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PubMed1974

The effects of acetylcolletotrichin on the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

1. Acetylcolletotrichin is a phytotoxic compound that has been isolated from the culture medium of the fungus Colletotrichum capsici (Grove et al., 1966). 2. With isolated liver and kidney mitochondria acetylcolletotrichin markedly inhibited the oxidation of succinate and those substrates with NAD-linked dehydrogenases, but did not inhibit the oxidation of ascorbate in the presence of tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine. In this respect its action was similar to that of antimycin A. 3. Acetylcolletotrichin differed from antimycin in that, even at high concentrations which produced a maximal inhibitory effect, its action was partially reversed by uncoupling agents. Also acetylcolletotrichin had no detectable effect on the oxidative activity of blowfly flight-muscle mitochondria and was not very effective with heart mitochondria. 4. Acetylcolletotrichin inhibited the oxidative activity of liver mitochondria more markedly when respiration was stimulated by ADP together with phosphate and was less effective when respiration was stimulated by uncoupling agents. 5. There was an unusual interaction between the succinate oxidation system and the oxidation of glutamate together with malate. Thus, glutamate together with malate, even in the presence of rotenone, markedly decreased the effectiveness of acetylcolletotrichin in inhibiting succinate oxidation. 6. These effects were paralleled in the observed redox changes of cytochrome c. 7. The unusual behaviour of the cytochromes b in the presence of acetylcolletotrichin is described, and it is suggested tentatively that this inhibitor acts between cytochromes b with absorption maxima at 30 degrees C of approximately 560 and 565nm.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed1975

The control of tricarboxylate-cycle oxidations in blowfly flight muscle. The steady-state concentrations of citrate, isocitrate 2-oxoglutarate and malate in flight muscle and isolated mitochondria.

1. Blowfly (Phormia regina) flight-muscle mitochondria were allowed to oxidize pyruvate under a variety of experimental conditions, and determinations of the citrate, isocitrate, 2-oxoglutarate and malate contents of both the mitochondria and the incubation medium were made. For each intermediate a substantial portion of the total was present within the mitochondria. 2. Activation of respiration by either ADP or uncoupling agent resulted in a decreased content of citrate and isocitrate and an increased content of 2-oxoglutarate and malate when the substrate was pyruvate, APT and HCO3 minus. Such a decrease in citrate content was obscured when the substrate was pyruvate and proline owing to a large rise in the total content of tricarboxylate-cycle intermediates in the presence of proline and ADP. 3. An experiment involving oligomycin and uncoupling agent demonstrated that the ATP/ADP ratio is the main determinant of flux through the tricarboxylate cycle, with the redox state of nicotinamide nucleotide being of lesser importance. 4. Addition of ADP and Ca-2+ to activate the oxidation of both glycerol 3-phosphate and pyruvate, simulating conditions on initiation of flight, gave a decrease in citrate and isocitrate and an increase in 2-oxoglutarate and malate content. 5. There was a good correlation between these results with isolated flight-muscle mitochondria and the changes found in fly thoraces after 30s and 2 mihorax. 6. It is concluded that NAD-isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.41) controls the rate of pyruvate oxidation in both resting fly flight muscle in vivo and isolated mitochondria in state 4 (nomenclature of Change & Williams, 1955).

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed1965

GRAMICIDIN AND ION TRANSPORT IN ISOLATED LIVER MITOCHONDRIA.

1. Gramicidin caused H(+) production by liver mitochondria; this process was dependent on the presence of Na(+), Li(+), Rb(+) or Cs(+). In the presence of one of these alkali-metal ions and phosphate, gramicidin caused mitochondrial swelling and increased oxygen consumption. 2. Uncoupling agents, anaerobic conditions or respiratory inhibitors both inhibited and reversed H(+) production and swelling. Both these processes could be supported by coupled electron transport through even a restricted portion of the respiratory chain. 3. NH(4) (+) also caused stimulation of respiration in the presence of gramicidin. In this case phosphate was not required. NH(4) (+), in the presence of gramicidin, caused contraction of the mitochondria and a reversal of K(+)-induced swelling and H(+) production. 4. Uncoupling agents or NH(4) (+) together with gramicidin caused the release of Sr(2+) that had been accumulated by mitochondria in the presence of phosphate. 5. These results are discussed in relation to a postulated respiration-dependent H(+) pump located in the mitochondrial membrane. It is suggested that gramicidin allows alkali-metal ions to pass through the mitochondrial membrane.

Ammonium Compounds↗

PubMed1981

The energized membrane and cellular autolysis in Bacillus subtilis.

Lysis of exponential cultures of B. subtilis follows the addition of reagents that dissipate either the electrical or pH gradients of cellular membranes. Stationary-phase cells or cultures that have been inhibited in division by macromolecular-synthesis inhibitors also lyse when uncoupling agents or ionophores are added to the growth medium. Autolysis occurs after brief starvation for a carbon source. Protoplasts are unaffected by azide or other lysis-inducing agents. Electron-donating agents, such as phenazine methosulfate and ascorbate, are effective in retarding autolysis. The addition of an oxidizable carbon source to starved and lysing cultures prevents their autolysis. These results suggest that cellular lysis in B. subtilis and energized membrane are tightly coupled. The fluorescence intensity and the wavelength of maximal fluorescence of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid, when added to bacterial suspensions, appear to be qualitatively related to the rate of cell lysis. Analyses show that ATP limitations are probably not involved in the elicitation of lysis by ionophores, uncoupling agents or starvation. Measurements of protonmotive forces in the lysis-prone cells suggest that a threshold force of more than 85 mV may be required to maintain cellular integrity. Lipoteichoic acids, polyelectrolytes such as dextran sulfate or phospholipids do not modify the rate of cellular lysis when added to suspensions containing azide or other reagents that eliminate transmembrane protonmotive forces. We interpret the results to suggest that the in vivo control of autolysin activity in B. subtilis is related to the energized membrane

Autolysis↗

PubMed1976

Energy-conserving reactions in phosphorylating electron-transport particles from Nitrobacter winogradskyi. Activation of nitrite oxidation by the electrical component of the protonmotive force.

1. In electron-transport particles (ET particles) prepared from Nitrobacter winogradskyi, the uncoupling agent carbonyl cyanide phenylhydrazone increased the rate of NADH oxidation but decreased the rate of oxidation of NO2-. Its effectiveness in stimulating NADH oxidation closely paralleled its effectiveness in inhibiting NO2- oxidation. 2. In the presence of ADP and phosphate the oxidation of NADH was stimulated, whereas the oxidation of NO2- was inhibited. In the presence of excess of Pi the concentration dependence with respect to ADP was the same for acceleration of NADH oxidation and inhibition of NO2- oxidation. 3. Oligomycin inhibited NADH oxidation and stimulated the oxidation of NO2-. The concentration of oligomycin required to produce half-maximal effect in both systems was the same. 4. The apparent Km for NO2- was not affected by ADP together with Pi, by uncoupling agent or by oligomycin. 5. With NADH as substrate, classical respiratory control was observed. With NO2- as substrate the respiratory-control ratio was less than unity. 6. A reversible uptake of H+ accompanied the oxidation of NO2- by ET particles. 7. In the presence of NH4Cl or cyclohexylamine hydrochloride, H+ uptake was abolished and increased rates of NO2- oxidation were observed. When valinomycin was present in the reaction medium, low concentrations of NH4Cl inhibited NO2- oxidation. 8. Pretreatment of ET particles with oligomycin enhanced the stimulation of NO2- oxidation induced by NH4Cl or by cyclohexylamine hydrochloride. Pretreatment with the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide phenylhydrazone prevented these stimulations. 9. In the presence of dianemycin together with K+, the uptake of H+ was abolished and the rate of NO2- oxidation was increased. In contrast, in the presence of valinomycin together with K+, the uptake of H+ was increased, and the rate of NO2- oxidation decreased. 10. Sodium tetraphenylboron was found to be an inhibitor of NO2- oxidation, but caused a stimulation of NADH oxidation which was dependent on the presence of NH4Cl or cyclohexylamine hydrochloride. 11. It is concluded that the enhanced rate of NO2- oxidation observed in the absence of energy-dissipating processes clearly relates to some state before the involvement of adenine nucleotides, and it is suggested that the oxidation of NO2- generates a protonmotive force, the electrical component of which controls the rate of NO2- oxidation.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed1967

Properties of Higher Plant Mitochondria. II. Effects of DNP, m-Cl-CCP, and Oligomycin on Respiration of Mung Bean Mitochondria.

Effects of inhibitors of phosphorylation on the oxidation of succinate and of l-malate were investigated with tightly coupled mitochondria isolated from mung bean hypocotyls. When mitochondria were incubated with 2,4-dinitrophenol, or carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone prior to the addition of substrate, the uncoupling effects of these chemicals were relatively small. This is probably caused by relative lack in these mitochondria of endogenous substrates, ATP, and/or "high-energy intermediates". The action of uncoupling agents is, therefore, revealed in a more striking manner when they are introduced during the second state 4. Of the 2 uncoupling agents tested, malate oxidation consistently required 1.5 to 2 times higher concentration of the agents for the half-maximal effects than succinate oxidation. From the comparison of the degree of uncoupling it is concluded that 2,4-dinitrophenol is a better uncoupler of succinate oxidation, whereas carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone functions as a more complete uncoupler of malate oxidation.Oligomycin does not inhibit state 4 rates, while the increment of respiration due to added ADP is completely inhibited by this antibiotic. Identical half-maximal effects are observed with the same concentration of oligomycin in both succinate and l-malate oxidation. The oligomycin effect depends on the mitochondrial concentration employed. The concentration of this chemical required for the half-maximal effect is 55 to 80 mmumoles per mg mitochondrial protein. It is suggested that this inhibitor of phosphorylation binds all of the phosphorylation sites regardless of whether the sites are functional or not.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1971

Phosphoglycerate as a hill oxidant in a reconstituted chloroplast system.

The ability of intact chloroplasts to evolve oxygen when illuminated in the presence of 3-phosphoglycerate is lost following osmotic shock but may be largely restored by the addition of ATP, catalytic amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, ferredoxin, and a soluble fraction derived from chloroplasts. In the presence of uncoupling agents and ATP, the rate is faster than that supported by intact chloroplasts. In the absence of uncoupling agents, the ATP requirement may be partially met by photophosphorylation.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1980

The pathway of inorganic-phosphate efflux from isolated liver mitochondria during adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis.

1. The distribution of P(i) between mitochondria and suspending medium during uncoupler-stimulated hydrolysis of ATP by rat liver mitochondria [Tyler (1969) Biochem. J.111, 665-678] has been reinvestigated, by using either mersalyl or N-ethylmaleimide as inhibitors of P(i) transport and either buffered sucrose/EDTA or LiCl/EGTA solutions as suspending medium. More than 75% of the total P(i) liberated was retained in mitochondria treated with either inhibitor at all ATP concentrations tested (0.2-2.5mm). With low ATP concentrations and mersalyl-treated mitochondria incubated in sucrose/EDTA, virtually all the P(i) liberated was retained in the mitochondria. 2. Larger amounts of P(i) appeared in the suspending medium during ATPase activity, despite the presence of N-ethylmaleimide, when LiCl/EGTA was used as suspending medium compared with sucrose/EDTA. Two sources of this P(i) were identified: (a) a slow efflux of P(i) from mitochondria to suspending medium despite the presence of N-ethylmaleimide; (b) a slow ATPase activity insensitive to carboxyatractyloside, which was stimulated by added Mg(2+), partially inhibited by oligomycin or efrapeptin and strongly inhibited by EDTA. 3. It is concluded that liver mitochondria preparations contain two distinct forms of ATPase activity. The major activity is associated with coupled mitochondria of controlled permeability to adenine nucleotides and P(i) and is stimulated strongly by uncoupling agents. The minor activity is associated with mitochondria freely permeable to adenine nucleotides and P(i), is unaffected by uncoupling agents and is activated by endogenous or added Mg(2+). 4. When mitochondria treated with mersalyl were incubated in buffered sucrose solution, almost all the P(i) liberated was recovered in the suspending medium, unless inhibitors of P(i)-induced large-amplitude swelling such as EDTA, EGTA, antimycin, rotenone, nupercaine or Mg(2+) were added. Thus the loss of the specific permeability properties of the mitochondrial inner membrane associated with large-amplitude swelling also influences the extent of P(i) retention during ATPase activity. 5. The results confirm the previous conclusion (Tyler, 1969) that the P(i) transporter provides the sole pathway for P(i) efflux during uncoupler-stimulated ATP hydrolysis by mitochondria. It is concluded that more recent hypotheses concerning the influence of Mg(2+) on mersalyl inhibition of the P(i) transporter [Siliprandi, Toninello, Zoccaroto & Bindoli (1975) FEBS Lett. 51, 15-17] and a postulated role of the adenine nucleotide exchange carrier in P(i) efflux [Reynafarje & Lehninger (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.75, 4788-4792] are erroneous and should be discarded.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed1975

Studies on energy-linked reactions: isolation, characterisation and genetic analysis of trialkyl-tin-resistant mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to triethyl tin sulphate have been isolated and are cross-resistant to other trialkyl tin salts. Triethyl-tin-resistant mutants fall into two general phenotypic classes: class 1 and class 2. Class 1 mutants are cross-resistant to a variety of inhibitors and uncoupling agents which affect mitochondrial membranes (oligomycin, ossamycin, valinomycin, antimycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, '1799', tetrachlorotrifluoromethyl benzimidazole carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone and cycloheximide). Class 2 mutants are specifically resistant to trithyl tin and the uncoupling agent "1799' [bis-(hexafluoroacetonyl)-acetone]. Triethyl tin at neutral pH values is a specific inhibitor of mitochondrial energy conservation reactions and prevents growth on oxidisable substrates such as glycerol and ethanol. Triethyl-tin-resistant mutants grow normally on glucose and ethanol in the presence of triethyl tin (10 muM). Biochemical studies indicate that the mutation involves a modification of the triethyl tin binding site on the mitochondrial inner membrane, probably the ATP-synthetase complex. Triethyl tin resistance/sensitivity in yeast is determined by cytoplasmic (mitochondrial) and nuclear genes. The mutants fall into a nuclear and a cytoplasmic (mitochondrial) class corresponding to the phenotypic cross-resistance classes 1 and 2. In the cytoplasmic mutants the triethyl tin resistance segregates mitotically and the resistance determinat is deleted by the action of ethidium bromide during petite induction. Recombination studies indicate that the triethyl tin mutations are not allelic with the other mitochondrial mutations at the loci RI, RIII and OLI. This indicates that the binding or inhibitory sites of oligomycin and triethyl tin are not identical and that the triethyl tin binding site is located on a different mitochondrial gene product to those which are involved in oligomycin binding. Interaction and cooperative effects between different binding sites on the mitochondrial inner membrane have been demonstrated in studies of the effect of the insertion of the TETr phenotype into mitochondrial oligomycin-resistant mutants and provide an experimental basis for complementation studies at the ATP-synthetase level.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed1995

Modulation of alpha 1-adrenergic contractility in isolated vascular tissues by heptanol: a functional demonstration of the potential importance of intercellular communication to vascular response generation.

After years of intensive investigation, the mechanism(s) underlying syncytial vascular smooth muscle responses both in vitro and in vivo is still poorly understood. Neither perivascular innervation nor regenerative electrical events appear sufficient to coordinate responses among vascular smooth muscle cells in many blood vessels. The implication of these observations is that another mechanism is required for organizing syncytial vascular responses. Although gap junctions are ubiquitously distributed among vascular wall cells throughout the vascular tree, their contribution to the modulation of vasomotor tone is still considered controversial. Resolution of the long standing debate awaits a clear demonstration that gap junctions modulate contraction or relaxation responses to vascular smooth muscle. Despite the absence of specific gap junctional uncoupling agents, it has still been possible to identify reasonable experimental conditions under which the contribution of gap junctions to contractile responses in isolated vascular tissues could be evaluated. Studies in isolated preparations known to contain gap junctions have indicated that alpha 1-adrenergic receptor-mediated contractile responses of diverse isolated vascular tissues, are significantly modulated by selective disruption of intercellular communication with the well studied lipophilic uncoupling agent heptanol. Interpretation of these pharmacological studies is explicitly dependent on the selectivity of the uncoupling actions of heptanol. Considerable experimental evidence suggests that, at the concentrations used, in the preparations thus far examined, heptanol does indeed have selective uncoupling actions. In fact, recent experiments provide empirical support for an operational definition of the selectivity of heptanol, and a functional role for gap junctions in modulating contractile responses in isolated vascular tissues. The operational definition states only that there exists a narrow, albeit identifiable, concentration range over which it is reasonable to assume that the effects of heptanol are primarily related to its uncoupling actions on gap junctions. The functional role for gap junctions is defined by their requisite contribution to tension development during contraction of isolated tissues. Experimentally, this can be visualized as a significant diminution in the contractile responses of isolated vascular tissues in the presence of selective uncoupling heptanol concentrations. Thus, a cogent interpretation of available data is that they provide compelling indirect evidence for a principle role of gap junctions in modulating the alpha 1-adrenergic contractility of isolated vascular tissues.

Alcohols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Resistance of mice to hypoxia of various types and to X-ray radiation in the post-hypoxic period].

Resistance of mice to altitude, gas, hemic, tissue, mixed or hyperoxis hypoxia, to oxidative phosphorylation uncoupling agents and to X-ray irradiation during 2 days after exposure to severe acute hypobaric hypoxia was investigated. No significant changes were found in animal resistance to hemic and tissue hypoxia and to oxidative phosphorylation uncoupling agents. Resistance to hypoxic hypoxia was 2.5 times higher at the 2nd hour of the posthypoxic period and returned to the baseline by the 24 th hour. Resistance to sodium nitrite and potassium persulphate that cause hypoxia of mixed type, to hyperoxia and X-raying increased significantly by the 24th hour and returned to the baseline by the 48th hour of the posthypoxic period. The potential role of the antioxidative system in the induction of resistance to oxidative agents and X-ray irradiation during the posthypoxic period is discussed.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1987

The use of the ionization constant (pKa) in selecting models of toxicity in phenols.

Phenols elicit a toxic response by one of two mechanisms: polar narcosis or uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, and pKa values appear to be useful in predicting the mechanism of toxic action of a given phenol. The relative biological response (log BR) of 21 selected phenols in the static Tetrahymena pyriformis population growth test was determined. Seven derivatives, including dinitro- and polyhalogen-substituted phenols, were selected for testing because they were potential uncoupling agents. The other 14 derivatives were all suspected polar narcotics. 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow)-dependent regression analysis of the two subsets of derivatives results in two linear equations. The polar narcosis model is log BR = 0.6128 (log Kow) - 1.1297; r2 = 0.958, s = 0.187. The uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation model is log BR = 0.4485 (log Kow) + 0.3007; r2 = 0.985, s = 0.209. Polar narcotic chemicals have pKa values greater than 8.00, while uncoupling agents have pKa values less than 6.50. Combining descriptors and modeling across mechanisms of toxicity in the model log BR = 0.5671 (log Kow) - 0.1885 pKa + 0.8190; r2 = 0.958, s = 0.225.

Animals↗

PubMed1964

2,4-DINITROPHENOL: LACK OF INTERACTION WITH HIGH-ENERGY INTERMEDIATES OF OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION.

If the uncoupling agent 2,4-dinitrophenol is added just prior to addition of the phosphate acceptor adenosine diphosphate to rat liver mitochondria previously incubated with substrate, orthophosphate, and oxygen, steady-state phosphorylation is abolished, whereas the initial phase of rapid phosphorylation, the so-called "adenosine triphosphate jump," is undisturbed. This leads to the conclusion that uncoupling agents operate by interfering with the synthesis of high-energy intermediates, not by hydrolyzing or otherwise inactivating them.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

PubMed1978

[Energetics of active carbohydrate transport into mycoplasma cells].

Possible energy supply pathways of active transport of non-metabolized 3-O-methylglucose (3-O-mG) into Acholeplasma laidlawii cells are studied. 3-O-MG transport is sensitive to arsenate, inhibitors of glucolysis and membrane Mg-dependent ATPase (dicyclohexylcarbodiimide) and to uncoupling agents. It is suggested that glycolysis is the main energy source, which main enzymes are found in cell-free extracts. A. laidlawii cells are capable to glycolytic ATP synthesis using glucose as a substrate but not fructose, arginine and ethanol. ATP synthesis is also sensitive to arsenate and glycolytic inhibitors and is resistant to uncoupling agents, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, valinomycin and nigericin. Probably, hydrolysis of glycolytic ATP by membrane-bound ATPase results in the formation on a membrane of both components of proton-motive force, which supply energy for the active 3-O-MG transport. It is supported with the data on the inhibitor analysis of transport using ionic-selecive antibiotics and lipid-soluble ions.

Acholeplasma laidlawii↗

PubMed1993

Intramitochondrial free calcium in cardiac myocytes in relation to dehydrogenase activation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to quantitate intramitochondrial free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]m) in cardiac myocytes under conditions of stimulation previously shown to cause activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase. METHODS: [Ca2+]m was monitored in single, isolated rat cardiac myocytes using fluorescence microscopy following the loading of the cells with the fluorescent chelating agent indo-1, in its permeant acetoxymethylester form, and the selective quenching of cytosolic fluorescence with MnCl2. The extent of contraction upon electrical stimulation was also measured. RESULTS: Electrical stimulation at 2 Hz and higher frequency raised [Ca2+]m significantly, and this was potentiated by exposure to isoprenaline. However, isoprenaline had no effect in quiescent cells, in which [Ca2+]m was raised above resting values by partial replacement of Na+ in the medium. The mitochondrial uncoupling agent carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) raised [Ca2+]m in unstimulated cells, but lowered it in cells subjected to electrical stimulation at 2 Hz or more, to partial Na+ replacement, or to the alkaloid veratridine. CONCLUSIONS: The values of [Ca2+]m in quiescent myocytes (approximately 100 nmol.litre-1) would be associated with very little activation by Ca2+ of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase, based on determination of K0.5 value of 650 nmol.litre-1 in work with mitochondrial suspensions. By contrast, the values of [Ca2+]m associated with electrical stimulation at 2 Hz or greater in the presence of beta adrenergic activation (> 500 nmol.litre-1) would be associated with significant dehydrogenase activation. The effect of beta adrenergic activation is only seen in the presence of electrical stimulation and probably involves enhancement of systolic transients in cytosol [Ca2+]. Effects of uncoupling agents validate the conclusions on the direction and magnitude of the mitochondrial Ca2+ gradient in situ in living myocytes.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Effects of postdecapitative ischemia on mitochondrial respiration in brain tissue homogenates.

Mitochondria isolated from ischemic brain characteristically show changes in respiratory function. As conventional procedures for mitochondrial isolation yield a subpopulation of the total population and require extensive manipulation, it is unclear to what extent these changes are representative of mitochondria in the unfractionated tissue. We previously showed that the oxygen uptake by unfractionated forebrain homogenates, measured under two different sets of incubation conditions, provided information on some aspects of the respiratory activity of both the free and synaptosomal pools of mitochondria. Forebrain homogenates from animals subjected to 30 min of postdecapitative ischemia exhibited large reductions in oxygen uptake rates measured in a high K+ (mitochondrial) buffer in the presence of either ADP (44% of control values) or an uncoupling agent (45% of control values). These reductions in respiratory activity were comparable to alterations observed under the same conditions for mitochondria isolated from the ischemic brains. Similar alterations were seen in homogenates from three subregions: neocortex, hippocampus, and striatum. In a physiological buffer, in which oxygen uptake by homogenates largely resulted from activity of mitochondria within synaptosomes, there was little or no change in basal glucose-supported rates (79-96% of control values) and small reductions in maximal rates (63-81% of control values) measured in the presence of an uncoupling agent. These results suggest that alterations of respiratory function seen in isolated free mitochondria provide appropriate estimates of the dysfunction in the total free mitochondrial pool but that synaptosomal mitochondria may be less affected. Measurements of respiratory function of isolated synaptosomes from ischemic tissue provided further support for the relative preservation of synaptosomal mitochondria during ischemic insult.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed1977

Transport and oxidation of choline by liver mitochondria.

1. Rapid choline oxidation and the onset of P(i)-induced swelling by liver mitochondria, incubated in a sucrose medium at or above pH7.0, required the addition of both P(i) and an uncoupling agent. Below pH7.0, P(i) alone was required for rapid choline oxidation and swelling. 2. Choline oxidation was inhibited by each of several reagents that also inhibited P(i)-induced swelling under similar conditions of incubation, including EGTA, mersalyl, Mg(2+), the Ca(2+)-ionophore A23187, rotenone and nupercaine. None of these reagents had any significant effect on the rate of choline oxidation by sonicated mitochondria. There was therefore a close correlation between the conditions required for rapid choline oxidation and for P(i)-induced swelling to occur, suggesting that in the absence of mitochondrial swelling the rate of choline oxidation is regulated by the rate of choline transport across the mitochondrial membrane. 3. Respiratory-chain inhibitors, uncoupling agents (at pH6.5) and ionophore A23187 caused a loss of endogenous Ca(2+) from mitochondria, whereas nupercaine and Mg(2+) had no significant effect on the Ca(2+) content. Inhibition of choline oxidation and mitochondrial swelling by ionophore A23187 was reversed by adding Ca(2+), but not by Mg(2+). It is concluded that added P(i) promotes the Ca(2+)-dependent activation of mitochondrial membrane phospholipase activity in respiring mitochondria, causing an increase in the permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane to choline and therefore enabling rapid choline oxidation to occur. Nupercaine and Mg(2+) appear to block choline oxidation and swelling by inhibiting phospholipase activity. 4. Choline was oxidized slowly by tightly coupled mitochondria largely depleted of their endogenous adenine nucleotides, suggesting that these compounds are not directly concerned in the regulation of choline oxidation. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanism of choline transport across the mitochondrial membrane in vivo and the influence of this process on the pathways of choline metabolism in the liver.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

PubMed1997

Gap junctions equalize intracellular Na+ concentration in astrocytes.

Gap junctions between glial cells allow intercellular exchange of ions and small molecules. We have investigated the influence of gap junction coupling on regulation of intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) in cultured rat hippocampal astrocytes, using fluorescence ratio imaging with the Na+ indicator dye SBFI (sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate). The [Na+]i in neighboring astrocytes was very similar (12.0 +/- 3.3 mM) and did not fluctuate under resting conditions. During uncoupling of gap junctions with octanol (0.5 mM), baseline [Na+]i was unaltered in 24%, increased in 54%, and decreased in 22% of cells. Qualitatively similar results were obtained with two other uncoupling agents, heptanol and alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA). Octanol did not alter the recovery from intracellular Na+ load induced by removal of extracellular K+, indicating that octanol's effects on baseline [Na+]i were not due to inhibition of Na+, K+-ATPase activity. Under control conditions, increasing [K+]o from 3 to 8 mM caused similar decreases in [Na+]i in groups of astrocytes, presumably by stimulating Na+, K+-ATPase. During octanol application, [K+]o-induced [Na+]i decreases were amplified in cells with increased baseline [Na+]i, and reduced in cells with decreased baseline [Na+]i. This suggests that baseline [Na+]i in astrocytes "sets" the responsiveness of Na+, K+-ATPase to increases in [K]o. Our results indicate that individual hippocampal astrocytes in culture rapidly develop different levels of baseline [Na+]i when they are isolated from one another by uncoupling agents. In astrocytes, therefore, an apparent function of coupling is the intercellular exchange of Na+ ions to equalize baseline [Na+]i, which serves to coordinate physiological responses that depend on the intracellular concentration of this ion.

Animals↗