IDENTIFYING AGENTS THAT ALTER MITOCHONDRIAL PERMEABILITY TRANSITION PORES

摘要

The invention is directed to methods for identifying agents that affect mitochondrial functions and cell death. Such agents are useful for treating diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and to methods of identifying a risk or presence of such diseases. In particular, the inventio n relates to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (.DELTA.~m) during mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) and further provides a measurabl e rate loss function, changes in which are useful, inter alia, for detecting agents that affect one or more mitochondrial functions, for detecting mitochondrial diseases and for studying molecular components of mitochondria that regulate MPT.