Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Sensitivity to Na+ Reveals Partially Segmented Functional CoQ Pools
Published on: July 20, 2022
The stability and activity of respiratory Complex II is cardiolipin-dependent
Christine T Schwall1, Victoria L Greenwood, Nathan N Alder
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. christine.schwall@uconn.edu
Abstract:
Respiratory Complex II of the mitochondrial inner membrane serves as a link between the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the electron transport chain. Complex II dysfunction has been implicated in a wide range of heritable mitochondrial diseases, including cancer, by a mechanism that likely involves the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Using Complex II enzymes reconstituted into nanoscale lipid bilayers (nanodiscs) with varying lipid composition, we demonstrate for the first time that the phospholipid environment, specifically the presence of cardiolipin, is critical for the assembly and enzymatic activity of the complex, as well as in the curtailment of ROS production.
Related Concept Videos
The Supercomplexes in the Crista Membrane
Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV
Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
The Electron Transport Chain
Inhibitors of the electron transport chain
Rotenone, a widely used pesticide, prevents electron transfer from Fe-S cluster to ubiquinone or Q in...
Electron Transport Chains
The ETC is comprised of...
The Inner Mitochondrial Membrane

