Assessing bioenergetic functions from isolated mitochondria in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Mitochondria are involved in generating more than 90 percent of cellular energy and are responsible for many cellular processes such as metabolism, cell signalling, apoptosis and ageing. Currently, there are a number of different experimental approaches employed to measure mitochondrial health and function. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach that quantifies substrate induced mitochondrial respiration from Drosophila. This protocol is optimized for mitochondria isolated from third instar larvae, and can also be used for mitochondria isolated from adult thoraces. This procedure outlines how to perform high throughput and high resolution mitochondria specific measurements for state II, state III, state IVO respiration and residual oxygen consumption.