title: Regulation of Ca2+ transport in brain mitochondria. I. The mechanism of spermine enhancement of Ca2+ uptake and retention.
abstract: Spermine enhances electrogenic Ca2+ uptake and inhibits Na(+)-independent Ca2+ efflux in rat brain mitochondria. As a result, Ca2+ retention by brain mitochondria increases greatly and the external free Ca2+ level at steady-state can be lowered to physiologically relevant concentrations. The stimulation of Ca2+ uptake by spermine is more pronounced at low concentrations of Ca2+, effectively lowering the apparent Km for Ca2+ uptake from 3 microM to 1.5 microM. However, the apparent Vmax is also increased. At low Ca2+ concentrations, Ca2+ uptake is diffusion-limited. Spermine strongly inhibits Ca2+ binding to anionic phospholipids and it is suggested that this increases the rate of surface diffusion which reduces the apparent Km for uptake. The same effect could inhibit the Na(+)-independent efflux if the rate of efflux is limited by Ca2+ dissociation from the efflux carrier. In brain mitochondria (but not in liver) the spermine effect depends on the presence of ADP. In a medium that contains physiological concentrations of Pi, Mg+, K+, ADP and spermine, brain mitochondria sequester Ca2+ down to 0.1 microM and below, depending on the matrix Ca2+ load. Moreover, brain mitochondria under the same conditions buffer the external medium at 0.4 microM, a concentration at which the set point becomes independent of the matrix Ca2+ content. Thus, mitochondria appear to be capable of modulating calcium oscillations in brain cells.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rottenberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marbach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013096:Spermine / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D013096:Spermine; D002118:Calcium