Thermoregulatory uncoupling in heart muscle mitochondria: involvement of the ATP/ADP antiporter and uncoupling protein

AbstractPossible involvement of the ATP/ADP antiporter and uncoupling protein (UCP) in thermoregulatory uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation in heart muscle has been studied. To this end, effects of carboxyatractylate (cAtr) and GDP, specific inhibitors of the antiporter and UCP, on the membrane potential of the oligomycin-treated mitochondria from cold-exposed (6°C, 48 h) and control rats have been measured. It is found that cAtr increases the membrane potential level in both cold-exposed and non-exposed groups, the effect being strongly enhanced by cooling. As for GDP, it is effective only in mitochondria from the cold-exposed rats. In these mitochondria, the coupling effect of GDP is smaller than that of cAtr. CDP, which does not interact with UCP, is without any influence on membrane potential. The cold exposure is found to increase the uncoupling efficiency of added natural (palmitate) or artificial (SF6847) uncouplers, the increase being cAtr- and GDP-sensitive in the case of palmitate. The fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin enhances ΔΨ in both cold-exposed and control groups, the effect being much larger in the former case. It is concluded that in heart muscle mitochondria the ATP/ADP antiporter is responsible for the `mild uncoupling' under normal conditions and for major portion of the thermoregulatory uncoupling in the cold whereas the rest of thermoregulatory uncoupling is served by UCP (presumably by UCP2 since the UCP2 mRNA level is shown to strongly increase in rat heart muscle under the cold exposure conditions used)

High protonic potential actuates a mechanism of production of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria

AbstractFormation of H2O2 has been studied in rat heart mitochondria, pretreated with H2O2 and aminotriazole to lower their antioxidant capacity. It is shown that the rate of H2O2 formation by mitochondria oxidizing 6 mM succinate is inhibited by a protonophorous uncoupler, ADP and phosphate, malonate, rotenone and myxothiazol, and is stimulated by antimycin A. The effect of ADP is abolished by carboxyatractylate and oligomycin. Addition of uncoupler after rotenone induces further inhibition of H2O2 production. Inhibition of H2O2 formation by uncoupler, malonate and ADP+Pi is shown to be proportional to the ΔΨ decrease by these compounds. A threshold ΔΨ value is found, above which a very strong increase in H2O2 production takes place. This threshold slightly exceeds the state 3 ΔΨ level. The data obtained are in line with the concept [Skulachev, V.P., Q. Rev. Biophys. 29 (1996), 169–202] that a high proton motive force in state 4 is potentially dangerous for the cell due to an increase in the probability of superoxide formation

Inhibitors of the ATP/ADP antiporter suppress stimulation of mitochondrial respiration and H+ permeability by palmitate and anionic detergents

AbstractThe action of ATP/ADP-antiporter inhibitors upon the uncoupling effect of palmitate, detergents and ‘classical’ uncouplers has been studied. The uncoupling effect was estimated by stimulation of succinate oxidation and of H+ permeability of rat liver mitochondria in the presence of oligomycin. It is shown that carboxyatractylate (CAtr) and pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP) suppress the uncoupling induced by palmitate and the anionic detergents SDS and cholate, but do not affect that induced by the cationic detergents CTAB, by the non-ionic detergent Triton X-100, as well as by the ‘classical’ uncouplers FCCP and DNP. The results are discussed in terms of a concept assuming that the ATP/ADP-antiporter facilitates the electrophoretic export of hydrophobic anions from mitochondria

Light-dependent Δ\̄smNa-generation and utilization in the marine cyanobacterium Oscillatoria brevis

AbstractLight-dependent Na+ and H+ transports, membrane potential (Δψ) and motility have been studied in the cells of the marine cyanobacterium Oscillatoria brevis. In the presence of a protonophorous uncoupler, carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone, the intracellular Na+ level is shown to increase in the dark and decrease in the light. The Na+/H+ antiporter, monensin, stimulates the dark CCCP-dependent [Na+]in increase and abolishes the light-dependent [Na+]in decrease. Na+ ions are necessary for the fast light-induced Δψ generation and H+ uptake by the cells. This uptake is inhibited by monensin being resistant to CCCP. Monensin sensitizes the Δψ level and the motility rate to low CCCP concentrations. The obtained data are consistent with the assumption that O. brevis possesses a primary Na+ pump which utilizes (directly or indirectly) the light energy

Mild depolarization of the inner mitochondrial membrane is a crucial component of an anti-aging program.

The mitochondria of various tissues from mice, naked mole rats (NMRs), and bats possess two mechanistically similar systems to prevent the generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS): hexokinases I and II and creatine kinase bound to mitochondrial membranes. Both systems operate in a manner such that one of the kinase substrates (mitochondrial ATP) is electrophoretically transported by the ATP/ADP antiporter to the catalytic site of bound hexokinase or bound creatine kinase without ATP dilution in the cytosol. One of the kinase reaction products, ADP, is transported back to the mitochondrial matrix via the antiporter, again through an electrophoretic process without cytosol dilution. The system in question continuously supports H <sup>+</sup> -ATP synthase with ADP until glucose or creatine is available. Under these conditions, the membrane potential, ∆ψ, is maintained at a lower than maximal level (i.e., mild depolarization of mitochondria). This ∆ψ decrease is sufficient to completely inhibit mROS generation. In 2.5-y-old mice, mild depolarization disappears in the skeletal muscles, diaphragm, heart, spleen, and brain and partially in the lung and kidney. This age-dependent decrease in the levels of bound kinases is not observed in NMRs and bats for many years. As a result, ROS-mediated protein damage, which is substantial during the aging of short-lived mice, is stabilized at low levels during the aging of long-lived NMRs and bats. It is suggested that this mitochondrial mild depolarization is a crucial component of the mitochondrial anti-aging system