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Oxidation of acetate, acetyl CoA and acetylcarnitine by pea mitochondria

Planta volume 154, pages 145–149 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

Acetylcarnitine was rapidly oxidised by pea mitochondria. (-)-carnitine was an essential addition for the oxidation of acetate or acetyl CoA. When acetate was sole substrate, ATP and Mg2+ were also essential additives for maximum oxidation. CoASH additions inhibited the oxidation of acetate, acetyl CoA and acetylcarnitine. It was shown that CoASH was acting as a competitive inhibitor of the carnitine stimulated O2 uptake. It is suggested that acetylcarnitine and carnitine passed through the mitochondrial membrane barrier with ease but acetyl CoA and CoA did not. Carnitine may also buffer the extra- and intra-mitochondrial pools of CoA. The presence of carnitine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.7) on the pea mitochondria is inferred.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    David R. Thomas & Clifford Wood

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  1. David R. Thomas
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  2. Clifford Wood
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Thomas, D.R., Wood, C. Oxidation of acetate, acetyl CoA and acetylcarnitine by pea mitochondria. Planta 154, 145–149 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00387908

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00387908

Key words

  • Acetyl-group oxidation
  • Carnitine
  • Mitochondria
  • Pisum