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. 1984 May 1;219(3):719–726. doi: 10.1042/bj2190719

The current-voltage relationships of liposomes and mitochondria.

P S O'Shea, G Petrone, R P Casey, A Azzi
PMCID: PMC1153537  PMID: 6331396

Abstract

Current-voltage relationships were determined for various membrane systems. We show that phospholipid and mitochondrial membranes exhibit linear relations between H+ flux and pH gradients. These membranes, however, exhibited non-linear relationships when the applied voltage was a membrane potential. The current-voltage relationship approximated to an exponential function. This relationship was found to be linearized when the membranes were treated with an electrogenic proton ionophore. The incorporation of cytochrome c oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) was found to have no effect on the current-voltage characteristics of the phospholipid membranes. When a membrane potential of more than 140 mV was imposed across vesicular and mitochondrial membranes, they exhibited reversible di-electric breakdown. This phenomenon was correlated with the requirement of a permeant ion for the experimental demonstration of proton translocation by so-called 'proton pumps'.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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