Ricerche Sul Rigonfiamento di Piccola Ampiezza in Mitocondri Isolati di Pisello

Abstract

Low amplitude swelling in isolated pea mitochondria. — The authors have studied the volume changes of isolated pea internode mitochondria occurring in a medium which allows the oxidative activity to proceed. With succinate as substrate respiratory control ratios as high as 9 have been obtained. They can be taken as an index of a tight coupling of mitochondria. The adding of succinate induces on the other hand a slight but continuous swelling which is strongly enhanced by ADP or ATP. Inhibitors of the respiratory chain like antimycin A and of the phosphorylation reactions like atractylate or oligomycin block completely the ADP or ATP-induced swelling. 2,4-dinitrophenol at 5×10^?6 M concentration exerts a strong inhibitory action on succinate oxidation and on swelling. Both actions of 2,4-DNP can be reversed by ATP. It can be concluded from these findings that the substances which slow down or abolish the oxidative and phosphorylative reactions inhibit also mitochondrial swelling. This type of volume changes appears therefore to be strictly energy-dependent.