Haem a, cytochrome c and total protein turnover in mitochondria from rat heart and liver.

Haem a and cytochrome c were isotopically labelled in mitochondria from rat heart and liver after injection of delta-amino[2,3-(3)H(2)]laevulate, a specific haem precursor. [guanido-(14)C]Arginine or l-[4,5-(3)H(2)]leucine were used to label mitochondrial proteins. Half-lives were measured from biological decay in vivo and were similar (5.5-6.2 days) for haem a, cytochrome c and [(14)C]arginine-labelled proteins. Labelling of hepatic mitochondrial proteins with [(3)H(2)]leucine resulted in a prolonged apparent half-life.