title: Stimulation of ATP synthesis via oxidative phosphorylation in wheat mitochondria irradiated with helium-neon laser.
abstract: In order to ascertain whether oxidative phosphorylation in plant mitochondria is sensitive to light, coupled durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) mitochondria were irradiated with a low power continuous wave Helium-Neon laser (fluence: 2 Joules/cm2), with measurements made of certain processes related to ATP production. As a result of irradiation, an increase in the rate of ATP synthesis was found, as continuously monitored via luciferine/luciferase, moreover the mitochondrial ATP and ADP endogenous contents were found to increase and decrease, respectively with a 1:1 stoichiometry, as revealed by HPLC measurements. Consistently, an increase in mitochondrial rate of delta psi generation was found as measured by using the fluorescent probe safranine. Thus, this paper gives a first evidence of a novel property of plant mitochondria: the direct light sensitivity of ATP synthesis via oxidative phosphorylation.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Animali, Vegetali e dell' Ambiente-Facoltà di Agraria, Università del Molise, Campobasso-Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bosco
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Passarella
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006371:Helium; D007834:Lasers; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009356:Neon; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation / Q000528:radiation effects; D014908:Triticum / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D006371:Helium; D009356:Neon; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate