Control of Changes in Mitochondrial Activities during Aging of Potato Slices

Aging of slices of potato tuber (Solanum tuberosum L.) in an aerated liquid medium induces a number of changes in mitochondrial activities. A nonphosphorylative, cyanide-insensitive electron transport pathway (alternate pathway) is brought into operation. The rate of oxidation of exogenous NADH increases markedly and the efficiency of phosphorylation with this substrate remains the same as it is in mitochondria isolated from fresh tissue slices. On the contrary, the rates of oxidation of succinate and malate do not increase while lower phosphorylative efficiencies indicate that a fraction of their electrons reaches oxygen through the alternate pathway. Chloramphenicol, a specific inhibitor of the mitochondrial protein-synthesizing system, has no effect whatsoever on these events. However, cycloheximide, which acts on the corresponding cytoplasmic system, prevents both the development of the alternate pathway and the rise in the rate of oxidation of exogenous NADH. These effects are interpreted as showing a specific control of the cytoplasmic protein-synthesizing system on the changes in mitochondrial oxidations during aging.