult to respire and other metabolic activities won't be disturbed.  

To inhibit completely fungal respiration use KCN to inhibit cytochrome aa3 and n-octyl gallate to inhibit alternative oxidase. Read our paper characterizing the respiratory chain of the basidiomycete Ustilago maydis

Thanks alot colleagues.

Please refer Data for Biochemical research by R M C Dawson, D C Elliott, W H Elliott and K M Jones., you will answer for all your queries.

thanks Bipinraj

Hi Jackson,

A quick answer is cyanide. But be careful!!

cheers,

Richard

or azide

thanks Phil Geis