MITOCHONDRIAL RESPIRATORY-CHAIN INHIBITORS INDUCE APOPTOSIS

In this paper the specific mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors rotenone and antimycin A and the highly specific mitochondrial ATP-syn thase inhibitor oligomycin are shown to induce an apoptotic suicide re sponse in cultured human lymphoblastoid and other mammalian cells with in 12-18 h. The mitochondrial inhibitors do not induce apoptosis in ce lls depleted of mitochondrial DNA and thus lacking an intact mitochond rial respiratory chain. Apoptosis induced by respiratory chain inhibit ors is not inhibited by the presence of Bcl-2. We discuss the possible role of mitochondrial induced apoptosis in the ageing process and age -associated diseases.