Effects of cumene hydroperoxide on the Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ efflux from mitochondria and on the viability of hepatoma cells.

Effects of cumene hydroperoxide on the Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ efflux from mitochondria isolated from rat liver and Zaidelja hepatoma were compared. Cumene hydroperoxide at micromolar concentrations (0.3-10 microM) prevented the closing of the permeability transition pore in the inner mitochondrial membrane and, therefore, potentiated the Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ efflux.

Polypeptide composition of submitochondrial fractions of normal liver tissue and Zajdela hepatoma.

The polypeptide composition of liver and Zajdela hepatoma mitochondria is compared. Polypeptides of mitochondria and submitochondrial fractions (the outer and the inner mitochondrial membranes, the intermembrane and the matrix spaces of mitochondria) were separated by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The percentage content of each polypeptide was evaluated after scanning gels using a differential spectrophotometer-densitometer.

Direct participation of phospholipids in transmembrane K(+)-transport.

The correlation between the characteristics of K(+)-transport across the mitochondrial and bilayer lipid membranes formed form mitochondrial lipids has been demonstrated. It has been shown that different modes of K(+)-efflux activation in mitochondria result in the appearance of K(+)-transporting phospholipid forms. The experiments described in this work suggest that current fluctuations similar to those observed for biological channels can be registered in unmodified bilayer lipid membranes containing no protein components.

The role of cytoplasmic [Ca2+] in glucose-induced inhibition of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation in Ehrlich ascites tumour cells: a novel mechanism of the Crabtree effect.

The effect of Ca2+ on energy-coupling parameters of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma was studied in digitonin-permeabilized cells. In nominally Ca-free medium the permeabilized cells respond to the addition of ADP by increased oxygen uptake with externally added respiratory substrates (succinate or pyruvate), decrease of the mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi) and alkalinization of the medium. This typical behaviour is drastically changed if Ca2+ is added.

Changes in phospholipids during the cell cycle of myxomycete Physarum polycephalum.

The rate of 32Pi incorporation into the main membrane phospholipid fractions, i.e. phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI), as well as their contents in the cells during synchronous growth of the myxomycete, Physarum polycephalum, have been studied.

The Ca(2+)-induced permeability transition pore is involved in Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial oscillations. A study on permeabilised Ehrlich ascites tumour cells.

The Ca(2+)-induced permeability transition of the mitochondrial inner membrane was studied in digitonin-permeabilized Ehrlich ascites tumour cells respiring on succinate in an isotonic medium. Addition of a sufficient amount of Ca2+ to induce an efflux of accumulated Ca2+ from mitochondria produced an oscillatory state with periodically changing rates of respiration, transmembrane potential, delta pH and direction of Ca2+ fluxes. This contrasts with liver mitochondria in which only a Ca2+ efflux is induced under these conditions.

Inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism eliminate the increase in cytosolic free calcium induced by the mitogen concanavalin A in rat thymocytes.

Using inhibitors of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, the possible involvement of AA products in the generation of [Ca2+]i and the pHi rise induced by the mitogen concanavalin A (Con A) in rat thymocytes has been studied. The lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA, 10 microM) and the phospholipase A2 inhibitor bromophenacyl bromide (10 microM) eliminated the [Ca2+]i signal induced by Con A; the cyclooxygenase blocker indomethacin also inhibited it. However, neither NDGA nor indomethacin suppressed the pHi rise stimulated by Con A.

Spatial structures in mitochondrial suspension induced by cation efflux.

The formation of spatial structures in a thin unstirred layer of a mitochondrial suspension has been studied. It is shown that the structure formation depends on the state of the ion-transporting systems of mitochondria and that pattern development coincides with the activation of cation efflux from preloaded mitochondria. Spatial structure formation is an energy-dependent process and is suppressed by respiratory chain inhibitors.

Participation of endogenous fatty acids in Ca2+ release activation from mitochondria.

A correlation between the rate of H+/Ca2+ exchange and the content of free fatty acids in mitochondria has been found. Fatty acids were isolated from mitochondria with different activities of H+/Ca2+ exchange. It has been shown that these free fatty acids are able to induce Ca2+ release in exchange to protons after being added to freshly isolated mitochondria.

Changes in the composition of membrane phospholipids during the cell cycle of Escherichia coli.

Phospholipid concentrations have been estimated throughout the successive cell cycle in synchronously growing culture of E. coli B/r. Total phospholipid phosphorus was shown to be doubled in the period of time between two cell divisions, whereas during the division itself it did not change.

Thermal stability of soluble mitochondrial H+-ATPase.

ATPase melting has been studied by circular dichroism and differential scanning microcalorimetry. Decomposition of the alpha-helix of H+-ATPase (in which about 80% of the peptide groups of the enzyme are involved) following thermal treatment is shown to proceed gradually, beginning with room temperature. Effect of nucleotides upon melting is detected in the range of 20 degrees--40 degrees C.