Measurement of proton leakage across mitochondrial inner membranes and its relation to protonmotive force

Nucleotide effects on liver and muscle mitochondrial non-phosphorylating respiration and membrane potential

Uncoupling protein-1 homologs are hypothesized to mediate mitochondrial proton leak. To test this hypothesis, we determined the effects of ATP and other nucleotides on liver and skeletal muscle mitochondrial non-phosphorylating respiration (VO(2)), membrane potential, FCCP-stimulated respiratory control ratios, and swelling. Neither ATP nor CTP affected liver or muscle proton leak, but both inhibited the respiratory chain. Unexpectedly, CMP stimulated liver proton leak (EC(50) approximately 4.4+/-0.5 mM). Using CMP chromatography, we identified two proteins (M(r)=31.2 and 32.6 kDa) from liver mitochondria that are similar in size to members of the mitochondrial carrier protein family. We conclude (a) liver and muscle mitochondrial proton leak is insensitive to ATP and CTP, and (b) CMP activates a leak in liver mitochondria. The CMP-inducible leak may be mediated by a 30-32 kDa protein. Based on the high concentrations required, CMP is unlikely to be a physiologically important leak regulator. Nonetheless, our results show that tissues other than brown fat have inducible leaks that may be protein-mediated.

Activation by ATP of a proton-conducting pathway in yeast mitochondria

The growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells under aerobic conditions, in the presence of an energy-rich source, leads to production of an excess of NAD(P)H. Since the redox balance must be maintained, it has been postulated that NAD(P)H reoxidation is accelerated by the activation of energy-dissipating reactions, which would, in turn, explain the low growth efficiencies observed. It has been demonstrated already in S. cerevisiae cultures that these putative energy-dissipating reactions are stimulated both by oxygen and high cytosolic ATP levels. In this paper, we show that ATP induces a proton-permeability pathway in mitochondria at concentrations which are within the physiological range, as revealed both from the ATP stimulation of respiration and from the induction of H(+)-dependent swelling. We also demonstrate that phosphate acts as a competitive inhibitor of the nucleotide, and since activation is observed even in the presence of atractylate, we postulate that the ATP-binding site is located in the outer face of the mitochondrial inner membrane.