Abstract
PHOSPHOROUS nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has recently been used in studies of intact cells, and many phosphate metabolites have been observed and identified. One valuable result of these studies has been the determination of intracellular pH (refs 1–3) using the fact that the position of the 31P NMR peak of inorganic phosphate (Pi) shifts as Pi is protonated. 31P NMR measurements of energised Escherichia coli3 have shown that a δpH is maintained across the membranes in agreement with previous measurements of δpH determined from the distribution of a weak acid, such as DMO, between the inner and outer volumes4. Although there is considerable evidence for the existence of δpH from studies of isolated mitochondria5–8, no direct measurements have been reported of a pH difference between cytosol and mitochondria in whole cells in vivo. However, there is indirect evidence for such a gradient from studies of the distribution of anions between the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial contents of disrupted rat liver cells9. In this preliminary report we show that 31P NMR can be used to detect phosphate metabolites in rat liver cells and to measure directly δpH between mitochondria and cytosol in the intact cell.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Moon, R. B. & Richard, J. H. J. biol. Chem. 248, 7276–7278 (1973).
Salhany, J. M., Yamane, T., Shulman, R. G. & Ogawa, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 72, 4966–4970 (1975).
Navon, G., Ogawa, S., Shulman, R. G. & Yamane, T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 888–891 (1977).
Padan, E., Zilberstein, P. & Rottenberg, H. Eur. J. Biochem. 63, 533–541 (1976).
Mitchell, P. & Moyle, J. Eur. J. Biochem. 7, 471–484 (1969).
Padan, E. & Rottenberg, H. Eur. J. Biochem. 40, 431–437 (1973).
Rottenberg, H. in Mechanisms of Proton and Calcium Pumps (ed. Azzone, G. F.) (ASP Biological and Medical Press, Amsterdam, in the press).
Rottenberg, H. Bioenergetics 7, 61–74 (1975).
Tischler, M. E., Hecht, P. & Williamson, J. R. Archs Biochem. Biophys. 181, 278–292 (1977).
Live, D. H. & Chan, S. I. Analyt. Chem. 42, 791–792 (1970).
Navon, G., Ogawa, S., Shulman, R. G. & Yamane, T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 87–91 (1977).
Burt, C. T., Glonek, T. & Barany, M. J. biol. Chem. 251, 2584–2591 (1976).
Hoult, D. I., Busby, S. J. W., Gadian, D. G., Radda, G. K., Richard, R. E. & Seeley, P. J. Nature 252, 285–287 (1974).
Berry, M. N. & Friend, D. S. J. Cell Biol. 43, 506–520 (1969).
Campbell, I. D., Dobson, C. M., Williams, R. J. P. & Xavier, A. V. J. Magnet. Reson. 11, 172–181 (1973).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
COHEN, S., OGAWA, S., ROTTENBERG, H. et al. 31P nuclear magnetic resonance studies of isolated rat liver cells. Nature 273, 554–556 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/273554a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/273554a0
This article is cited by
-
Matrix alkalinization: a novel mitochondrial signal for sustained pancreatic β-cell activation
The EMBO Journal (2009)
-
Predicting the viability of grafted livers in rats through a rapid and sensitive metabolic indicator assessed by 31P-NMR spectroscopy
Surgery Today (1995)
-
Studies on the compartmentation of DOG metabolism in the brain
Neurochemical Research (1991)
-
Noninvasive metabolic analysis of eye bank corneas: A magnetic resonance spectroscopic study
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (1989)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
