Stimulation of oxidative phosphorylation by electrophoretic K+ entry associated to electroneutral K+/H+ exchange in yeast mitochondria.

The effect of the addition of KCl, at constant osmolarity, was investigated on oxidative phosphorylation in isolated yeast mitochondria. KCl stimulated both respiration and ATP synthesis rates without changing the ATP/O ratio. KCl did not change the relationships between respiration rates and the protonmotive force. Since the K+/H+ exchange activity was active under these conditions, the stimulatory effect of respiration could be explained by the net proton entry caused by the electrophoretic K+ entry/electroneutral K+/H+ exchange cycle. On the other hand, K+ entry stimulated phosphate accumulation and transport under non-phosphorylating conditions and decreased the kinetic control by phosphate transport under phosphorylating conditions. Additionally, the stimulation of ATP synthesis strongly depended on the activity of phosphate transport. Taken together, these data showed that electrophoretic K(+)-entry and electroneutral K+/H+ exchange occurred in phosphorylating yeast mitochondria but did not promote any uncoupling between respiration and ATP synthesis.