Respiration Rate of Muscle Mitochondria from Genetically Dystrophic Chickens ∗

Abstract

Summary

Pectoral muscle mitochondria were isolated from normal and genetically dystrophic year-old New Hampshire cockerels. The mitochondria from the dystrophic muscle showed an elevated rate of oxygen uptake when incubated in a medium containing Mg²⁺ and ATP over a 2-hr respiration period. It is suggested that accelerated loss of ATP from mitochondria in dystrophic muscle is responsible for the abnormal permeability of the mitochondrial membrane and the altered microscopic appearance.