scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF OSMOTIC LYSIS ON THE OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION AND COMPARTMENTATION OF RAT LIVER MITOCHONDRIA

1968 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold I. Caplan ◽  
John W. Greenawalt

Rat liver mitochondria isolated in 0.25 M sucrose were osmotically lysed with distilled water. The effect of osmotic lysis on mitochondrial compartmentation was monitored by following the changes in the specific Mg++-ATPase and the stimulation of this activity by DNP. Each resuspension in distilled water caused a progressive increase in the specific Mg++-ATPase and a decrease in DNP-stimulation. Lysed mitochondria yielded P:O ratios of slightly less than 1.0 when each of the "site-specific" substrates, NADH, D-ß-hydroxybutyrate, succinate, and ascorbate, were oxidized. These data indicate that only site 3 phosphorylation remained undiminished. The crude, lysed mitochondria were subfractionated by centrifugation on linear sucrose density gradients. Assays for protein, malate dehydrogenase, D-ß-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, and succinate dehydrogenase indicated that the inner compartment could be clearly separated from the outer membrane vesicles. The results also suggested that the small vesicle fraction contained a small proportion of vesiculated inner membranes. Inner mitochondrial compartments, "contracted" by preincubation in the presence of ATP, sedimented to a markedly lower density on the gradients than did the unincubated preparations and about 50% of the ghosts showed a highly condensed morphology. In the contracted preparations, relatively low malate dehydrogenase and D-ß-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase activities were found in the fractions comprised of the inner compartments. The specific activity and distribution of succinate dehydrogenase were about the same as were found with the unincubated, lysed mitochondria.

1966 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold I. Caplan ◽  
John W. Greenawalt

Isolated rat-liver mitochondria were osmotically lysed by suspension and washing 3 times in cold, distilled water. Pellets obtained by centrifugation at 105,000 g for 30 min were resuspended, fixed with glutaraldehyde and OsO4, and embedded in Epon 812. Thin sections show the presence of two distinct membranous populations, each of which is relatively homogeneous in size and appearance. Swollen mitochondria (∼1.5 µ in diameter), which have been stripped of their outer membranes, are largely devoid of matrix and normal matrix granules and are referred to as "ghosts." The smaller (0.2 to 0.4 µ in diameter), empty appearing, vesicular elements, derived primarily from the outer mitochondrial membrane, can be differentiated from the ghosts on the basis of their smaller size and complete absence of internal structures, especially cristae. Each membranous element is enclosed by a single, continuous membrane; the "double membrane" organization typical of intact mitochondria is not observed. These findings indicate that the outer membrane of rat-liver mitochondria is spatially dissociated from the inner mitochondrial membrane by osmotic lysis of the mitochondria in distilled water. Three parameters of structural and functional significance in freshly isolated rat-liver mitochondria have been correlated with the structural alterations observed: (a) chemical composition (total protein, lipid phosphate and total phosphate), (b) specific and total activities of marker enzymes for mitochondrial matrix and membranes (malate dehydrogenase (MDH), D-ß-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH) and cytochromes), and (c) integrated multienzyme functions (respiration, phosphorylation, and contraction). The data presented indicate that all mitochondrial membranes are completely conserved in the crude ghost preparation and that, in addition, about ⅓ of the matrix proteins (estimated by assays for MDH activity and protein) are retained. The study of integrated mitochondrial functions shows that a number of physiologically important multienzyme activities also are preserved in the water-washed preparation. The respiratory rate of ghosts per milligram of protein is 1.5 to 2.0 times that of intact mitochondria, which shows that the respiratory chain in the ghosts is functionally intact. The rate of phosphorylation is reduced, however, to about 25% of that measured in freshly isolated mitochondria and accounts for lowered P:O ratios using succinate as substrate (P:O ranges from 0.4 to 0.9). The phosphorylation of ADP to ATP is the only biochemical function, so far investigated, that is greatly affected by osmotic lysis. In addition, two lines of evidence suggest that the ghosts undergo an energy-dependent transformation resulting in contraction: (a) suspensions of the crude ghost preparation in 0.02 M Tris-0.125 M KCl medium show a marked increase in optical density upon the addition of ATP, and (b) ghost preparations incubated in ion-uptake medium in the absence of added calcium but in the presence of added ATP contain a large number of highly condensed ghosts (about 50% of the total profiles) when viewed as thin sections in the electron microscope. The correlated biochemical and morphological study presented here shows that the outer membrane of rat-liver mitochondria can be removed by controlled osmotic lysis without greatly impairing a number of integrated biochemical functions associated with the inner membrane.


1990 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
M P Kolodziej ◽  
V A Zammit

1. The interaction of malonyl-CoA with the outer carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system of rat liver mitochondria was re-evaluated by using preparations of highly purified outer membranes, in the light of observations that other subcellular structures that normally contaminate crude mitochondrial preparations also contain malonyl-CoA-sensitive CPT activity. 2. In outer-membrane preparations, which were purified about 200-fold with respect to the inner-membrane-matrix fraction, malonyl-CoA binding was largely accounted for by a single high-affinity component (KD = 0.03 microM), in contrast with the dual site (low- and high-affinity) previously found with intact mitochondria. 3. There was no evidence that the decreased sensitivity of CPT to malonyl-CoA inhibition observed in outer membranes obtained from 48 h-starved rats (compared with those from fed animals) was due to a decreased ratio of malonyl-CoA binding to CPT catalytic moieties. Thus CPT specific activity and maximal high-affinity [14C]malonyl-CoA binding (expressed per mg of protein) were increased 2.2- and 2.0-fold respectively in outer membranes from 48 h-starved rats. 4. Palmitoyl-CoA at a concentration that was saturating for CPT activity (5 microM) decreased the affinity of malonyl-CoA binding by an order of magnitude, but did not alter the maximal binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA. 5. Preincubation of membranes with either tetradecylglycidyl-CoA or 2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA plus carnitine resulted in marked (greater than 80%) inhibition of high-affinity binding, concurrently with greater than 95% inhibition of CPT activity. These treatments also unmasked an effect of subsequent treatment with palmitoyl-CoA to increase low-affinity [14C]malonyl-CoA binding. 6. These data are discussed in relation to the possible mechanism of interaction between the malonyl-CoA-binding site and the active site of the enzyme.


1980 ◽  
Vol 192 (2) ◽  
pp. 649-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Passarella ◽  
E Marra ◽  
S Doonan ◽  
E Quagliariello

1. The mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase from rat liver has been purified to a state of homogeneity as judged by starch-gel electrophoresis and the cytoplasmic isoenzyme has been obtained in a partically purified state. 2. Inhibition of the isoenzymes by sulphite has been studied. 3. In mitochondria loaded with sulphite, the catalytic activity of the (partially inhibited) internal malate dehydrogenase has been measured by addition of oxaloacetate to the suspension medium and observation of the consequent decrease in fluorescence of NADH. 4. Addition of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase to suspensions of mitochondria loaded with sulphite resulted in an increase in the level of intramitochondrial enzymic activity as measured by the above technique. Addition of the cytoplasmic isoenzyme did not result in such an increase. 5. These results show that mitochondria in suspension are permeable to the mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase but not to the cytoplasmic isoenzyme. 6. This conclusion has been confirmed by direct measurement of a decrease of enzyme activity in solution and an increase inside the mitochondria after incubation of organelles in solutions containing mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase. No such effect was observed with the cytoplasmic isoenzyme. 7. Some features of the permeation process have been studied.


1972 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Wilson ◽  
J. Cascarano

1. Rat liver mitochondria were separated on the basis of their sedimentation coefficients in an iso-osmotic gradient of Ficoll–sucrose by rate zonal centrifugation. The fractions (33, each of 40ml) were collected in order of decreasing density. Fractions were analysed by spectral analysis to determine any differences in the concentrations of the cytochromes and by enzyme analyses to ascertain any differences in the activities of NADH dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. 2. When plotted as% of the highest specific concentration, the contents of cytochrome a+a3 and cytochrome c+c1 were constant in all fractions but cytochrome b was only 65% of its maximal concentration in fraction 7 and increased with subsequent fractions. As a result, the cytochrome b/cytochrome a+a3 ratio almost doubled between fractions 7 and 25 whereas the cytochrome c+c1/cytochrome a+a3 ratio was unchanged. 3. Expression of the dehydrogenase activities as% of highest specific activity showed the following for fractions 6–26: NADH dehydrogenase activity remained fairly constant in all fractions; succinate dehydrogenase activity was 62% in fraction 6 and increased steadily to its maximum in fraction 18 and then decreased; the activity of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase was only 53% in fraction 6 and increased slowly to its peak in fractions 22 and 24. 4. These differences did not result from damaged or fragmented mitochondria or from microsomal contamination. 5. These results demonstrate that isolated liver mitochondria are biochemically heterogeneous. The importance of using a system for separating biochemically different mitochondria in studies of mitochondrial biogenesis is discussed.


1993 ◽  
Vol 289 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Echegoyen ◽  
E B Oliva ◽  
J Sepulveda ◽  
J C Díaz-Zagoya ◽  
M T Espinosa-García ◽  
...  

The effect of cholesterol incorporation on some functions of the mitochondrial inner membrane and on the morphology of rat liver mitochondria was studied. Basal ATPase and succinate dehydrogenase activities remained unchanged after cholesterol was incorporated into the mitochondria; however, uncoupled ATPase activity was partially inhibited. The presence of several substrates and inhibitors did not change the amount of cholesterol incorporated, which was localized mostly in the outer membrane. Electron-microscope observations revealed the presence of vesicles between the outer and inner membranes; these vesicles increased in number with the amount of cholesterol incorporated. The data suggest that cholesterol induces the formation of vesicles from the outer membrane, and modifies the activity of stimulated ATPase.


1970 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Yates ◽  
P. B. Garland

1. A continuously recording and sensitive fluorimetric assay is described for carnitine palmitoyltransferase. This assay has been applied to whole or disintegrated mitochondria and to soluble protein fractions. 2. When rat liver mitochondria had been disintegrated by ultrasound, the specific activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase was 15–20m-units/mg of protein. Only one-fifth of this activity was assayable (with added substrates) before mitochondrial disintegration. 3. It is concluded that there are two carnitine palmitoyltransferase activities in rat liver mitochondria, of which one (type I) is relatively superficial in location and catalyses an acyl-group transfer between added CoA and carnitine, whereas the other (type II) is less superficial and catalyses an acyl-group transfer in unbroken mitochondria between added carnitine and intramitochondrial CoA. The existence of two distinct carnitine palmitoyltransferases was predicted by Fritz & Yue (1963). 4. In unbroken mitochondria, type I transferase is accessible to the inhibitor 2-bromostearoyl-CoA whereas the type II transferase is inaccessible. 5. A major part of the total carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity of rat liver mitochondria is membrane-bound and of type II. 6. These observations, when considered in conjunction with the penetration of mitochondria by CoASH or carnitine, indicate that the type II transferase is attached to the inner mitochondrial membrane.


1985 ◽  
Vol 225 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C W Reid ◽  
D R Husbands

Mitochondria isolated from the livers of sheep and rats were shown to oxidize palmitate, oleate and linoleate in a tightly coupled manner, by monitoring the oxygen consumption associated with the degradation of these acids in the presence of 2mM-L-malate. Rat liver mitochondria oxidized linoleate and oleate at a rate 1.2-1.8 times that of palmitate. Sheep liver mitochondria had a specific activity for the oxidation of palmitate that was 50-80% of that of rats and a specific activity for the oxidation of oleate and linoleate that was 30-40% that of rats. This would indicate that sheep conserved linoleate by limiting its oxidation. Carnitine acyltransferase I (CAT I) actively esterified palmitoyl-CoA and linoleate to carnitine in both rat and sheep liver mitochondria, and in both cases the rate for linoleate was faster than for palmitate. The CAT I reaction in both rat and sheep liver was inhibited by micromolar amounts of malonyl-CoA. With 90 microM-palmitoyl-CoA as substrate, CAT I was inhibited by 50% with 2.5 microM-malonyl-CoA in rats, and in sheep, 50% inhibition was found with all malonyl-CoA concentrations tested (1-5 microM). With 90 microM-linoleate as substrate for CAT I, a much larger difference in response to malonyl-CoA was seen, the rat enzyme being 50% inhibited at 22 microM-malonyl-CoA, whereas sheep liver CAT I was 91% and 98% inhibited at 1 microM- and 5 microM-malonyl-CoA respectively. We propose that malonyl-CoA may act as an important regulator of beta-oxidation in sheep, discriminating against the use of linoleate as an energy-yielding substrate.


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