Mitochondrial (‘mild’) uncoupling and ROS production: physiologically relevant or not?

During the last decade, the possibility that ‘mild’ uncoupling could be protective against oxidative damage by diminishing ROS (reactive oxygen species) production has attracted much interest. In the present paper, we briefly examine the evidence for this possibility. It is only ROS production from succinate under reverse electron-flow conditions that is sensitive to membrane potential fluctuations, and so only this type of ROS production could be affected; however, the conditions under which succinate-supported ROS production is observed include succinate concentrations that are supraphysiological. Any decrease in membrane potential, even ‘mild uncoupling’, must necessarily lead to large increases in respiration, i.e. it must be markedly thermogenic. Mitochondria within cells are normally ATP-producing and thus already have a diminished membrane potential, and treatment of cells, organs or animals with small amounts of artificial uncoupler does not seem to have beneficial effects that are explainable via reduced ROS production. Although it has been suggested that members of the uncoupling protein family (UCP1, UCP2 and UCP3) may mediate a mild uncoupling, present evidence does not unequivocally support such an effect, e.g. the absence of the truly uncoupling protein UCP1 is not associated with increased oxidative damage. Thus present evidence does not support mild uncoupling as a physiologically relevant alleviator of oxidative damage.

Reverse electron flow-induced ROS production is attenuated by activation of mitochondrial Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels

Mitochondria generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent on substrate conditions, O2 concentration, redox state, and activity of the mitochondrial complexes. It is well known that the FADH2-linked substrate succinate induces reverse electron flow to complex I of the electron transport chain and that this process generates superoxide (O2•−); these effects are blocked by the complex I blocker rotenone. We demonstrated recently that succinate + rotenone-dependent H2O2 production in isolated mitochondria increased mildly on activation of the putative big mitochondrial Ca2+-sensitive K+ channel (mtBKCa) by low concentrations of 1,3-dihydro-1-[2-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-5-(trifluoromethyl)-2 H-benzimidazol-2-one (NS-1619). In the present study we examined effects of NS-1619 on mitochondrial O2 consumption, membrane potential (ΔΨm), H2O2 release rates, and redox state in isolated guinea pig heart mitochondria respiring on succinate but without rotenone. NS-1619 (30 μM) increased state 2 and state 4 respiration by 26 ± 4% and 14 ± 4%, respectively; this increase was abolished by the BKCa channel blocker paxilline (5 μM). Paxilline alone had no effect on respiration. NS-1619 did not alter ΔΨm or redox state but decreased H2O2 production by 73% vs. control; this effect was incompletely inhibited by paxilline. We conclude that under substrate conditions that allow reverse electron flow, matrix K+ influx through mtBKCa channels reduces mitochondrial H2O2 production by accelerating forward electron flow. Our prior study showed that NS-1619 induced an increase in H2O2 production with blocked reverse electron flow. The present results suggest that NS-1619-induced matrix K+ influx increases forward electron flow despite the high reverse electron flow, and emphasize the importance of substrate conditions on interpretation of effects on mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Mitochondrial matrix reactive oxygen species production is very sensitive to mild uncoupling

Mitochondria produce ROS (reactive oxygen species) as a by-product of aerobic respiration. Several studies in mammals and birds suggest that the most physiologically relevant ROS production is from complex I following reverse electron flow, and is highly sensitive to membrane potential. A study of Drosophila mitochondria respiring glycerol 3-phosphate revealed that membrane potential-sensitive ROS production from complex I following reverse electron flow was on the matrix side of the inner membrane. A 10 mV decrease in membrane potential was enough to abolish around 70% of the ROS produced by complex I under these conditions. Another important ROS generator in this model, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, produced ROS mostly to the cytosolic side; this ROS production was totally insensitive to a small decrease in membrane potential (10 mV). Thus mild uncoupling may be particularly significant for ROS production from complex I on the matrix side of the mitochondrial inner membrane.

Characterization of the petI and res Operons of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

ABSTRACT DNA sequence analysis and bioinformatic interpretations have identified two adjacent clusters of genes potentially involved in the formation of a bc1 complex and in the maturation of a cytochrome c-type protein in two strains (ATCC 19859 and ATCC 33020) of the acidophilic, chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (formerly Thiobacillus ferrooxidans). Reverse transcriptase-PCR experiments suggest that the two clusters are organized as operons, and +1 start sites of transcription for the operons have been determined by primer extension experiments. Potential promoters have been identified. The presence of these operons lends support to a recent model of reverse electron flow and is consistent with previous reports of phenotypic switching in this bacterium.