RECONSITUTION OF REPEATING UNIT OF MITOCHONDRIAL INNER MEMBRANE

The tripartite repeating units of the inner mitochondrial membrane have been reconstituted by interaction either of basepieces with headpieces-stalks, or of basepieces-stalks with headpieces. Reconstitution can be carried out without separating the resolved sectors or, alternatively, by combining the previously isolated sectors. Reconstitution can be recognized by four criteria: (1) a change in the density and sedimentation properties of the product of recombination; (2) the conversion of a soluble ATPase, requiring added phospholipid for activity, into a particulate ATPase which is active in the absence of added lipid; (3) the conversion of a rutamycininsensitive ATPase into a rutamycin-sensitive form; and (4) the visualization by electron microscopy of membranes with projecting headpiece-stalk sectors. Either a mixture of different species of basepieces or isolated single species of basepieces can be used in the reconstitution experiments. © 1968.