The Proton Permeability of Liposomes Made from Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Phospholipids: Comparison with Isolated Mitochondria

Unilamellar liposomes with native phospholipid fatty acid composition were prepared from rat liver mitochondrial inner membrane phospholipids by extrusion in medium containing 50 mm potassium. They were diluted into low potassium medium to establish a transmembrane potassium gradient. A known membrane potential was imposed by addition of valinomycin, and proton flux into liposomes was measured. Valinomycin in the range 10 pm–1nm was sufficient to fully establish membrane potential. Valinomycin concentrations above 3 nm catalyzed additional proton flux and were avoided. At 300 pm valinomycin, proton flux depended nonlinearly on membrane potential. At 160 mV membrane potential the flux was 30 nmol H⁺/min/mg phospholipid—approximately 5% of the proton leak flux under comparable conditions in isolated mitochondria, indicating that leak pathways through bulk phospholipid bilayer account for only a small proportion of total mitochondrial proton leak. Received: 5 August 1996/Revised: 1 October 1996     

The Mechanisms of Fatty Acid-Induced Proton Permeability of the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane

Nonesterified long-chain fatty acids have long been known as uncouplers of oxidativephosphorylation. They are efficient protonophores in the inner mitochondrial membrane but not so inartificial phospholipid membranes. In the un-ionized form, they undergo a rapid spontaneoustransbilayer movement (flip-flop). However, the transbilayer passage of the dissociated(anionic) form is hindered by the negatively charged hydrophilic carboxylic group. In theinner mitochondrial membrane, the transfer of fatty acid anions is mediated by the adeninenucleotide translocase, the dicarboxylate carrier, and the glutamate/aspartate carrier. As a result,the passage of protons and electric charges is a concerted effect of the spontaneous flip-flopof the undissociated (protonated) form in one direction and carrier-facilitated transfer of theionized (deprotonated) form in the other direction. In addition, fatty acids also promote openingof the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, presumably due to their interaction with oneof its constituents, the adenine nucleotide translocase, thus forming an additional route fordissipation of the proton gradient. Structural prerequisites for these proton-conductingmechanisms are (1) a weakly ionized carboxylic group and (2) a hydrocarbon chain of appropriatelength without substituents limiting its mobility and hydrophobicity.     

The Role of Yeast VDAC Genes on the Permeability of the Mitochondrial Outer Membrane

In addition to the POR1 gene, which encodes the well-characterized voltage dependent anion-selective channel (YVDAC1) of the mitochondrial outer membrane, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains a second gene (POR2) encoding a protein (YVDAC2) with 50% sequence identity to YVDAC1. Mitochondria isolated from yeast cells deleted for the POR1 gene (Δpor1) had a profoundly reduced outer membrane permeability as measured by the ability of an intermembrane space dehydrogenase to oxidize exogenously added NADH. Mitochondria missing either YVDAC1 or both YVDAC1 and YVDAC2 showed a 2-fold increase in the rate of NADH oxidation when the outer membrane was deliberately damaged. Mitochondria from parental cells showed only a 10% increase indicating that the outer membrane is highly permeable to NADH. In the absence of YVDAC1, we calculate that the outer membrane permeability to NADH is reduced 20-fold. The low NADH permeability in the presence of YVDAC2 was not due to the low levels of YVDAC2 expression as mitochondria from cells expressing levels of YVDAC2 comparable to those of YVDAC1 in parental cells showed no substantial increase in NADH permeability, indicating a minimal role of YVDAC2 in this permeability. The residual permeability may be due to other pathways because cells missing both genes can still grow on nonfermentable carbon sources. However, YVDAC1 is clearly the major pathway for NADH flux through the outer membrane in these mitochondria. Received: 23 May 1997/Revised: 3 October 1997     

Mouse VDAC Isoforms Expressed in Yeast: Channel Properties and Their Roles in Mitochondrial Outer Membrane Permeability

The channel-forming protein called VDAC forms the major pathway in the mitochondrial outer membrane and controls metabolite flux across that membrane. The different VDAC isoforms of a species may play different roles in the regulation of mitochondrial functions. The mouse has three VDAC isoforms (VDAC1, VDAC2 and VDAC3). These proteins and different versions of VDAC3 were expressed in yeast cells (S. cerevisiae) missing the major yeast VDAC gene and studied using different approaches. When reconstituted into liposomes, each isoform induced a permeability in the liposomes with a similar molecular weight cutoff (between 3,400 and 6,800 daltons based on permeability to polyethylene glycol). In contrast, electrophysiological studies on purified proteins showed very different channel properties. VDAC1 is the prototypic version whose properties are highly conserved among other species. VDAC2 also has normal gating activity but may exist in 2 forms, one with a lower conductance and selectivity. VDAC3 can also form channels in planar phospholipid membranes. It does not insert readily into membranes and generally does not gate well even at high membrane potentials (up to 80 mV). Isolated mitochondria exhibit large differences in their outer membrane permeability to NADH depending on which of the mouse VDAC proteins was expressed. These differences in permeability could not simply be attributed to different amounts of each protein present in the isolated mitochondria. The roles of these different VDAC proteins are discussed. Received: 19 June 1998/Revised: 1 April 1999     

Effects of Adenine Derivatives and Auxin-related Compounds on Mitochondrial Membrane Permeability

Adenine derivatives and auxin-related compounds, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (2,4-D) and 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA), did not inhibitthe transport systems for succinate or malate into mitochondria.In iso-osmotic KC1 medium, some of these compounds increasedion fluxes moderately. TIBA and 2,4-D inhibited the mitochondrialshrinkage induced by the substrates. In contrast, adenine derivativesinhibited only the shrinkage induced by the substrate whoseoxidation they were able to block specifically. (Received February 18, 1987; Accepted June 29, 1987)     

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Mitochondrial Membrane Permeability Waves during Apoptosis

Change in the permeability of the mitochondrial membrane to proteins (cytochrome c and Smac) and protons is a critical step in apoptosis. Although the time from the induction of apoptosis to the change of mitochondrial permeability is variable over a period of hours, the release of proteins is an “all or none” phenomenon that is completed in an individual cell within minutes. Here, using single-cell fluorescence microscopy, we show that the release of cytochrome c from a single mitochondrion occurs in a single step. However, this increased permeability of the outer membrane to cytochrome c propagates throughout the cell as a slower, spatially coordinated wave. The permeability of the outer membrane to Smac propagates with the same spatial pattern but lagging in time. This is followed by a wave of increased permeability of the inner membrane to protons. Only afterward do the mitochondria fission. The spatial dependence of the permeability wave was inhibited by thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum calcium pumps, but buffering cytosolic calcium had no effect. These results show that the trigger for apoptosis is spatially localized, initiating at one or only a few mitochondria preceding the loss of mitochondrial energetics, and the subsequent temporal propagation of mitochondrial membrane permeability is calcium-dependent.     

Biochemical Properties of Mitochondrial Membrane from Dry Pea Seeds and Changes in the Properties during Imbibition

An attempt to isolate intact mitochondria from dry pea seeds (Pisum sativum var. Alaska) ended in failure. Cytochrome oxidase in crude mitochondrial fraction from dry seeds was separated into three fractions by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Two of the fractions contained malate dehydrogenase, whereas the other did not. Equilibrium centrifugation of mitochondrial membrane on sucrose gradients revealed that the membrane from the fraction without malate dehydrogenase was lighter than that from the others. Differences were observed in relative content of phospholipid to protein and in polypeptide composition analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis among the membranes from three fractions and imbibed cotyledons. Membrane from the fraction without malate dehydrogenase was rich in phospholipid and lacking in polypeptides with relatively high molecular weights as compared with that from others. During imbibition, the fraction without malate dehydrogenase and one of the other two disappeared rapidly after a lag phase lasting for at least 1 hour. Concomitantly, active and stable mitochondria increased in the cotyledons. The results were interpreted to indicate that there were at least three types of mitochondria in dry seeds, the membranes of which differed in their biochemical properties, and that the mitochondria became active and stable through assembly of protein into the membranes during imbibition.     

Kinetic Analysis of the Calcium- and Cadmium-Induced Development of Nonspecific Permeability of the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane

We studied the Са²⁺- and Cd²⁺-induced development of the nonspecific permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane in preparations obtained from rat liver tissue, which is accompanied by swelling of these organelles and intensification of light dispersion of their suspension. Addition of 5 to 100 μM Са²⁺ or 1 to 50 μM Сd²⁺ to the medium caused swelling of the mitochondria. With increase in concentrations of Са²⁺ and Cd²⁺, the latency of the effect decreased, and the rate of swelling of these organelles increased. Upon isolated action of Са²⁺, the intensity of the process (amplitude of changes) did not depend significantly on the concentration of the above ions, while upon isolated action of Cd²⁺, it was the maximum at the concentration of 1 mM and noticeably decreased with increase in the concentration. The dependence of the rate of Са²⁺- and Cd²⁺-induced swelling of the mitochondria on the concentration of these ions was described by power and sigmoid functions, respectively. The calculated maximum rate and the constant of 50% saturation of these processes were equal to 0.609 and 1.084 extinction units/min⋅mg protein and 19.85 and 7.28 μM for Са²⁺- and Cd²⁺-induced swelling of the mitochondria, respectively. Cyclosporine A (10 μM) suppressed completely the Са²⁺-induced swelling of the mitochondria and decreased only partly the Cd²⁺-induced swelling. Dithiothreitol (1 mM) inhibited completely the latter effect but did not influence significantly the Са²⁺-stimulated process. Therefore, the distinctions between the kinetics of Са²⁺- and Cd²⁺-induced swelling of the mitochondria, as well as the different sensitivity of these processes to cyclosporine A and dithiothreitol, prove that the mechanisms underlying interactions between the cations of the above metals and the inner mitochondrial membrane in the course of the development of nonspecific permeability of these organelles are dissimilar. *Deceased     

TFAR19促进小鼠肝线粒体膜通透性转运孔的开放

TFAR19基因 (TF 1cellapoptosisrelatedgene 19)是北京大学人类疾病基因中心从人白血病细胞株TF 1细胞中克隆到的凋亡相关新基因之一 (GenBank登记号AF0 1495 5 )。初步研究发现 ,该基因在细胞凋亡时高表达 ,并且表达产物具有抑制肿瘤细胞生长和促进凋亡作用。但是其确切的作用机制不明。线粒体膜完整性破坏所导致促凋亡因子 (如细胞色素c等因子 )的释放是细胞凋亡关键性的控制因素。线粒体膜通透性转运孔 (PTP) ,对线粒体膜完整性具有重要的调控作用。研究了重组人TFAR19蛋白在体外条件下 ,对线粒体PTP、跨膜电位 ,以及细胞色素c释放的影响。结果表明 ,TFAR19蛋白使分离的小鼠肝线粒体PTP开放、线粒体跨膜电位下降 ,以及细胞色素c释放。TFAR19对线粒体的上述作用是通过促进PTP开放起作用的。实验结果提示 ,TFAR19对线粒体凋亡信号有正反馈放大作用 ,并进一步揭示了TFAR19促进细胞凋亡的机制     

玉米CMS-C不育系及其保持系线粒体膜通透性的比较分析

为了解玉米CMS-C相关不同育性材料雄穗线粒体膜通透性表现特征, 本文以玉米细胞质雄性不育系C48-2、保持系N48-2和育性恢复F1 （C48-2×18-599白）雄穗为材料, 测定了线粒体膜相关生理指标。结果发现, 从花粉母细胞时期到双核期C48-2雄穗线粒体膜吸光度、膜电位荧光强度、Ca2＋含量和Cyt c/a比值下降, MDA含量上升, 且各指标均在单核期和双核期与N48-2和F1 （C48-2×18-599白）有显著差异。     

Calcium-Dependent Nonspecific Permeability of the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Is Not Induced in Mitochondria of the Yeast Endomyces magnusii

Mitochondria of the yeast Endomyces magnusii were examined for the presence of a Ca2+- and phosphate-induced permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane (pore). For this purpose, coupled mitochondria were incubated under conditions known to induce the permeability transition pore in animal mitochondria, i.e., in the presence of high concentrations of Ca2+ and P(i), prooxidants (t-butylhydroperoxide), oxaloacetate, atractyloside (an inhibitor of ADP/ATP translocator), SH-reagents, by depletion of adenine nucleotide pools, and deenergization of the mitochondria. Large amplitude swelling, collapse of the membrane potential, and efflux of the accumulated Ca2+ were used as parameters for demonstrating pore induction. E. magnusii mitochondria were highly resistant to the above-mentioned substances. Deenergization of mitochondria or depletion of adenine nucleotide pools have no effect on low-amplitude swelling or the other parameters. Cyclosporin A, a specific inhibitor of the nonspecific permeability transition in animal mitochondria, did not affect the parameters measured. It is thus evident that E. magnusii mitochondria lack a functional Ca2+-dependent pore, or possess a pore differently regulated as compared to that of mammalian mitochondria.     

Permeability Properties of the Inner Membrane of Mung Bean Mitochondria and Changes during Energization

The permeability properties of the inner membrane of mung bean mitochondria were studied by osmotic swelling techniques. Rapid mitochondrial swelling was observed in isotonic ammonium phosphate, which indicated that an active phosphate/hydroxyl antiporter was present. The phosphate carrier was specifically inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents. Mitochondria did not swell in isotonic ammonium salts of malate, succinate, or fumarate, either in the presence or absence of 10 millimolar phosphate. Additionally, no swelling was observed in ammonium citrate upon addition of malate plus phosphate. Consequently, no evidence was obtained with the osmotic swelling technique for a coupled exchange of phosphate for dicarboxylic acids across the membrane.     

Genetic Structure of Earthworm Populations at a Regional Scale: Inferences from Mitochondrial and Microsatellite Molecular Markers in Aporrectodea icterica (Savigny 1826)

Despite the fundamental role that soil invertebrates (e.g. earthworms) play in soil ecosystems, the magnitude of their spatial genetic variation is still largely unknown and only a few studies have investigated the population genetic structure of these organisms. Here, we investigated the genetic structure of seven populations of a common endogeic earthworm (Aporrectodea icterica) sampled in northern France to explore how historical species range changes, microevolutionary processes and human activities interact in shaping genetic variation at a regional scale. Because combining markers with distinct modes of inheritance can provide extra, complementary information on gene flow, we compared the patterns of genetic structure revealed using nuclear (7 microsatellite loci) and mitochondrial markers (COI). Both types of markers indicated low genetic polymorphism compared to other earthworm species, a result that can be attributed to ancient bottlenecks, for instance due to species isolation in southern refugia during the ice ages with subsequent expansion toward northern Europe. Historical events can also be responsible for the existence of two divergent, but randomly interbreeding mitochondrial lineages within all study populations. In addition, the comparison of observed heterozygosity among microsatellite loci and heterozygosity expected under mutation-drift equilibrium suggested a recent decrease in effective size in some populations that could be due to contemporary events such as habitat fragmentation. The absence of relationship between geographic and genetic distances estimated from microsatellite allele frequency data also suggested that dispersal is haphazard and that human activities favour passive dispersal among geographically distant populations.     

Ammonia Neurotoxicity and the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition

Ammonia is a neurotoxin that predominantly affects astrocytes. Disturbed mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, factors implicated in the induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), appear to be involved in the mechanism of ammonia neurotoxicity. We have recently shown that ammonia induces the MPT in cultured astrocytes. To elucidate the mechanisms of the MPT, we examined the role of oxidative stress and glutamine, a byproduct of ammonia metabolism. The ammonia-induced MPT was blocked by antioxidants, suggesting a causal role of oxidative stress. Direct application of glutamine (4.5-7.0 mM) to cultured astrocytes increased free radical production and induced the MPT. Treatment of astrocytes with the mitochondrial glutaminase inhibitor, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, completely blocked free radical formation and the MPT, suggesting that high ammonia concentrations in mitochondria resulting from glutamine hydrolysis may be responsible for the effects of glutamine. These studies suggest that oxidative stress and glutamine play major roles in the induction of the MPT associated with ammonia neurotoxicity.     

The Permeability of the Guard Cell Plasma Membrane and Tonoplast

Uptake experiments and efflux compartmental analysis of planthormones, osmotica and toxins using ‘isolated’ guardcells of Valerianella locusta and guard cell protoplasts (GCP)of Vicia faba were performed in order to study the permeabilityproperties of guard cell plasma membrane and tonoplast. Theplasma membrane of guard cells exhibits a higher permeabilitythan plasma membranes of mesophyll cells for most solutes investigated.The permeability coefficients (P_s calculated for the guard cellplasma membranes are also significantly higher than the P_s valuesfor the guard cell tonoplast. This applies also for protonatedABA. We suppose that the high permeability for ABAH could bepart of the target cell properties. A Collander analysis demonstratesa linear correlation between P_s, values and the ratio K_r/M_r^1,5for both plasma membrane (r = 0.87) and for the tonoplast (r=0.93). Because of deviations from the observed correlations,the permeation of some solutes (ABA, GA, IAA through the tonoplast;methylamine through the plasma membrane) seems to be facilitatedby an additional transport mechanism. The Collander analysisof the plasma membrane of GCP shows very similar results tothe analysis of the plasma membrane of ‘isolated’guard cells, indicating that isolation of protoplasts does notalter the permeability of the guard cell plasma membrane. Key words: Permeability coefficient, guard cells, plasma membrane, tonoplast     

Formation of Palmitic Acid/Ca2+ Complexes in the Mitochondrial Membrane: A Possible Role in the Cyclosporin-Insensitive Permeability Transition

A possible role of palmitic acid/Ca2+ (PA/Ca2+) complexes in the cyclosporin-insensitive permeability transition in mitochondria has been studied. It has been shown that in the presence of Ca2+, PA induces a swelling of mitochondria, which is not inhibited by cyclosporin A. The swelling is accompanied by a drop in membrane potential, which cannot be explained only by a work of the Ca2+ uniporter. With time, the potential is restored. Evidence has been obtained indicating that the specific content of mitochondrial lipids would favor the PA/Ca2+ -induced permeabilization of the membrane. In experiments with liposomes, the PA/Ca2+ -induced membrane permeabilization was larger for liposomes formed from the mitochondrial lipids, as compared to the azolectin liposomes. Additionally, it has been found that in mitochondria of the TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-sensitive cells (WEHI-164 line), the content of PA is larger than in mitochondria of the TNF-insensitive cells (C6 line), with this difference being mainly provided by PA incorporated in phosphatidylethanolamine and especially, cardiolipin. The PA/Ca2+ -dependent mechanism of permeability transition in mitochondria might be related to some pathologies, e.g. myocardial ischemia. The heaviness of myocardial infarction of ischemic patients has been demonstrated to correlate directly with the content of PA in the human blood serum.