Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Isolation and Respiratory Measurements of Mitochondria from Arabidopsis thaliana
Published on: January 5, 2018
NADH oxidation by mitochondria from the thermogenic plant Arum orientale
Yu V Bertsova1, V N Popov, A V Bogachev
1Department of Molecular Energetics of Microorganisms, Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119899, Russia.
Abstract:
The enzyme content of the mitochondrial respiratory chain was investigated in the heat-producing plant Arum orientale. It is shown that mitochondria isolated from thermogenic tissues of this plant (with respect to non-thermogenic tissues of A. orientale or to Zea mays) demonstrate significantly elevated levels of activities of two non-coupled NADH dehydrogenases oxidizing intramitochondrial and cytoplasmic NADH pools. It is postulated that operation of a completely non-coupled respiratory chain consisting of non-coupled NADH:quinone oxidoreductases and cyanide-resistant alternative quinol-oxidase is the main mechanism of heat production in thermogenic plants.
Related Concept Videos
Pyruvate Oxidation
First, the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase removes the carboxyl group from pyruvate and releases it as carbon dioxide. The stripped molecule is then oxidized and releases electrons, which are then picked up by NAD+...
Role of Reduced Coenzymes NADH and FADH₂
The Citric Acid Cycle
Fats as Energy Storage Molecules
Fates of Pyruvate
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
