The Oxidation of Fatty-Acyl Derivatives by Mitochondria from Bovine Fetal and Calf Hearts

Abstract

Functional activity of the "external" carnitine palmitoyltransferase in intact mitochondria, prepared from hearts from various sources, was estimated by measuring respiration by mitochondria in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA plus or minus l-carnitine. When palmitoyl-CoA alone was substrate, respiration was not increased above the basal rate under all conditions examined. Addition of l-carnitine increased respiration, provided the ionic strength of the incubation medium was sufficiently high. In the presence of palmitoyl-CoA plus l-carnitine, the rate of respiration increased as the ionic strength was increased to physiological levels. In contrast, the increase in rate of oxygen consumption by heart mitochondria which followed the addition of palmitoyl-l-carnitine was relatively independent of the ionic strength of the medium.Mitochondrial fractions prepared from fetal bovine hearts were shown to possess "external" carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity, as judged by the ability of l-carnitine to stimulate respiration by mitochondria incubated with palmitoyl-CoA under various conditions. These data were discussed in relation to information available concerning the functions of different carnitine acyltransferases in mitochondria.