Molecular Integrity of Mitochondria Alters by Potassium Chloride

Potassium chloride (KCl) has been commonly used in homogenization buffer and procedures of protein extraction. It is known to facilitate release of membrane-associated molecules but the higher concentration of KCl may affect the integrity of mitochondria by breaching the electrostatic force between the lipids and proteins. Therefore, it has been intended to explore the effect of KCl on mitochondrial proteome. The mitochondria were isolated from the mice liver and sub-fractionated into mitochondrial matrix and outer mitochondrial membrane fraction. The fractions were analysed by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and 2D-PAGE. The analysis of ultrastructure and protein profiles by MALDI-MS and data-mining reveals KCl-associated alterations in the integrity of mitochondria and its proteome. The mitochondrial membrane, cristae, and the matrix proteins appear altered under the influence of KCl.