http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/corefacilities/esr/publications/buettnerpubs/pdf/FRBM-2001-30-1191-FQS-Redox.pdf

Redox environment of the cell as viewed through the redox state of the glutathione disulfide/glutathione couple.

[This corrects the article on p. 100 in vol. 41.].

Energy conservation in chemotrophic anaerobic bacteria.

Irrespective of the morphological features of end-stage cell death (that may be apoptotic, necrotic, autophagic, or mitotic), mitochondrial membrane permeabilization (MMP) is frequently the decisive event that delimits the frontier between survival and death. Thus mitochondrial membranes constitute the battleground on which opposing signals combat to seal the cell's fate. Local players that determine the propensity to MMP include the pro- and antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, proteins from the mitochondrialpermeability transition pore complex, as well as a plethora of interacting partners including mitochondrial lipids. Intermediate metabolites, redox processes, sphingolipids, ion gradients, transcription factors, as well as kinases and phosphatases link lethal and vital signals emanating from distinct subcellular compartments to mitochondria. Thus mitochondria integrate a variety of proapoptotic signals. Once MMP has been induced, it causes the release of catabolic hydrolases and activators of such enzymes (including those of caspases) from mitochondria. These catabolic enzymes as well as the cessation of the bioenergetic and redox functions of mitochondria finally lead to cell death, meaning that mitochondria coordinate the late stage of cellular demise. Pathological cell death induced by ischemia/reperfusion, intoxication with xenobiotics, neurodegenerative diseases, or viral infection also relies on MMP as a critical event. The inhibition of MMP constitutes an important strategy for the pharmaceutical prevention of unwarranted cell death. Conversely, induction of MMP in tumor cells constitutes the goal of anticancer chemotherapy.

Mitochondrial Membrane Permeabilization in Cell Death

50 years ago Peter Mitchell proposed the chemiosmotic hypothesis for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1978. His comprehensive review on chemiosmotic coupling known as the first "Grey Book", has been reprinted here with permission, to offer an electronic record and easy access to this important contribution to the biochemical literature. This remarkable account of Peter Mitchell's ideas originally published in 1966 is a landmark and must-read publication for any scientist in the field of bioenergetics. As far as was possible, the wording and format of the original publication have been retained. Some changes were required for consistency with BBA formats though these do not affect scientific meaning. A scanned version of the original publication is also provided as a downloadable file in Supplementary Information and can be found online at doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2011.09.018. See also Editorial in this issue by Peter R. Rich. Original title: CHEMIOSMOTIC COUPLING IN OXIDATIVE AND PHOTOSYNTHETIC PHOSPHORYLATION, by Peter Mitchell, Glynn Research Laboratories, Bodmin, Cornwall, England.

Chemiosmotic coupling in oxidative and photosynthetic phosphorylation

The mitochondrial permeability transition.

1 Pulses of acidity of the outer aqueous phase of rat liver mitochondrial suspensions induced by pulses of respiration are due to the translocation of H+ (or OH−) ions across the osmotic barrier (M phase) of the cristae membrane and cannot be attributed to the formation (with acid production) of a chemical intermediate that subsequently decomposes 2 The effective quantity of protons translocated per bivalent reducing equivalent passing through the succinate-oxidizing and β-hydroxybutyrate-oxidizing spans of the respiratory chain are very close to 4 and 6 respectively These quotients are constant between pH5·5 and 8·5 and are independent of changes in the ionic composition of the mitochondrial suspension medium provided that the conditions permit the accurate experimental measurement of the proton translocation 3 Apparent changes in the →H+/O quotients may be induced by conditions preventing the occurrence of the usual backlash; these apparent changes of →H+/O are attributable to a very fast electrically driven component of the decay of the acid pulses that is not included in the experimental extrapolations 4 Apparent changes in the →H+/O quotients may also be induced by the presence of anions, such as succinate, malonate and phosphate, or by cations such as Na+ These apparent changes of →H+/O are due to an increase in the rate of the pH-driven decay of the acid pulses 5 The uncoupling agents, 2,4-dinitrophenol, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone and gramicidin increase the effective proton conductance of the M phase and thus increase the rate of decay of the respiration-driven acid pulses, but do not change the initial →H+/O quotients The increase in effective proton conductance of the M phase caused by these uncouplers accounts quantitatively for their uncoupling action; and the fact that the initial →H+/O quotients are unchanged shows that uncoupler-sensitive chemical intermediates do not exist between the respiratory-chain system and the effective proton-translocating mechanism 6 Stoicheiometric acid–base changes associated with the activity of the regions of the respiratory chain on the oxygen side of the rotenone- and antimycin A-sensitive sites gives experimental support for a suggested configuration of loop 3

Respiration-driven proton translocation in rat liver mitochondria

1. Pulsed acid-base titrations of suspensions of rat-liver mitochondria under anaerobic equilibrium conditions show fast and slow titration processes. 2. The fast process is the titration of the outer aqueous phase of the mitochondria, which is continuous with the suspension medium, and the slow process can be identified with the titration of the inner aqueous phase of the mitochondria, which is separated from the outer aqueous phase by the non-aqueous osmotic barrier or M phase of the cristae membrane system. 3. The buffering power of the outer and inner phases have been separately measured over a range of pH values. 4. The rate of titration of the inner aqueous phase under a known protonmotive force across the M phase has been characterized by an effective proton conductance coefficient, which, near pH7 and at 25 degrees , is only 0.45mumho/cm.(2) of the M-phase membrane. 5. The low effective proton conductance of the M phase will account quantitatively for the observed respiratory control in state 4, assuming that oxidoreduction and phosphorylation are coupled by a circulating proton current as required by the chemi-osmotic hypothesis. 6. The addition of 2,4-dinitrophenol (or carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone) at normal uncoupling concentrations causes a large increase in the effective proton conductance of the M phase of the cristae membrane. 7. The increase of the effective proton conductance of the M phase by 2,4-dinitrophenol (or carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone) will account quantitatively for the short-circuiting effect of the uncoupling agent on the proton current and for the observed rise of the rate of respiration to that characteristic of state 3 or higher.

Acid–base titration across the membrane system of rat-liver mitochondria: Catalysis by uncouplers

Dr. Moyle and Dr. Mitchell answer criticisms of their interpretation of tests of the hypothesis proposed by Dr. Mitchell in 1961 to explain ATP synthesis in the inner membrane of mitochondria and of chloroplasts by a fuel-cell type of mechanism

Chemiosmotic hypothesis of oxidative phosphorylation.

Stoichiometry of Proton Translocation through the Respiratory Chain and Adenosine Triphosphatase Systems of Rat Liver Mitochondria

Evidence discriminating between the Chemical and the Chemiosmotic Mechanisms of Electron Transport Phosphorylation

Jennifer Moyle

Papers

Respiration-driven proton translocation in rat liver mitochondria

Acid–base titration across the membrane system of rat-liver mitochondria: Catalysis by uncouplers

Chemiosmotic hypothesis of oxidative phosphorylation.

Stoichiometry of Proton Translocation through the Respiratory Chain and Adenosine Triphosphatase Systems of Rat Liver Mitochondria

Evidence discriminating between the Chemical and the Chemiosmotic Mechanisms of Electron Transport Phosphorylation