The mitochondrial DNA mutation at 8993 associated with NARP slows the rate of ATP synthesis in isolated lymphoblast mitochondria.

Mitochondria were prepared from three lymphoblast cell lines from patients with high percentage copy numbers of the human mtDNA 8993 mutation and compared to those prepared from related and non-related control cell lines. Rates of ATP synthesis with pyruvate/malate, succinate/rotenone, ascorbate/N'N'N'N' tetramethyl phenylene diamine were reduced to 67%, 58% and 54% of the control rates, respectively. The backward reaction measured as oligomycin sensitive ATPase was reduced to an average of 42% of that in controls. This mutation which changes a conserved leucine to an arginine in the putative membrane proton channel of mitochondrial ATPase effectively reduces the overall rate of oxidative phosphorylation.