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We probed the role of the polyunsaturated fatty acids on the dynamic and functional properties of mitochondrial membranes using the fad2 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, deficient in -6-oleate desaturase. In mitochondria of this mutant, the oleic acid content exceeded 70% of the total fatty acids, and the lipid/protein ratio was greatly enhanced. As a consequence, local microviscosity, probed by anthroyloxy fatty acid derivatives, was increased by 30%, whereas the lipid lateral diffusion, assayed using 1-pyrenedodecanoic acid, was approximately 4 times increased. Functional parameters such as oxygen consumption rate under phosphorylating and nonphosphorylating conditions and proton permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane were significantly reduced in fad2 mitochondrial membranes, while the thermal dependence of the respiration was enhanced. Moreover, metabolic control analysis of the respiration clearly showed an enhancement of the control exerted by the membrane proton leaks. Our data suggest that the loss of -6-oleate desaturase activity in Arabidopsis cells induced an enhancement of both microviscosity and lipid/protein ratio of mitochondrial membranes, which in turn were responsible for the change in lateral mobility of lipids and for bioenergetic parameter modifications.

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