Specific inhibition of redox-linked proton pump activity of cytochrome oxidase by oleate hydroperoxide and involvement of ferrocytochrome c in the catabolism of hydroperoxide.

Both oleic acid and oleate hydroperoxide at concentrations below 200 nmol/mg asolectin remarkably depressed the proton pumping of cytochrome c oxidase reconstituted into liposomes but did not affect the respiratory control ratio. The inhibitory effect was comparable to that of N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. Oleate hydroperoxide in the vesicles was reduced by ferrocytochrome c in the absence of cytochrome oxidase and converted to the hydroxy fatty acid. This non-enzymatic oxidation of ferrocytochrome c affected slightly the proton pumping and the cytochrome c oxidation by liposomal cytochrome oxidase. A physiological role of ferrocytochrome c in catabolism of the hydroperoxide of fatty acids is thus suggested.     

Influence of N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline modification on proton translocation and membrane potential of reconstituted cytochrome-c oxidase support "proton slippage".

Bovine heart cytochrome-c oxidase was reconstituted in liposomes and modified with N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ). EEDQ reacted mainly with subunits II and III and to a lower extent with subunit I, as shown by difference labeling with [14C]dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. EEDQ treatment of cytochrome-c oxidase vesicles influenced ferrocytochrome c-induced proton pumping by reducing maximally the H+/e- stoichiometry from 0.84 (control) to 0.24, but had only small effects on respiration, respiratory control ratio, and proton conductivity of the proteoliposomes. By titrating the reaction rate of the control and the modified cytochrome-c oxidase vesicles versus the membrane potential, as measured with a Ph3MeP+ electrode, saturation curves are obtained, which in both cases approach 225 mV. The ratios of electron transport rates of the two proton pumps at various membrane potentials decrease between 160 and 225 mV from about 2.2 to 1, indicating that the nonlinear flow/force relationship of these proton pumps is at least partly due to "slippage" of proton pumping.     

Modification of flow-force relationships by external ATP in yeast mitochondria

The purpose of this work is to measure protonmotive force and cytochrome reduction level under different respiratory steady states in isolated yeast mitochondria. The rate of respiration was varied by using three sets of conditions: (a) different external phosphate concentrations with a fixed concentration of ADP (ATP synthesis) and (b) different concentrations of carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone in the presence of oligomycin and carboxyatractylate (uncoupling) either in the absence or (c) in the presence of external ATP. ADP plus phosphate stimulates respiration more than uncoupler at the same protonmotive force value. However, the relationships between respiratory rate and protonmotive force were similar when stimulation was induced either by ADP + Pi or by carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone in the presence of ATP. At the same respiratory rate, cytochrome a + a3 is more reduced by uncoupler than by ADP + Pi additions. However, the relationships between respiratory rate and reduction level of cytochrome-c oxidase are similar both under ATP synthesis and with uncoupling conditions in the presence of external ATP. Control of respiration exerted by cytochrome-c oxidase, and support the view the condition mentioned above. This control was low when the respiratory rate was varied by the ATP synthesis rate; it increased as a function of the respiratory rate with uncoupler in the absence of ATP. ATP decreased this control under uncoupling conditions. These results suggest a regulatory effect of external ATP on cytochrome-c oxidase, and support the view that the relationships between respiratory rate and protonmotive force, on the one hand, and respiratory rate and the reduction level of cytochrome-c oxidase, on the other, depend respectively on the kinetic regulations of the system.     

Uncoupling Effect of Fatty Acids in Halo- and Alkalotolerant Bacterium Bacillus pseudofirmus FTU

Natural uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation, long-chain non-esterified fatty acids, cause uncoupling in the alkalo- and halotolerant bacterium Bacillus pseudofirmus FTU. The uncoupling effect in the bacterial cells was manifested as decrease of membrane potential and increase of respiratory activity. The membrane potential decrease was detected only in bacterial cells exhausted by their endogenous substrates. In proteoliposomes containing reconstituted bacterial cytochrome c oxidase, fatty acids caused a "mild" uncoupling effect by reducing membrane potential only at low rate of membrane potential generation. "Free respiration" induced by the "mild" uncouplers, the fatty acids, can be considered as possible mechanism responsible for adaptation of the bacteria to a constantly changed environment.     

Fusion of phospholipid vesicles reconstituted with cytochrome c oxidase and mitochondrial hydrophobic protein.

Reconstituted cytochrome oxidase liposomes were fused with liposomes reconstituted with mitochondrial hydrophobic protein, which acts as a membrane-bound uncoupler of cytochrome oxidase. Fusion was assayed by the loss of respiratory control of cytochrome oxidase as measured by the increased rate of ascorbate oxidation induced by hydrophobic protein when both proteins shared the same vesicles. Fusion was dependent on the presence of phosphatidylserine in the liposomes Ca++ in the aqueous medium. Phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylserine liposomes required higher concentrations of phosphatidylserine and Ca++ than did phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylserine liposomes. Cytochrome oxidase vesicles containing high concentrations of phosphatidylserine showed little or no respiratory control, while those with lower concentrations showed high respiratory control; respiratory control could be induced by fusing cytochrome oxidase vesicles containing high phosphatidylserine with protein-free liposomes containing low phosphatidylserine concentration. If cytochrome oxidase vesicles and hydrophobic protein vesicles were prefused separately for 15 min, they lost the ability to fuse upon being subsequently mixed together. The reconstituted vesicles had diameters of about 200 A; fusion yielded vesicles with diameters in excess of 1000 A.     

Fusion of phospholipid vesicles reconstituted with cytochromec oxidase and mitochondrial hydrophobic protein

Summary Reconstituted cytochrome oxidase liposomes were fused with liposomes reconstituted with mitochondrial hydrophobic protein, which acts as a membrane-bound uncoupler of cytochrome oxidase. Fusion was assayed by the loss of respiratory control of cytochrome oxidase as measured by the increased rate of ascorbate oxidation induced by hydrophobic protein when both proteins shared the same vesicles. Fusion was dependent on the presence of phosphatidylserine in the liposomes and Ca⁺⁺ in the aqueous medium. Phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylserine liposomes required higher concentrations of phosphatidylserine and Ca⁺⁺ than did phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylserine liposomes. Cytochrome oxidase vesicles containing high concentrations of phosphatidylserine showed little or no respiratory control, while those with lower concentrations showed high respiratory control; respiratory control could be induced by fusing cytochrome oxidase vesicles containing high phosphatidylserine with protein-free liposomes containing low phosphatidylserine concentration. If cytochrome oxidase vesicles and hydrophobic protein vesicles were prefused separately for 15 min, they lost the ability to fuse upon being subsequently mixed together. The reconstituted vesicles had diameters of about 200 Å; fusion yielded vesicles with diameters in excess of 1000 Å.     

Specific effects of ATP on the kinetics of reconstituted bovine heart cytochrome-c oxidase

Bovine heart cytochrome-c oxidase was reconstituted in liposomes and the kinetics of cytochrome c oxidation were measured by the polarographic and photometric method under uncoupled conditions in the presence of various polyvalent anions. In order to distinguish between specific and unspecific ionic effects of ATP, the photolabelling reagent 8-azido-ATP was applied. Covalently bound ATP at the enzyme complex caused the same increase of Km for cytochrome c as free ATP, if measured by the photometric assay. The increase of Km by photolabelling with 8-azido-ATP was completely prevented by ATP, but not by ADP. The data indicate the occurrence of a specific binding site for ATP at the cytosolic side of cytochrome-c oxidase, which, after binding of ATP, changes the kinetics of cytochrome c oxidation.     

Isoforms of human cytochrome-c oxidase. Subunit composition and steady-state kinetic properties.

The subunit pattern and the steady-state kinetics of cytochrome-c oxidase from human heart, muscle, kidney and liver were investigated. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of immunopurified cytochrome-c oxidase preparations suggest that isoforms of subunit VIa exist, which show differences in staining intensity and electrophoretic mobility. No differences in subunit pattern were observed between the other nucleus-encoded subunits of the various cytochrome-c oxidase preparations. Tissue homogenates, in which cytochrome-c oxidase was solubilised with laurylmaltoside, were directly used in the assays to study the cytochrome-c oxidase steady-state kinetics. Cytochrome-c oxidase concentrations were determined by immunopurification followed by separation and densitometric analysis of subunit IV. When studied in a medium of low ionic strength, the biphasic kinetics of the steady-state reaction between human ferrocytochrome c and the four human cytochrome-c oxidase preparations revealed large differences for the low-affinity TNmax (maximal turnover number) value, ranging from 77 s-1 for kidney to 273 s-1 for liver cytochrome-c oxidase at pH 7.4, I = 18 mM. It is proposed that the low-affinity kinetic phase reflects an internal electron-transfer step. For the steady-state reaction of human heart cytochrome-c oxidase with human cytochrome c, Km and TNmax values of 9 microM and 114 s-1 were found, respectively, at high ionic strength (I = 200 mM, pH 7.4). Only minor differences were observed in the steady-state activity of the various human cytochrome-c oxidases. The interaction between human cytochrome-c oxidase and human cytochrome-c proved to be highly specific. At high ionic strength, a large decrease in steady-state activity was observed when reduced horse, rat or bovine cytochrome c was used as substrate. Both the steady-state TNmax and Km parameters were strongly affected by the type of cytochrome c used. Our findings emphasize the importance of using human cytochrome c in kinetic assays performed with tissues from patients with a suspected cytochrome-c oxidase deficiency.     

Copper deprivation potentiates oxidative stress in HL-60 cell mitochondria.

Cytochrome-c oxidase is the copper-dependent terminal respiratory complex (complex IV) of the mitochondrial electron transport chain whose activity in a variety of tissues is lowered by copper deficiency. Because inhibition of respiratory complexes increases the production of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria, it is possible that copper deficiency increases oxidative stress in mitochondria as a consequence of suppressed cytochrome-c oxidase activity. In this study, the activities of respiratory complex I + III, assayed as NADH:cytochrome-c reductase, complex II + III, assayed as succinate:cytochrome-c reductase, complex IV, assayed as cytochrome-c oxidase, and fumarase were measured in mitochondria from HL-60 cells that were grown for seven passages in serum-free medium that was either unsupplemented or supplemented with 50 n M CuSO4. Fumarase activity was not affected by copper supplementation, but the complex I + III:fumarase and complex IV:fumarase ratios were reduced 30% and 50%, respectively, in mitochondria from cells grown in the absence of supplemental copper. This indicates that copper deprivation suppressed the electron transfer activity of copper-independent complex I + III as well as copper-dependent complex IV. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) content was also increased 49% overall in the cells grown in the absence of supplemental copper. Furthermore, protein carbonyl groups, indicative of oxidative modification, were present in 100-kDa and 90-kDa proteins of mitochondria from copper-deprived cells. These findings indicate that in cells grown under conditions of copper deprivation that suppress cytochrome-c oxidase activity, oxidative stress in mitochondria is increased sufficiently to induce MnSOD, potentiate protein oxidation, and possibly cause the oxidative inactivation of complex I.     

The effect of non-esterified fatty acids on the proton-pumping cytochrome c oxidase reconstituted into liposomes.

Bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase was reconstituted in phospholipid vesicles, and the effect of different non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) was studied on its proton pump and on the proton permeability of the vesicles. Neither parameter appeared to be affected by concentrations of NEFA known to uncouple oxidative phosphorylation (10 microM). Also the permeability for K+ was not affected by them. The fatty acids caused an increase in the rate of electron transfer in the absence, but not in the presence, of uncoupler and/or valinomycin [diminution of the respiratory-control index (RCI)]. The RCI of 8.7-7.5 was decreased to about 4.5 in the presence of 0.27-10 microM-NEFA. Oleic acid was not effective at the above concentrations. Subunit III-depleted enzyme preparations gave vesicles with an RCI of about 5.5, which was decreased to 4.5 in the presence of NEFA. With both native and subunit III-depleted oxidase the RCI was never decreased to the value of 1 by NEFA, as happens with classical protonophores.     

RESPIRATION AND PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI MEMBRANE-ENVELOPE FRAGMENTS : II. Effects of Fatty Acids and Albumin on Respiration

Fatty acids inhibited the ability of Escherichia coli membrane-envelope fragments to catalyze the oxidation of succinate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form (NADH) and also inhibited the response of the Clark oxygen electrode to nonenzymatic oxygen uptake. In all cases, unsaturated fatty acids were much more inhibitory than saturated fatty acids. Albumin afforded complete protection from inhibition in the nonenzymatic oxygen-uptake experiments but only partial protection for the respiratory activities of the membrane fragments. The succinoxidase activity was totally inhibited by bovine serum albumin at concentrations that inhibited succinate dehydrogenase only slightly and NADH oxidase not at all. The E. coli acellular preparation showed no dehydrogenase or oxidase activity for any of the fatty acids under a variety of conditions. These conditions included variations of pH, concentration of fatty acids, and the presence or absence of albumin, CoA, ATP, NAD, cysteine, succinate, and carnitine. It thus appears that E. coli grown in the absence of fatty acid can not use fatty acids as an energy source.     

Purification of the Chlorella HUP1 hexose—proton symporter to homogeneity and its reconstitution in vitro

A prokaryotic biotin acceptor domain was fused to the carboxy terminal end of the Chlorella hexose—proton sym- porter. The plant symporter is biotinylated in vivo when expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The extended biotinylated transport protein is fully active, catalyzes accumulation of d -glucose analogs and restores growth of a glucose-uptake-deficient yeast strain. Crude membranes were solubilized with octyl-β-d -glucoside in the presence of Escherichia colil -α-phosphatidylethanolamine. Biotinylated symporter was purified to homogeneity by biotinavidin affinity chromatography. The symporter protein was reconstituted together with cytochrome-c oxidase prepared from beef heart mitochondria into proteo-liposomes. Cytochrome-c oxidase is a redox-driven H⁺-pump generating a proton motive force (inside negative and alkaline) while transferring electrons from cytochrome-c to oxygen; this energy is used by the symporter to accumulate d -glucose at least 30-fold. In the absence of the driving force the transport protein facilitates diffusion of d -glucose until the concentration equilibrium is reached. It was shown that maximal transport activity depends highly on the amount of co-reconstituted cytochrome-c oxidase and that the symporter possesses 10% of its in vivo turnover number under optimized in vitro transport conditions.     

Differential adaptation of membranes of two osmotolerant fungi,Aspergillus chevalieri and Penicillium expansum to high sucrose concentrations

Aspergillus chevalieri and Penicillium expansum were able to tolerate sucrose concentrations in the growth media up to 80% (w/v). At 50% sucrose the growth rate is approximately 1.4 and 1.2 times, respectively, higher than in the control. While at 80% sucrose it drops to 35% and 45% of the control level for both fungi. Lipids and proteins in plasma membranes increased with increasing sucrose concentrations in the growth medium. Phospholipid content in membranes of both organisms being also increased, phosphatidyl glycerol was the major detected phospholipid and represented the highest increase. The fatty acid composition of fraction enriched plasma membrane of both fungi changed when they were grown in high sucrose concentrations. Some fatty acids which had not been detected in control cultures were present and the proportions of other fatty acids changed. At 50% sucrose the unsaturation index of membranes decreased by 20-25% in both fungi, indicating that the plasma membrane is less fluid at this concentration. At 80% sucrose a similar trend was observed for P. expansum but for A. chevalieri the unsaturation index was little changed compared with the control. The fluorescence polarization values of 1,6-diphenyl 1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) in membranes of both fungi grown at 80% sucrose increased, indicating a decrease in membrane fluidity. At 50% sucrose the increase in saturation of membrane fatty acids would tend to reduce membrane fluidity but in A. chevalieri at 80% sucrose fatty acids did not become more saturated. In this case the marked increase in sterols at this sucrose concentration may be responsible for low membrane fluidity.     

The time-course development of the effects of ethanol ingestion on choline oxidase

Male rats were fed a low-fat diet containing 36% of calories as ethanol, and the time-course development of the effects of ethanol on liver mitochondrial oxidation of choline was determined. Ethanol induced an increase in choline oxidase at days 2, 5 and 7 after being introduced into the diet. Due to an observed 32% increase in total fatty acids in the whole liver, defatted bovine serum albumin was added to the buffer used to homogenize the liver. The presence of bovine serum albumim resulted in a significant decrease in choline oxidase activity at days 2 and 5; however, ethanol still induced an increase in choline oxidase activity in these mitochondria. The total fatty acid concentration of mitochondria prepared in the absence of bovine serum albumin increased steadily until day 5; however, by day 7 the fatty acid concentration had returned to control levels. The addition of bovine serum albumin to the homogenization medium prevented the increase in the total amount of fatty acids. The fatty acid composition of the bovine serum albumin-treated mitochondria, however, was not different from the mitochondria is isolated in the absence of bovine serum albumin. Further, the addition of a free fatty acid to isolated mitochondrial preparations caused about a 100% increase in choline oxidase. These data are consistent with the idea that choline oxidase may be regulated to some extent by an influx or an increase in free fatty acids in the liver as a result of ethanol ingestion. Thus, a second mechanism has been described which contributes to the increase in choline oxidase after ethanol ingestion.     

Characterization and application of a thermostable primary transport system: cytochrome-C oxidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus

Cytochrome-c oxidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus has been purified to homogeneity by detergent extraction followed by DEAE-cellulose, hydroxyapatite- and gel-filtration chromatography. The enzyme is a typical cytochrome-aa3-type oxidase which binds carbon monoxide and is sensitive to classical oxidase inhibitors like cyanide and azide. The purified enzyme is composed of three different subunits (57, 37 and 22 kDa). The subunit with intermediate molecular mass contains a covalently attached heme-c moiety. The enzyme appeared to be extremely thermostable (inactivation temperature = 81 degrees C). Highest turnover rates of the reconstituted enzyme were obtained with Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytochrome c or reduced forms of non-physiological electron donors like N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine and phenazine methosulphate. The reconstituted enzyme can generate a proton-motive force consisting of a high membrane potential and trans-membrane pH gradient. The high electro-motive force of the enzyme (delta p = -180 to -200 mV) indicates that this enzyme functions as a high-capacity electrogenic proton pump. Liposomes containing the purified thermostable and thermoactive cytochrome-c oxidase were fused with membranes from the fermentative bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum. In the hybrid system a high proton-motive force can be generated upon oxidation of reduced N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine by the incorporated oxidase which subsequently can be used to drive secondary transport of amino acids. This demonstrates the applicability of the cytochrome-c oxidase to study solute transport in membranes of fermentative bacteria.     

The microaerophilic respiration of Campylobacter mucosalis

A model is proposed for the respiratory adaptation to falling oxygen concentration during growth of the microaerophilic bacterium Campylobacter mucosalis. During the early stages of growth, the oxidation of formate is a two-stage branched process involving the production of H2O2 followed by its peroxidatic removal. In later stages of growth, at lower oxygen concentrations, the predominant electron flow is linear to a membrane-bound cytochrome-c oxidase which reduces O2 directly to H2O. Several components of this model have been investigated. H2O2 was produced during formate oxidation and accumulated when electron transfer to the cytochrome-c peroxidase was inhibited. A cytochrome c-553, of the Class 1 types, was purified and shown to be the specific electron donor to both the peroxidase and the membrane-bound oxidase. The levels of this cytochrome c and of the peroxidase were higher in cells harvested early in growth. In later stages of growth, the activity of the membrane-bound oxidase increased. Proton pumping across the membrane was detected with either H2O2 or oxygen as terminal electron acceptor. The novel energy-conserving role of H2O2 in this catalase-negative bacterium is discussed in relation to its microaerophilic nature.     

Inhibition of 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid oxidation and of bile acid secretion in rat liver by fatty acids

In isolated rat hepatocytes, fatty acids inhibited the side chain oxidation, but not the uptake, of exogenously added 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid (THCA). THCA did not inhibit fatty acid oxidation. In liver homogenates, fatty acids inhibited THCA activation to its CoA ester (THC-CoA) and THCA oxidation. THCA did not influence fatty acid activation or oxidation. Comparison of the THC-CoA concentrations present in the incubation mixtures during THCA oxidation, with substrate concentration curves determined for THC-CoA oxidation, indicated that the inhibition of THCA oxidation by fatty acids was at least partly exerted at the activation step. The inhibition of THCA activation by fatty acids was noncompetitive. Palmitoyl-CoA at concentrations found in the incubation mixtures during THCA oxidation in the presence of palmitate inhibited THC-CoA oxidation, but not sufficiently to fully explain the fatty acid-induced inhibition of THCA oxidation. The inhibition of THC-CoA oxidation by palmitoyl-CoA did not seem to be competitive. Acyl-CoA oxidase, the first enzyme of peroxisomal beta-oxidation (which catalyzes the side chain oxidation of THCA), was enhanced 15-fold in liver homogenates from clofibrate-treated rats when palmitoyl-CoA was the substrate, but the oxidase activity remained unaltered when THC-CoA was the substrate. In the perfused liver, oleate, infused after a wash-out period of 60 min, markedly inhibited bile acid secretion. The results 1) suggest that fatty acids inhibit THCA metabolism both at the activation step and at the peroxisomal beta-oxidation sequence and that separate enzymes may be involved in both the activation and peroxisomal beta-oxidation of fatty acids and THCA and 2) raise the question whether fatty acids might (indirectly?) affect overall bile acid synthesis via their inhibitory effect on THCA metabolism.     

Nitrite biotransformation by mitochondria from the earthworm Eisenia foetida (Savigny).

1. Nitrite oxidase and cytochrome-c oxidase activity catalysed by cytochrome-aa3 were assayed in earthworms and rats. 2. Cytochrome-aa3 and intact mitochondria from the two species were anaerobically incubated in the presence of nitrite; the occurrence of mitochondria-induced nitrite biotransformations was evaluated by monitoring nitrite recovery in incubation medium. Possible nitric oxide production was also tested. 3. The ratio nitrite oxidase/cytochrome-c oxidase activity was much higher in earthworms than in rats. 4. Under anaerobic conditions and in the presence of respiratory substrates, earthworm mitochondria produced a time-dependent loss of nitrite in the incubation medium. On the contrary, rat mitochondria are unable to decrease environmental nitrite concentration. 5. Results support the notion that metabolic properties of earthworm mitochondria can be considered as an adaptation to chronic nitrite exposure, this toxicant being typically present in natural habitats of these worms.     

Effect of diets rich in medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides on lipogenic-enzyme gene expression in liver and adipose tissue of the weaned rat.

The activity and mRNA concentrations of two lipogenic enzymes, fatty-acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase were measured in the liver and white adipose tissue of rats weaned to a carbohydrate-rich diet containing either long-chain or medium-chain fatty acids, and compared to those of rats weaned on a diet containing less than 1% (total energy) fat (high-carbohydrate diet). In the liver, the diet containing long-chain fatty acids inhibited the increase of both lipogenic-enzyme mRNA concentrations and activities seen at weaning on the high-carbohydrate diet but did not prevent the decrease in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA and activity. In contrast, the diet containing medium-chain fatty acids induced a slower but finally similar increase in lipogenic-enzyme mRNA concentrations and activities. In adipose tissue, a similar trend was observed, although the inhibitory effect of the diet containing long-chain fatty acids was considerably less marked than in liver. It is concluded that medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids have not the same inhibitory potency of the gene expression of lipogenic enzymes, and that long-chain fatty acids have a more marked effect in the liver.     

Control of adenine nucleotide metabolism in hepatic mitochondria from rats with ethanol-induced fatty liver

Male rats developed fatty liver after being fed on an ethanol-containing diet for 31 days. Liver mitochondria from these animals catalysed ATP synthesis at a slower rate when compared with mitochondria from pair-fed control rats (control mitochondria), and demonstrated lowered respiratory control with succinate as substrate, owing to a decrease in the State-3 respiratory rate. Respiration in the presence of uncoupler was comparable in mitochondria from both groups of rats. Translocation of both ATP and ADP was decreased in mitochondria from ethanol-fed rats, with ADP uptake being lowered more dramatically by ethanol feeding. Parameters influencing adenine nucleotide translocation were investigated in mitochondria from ethanol-fed rats. Experiments performed suggested that lowered adenine nucleotide translocation in these mitochondria is not the result of inhibition of the translocase by either long-chain acyl-CoA derivatives or unesterified fatty acids. Analysis of endogenous adenine nucleotides in these mitochondria revealed lowered ATP concentrations, but no decrease in total adenine nucleotides. In experiments where the endogenous ATP in these mitochondria was shifted to higher concentrations by incubation with oxidizable substrates or defatted bovine serum albumin, the rate of ADP translocation was increased, with a linear correlation being observed between endogenous ATP concentrations and the rate of ADP translocation. The depressed ATP concentration in mitochondria from ethanol-fed rats suggests that the ATP synthetase complex is replenishing endogenous ATP at a slower rate. The lowered ATPase activity of the ATP synthetase observed in submitochondrial particles from ethanol-fed animals suggests a decrease in the function of the synthetase complex. A decrease in the rate of ATP synthesis in mitochondria from ethanol-fed rats is sufficient to explain the decreased ADP translocation and State-3 respiration.