Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Preparation of Highly Coupled Rat Heart Mitochondria
Published on: September 23, 2010
Divalent cation chelators citrate and EDTA unmask an intrinsic uncoupling pathway in isolated mitochondria
Anatoly A Starkov1, Christos Chinopoulos2,3, Natalia N Starkova4
1The Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, 407 East 61st Street, New York, NY, 10065, USA. ans2024@med.cornell.edu.
Abstract:
We demonstrate a suppression of ROS production and uncoupling of mitochondria by exogenous citrate in Mg2+ free medium. Exogenous citrate suppressed H2O2 emission and depolarized mitochondria. The depolarization was paralleled by the stimulation of respiration of mitochondria. The uncoupling action of citrate was independent of the presence of sodium, potassium, or chlorine ions, and it was not mediated by the changes in permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane to solutes. The citrate transporter was not involved in the citrate effect. Inhibitory analysis data indicated that several well described mitochondria carriers and channels (ATPase, IMAC, ADP/ATP translocase, mPTP, mKATP) were not involved in citrate's effect. Exogenous MgCl2 strongly inhibited citrate-induced depolarization. The uncoupling effect of citrate was demonstrated in rat brain, mouse brain, mouse liver, and human melanoma cells mitochondria. We interpreted the data as an evidence to the existence of a hitherto undescribed putative inner mitochondrial membrane channel that is regulated by extramitochondrial Mg2+ or other divalent cations.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
EDTA: Auxiliary Complexing Reagents
EDTA: Chemistry and Properties
Masking and Demasking Agents
There are many masking agents, such as cyanide, fluoride, triethanolamine, thiourea, and 2,3-bis(sulfanyl)propan-1-ol (formerly 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol), with the masking agent chosen based on...
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...
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

