High-resolution system for the measurement of plant respiratory pathway capacity

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This grant will purchase a high-resolution Oroboros Oxygraph 2K micro-respirometer that will be used to assess aerobic activity by accurately measuring oxygen consumption rates in plant cells, isolated membranes, and mitochondria. The system will be used by the applicant at Wilfrid Laurier University to investigate the role of mitochondrial respiration on the ability of a wide variety of plant species to adapt to and survive various environmental stresses. All plant cells contain mitochondria which use oxygen while converting carbon molecules, such as sugars, into energy. Plant mitochondria contain two respiratory pathways; the cytochrome c oxidase pathway, which is found in most organisms, including humans, and the alternative oxidase pathway, which has a more limited distribution. In organisms that have both pathways, respiration can occur using one pathway or a combination of both. The instrument will be used to measure the oxygen consumption of mitochondria in the presence of respiratory inhibitors for these pathways in order to assess each pathway's contribution to respiration under normal conditions and under conditions of environmental stress. The requested instrumentation is not available at Wilfrid Laurier, and the measurement of respiration in cells, membranes, and mitochondria requires that measurements be taken shortly after their isolation, making the use of this equipment at another institution impractical. The instrument will contribute to the training of HQP in my laboratory as well as trainees associated with our Integrative Biology graduate program. This equipment is vital to my research program and serves as a means of integrating our molecular biology, bioinformatics, and biochemical data with our work at the cellular, physiological, and whole organism levels. Alterations in the way mitochondria consume oxygen are important in many physiological phenomena including aging and disease, and a better understanding of these processes is needed.