Neuronal function in the brain requires energy in the form of ATP, and mitochondria are canonically associated with ATP production in neurons. The electrochemical gradient, which underlies the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi(mem)), is harnessed for ATP generation. Here we show that DeltaPsi(mem) and ATP-production can be engaged in mitochondria isolated from human brains up to 8...

There have been several reports describing paracrystalline arrays in the intermembrane space of mitochondria. On closer inspection these structures appear to be junctions of two adjoining membranes. There are two types. They can be formed between the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes (designated outer-inner membrane junctions) or between two cristal membranes (intercristal membrane juncti...

(1) Activation of rat liver mitochondrial functions following glucagon treatment was demonstrated in mitochondria that had not been isolated by the conventional technique of differential centrifugation and washing in sucrose solutions. Crude liver homogenates in 0.3 M-sucrose or 0.15 M-KCI prepared from rats treated with glucagon showed stimulation of State-3 and uncoupled respiration, carboxyl...

Soybean suspension cell cultures were treated by H2O2 or nitric oxide (NO), to assess the mechanism leading to programmed cell death (PCD). Hydrogen peroxide (5 mM) induced PCD. Cells become necrotic at 20 mM H2O2, with cells exhibiting intermediate hallmarks before that (necrapoptotic cells). The level of ATP and of glucose-6-phosphate remained constant in cells undergoing PCD, while it decrea...

Initial rates of [3H]adenosine diphosphate and [3H]adenosine triphosphate uptake were measured in mitochondria isolated from normal rat liver, regenerating liver, mouse hepatoma BW7756, and four Morris hepatomas (7777, 7800, 7794A, and 16) of varying degrees of malignancy. Results obtained demonstrate that (a) the apparent Km and Vmax values for adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate ...

Growing yeast spheroplasts were shown to have, on the average, four times the number of cytoplasmic ribosomes in contact with the outer mitochondrial membrane compared to starved spheroplasts. Ribosomes in contact with mitochondria in the growing spheroplast preparation, like free cytoplasmic ribosomes, exist primarily as polysome structures. In the starved spheroplast preparation, both mitocho...

A Thai plant Clitoria macrophylla Wall. was claimed to possess some pharmacological activities. The phytochemical studies reported a rotenoid compound, 6-deoxyclitoriacetal, which exhibits the cytotoxic effect in several cell line experiments. This report was to study the effect of 6-deoxyclitoriacetal on rat liver mitochondria, which may associated to its cytotoxic phenomena. Mitochondrial sus...

A Thai plant Clitoria macrophylla Wall. was claimed to possess some pharmacological activities. The phytochemical studies reported a rotenoid compound, 6-deoxyclitoriacetal, which exhibits the cytotoxic effect in several cell line experiments. This report was to study the effect of 6-deoxyclitoriacetal on rat liver mitochondria, which may associated to its cytotoxic phenomena. Mitochondrial sus...

Abstract Background Mitochondrial dysfunction is a critical factor in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, mitochondrial transplantation has been advised as an innovative attractive strategy to transfer replace damaged mitochondria. Here we propose, for first time, use rat brain extracted synaptosomes, subcellular fraction isolated synaptic terminal that contains m...