Regulation of mitochondrial metabolism by the phosphorylation system and the complex IV and its impact on oxidative stress

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A large fraction of energy needed for heart and skeletal muscle contraction comes from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), a process that takes place in the inner mitochondrial membrane. OXPHOS couple the transfer of electrons in the electron transport system (ETS) to the movement of protons in the intermembrane space. The proton gradient formed is accumulated between the two mitochondrial membranes and is utilized by the phosphorylation system to produce energy in the form of ATP. The energy produced depends not only from the efficiency of electron transport between the complexes I to IV of the ETS but also of the ability of the phosphorylation system to convert the proton gradient into energy. For instance, previous studies showed that the phosphorylation system exert a strong control on OXPHOS in the human heart and skeletal muscle, whereas this particular characteristic is not shared with commonly used animal models such as mice and rats.