The effect of mersalyl on the oxidation of succinate by housefly mitochondria

Some properties of mitochondria isolated from the flight muscle of the periodical cicada, Magicicada septendecim

Mitochondria from the flight muscle of the periodical cicada oxidize pyruvate and d-glycerol 1-phosphate at rates comparable with those obtained with flight-muscle mitochondria from other insects. The oxidation of d-glycerol 1-phosphate is greatly stimulated by low concentrations of Ca(2+). However, oxidative phosphorylation with this substrate is optimum over only a narrow range of Ca(2+) concentration, because of the ability of these mitochondria actively to accumulate Ca(2+) present at micromolar concentrations. The oxidation of pyruvate via the complete tricarboxylic acid cycle is enhanced by high concentrations of phosphate. When both pyruvate and d-glycerol 1-phosphate are present simultaneously, there is no simple summation of the rates obtained with the substrates singly. Acetyl-l-carnitine, palmitoyl-l-carnitine, glutamate and 2-oxoglutarate are oxidized at rates similar to those obtained with mammalian mitochondria, though lower than those obtained with the two prime substrates. However, no other tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates added to the medium were oxidized. From these and other observations it has been concluded that these mitochondria possess a previously undescribed combination of substrate-anion permeases.