Time course of the response of mitochondria from oxidative muscle during thermal acclimation of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

The time course of changes in the properties of mitochondria from oxidative muscle of rainbow trout was examined during warm (15degreesC) and cold (5degreesC) acclimation. Mitochondrial oxidative capacities showed a biphasic response during thermal acclimation: at a given assay temperature, capacities first increased and then decreased during warm acclimation and showed the inverse pattern during cold acclimation. This was most apparent for maximal rates of state 3 oxygen consumption expressed per mg mitochondrial protein. Rates expressed per nmol ADP-ATP translocase (ANT) showed this pattern during cold acclimation. A biphasic pattern was also apparent for state 4 and oligomycin-inhibited (state 4(ol)) rates of oxygen uptake expressed per mg protein. Changes in states 4 and 4(ol) were smaller during cold than warm acclimation. Warm acclimation reduced the proportion of cytochrome c oxidase and citrate synthase needed during mitochondrial substrate oxidation. Phospholipid concentrations per mg mitochondrial protein changed little with thermal acclimation. Mitochondrial properties changed more quickly during warm than cold acclimation. While the biochemical modifications during thermal acclimation may eventually compensate for the thermal change, compensation did not occur at its onset. Rather, the initial changes of mitochondrial oxidative capacity in response to temperature change accentuated the functional impact of the thermal change, and prolonged exposure to the new temperature was required to attain a degree of thermal compensation.