Wheat mitochondria: oxidative activity and membrane lipid structure as a function of temperature.

Mitochondrial oxidative activity and membrane lipid structure of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were measured as a function of temperature. The Arrhenius activation energy for the oxidation of both succinate and alpha-ketoglutarate was constant over the temperature range of 3 to 27 C. The activation energy for succinate-cytochrome c oxidoreductase activity was also constant over the same temperature range. The concentration of mitochondria in the reaction, the degree of initial inhibition of state 3 respiration, and the time after isolation of mitochondria were each shown to be capable of causing a disproportionate decrease in the rate of oxidation at low temperatures which resulted in an apparent increase in the activation energy of oxidative activity. Using three spin-labeling techniques, wheat membrane lipids were shown to undergo phase changes at about 0 C and 30 C. It is concluded that the membrane lipids of wheat, a chillingresistant plant, undergo a phase transition similar to the transition observed in the membrane lipids of chilling-sensitive plants. For wheat, however, the transition is initiated at a lower temperature and extends over a wider temperature range.