Evidence for two distinct chloride uniport pathways in brown adipose tissue mitochondria

Abstract

Chloride permeability of the inner membrane of brown adipose tissue mitochondria was analyzed by monitoring mitochondrial swelling in KCl salts in the presence of K+ ionophores. The results indicate that the high anion conductance observed in these mitochondria is due to the presence of two separate pathways: 1) a Cl-conducting pathway that is inhibited by guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP) but neither by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) nor by amphiphilic amines and that is found uniquely in brown adipose tissue mitochondria and 2) an inner membrane anion uniport channel that is inhibited both by DCCD and by amphiphilic amines but not by GDP and that is opened either by depletion of matrix Mg2+ or by alkalinization of the matrix.