This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McGlasson, W. B. Articles by Raison, J. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McGlasson, W. B. Articles by Raison, J. K. Agricola Articles by McGlasson, W. B. Articles by Raison, J. K.

Articles

Occurrence of a Temperature-induced Phase Transition in Mitochondria Isolated from Apple Fruit

^a Plant Physiology Unit, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Division of Food Research, and School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde 2113, Sydney, Australia

Mitochondria were isolated from fruit of six cultivars of apples differing in susceptibility to the physiological disorder, low temperature breakdown. The state 3 rate of succinate-dependent oxygen uptake and the motion of a spin label were measured at from 0 to 25 C. Arrhenius plots of the data showed that the apparent energy of activation of both respiration and motion of the spin label increased abruptly at low temperatures indicative of a temperature-induced phase change in the membrane lipids. The changes were detected with mitochondria from all of the cultivars, but the temperature at which the changes occurred did not correlate with the susceptibility of the cultivars to low temperature breakdown.