[Mechanism of action of the specific inhibitor of respiration and phosphorylation in mitochondria--n-(N,N-di-2-chlorethyl)aminophenylacetic acid].

An electrophilous inhibitor, p-(N,N-di-2-chloroethyl)amino-phenylacetic acid (I), specifically disturbs the mechanism of respiration and phosphorylation coupling in mitochondria. I inhibits respiration and ATPase activity in intact mitochondria and does not affect these processes in mitochondria and submitochondrial particles with partially or completely impaired coupling system. The data obtained show that I inhibits protonophoric function of NADH-ferricianide reductase from submitochondrial particles soluble ATPases from bovine heart and Micrococcus lysodeikticus mitochondria adsorded on octane water interface and has no effect on respective enzymes in water solutions. Cation-transferring enzymes are shown to behave with respect to the inhibitor on lipid water interface like respective enzymes in intact mitochondria, while in water solutions they behave like those in systems with the impaired coupling mechanism. Effect of I on protonophoric function of oligomycin-sensitive ATPase and bacteriorhodopsin plaques isolated from Halobacterium halobium is also studied. It is shown that the precence or the absence of I effect is due to a nature of lipid in the enzymatic complex. I is found also to inhibit specifically the transport of Ca2+ from water to octane in the presence of Ca2+-ATP-ase from rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum.