Isolation of Intact Mitochondria from Skeletal Muscle by Differential Centrifugation for High-resolution Respirometry Measurements

Summary

Here, a quadriceps muscle specimen is taken from an anaesthetized pig and mitochondria are isolated by differential centrifugation. Then, the respiratory rates of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I, II and IV are determined using high-resolution respirometry.

Abstract

Mitochondria are involved in cellular energy metabolism and use oxygen to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Differential centrifugation at low- and high-speed is commonly used to isolate mitochondria from tissues and cultured cells. Crude mitochondrial fractions obtained by differential centrifugation are used for respirometry measurements. The differential centrifugation technique is based on the separation of organelles according to their size and sedimentation velocity. The isolation of mitochondria is performed immediately after tissue harvesting. The tissue is immersed in an ice-cold homogenization medium, minced using scissors and homogenized in a glass homogenizer with a loose-fitting pestle. The differential centrifugation technique is efficient, fast and inexpensive and the mitochondria obtained by differential centrifugation are pure enough for respirometry assays. Some of the limitations and disadvantages of isolated mitochondria, based on differential centrifugation, are that the mitochondria can be damaged during the homogenization and isolation procedure and that large amounts of the tissue biopsy or cultured cells are required for the mitochondrial isolation.

Introduction

Mitochondrial bioenergetics and respiratory capacities can be studied not only in permeabilized cells or fibers but also in isolated mitochondria. In the present study, we describe a protocol to isolate intact skeletal muscle mitochondria using differential centrifugation for high-resolution respirometry measurements.

To isolate intact mitochondria for respirometry, the tissue is homogenized and mitochondria are isolated by a conventional differential centrifugation method. The differential centrifugation method is based on sequential centrifugations (in a series of increasing speed) of tissue homogenates was first introduced by Pallade and....

Protocol

The quadriceps muscle biopsy is taken from an anaesthetized pig, from which mitochondria are isolated by differential centrifugation. The pig is used afterwards for another experiment. The study is performed in accordance with the National Institutes of Health guidelines for the care and use of experimental animals and with the approval of the Animal Care Committee of the Canton Bern, Switzerland.

1. Skeletal Muscle Homogenization and Mitochondrial Isolation

1. Excise 5-10 g quadriceps muscle specimen from an anaesthetized pig. In the present assay, use porcine skeletal muscle. This protocol can also be used to isolate mito....

Results

Complex I-dependent respiration

Isolated mitochondrial complex I-dependent respiratory rates (states 2, 3 and 4) are determined using high-resolution respirometry (Figure 1, a representative diagram). Mitochondrial complex I substrates, glutamate and malate, are added followed by the addition of ADP. State 2 refers to oxygen consumption in the presence of the substrates alone. State 3 refers to .......

Discussion

In the present study we describe a protocol to isolate high-quality, intact and tightly coupled skeletal muscle mitochondria by differential centrifugation which can be used for functional studies such as high-resolution respirometry.

In order to isolate intact and tightly coupled mitochondria, there are some critical points to be considered within the present protocol. After harvesting the skeletal tissue, it should be immediately immersed in ice-cold mitochondrial isolation buffer. All centr.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
ADP	Sigma	A 4386	Chemical
Antimycin A	Sigma	A 8674	Chemical, dissolve in ethanol
Ascorbate	Merck	1.00127	Chemical
ATP	Sigma	A 7699	Chemical
BSA	Sigma	A 6003	Chemical
EGTA	fluka	3779	Chemical
Glutamate	Sigma,	G 1626	Chemical
Hepes	Sigma	H 7523	Chemical
KCl	Merck	1.04936	Chemical
KH2PO4	Merck	1.04873	Chemical
K-lactobionate	Sigma	L 2398	Chemical
MgCl2	Sigma	M 9272	Chemical
Morpholinopropane sulphonic acid (MOPS)	Merck	1.06129	Chemical
O2k-Core: Oxygraph-2k	Oroboros Instruments	10000-02	High-resolution respirometry instrument
Proteinase, bacterial	Sigma	P 8038	Chemical
Sodium azide	Sigma	S2002	Chemical
Rotenone	Sigma	R 8875	Chemical, dissolve in ethanol
Succinate	Sigma	S 2378	Chemical
Schuett homogen-plus semiautomatic homogeniser	schuett-biotec GmbH	3.201 011	Tissue homogenizer
Taurine	Sigma	T 8691	Chemical
TMPD	Sigma	T 3134	Chemical