The peptide mastoparan is a potent facilitator of the mitochondrial permeability transition

Mastoparan facilitates opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore through an apparent bimodal mechanism of action. In the submicromolar concentration range, the action of mastoparan is dependent upon the medium Ca2+ and phosphate concentration and is subject to inhibition by cyclosporin A. At concentrations above 1 microM, pore induction by mastoparan occurs without an apparent Ca2+ requirement and in a cyclosporin A insensitive manner. Studies utilizing phospholipid vesicles show that mastoparan perturbs bilayer membranes across both concentration ranges, through a mechanism which is strongly dependent upon transmembrane potential. However, solute size exclusion studies suggest that the pores formed in mitochondria in response to both low and high concentrations of mastoparan are the permeability transition pore. It is proposed that low concentrations of mastoparan influence the pore per se, with higher concentrations having the additional effect of depolarizing the mitochondrial inner membrane through an action exerted upon the lipid phase. It may be the combination of these effects which allow pore opening in the absence of Ca2+ and in the presence of cyclosporin A, although other interpretations remain viable. A comparison of the activities of mastoparan and its analog, MP14, on mitochondria and phospholipid vesicles provides an initial indication that a G-protein may participate in regulation of the permeability transition pore. These studies draw attention to peptides, in a broad sense, as potential pore regulators in cells, under both physiological and pathological conditions.