ATP prevents both hydroperoxide-induced hydrolysis of pyridine nucleotides and release of calcium in rat liver mitochondria.

The mechanism of the hydroperoxide-induced release of calcium from rat liver mitochondria was investigated. In calcium-loaded mitochondria both the hydroperoxide-induced hydrolysis of pyridine nucleotides and the release of calcium is inhibited by intramitochondrial ATP. In submitochondrial particles, in the absence of ATP a hydrolytic product of NAD+, probably ADP-ribose, binds covalently to a protein of the inner mitochondrial membrane. It is proposed that a compound deriving from NAD(P)+ is an important factor in the calcium release mechanism in rat liver mitochondria.