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Membrane Lipid Breakdown in Relation to the Wound-induced and Cyanide-resistant Respiration in Tissue Slices

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ¹

Biology Department and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

A study of a variety of bulky storage organs and fruits reveals that fresh slices fall into two categories with respect to their sensitivity to CN. Fresh slices in the first class are CN-sensitive, whereas slices of the second class are resistant to, and often stimulated by, CN. In tissue slices which are initially CN-sensitive, cutting initiates a burst of lipolytic activity. In CN-resistant fresh slices, there is no measurable lipid breakdown.

Slicing evokes the wound-respiration which is 5- to 10-fold that of the parent organ. Slice aging, in turn, evokes a further 2- to 3-fold respiratory increase, the wound-induced respiration, whether fresh slice respiration is CN-sensitive or -resistant. Estimation of the contribution by the cytochrome and alternative paths shows that the wound respiration in both groups is mediated by the cytochrome path. On the other hand, the wound-induced respiration in the first class is cytochrome path mediated, whereas, in some members of the second group, both pathways are utilized. Uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation elicit a CN-sensitive increment in fresh slices as great or greater than the wound-induced respiration. Accordingly, de novo synthesis of mitochondria is ruled out as an explanation of the latter.

The integrity of endomembranes, perhaps including mitochondrial membranes, is seemingly a prerequisite for the operation of the alternative path, that is, alternative path activity is lost concomitantly with membrane lipid breakdown. The development of the wound-induced respiration is not co-extensive with the development of the CN-resistant path in all tissue slices. The fundamental process of aging appears to involve activation of pre-existing respiratory capacity.

Fresh slices from whatever source fail to utilize exogenous ¹⁴C-labeled glucose, whereas aged slices do so readily. A transport lesion is indicated, the healing of which does not depend on the development of the wound-induced respiration but does depend on fatty acid, and presumably membrane lipid, biosynthesis.

¹ This work was supported by Grant GM 19807 from the United States Public Health Service. A. T. was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the University of California, Los Angeles and by a foreign student predoctoral scholarship from Phi Beta Kappa.