A novel mitochondrial signaling pathway activated by visible-to-near infrared radiation.

The number of cells attached to glass substratum increases if HeLa cell suspension is irradiated with monochromatic visible-to-near infrared radiation before plating (the action spectrum with maxima at 619, 657, 675, 700, 740, 760, 800, 820, 840 and 860 nm). Treating of cell suspension with sodium azide (2 x 10(-5) M), sodium nitroprusside (5 x 10(-5) M), ouabain (1 x 10(-6) M) or amiloride (1.7 x 10(-5) M) before irradiation significantly modifies the spectrum of cell attachment enhancement. A light-induced mitochondrial signaling pathway can be regulated by small ligands directly binding to the catalytic center of cytochrome c oxidase (N(3), NO) as well as by chemicals specifically binding to plasma membrane enzymes (ouabain, amiloride). The comparative analysis of action spectra allows the conclusions that first, Cu(A) and Cu(B) chromophores of cytochrome c oxidase could be involved as photoacceptors and second, various signaling pathways (reaction channels) between cytochrome c oxidase and cell attachment regulation are at work.