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The molecular assembly of cells depends not only on the balance between anabolism and catabolism but to a large degree on the building blocks available in the environment. For cultured mammalian cells, this is largely determined by the composition of the applied growth medium. Here, we study the impact of lipids in the medium on mitochondrial membrane architecture and function by combining LC-MS/MS lipidomics and functional tests with lipid supplementation experiments in an otherwise serum-free and lipid-free cell culture model. We demonstrate that the composition of mitochondrial cardiolipins strongly depends on the lipid environment in cultured cells and favors the incorporation of essential linoleic acid over other fatty acids. Simultaneously, the mitochondrial respiratory complex I activity was altered, whereas the matrix-localized enzyme citrate synthase was unaffected. This raises the question on a link between membrane composition and respiratory control. In summary, we found a strong dependency of central mitochondrial features on the type of lipids contained in the growth medium. This underlines the importance of considering these factors when using and establishing cell culture models in biomedical research. In summary, we found a strong dependency of central mitochondrial features on the type of lipids contained in the growth medium., Graphical abstract

Significance Cardiolipins are a unique class of phospholipids in mitochondrial membranes that are crucial for cellular bioenergetics as they stabilize respiratory chain complexes. In contrast to most other phospholipids, cardiolipins are substituted with four, rather than only two fatty acyl side chains. Consequently, this opens up a vast number of different theoretically possible molecular lipid species. Experimentally assessing the molecular diversity of cardiolipin species is analytically challenging. In this study we successfully combine tandem mass spectrometry with a mathematical structural modeling approach, to achieve the comprehensive characterization of complex biological cardiolipin compositions., Current strategies used to quantitatively describe the biological diversity of lipids by mass spectrometry are often limited in assessing the exact structural variability of individual molecular species in detail. A major challenge is represented by the extensive isobaric overlap present among lipids, hampering their accurate identification. This is especially true for cardiolipins, a mitochondria-specific class of phospholipids, which are functionally involved in many cellular functions, including energy metabolism, cristae structure, and apoptosis. Substituted with four fatty acyl side chains, cardiolipins offer a particularly high potential to achieve complex mixtures of molecular species. Here, we demonstrate how systematically generated high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectral data can be utilized in a mathematical structural modeling approach, to comprehensively analyze and characterize the molecular diversity of mitochondrial cardiolipin compositions in cell culture and disease models, cardiolipin modulation experiments, and a broad variety of frequently studied model organisms.

Fuel substrate supply and oxidative phosphorylation are key determinants of muscle performance. Numerous studies of mammalian mitochondria are carried out (i) with substrate supply that limits electron flow, and (ii) far below physiological temperature. To analyze potentially implicated biases, we studied mitochondrial respiratory control in permeabilized mouse myocardial fibers using high-resolution respirometry. The capacity of oxidative phosphorylation at 37 °C was nearly two-fold higher when fueled by physiological substrate combinations reconstituting tricarboxylic acid cycle function, compared with electron flow measured separately through NADH to Complex I or succinate to Complex II. The relative contribution of the NADH pathway to physiological respiratory capacity increased with a decrease in temperature from 37 to 25 °C. The apparent excess capacity of cytochrome c oxidase above physiological pathway capacity increased sharply under hypothermia due to limitation by NADH-linked dehydrogenases. This mechanism of mitochondrial respiratory control in the hypothermic mammalian heart is comparable to the pattern in ectotherm species, pointing towards NADH-linked mt-matrix dehydrogenases and the phosphorylation system rather than electron transfer complexes as the primary drivers of thermal sensitivity at low temperature. Delineating the link between stress and remodeling of oxidative phosphorylation is important for understanding metabolic perturbations in disease evolution and cardiac protection.

Metabolic responses to hypoxia play important roles in cell survival strategies and disease pathogenesis in humans. However, the homeostatic adjustments that balance changes in energy supply and demand to maintain organismal function under chronic low oxygen conditions remain incompletely understood, making it difficult to distinguish adaptive from maladaptive responses in hypoxia-related pathologies. We integrated metabolomic and proteomic profiling with mitochondrial respirometry and blood gas analyses to comprehensively define the physiological responses of skeletal muscle energy metabolism to 16 days of high-altitude hypoxia (5260 m) in healthy volunteers from the AltitudeOmics project. In contrast to the view that hypoxia down-regulates aerobic metabolism, results show that mitochondria play a central role in muscle hypoxia adaptation by supporting higher resting phosphorylation potential and enhancing the efficiency of long-chain acylcarnitine oxidation. This directs increases in muscle glucose toward pentose phosphate and one-carbon metabolism pathways that support cytosolic redox balance and help mitigate the effects of increased protein and purine nucleotide catabolism in hypoxia. Muscle accumulation of free amino acids favor these adjustments by coordinating cytosolic and mitochondrial pathways to rid the cell of excess nitrogen, but might ultimately limit muscle oxidative capacity in vivo. Collectively, these studies illustrate how an integration of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism is required for physiological hypoxia adaptation in skeletal muscle, and highlight protein catabolism and allosteric regulation as unexpected orchestrators of metabolic remodeling in this context. These findings have important implications for the management of hypoxia-related diseases and other conditions associated with chronic catabolic stress.

During evolution, mitochondrial DNA haplogroups of arctic populations may have been selected for lower coupling of mitochondrial respiration to ATP production in favor of higher heat production. We show that mitochondrial coupling in skeletal muscle of traditional and westernized Inuit habituating northern Greenland is identical to Danes of western Europe haplogroups. Biochemical coupling efficiency was preserved across variations in diet, muscle fiber type, and uncoupling protein-3 content. Mitochondrial phenotype displayed plasticity in relation to lifestyle and environment. Untrained Inuit and Danes had identical capacities to oxidize fat substrate in arm muscle, which increased in Danes during the 42 days of acclimation to exercise, approaching the higher level of the Inuit hunters. A common pattern emerges of mitochondrial acclimatization and evolutionary adaptation in humans at high latitude and high altitude where economy of locomotion may be optimized by preservation of biochemical coupling efficiency at modest mitochondrial density, when submaximum performance is uncoupled from VO2max and maximum capacities of oxidative phosphorylation.

Whereas mitochondria are well established as the source of ATP in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), it is debated if they are also the major cellular sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we describe the novel approach of combining high-resolution respirometry and fluorometric measurement of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, applied to mitochondrial preparations (permeabilized cells, tissue homogenate, isolated mitochondria). The widely used H2O2 probe Amplex Red inhibited respiration in intact and permeabilized cells and should not be applied at concentrations above 10 µM. H2O2 fluxes were generally less than 1% of oxygen fluxes in physiological substrate and coupling states, specifically in permeabilized cells. H2O2 flux was consistently highest in the Complex II-linked LEAK state, reduced with CI&amp, II-linked convergent electron flow and in mitochondria respiring at OXPHOS capacity, and were further diminished in uncoupled mitochondria respiring at electron transfer system capacity. Simultaneous measurement of mitochondrial respiration and H2O2 flux requires careful optimization of assay conditions and reveals information on mitochondrial function beyond separate analysis of ROS production.

Iron is an essential co-factor for several metabolic processes, including mitochondrial respiration, and mitochondria are the major sites of iron-utilization. Cellular iron homeostasis must be tightly regulated, as intracellular iron deficiency can lead to insufficient energy production, whereas iron overload triggers ROS (reactive oxygen species) formation via the Fenton reaction. So far little is known on how iron imbalances affect mitochondrial function in vivo and the impact of the genotype on that, we studied the effects of dietary iron loading on mitochondrial respiratory capacity in liver by comparing two genetically divergent mouse strains, namely C57BL/6N and FVB mice. Both mouse strains differed in their basal iron levels and their metabolic responses to iron loading as determined by expression of iron trafficking proteins (ferritin was increased in livers of animals receiving high iron diet) as well as tissue iron content (2-fold increase, FVB p = 0.0013; C57BL/6N p = 0.0022). Dietary iron exposure caused a significant impairment of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, especially regarding OXPHOS capacity (FVB p = 0.0006; C57BL/6N p = 0.0087) and S-ETS capacity (FVB p = 0.0281; C57BL/6N p = 0.0159). These effects were more pronounced in C57BL/6N than in FVB mice and were paralleled by an iron mediated induction of oxidative stress in mitochondria. The increased susceptibility of C57BL6/N mice to iron loading may be due to reduced expression of anti-oxidant defense mechanisms and altered iron trafficking upon dietary challenge pointing to a role of genetic modifiers for cellular and mitochondrial iron trafficking. Finally, iron-mediated induction of mitochondrial oxidative stress and reduction of oxidative phosphorylation may underlie fatigue in subjects with iron loading diseases.

Oxygen demand generally increases in ectotherms as temperature rises in order to sustain oxidative phosphorylation by mitochondria. The thermal plasticity of ectotherm metabolism, such as that of fishes, dictates a species survival and is of importance to understand within an era of warming climates. Within this study the whole animal O2 consumption rate of a common New Zealand intertidal triplefin fish, Forsterygion lapillum, was investigated at different acclimation temperatures (15, 18, 21, 24 or 25 °C) as a commonly used indicator of metabolic performance. In addition, the mitochondria within permeabilised skeletal muscle fibres of fish acclimated to a moderate temperature (18 °C Cool acclimation group-CA) and a warm temperature (24 °C. Warm acclimation group-WA) were also tested at 18, 24 and 25 °C in different states of coupling and with different substrates. These two levels of analysis were carried out to test whether any peak in whole animal metabolism reflected the respiratory performance of mitochondria from skeletal muscle representing the bulk of metabolic tissue. While standard metabolic rate (SMR- an indicator of total maintenance metabolism) and maximal metabolic rate ([Formula: see text]O2 max) both generally increased with temperature, aerobic metabolic scope (AMS) was maximal at 24 °C, giving the impression that whole animal (metabolic) performance was optimised at a surprisingly high temperature. Mitochondrial oxygen flux also increased with increasing assay temperature but WA fish showed a lowered response to temperature in high flux states, such as those of oxidative phosphorylation and in chemically uncoupled states of respiration. The thermal stability of mitochondria from WA fish was also noticeably greater than CA fish at 25 °C. However, the predicted contribution of respirational flux to ATP synthesis remained the same in both groups and WA fish showed higher anaerobic activity as a result of high muscle lactate loads in both rested and exhausted states. CA fish had a comparably lower level of resting lactate and took 30 % longer to fatigue than WA fish. Despite some apparent acclimation capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria, the ATP synthesis capacity of this species is constrained at high temperatures, and that a greater fraction of metabolism in skeletal muscle appears to be supported anaerobically at higher temperatures. The AMS peak at 24 °C does not therefore represent utilisation efficiency of oxygen but, rather, the temperature where scope for oxygen flow is greatest.

The number of studies on mitochondrial function is growing as a result of the recognition of the pivotal role of an intact mitochondrial function in numerous diseases. Measurements of oxygen consumption by the mitochondria in human skeletal muscle are used in many studies. There are several advantages of studying mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized fibers (Pfi), but the method requires a manual procedure of mechanical separation of the fiber bundles in the biopsy and chemical permeabilization of the cell membrane. This is time-consuming and subject to interpersonal variability. An alternative is to use a semiautomatic tool for preparation of a homogenate of the muscle biopsy. We investigated whether the PBI shredder is useful in preparing a muscle homogenate for measurements of mitochondrial respiratory capacity. The homogenate is compared with the Pfi preparation. Maximal respiratory capacity was significantly reduced in the homogenate compared with the Pfi from human skeletal muscle. A marked cytochrome c response was observed in the homogenate, which was not the case with the Pfi, indicating that the outer mitochondrial membrane was not intact. The mitochondria in the homogenate were more uncoupled compared with the Pfi. Manual permeabilization is an advantageous technique for preparing human skeletal muscle biopsies for respirometry.

The capacity of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and fuel substrate supply are key determinants of cardiac muscle performance. Although temperature exerts a strong effect on energy metabolism, until recently numerous respiratory studies of mammalian mitochondria have been carried out below physiological temperature, with substrates supporting submaximal respiratory capacity. We measured mitochondrial respiration as a function of temperature in permeabilized fibers from the left ventricle of the mouse heart. At 37 °C, OXPHOS capacity with electron entry through either Complex I or Complex II into the Q-junction was about half of respiratory capacity with the corresponding physiological substrate combination reconstituting tricarboxylic acid cycle function with convergent electron flow through the NADH&succinate (NS) pathway. When separating the component core mitochondrial pathways, the relative contribution of the NADH pathway increased with a decrease of temperature from 37 to 25 ºC. The additive effect of convergent electron flow has profound consequences for optimization of mitochondrial respiratory control. The apparent excess capacity of cytochromecoxidase (CIV) was 0.7 above convergent NS-pathway capacity, but would be overestimated nearly 2-fold with respect to respiration restricted by provision of NADH-linked substrates only. The apparent excess capacity of CIV increased sharply at 4 °C, caused by a strong temperature dependence of and OXPHOS limitation by NADH-linked dehydrogenases. This mechanism of mitochondrial respiratory control in the hypothermic mammalian heart is comparable to the pattern in ectotherm species, pointing towards NADH-linked mt-matrix dehydrogenases and the phosphorylation system rather than electron transfer complexes as the primary drivers of thermal sensitivity at low temperature and likely modulators of temperature adaptation and acclimatization. Delineating the link between stress and remodeling of OXPHOS is critically important for improving our understanding of metabolic perturbations in disease evolution and cardiac protection. Temperature is not a trivial experimental parameter to consider when addressing these questions.

At the annual Iditarod Race, Alaskan Huskies repeatedly run for up to 8 hours at 16 km/h to complete 1600 km. We previously demonstrated high rates of mitochondrial protein synthesis in Alaskan Huskies, which we suspected allowed rapid remodeling of mitochondrial proteins in response to energetic stress. The purpose of this study was to examine mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized skeletal muscle fibers of Alaskan Huskies in the offseason (Non-raced) and following the 1600 km Iditarod Sled Dog Race (Raced). We hypothesized that compared to Non-raced Huskies, raced Huskies that completed a 1600 km race would have greater mitochondrial respiratory capacities, and improvements in capacities of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) based on NADH-generating substrates as compared to fatty acids. Using high-resolution respirometry (HRR) we investigated the respiration of permeabilized muscle fibers from Alaskan Huskies. Maximum capacities were 254±26 pmol.s-1.mg-1 for OXPHOS (coupled, P) and 254±37 pmol.s-1.mg-1 for the electron transfer system (ETS; non-coupled, E). After racing respiratory capacities from NADH-linked substrates, but not fat-derived substrates increased. Finally, the OXPHOS to ETS capacity ratio (P/E) increased after racing from 0.90±0.03 to 0.97±0.02. From our previous studies and the current study, we conclude that Alaskan Huskies maintain high mitochondrial protein turnover to facilitate rapid adaptation to environmental extremes and energetic challenges.

Studies regarding mitochondrial modifications in human skeletal muscle following acclimatization to high altitude are conflicting, and these inconsistencies may be due to the prevalence of representing mitochondrial function through static and isolated measurements of specific mitochondrial characteristics. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate mitochondrial function in response to high-altitude acclimatization through measurements of respiratory control in the vastus lateralis muscle. Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained from 10 lowland natives prior to and again after a total of 9-11 days of exposure to 4559 m. High-resolution respirometry was performed on the muscle samples to compare respiratory chain function and respiratory capacities. Respirometric analysis revealed that mitochondrial function was largely unaffected, because high-altitude exposure did not affect the capacity for fat oxidation or individualized respiration capacity through either complex I or complex II. Respiratory chain function remained unaltered, because neither coupling nor respiratory control changed in response to hypoxic exposure. High-altitude acclimatization did, however, show a tendency (P = 0.059) to limit mass-specific maximal oxidative phosphorylation capacity. These data suggest that 9-11 days of exposure to high altitude do not markedly modify integrated measures of mitochondrial functional capacity in skeletal muscle despite significant decrements in the concentrations of enzymes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.

Heart failure is a consequence of progressive deterioration of cardiac performance. Little is known about the role of impaired oxidative phosphorylation in the progression of the disease, since previous studies of mitochondrial injuries are restricted to end-stage chronic heart failure. The present study aimed at evaluating the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of human heart failure. We measured the control of oxidative phosphorylation with high-resolution respirometry in permeabilized myocardial fibres from donor hearts (controls), and patients with no or mild heart failure but presenting with heart disease, or chronic heart failure due to dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy. The capacity of the phosphorylation system exerted a strong limitation on oxidative phosphorylation in the human heart, estimated at 121 pmol O(2)s(-1)mg(-1) in the healthy left ventricle. In heart disease, a specific defect of the phosphorylation system, Complex I-linked respiration, and mass-specific fatty acid oxidation were identified. These early defects were also significant in chronic heart failure, where the capacities of the oxidative phosphorylation and electron transfer systems per cardiac tissue mass were decreased with all tested substrate combinations, suggesting a decline of mitochondrial density. Oxidative phosphorylation and electron transfer system capacities were higher in ventricles compared to atria, but the impaired mitochondrial quality was identical in the four cardiac chambers of chronic heart failure patients. Coupling was preserved in heart disease and chronic heart failure, in contrast to the mitochondrial dysfunction observed after prolonged cold storage of cardiac tissue. Mitochondrial defects in the phosphorylation system, Complex I respiration and mass-specific fatty acid oxidation occurred early in the development of heart failure. Targeting these mitochondrial injuries with metabolic therapy may offer a promising approach to delay the progression of heart disease.

Recently, immunohistochemical analysis of myoglobin (MB) in human breast cancer specimens has revealed a surprisingly widespread expression of MB in this nonmuscle context. The positive correlation with hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) and carbonic anhydrase IX suggested that oxygen regulates myoglobin expression in breast carcinomas. Here, we report that MB mRNA and protein levels are robustly induced by prolonged hypoxia in breast cancer cell lines, in part via HIF-1/2-dependent transactivation. The hypoxia-induced MB mRNA originated from a novel alternative transcription start site 6 kb upstream of the ATG codon. MB regulation in normal and tumor tissue may thus be fundamentally different. Functionally, the knockdown of MB in MDA-MB468 breast cancer cells resulted in an unexpected increase of O2 uptake and elevated activities of mitochondrial enzymes during hypoxia. Silencing of MB transcription attenuated proliferation rates and motility capacities of hypoxic cancer cells and, surprisingly, also fully oxygenated breast cancer cells. Endogenous MB in cancer cells is apparently involved in controlling oxidative cell energy metabolism, contrary to earlier findings on mouse heart, where the targeted disruption of the Mb gene did not effect myocardial energetics and O2 consumption. This control function of MB seemingly impacts mitochondria and influences cell proliferation and motility, but it does so in ways not directly related to the facilitated diffusion or storage of O2. Hypothetically, the mitochondrion-impairing role of MB in hypoxic cancer cells is part of a novel tumor-suppressive function.

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is an essential mechanism to optimise lung gas exchange. We aimed to decipher the proposed oxygen sensing mechanism of mitochondria in HPV. Cytochrome redox state was assessed by remission spectrophotometry in intact lungs and isolated pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Mitochondrial respiration was quantified by high-resolution respirometry. Alterations were compared with HPV and hypoxia-induced functional and molecular readouts on the cellular level. Aortic and renal arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMC and RASMC, respectively) served as controls. The hypoxia-induced decrease of mitochondrial respiration paralleled HPV in isolated lungs. In PASMC, reduction of respiration and mitochondrial cytochrome c and aa3 (complex IV), but not of cytochrome b (complex III) matched an increase in matrix superoxide levels as well as mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarisation with subsequent cytosolic calcium increase. In contrast to PASMC, RASMC displayed a lower decrease in respiration and no rise in superoxide, membrane potential or intracellular calcium. Pharmacological inhibition of mitochondria revealed analogous kinetics of cytochrome redox state and strength of HPV. Our data suggest inhibition of complex IV as an essential step in mitochondrial oxygen sensing of HPV. Concomitantly, increased superoxide release from complex III and mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarisation may initiate the cytosolic calcium increase underlying HPV.

Maximal ADP-stimulated mitochondrial respiration depends on convergent electron flow through Complexes I+II to the Q-junction of the electron transport system (ETS). In most studies of respiratory control in mitochondrial preparations, however, respiration is limited artificially by supplying substrates for electron input through either Complex I or II. High-resolution respirometry with minimal amounts of tissue biopsy (1-3mg wet weight of permeabilized muscle fibres per assay) provides a routine approach for multiple substrate-uncoupler-inhibitor titrations. Under physiological conditions, maximal respiratory capacity is obtained with glutamate+malate+succinate, reconstituting the operation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and preventing depletion of key metabolites from the mitochondrial matrix. In human skeletal muscle, conventional assays with pyruvate+malate or glutamate+malate yield submaximal oxygen fluxes at 0.50-0.75 of capacity of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Best estimates of muscular OXPHOS capacity at 37 degrees C (pmol O(2)s(-1)mg(-1) wet weight) with isolated mitochondria or permeabilized fibres, suggest a range of 100-150 and up to 180 in healthy humans with normal body mass index and top endurance athletes, but reduction to 60-120 in overweight healthy adults with predominantly sedentary life style. The apparent ETS excess capacity (uncoupled respiration) over ADP-stimulated OXPHOS capacity is high in skeletal muscle of active and sedentary humans, but absent in mouse skeletal muscle. Such differences of mitochondrial quality in skeletal muscle are unexpected and cannot be explained at present. A comparative database of mitochondrial physiology may provide the key for understanding the functional implications of mitochondrial diversity from mouse to man, and evaluation of altered mitochondrial respiratory control patterns in health and disease.

The effects of dioxygen on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity was studied, measuring the formation of DOPA from tyrosine, (3)H(2)O from 3,5-(3)H-tyrosine, or by direct oxygraphic determination of oxygen consumption. A high enzyme activity was observed during the initial 1-2 min of the reactions, followed by a decline in activity, possibly related to a turnover dependent substoichiometrical oxidation of enzyme bound Fe(II) to the inactive Fe(III) state. During the initial reaction phase, apparent K (m)-values of 29-45 microM for dioxygen were determined for all human TH isoforms, i.e. 2-40 times higher than previously reported for TH isolated from animal tissues. After 8 min incubation, the K (m) (O(2))-values had declined to an average of 20 +/- 4 microM. Thus, TH activity may be severely limited by oxygen availability even at moderate hypoxic conditions, and the enzyme is rapidly and turnover dependent inactivated at the experimental conditions commonly employed to measure in vitro activities.

Altered mitochondrial metabolism plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of various diseases, including cancer. Cell lines are frequently used as models to study mitochondrial (dys)function, but little is known about their mitochondrial respiration and metabolic properties in comparison to the primary tissue of origin. We have developed a method for assessment of oxidative phosphorylation in prostate tissue samples of only 2 mg wet weight using high-resolution respirometry. Reliable protocols were established to investigate the respiratory activity of different segments of the mitochondrial electron transfer system (ETS) in mechanically permeabilized tissue biopsies. Additionally, the widely used immortalized prostate epithelial and fibroblast cell lines, RWPE1 and NAF, representing the major cell types in prostate tissue, were analyzed and compared to the tissue of origin. Our results show that mechanical treatment without chemical permeabilization agents or sample processing constitutes a reliable preparation method for OXPHOS analysis in small amounts of prostatic tissue typically obtained by prostate biopsy. The cell lines represented the bioenergetic properties of fresh tissue to a limited extent only. Particularly, tissue showed a higher oxidative capacity with succinate and glutamate, whereas pyruvate was a substrate supporting significantly higher respiratory activities in cell lines. Several fold higher zinc levels measured in tissue compared to cells confirmed the role of aconitase for prostate-specific metabolism in agreement with observed respiratory properties. In conclusion, combining the flexibility of cell culture models and tissue samples for respirometric analysis are powerful tools for investigation of mitochondrial function and tissue-specific metabolism.

Mitochondrial control of cellular redox states is a fundamental component of cell signaling in the coordination of core energy metabolism and homeostasis during normoxia and hypoxia. We investigated the relationship between cytochrome redox states and mitochondrial oxygen consumption at steady-state levels of hypoxia in mitochondria isolated from beef and mouse heart (BHImt, MHImt), comparing two species with different cardiac dynamics and local oxygen demands. A low-noise, rapid spectrophotometric system using visible light for the measurement of cytochrome redox states was combined with high-resolution respirometry. Monophasic hyperbolic relationships were observed between oxygen consumption, JO2, and oxygen partial pressure, Po2, within the range 50 j(Po2at 0.5· Jmax) was 0.015 ± 0.0004 and 0.021 ± 0.003 kPa (0.11 and 0.16 mmHg) for BHImt and MHImt, respectively. Maximum oxygen consumption, Jmax, was measured at saturating ADP levels (OXPHOS capacity) with Complex I-linked substrate supply. Redox states of cytochromes aa3and c were biphasic hyperbolic functions of Po2. The relationship between cytochrome oxidation state and oxygen consumption revealed a separation of distinct phases from mild to severe and deep hypoxia. When cytochrome c oxidation increased from fully reduced to 45% oxidized at 0.1 Jmax, Po2was as low as 0.002 kPa (0.02 μM), and trace amounts of oxygen are sufficient to partially oxidize the cytochromes. At higher Po2under severe hypoxia, respiration increases steeply, whereas redox changes are small. Under mild hypoxia, the steep slope of oxidation of cytochrome c when flux remains more stable represents a cushioning mechanism that helps to maintain respiration high at the onset of hypoxia.

Alterations in mitochondrial function are believed to play a major role in aging processes in many species, including fungi and animals, and increased oxidative stress is considered a major consequence of altered mitochondrial function. In support of this theory, a lot of correlative evidence has been collected, suggesting that changes in mitochondrial DNA accumulate with age in certain tissues. Furthermore, genetic experiments from lower eukaryotic model organisms, indicate a strong correlative link between increased resistance to oxidative stress and an extended lifespan; in addition, limited experimental evidence suggests that the inhibition of mitochondrial function by selected pharmacologically active compounds can extend lifespan in certain species. However, changes in mitochondrial function may affect aging in a different way in various tissues, and a clear statement about the role of mitochondrial deterioration during physiological aging is missing for most if not all species. At this point, respirometric analyses of mitochondrial function provide a tool to study age-associated changes in mitochondrial respiratory chain function and mitochondrial ATP production within living cells and isolated mitochondria. In the recent years, new instruments have been developed, which allow for an unprecedented high-resolution respirometry, which enables us to determine many parameters of mitochondrial function in routine assays using small samples of biological material. It is conceivable that this technology will become an important tool for all those, who are interested in experimentally addressing the mitochondrial theory of aging. In this article, we provide a synopsis of traditional respirometry and the advances of modern high-resolution respirometry, and discuss how future applications of this technology to recently established experimental models in aging research may provide exciting new insights into the role of mitochondria in the aging process.

In the intracellular microenvironment of active muscle tissue, high rates of respiration are maintained at near-limiting oxygen concentrations. The respiration of isolated heart mitochondria is a hyperbolic function of oxygen concentration and half-maximal rates were obtained at 0.4 and 0.7 μM O 2 with substrates for the respiratory chain (succinate) and cytochrome c oxidase [ N, N, N, N9, N9 -tetramethyl- p -phenylenediamine dihydrochloride (TMPD) + ascorbate] respectively at 30 °C and with maximum ADP stimulation (State 3). The respiratory response of cytochrome c -depleted mitoplasts to external cytochrome c was biphasic with TMPD, but showed a monophasic hyperbolic function with succinate. Half-maximal stimulation of respiration was obtained at 0.4 μM cytochrome c , which was nearly identical to the high-affinity K 9 m for cytochrome c of cytochrome c oxidase supplied with TMPD. The capacity of cytochrome c oxidase in the presence of TMPD was 2-fold higher than the capacity of the respiratory chain with succinate, measured at environmental normoxic levels. This apparent excess capacity, however, is significantly decreased under physiological intracellular oxygen conditions and declines steeply under hypoxic conditions. Similarly, the excess capacity of cytochrome c oxidase declines with progressive cytochrome c depletion. The flux control coefficient of cytochrome c oxidase, therefore, increases as a function of substrate limitation of oxygen and cytochrome c , which suggests a direct functional role for the apparent excess capacity of cytochrome c oxidase in hypoxia and under conditions of intracellular accumulation of cytochrome c after its release from mitochondria.

Oxygen kinetics in fibroblasts was biphasic. This was quantitatively explained by a major mitochondrial hyperbolic component in the low-oxygen range and a linear increase of rotenone-and antimycin A-inhibited oxygen consumption in the high-oxygen range. This suggests an increased production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress at elevated, air-level oxygen concentrations. The high oxygen affinity of mitochondrial respiration provides the basis for the maintenance of a high aerobic scope at physiological low-oxygen levels, whereas further pronounced depression of oxygen pressure induces energetic stress under hypoxia.

The mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψmt or mtMP) is directly influenced by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The exact nature of the interactions between respiration (flux) and mtMP (force) under various physiological and pathological conditions remains unclear, partially due to methodological limitations. Here, we describe a combination of high-resolution respirometry and fluorometry based on the OROBOROS Oxygraph-2k and the widely applied mtMP indicator safranin. The analysis of OXPHOS in mouse brain homogenates revealed that, at commonly applied concentrations, safranin inhibits Complex I-driven OXPHOS capacity, primarily targeting the phosphorylation system, but has no effects on LEAK respiration. Conversely, Complex II-driven OXPHOS capacity was inhibited by20% by safranin concentrations normally used for mtMP monitoring. The mtMP was higher in the LEAK state without adenylates than at identical LEAK respiration after ADP stimulation and Complex V inhibition with oligomycin. The maximal electron transfer system (ETS) capacity was reached in uncoupler titrations before the mtMP fully collapsed, whereas respiration was inhibited at increasing uncoupler concentrations, resulting in the progressive reduction of mtMP. In a pharmacologically induced state of Complex II dysfunction, mtMP was rather insensitive to the inhibition of OXPHOS to 50% of its normal capacity, but robustly responded to inhibitors when respiration was limited by substrate depletion. The optimal concentration of uncoupler supporting maximal ETS capacity varied as a function of pharmacological intervention. Taken together, the combined measurement of respiration and mtMP greatly enhances the informative potential of OXPHOS studies. The respirometric validation of inhibitory and uncoupling effects is mandatory for any fluorophore employed to assess mtMP in any respiratory state, tissue type, and pathophysiological condition. The methodological issues analyzed herein are relevant for the study of mitochondrial respiration in a wide variety of setting, including cancer cell metabolism.

Mitochondria are confronted with low oxygen levels in the microenvironment within tissues; yet, isolated mitochondria are routinely studied under air-saturated conditions that are effectively hyperoxic, increase oxidative stress, and may impair mitochondrial function. Under hypoxia, on the other hand, respiration and ATP supply are restricted. Under these conditions of oxygen limitation, any compromise in the coupling of oxidative phosphorylation to oxygen consumption could accentuate ATP depletion, leading to metabolic failure. To address this issue, we have developed the approach of oxygen-injection microcalorimetry and ADP-injection respirometry for evaluating mitochondrial function at limiting oxygen supply. Whereas phosphorylation efficiency drops during ADP limitation at high oxygen levels, we show here that oxidative phosphorylation is more efficient at low oxygen than at air saturation, as indicated by higher ratios of ADP flux to total oxygen flux at identical submaximal rates of ATP synthesis. At low oxygen, the proton leak and uncoupled respiration are depressed, thus reducing maintenance energy expenditure. This indicates the importance of low intracellular oxygen levels in avoiding oxidative stress and protecting bioenergetic efficiency.

Oxygen levels in the intracellular microenvironment of tissues such as heart are extremely low, at 1–2% of standard atmospheric oxygen pressure. Kinetic studies with isolated mitochondria suggest a regulatory role of oxygen under these conditions, particularly in active states at high ADP concentration, when oxygen affinity was lower than in the resting state at ADP limitation. The oxygen pressure at 50% of maximum flux, p50, was 0.035 and 0.057 kPa in heart and liver mitochondria, respiring in state 3 on substrates for complex I or II and II, respectively. p50 in the resting state 4 was 0.02 kPa. The apparent kinetic efficiency, Jmax/p50, increased from the resting to the active state, despite the decrease of oxygen affinity, 1/p50. Consequently, the relative increase of respiratory flux by ADP activation, expressed as the adenylate control ratio, declined under hypoxia, but not to the extreme of a complete loss of the scope for activation, which would occur at constant Jmax/p50. High oxygen affinity is achieved by an excess capacity of cytochrome c oxidase relative to the respiratory chain and a correspondingly low turnover rate of this enzyme, consistent with the concept of kinetic trapping of oxygen [1].

The mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψmt or mtMP) is directly influenced by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The exact nature of the interactions between respiration (flux) and mtMP (force) under various physiological and pathological conditions remains unclear, partially due to methodological limitations. Here, we describe a combination of high-resolution respirometry and fluorometry based on the OROBOROS Oxygraph-2k and the widely applied mtMP indicator safranin. The analysis of OXPHOS in mouse brain homogenates revealed that, at commonly applied concentrations, safranin inhibits Complex I-driven OXPHOS capacity, primarily targeting the phosphorylation system, but has no effects on LEAK respiration. Conversely, Complex II-driven OXPHOS capacity was inhibited by

Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are extreme, hypoxia-adapted endotherms that rely largely on aerobic metabolism during extended breath-hold dives in near freezing water temperatures. While many aspects of their physiology have been characterized to account for these remarkable feats, the contribution of adaptations in the aerobic powerhouses of muscle cells, the mitochondria, are unknown. In the present study, the ontogeny and comparative physiology of elephant seal muscle mitochondrial respiratory function was investigated under a variety of substrate conditions and respiratory states. Intact mitochondrial networks were studied by high-resolution respirometry in saponin-permeabilized fiber bundles obtained from primary swimming muscles of pup, juvenile, and adult seals, and compared to fibers from adult human vastus laterais. Results indicate that seal muscle maintains a high capacity for fatty acid oxidation despite a progressive decrease in total respiratory capacity as animals mature from pups to adults. This is explained by a progressive increase in phosphorylation control and fatty acid utilization over pyruvate in adult seals compared to humans and seal pups. Interestingly, despite higher indices of oxidative phosphorylation efficiency, juvenile and adult seals also exhibit a ~50% greater capacity for respiratory leak compared to humans and pups. The ontogeny of this phenotype suggests it is an adaptation of muscle to the prolonged breath-hold exercise and highly variable ambient temperatures experienced by mature elephant seals. These studies highlight the remarkable plasticity of mammalian mitochondria to meet the demands for both efficient ATP production and endothermy in a cold, oxygen-limited environment.

In order to set the basis for detailed clinical investigations, mitochondrial creatine kinase (Mi-CK) was purified to homogeneity from human cardiac muscle. Biophysical characterization by SDS-PAGE, gel permeation chromatography and by electron microscopy of negatively stained single molecules demonstrated that, similar to other vertebrate Mi-CKs, human sarcomeric Mi-CK occurs in two different oligomeric forms, dimers and octamers, that are readily interconvertible. The apparent MTs of Mi-CK protomers, dimers and octamers were 43,600 +/- 800, 79,700 +/- 800 and 371,000 +/- 3000, respectively. In addition, isoelectric focussing proved to be a suitable technique for routinely distinguishing Mi-CK from cytosolic MM-CK and gave pl values of 8.30 +/- 0.04 and 7.44 +/- 0.04 for octameric and dimeric human sarcomeric Mi-CK. Circumstantial evidence suggests that both the highly symmetrical structure and the high pI value of Mi-CK octamers are crucial determinants for the physiological functions of this enzyme.

Characterization of preservation injury in endothelial cells has been primarily accomplished by measurement of cell viability. To analyze early events and cellular mechanisms of preservation-reoxygenation injury, we developed high-resolution respirometry for the study of mitochondrial function in endothelial cells, to provide a quantitative marker for sublethal stress. Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells were stored for 4 and 8 hr at 4 degrees C under an atmosphere of 95% N2 and 5% CO2 in University of Wisconsin (UW) and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solutions. Respiration of suspended cells, measured after reoxygenation in growth medium at 37 degrees C, was significantly reduced in all treatments in comparison to controls not subjected to cold preservation. In contrast, trypan blue staining was unchanged after 4 hr of preservation and was significant only after 8 hr. After 8 hr of cold storage in UW and HTK solutions, respiration was 64+/-5% and 49+/-6%, respectively, of controls (46.5+/-3.3 pmol O2 x s(-1 x 10(-6) cells), indicating significantly better protection by UW solution than HTK solution. A titration regimen with substrate (succinate), uncoupler (carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone), and inhibitors of complexes I and III (rotenone and antimycin A) resulted in identical respiratory response patterns in all treatments. The plasma membrane remained impermeable to succinate. Inner mitochondrial membrane function was preserved as indicated by a constant relative increase of respiration after uncoupling. These results demonstrate that loss of catalytic capacity for respiration constitutes an early event in preservation-reoxygenation injury, whereas membrane damage is not a primary defect. Respirometric evaluation of sublethal cell injury and localization of cell damage may provide selective guidelines for further optimization of strategies in organ preservation.

We studied the oxygen dependence of respiration in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells by use of high-resolution respirometry. The rate of oxygen consumption varied from 30 to 50 pmol O2.s-1.(10(6) cells)-1 over a sixfold range of cell densities. Respiration was stimulated up to 3.5-fold by uncoupling with carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone or 2,4-dinitrophenol, and the PO2 at half-maximal respiration (P50) increased from 0.05 to 0.12 kPa (0.3 to 0.9 Torr) with respiratory rate. P50 decreased to a minimum of 0.02 kPa when uncoupled cells were inhibited to control levels. Differences in cell size explained a variation of approximately 0.015 kPa in P50 at similar respiratory rates per cell. Oxygen diffusion to mitochondria contributed maximally 30% to the regulation of P50 in coupled cells, as deduced from the shallow slope of the flux dependence of P50 in uncoupled-inhibited cells compared with the slope in coupled cells. Therefore 70% of the flux dependence of P50 in coupled cells was caused by changes in metabolic state, which correlated with respiratory rate.

BACKGROUND: Within the animal kingdom, horses are among the most powerful aerobic athletic mammals. Determination of muscle respiratory capacity and control improves our knowledge of mitochondrial physiology in horses and high aerobic performance in general. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We applied high-resolution respirometry and multiple substrate-uncoupler-inhibitor titration protocols to study mitochondrial physiology in small (1.0-2.5 mg) permeabilized muscle fibres sampled from triceps brachii of healthy horses. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) capacity (pmol O(2) • s(-1) • mg(-1) wet weight) with combined Complex I and II (CI+II) substrate supply (malate+glutamate+succinate) increased from 77 ± 18 in overweight horses to 103 ± 18, 122 ± 15, and 129 ± 12 in untrained, trained and competitive horses (N = 3, 8, 16, and 5, respectively). Similar to human muscle mitochondria, equine OXPHOS capacity was limited by the phosphorylation system to 0.85 ± 0.10 (N = 32) of electron transfer capacity, independent of fitness level. In 15 trained horses, OXPHOS capacity increased from 119 ± 12 to 134 ± 37 when pyruvate was included in the CI+II substrate cocktail. Relative to this maximum OXPHOS capacity, Complex I (CI)-linked OXPHOS capacities were only 50% with glutamate+malate, 64% with pyruvate+malate, and 68% with pyruvate+malate+glutamate, and ~78% with CII-linked succinate+rotenone. OXPHOS capacity with glutamate+malate increased with fitness relative to CI+II-supported ETS capacity from a flux control ratio of 0.38 to 0.40, 0.41 and 0.46 in overweight to competitive horses, whereas the CII/CI+II substrate control ratio remained constant at 0.70. Therefore, the apparent deficit of the CI- over CII-linked pathway capacity was reduced with physical fitness. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The scope of mitochondrial density-dependent OXPHOS capacity and the density-independent (qualitative) increase of CI-linked respiratory capacity with increased fitness open up new perspectives of integrative and comparative mitochondrial respiratory physiology.

A large number of enzyme systems are examined for the diagnosis of mitochondrial myopathies including the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, tricarboxylic-acid-cycle enzymes and respiratory-chain complexes. These investigations can be carried out in frozen tissue. For the study of oxidative phosphorylation in intact mitochondria, fresh muscle tissue is required, and isolation of mitochondria from large amounts of tissue (at least 500-1000 mg) is necessary. For ethical reasons this imposes a serious limitation, especially in paediatric patients. Radiochemical measurment of oxidation rates of various substrates in 600g supernatant from 100-300 mg amounts of muscle tissue has partly overcome this problem (Bookelman et al 1978)