Mitochondria oxidize substrates to generate the ATP that fuels muscle contraction and locomotion. This review focuses on three steps in oxidative phosphorylation that have independent roles in setting the overall mitochondrial ATP flux and thereby have direct impact on locomotion. The first is the electron transport chain, which sets the pace for oxidation. New studies indicate that the electro...

Mitochondria are known to play a central role in life history processes, being the main source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which promote oxidative constraint. Surprisingly, although the main role of the mitochondria is to produce ATP, the plasticity of mitochondrial ATP generation has received little attention in life history studies. Yet, mitochondrial energy transduction represents the ...

From time of their discovery, sarcolemmal ATP-sensitive K+ (sarcK ATP) channels were thought to have an important protective role in the heart during stress whereby channel opening protects the heart from stress-induced Ca2+ overload and resulting damage. In contrast, some recent studies indicate that sarcK ATP channel closing can lead to cardiac protection. Also, the role of the sarcK ATP chan...

Recent studies have shown the importance of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K(ATP)) in cardioprotection, and studies in vitro have shown that the benzopyran analog (3R)-trans- 4-((4-chlorophenyl)-N-(1H-imidazol-2-ylmethyl)dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-6-carbonitril monohydrochloride (BMS-191095) is a selective mitochondrial K(ATP) opener with cardioprotective activity. The goal of th...

The regulation of cardiac cellular bioenergetics is critical for maintaining normal cell function, yet the nature of this regulation is not fully understood. Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain how mitochondrial ATP production is regulated to match changing cellular energy demand while metabolite concentrations are maintained. We have developed an integrated mathematical model of...

Mitochondria are double membrane-bounded organelles that form a dynamic tubular network. Mitochondria energetic functions depend on a complex internal architecture. Cristae, inner membrane invaginations that fold into the matrix space, are proposed to be the site of oxidative phosphorylation, reactions by which ATP synthase produces ATP. ATP synthase is also thought to have a role in crista mor...

The adverse effects of high environmental temperature exposure on animal reproductive functions have been concerned for many decades. However, the molecular basis of heat stress (HS)-induced decrease of sperm motility has not been entirely elucidated. We hypothesized that the deteriorate effects of HS may be mediated by damage of mitochondrial function and ATP synthesis. To test this hypothesis...

The human heart consumes kilogram quantities of ATP daily to support persistent pump function. The vast majority of this ATP (>95%) is produced by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) accounts for ≈60% to 90% of ATP production, whereas catabolism of carbohydrates contributes the remaining 10% to 40%. To support this high demand for ATP produ...

BACKGROUND Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated as a mediator of "second-window" ischemic preconditioning, and mitochondrial ATP-dependent K(+) (mitoK(ATP)) channels are the likely effectors. The links between NO and mitoK(ATP) channels are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured mitochondrial redox potential as an index of mitoK(ATP) channel opening in rabbit ventricular myocytes. The NO d...

The existence of a mitochondrial interactosome (MI) has been currently well established in mammalian cells but the exact composition of this super-complex is not precisely known, and its organization seems to be different from that in yeast. One major difference is the absence of mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK) in yeast, unlike that described in the organization model of MI, especially in ...