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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1991 May 1;88(9):3671–3675. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.9.3671

Intracellular heterogeneity in mitochondrial membrane potentials revealed by a J-aggregate-forming lipophilic cation JC-1.

S T Smiley 1, M Reers 1, C Mottola-Hartshorn 1, M Lin 1, A Chen 1, T W Smith 1, G D Steele Jr 1, L B Chen 1
PMCID: PMC51514  PMID: 2023917

Abstract

By using a potential-dependent J-aggregate-forming delocalized lipophilic cation, 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolocarbocyanine++ + iodide (JC-1), we find that membrane potentials across mitochondria in a living cell can be heterogeneous. Remarkably, even within a long contiguous mitochondrion, regional heterogeneity in membrane potentials appears to be possible.

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Selected References

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