[The mitochondria of poikilothermic vertebrates: oxidative phosphorylation and adenine nucleotides]

Abstract

The respiration and phosphorylation velocities in lamprey liver mitochondria are high and with some Krebs cycle substrates they even exceed those of mammals. These parameters in frog liver mitochondria during winter period are 2-3 times lower as compared to rat mitochondria. The adenine nucleotide contents in liver mitochondria of lampreys, fish and frogs are 2-8 times lower than in mitochondria of adult mammals; they are comparable to these parameters in liver mitochondria of rats at the earliest stages of postnatal ontogenesis. Participation of intramitochondrial adenine nucleotides in regulation of oxidative phosphorylation of poikilothermic vertebrates in vivo is discussed.