On the mechanism of oligomycin inhibition of Ca2+‐induced mitochondrial respiration

The addition of oligomycin in the presence of Ca2+ increased the ADP pool in mitochondrial suspension. It is suggested that oligomycin inhibition of Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial respiratory activation is the function of the increased endogenous ADP pool. Low ADP concentrations (5-20 microM) produce the same inhibitory effect as oligomycin. The increase of ADP levels in the presence of glucose plus hexokinase resulted in the inhibition of Ca(2+)-induced respiration, while the addition of phosphoenol pyruvate plus pyruvate kinase followed by a reduction in ADP levels, reversed the oligomycin inhibitory effect. One of the essential stages of ADP accumulation in mitochondrial suspensions in the presence of oligomycin and Ca2+ is proposed to be the formation of ADP from AMP and ATP, effected by adenylate kinase.