*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
*****

Greetings,
	While the tenor of Carl's remarks is right, keep in mind that 
tissues differ in their ability to live aneorobically. Some 
tissue/organs can survive hours without oxidative phosphorylation. Of 
course this will induce various changes in the cell physiology but 
these can stop short of death. I don't know about KCN but there are 
certain uncouplers (e.g., dinitrophenol) that will stop oxphos 
without directly affecting other componenets. I think oligomycin is 
another. I expect that membrane potential would decrease within 
minutes so add mitotracker at that point and see. Not the greatest 
experiment in the world but could serve your purpose.

	As ever
		Tobias Baskin


>Because tissue function depends on cell function that makes up the 
>tissue, and because mitochondria are intracellular, treating tissue 
>without treating cells is not possible.  Moreover, poisoning 
>mitochondria with cyanide, which will certainly stop their function, 
>will quickly kill the cells/tissue, so tissue function would stop. 
>Because the mitochondrion is so fundamental to the workings of a 
>cell, I don't see a way out.  I'm trying to imagine a fully 
>functional  eukaryotic cell without mitochondria.  You could 
>certainly treat with cyanide, then see how Mitotracker stains, but 
>the tissue will likely not be functional at the same time.
>
>C
>
>Carl A. Boswell, Ph.D.
>Molecular and Cellular Biology
>Univ. of Arizona
>520-954-7053
>FAX 520-621-3709
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Confocal Microscopy List 
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Yevgeniy Romin
>Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 8:51 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Stopping Mitochondrial Activity in whole mount organs
>
>*****
>To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
>http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
>*****
>
>Hello everybody.  This isn't exactly a microscopy question, but 
>maybe someone here has experience with this issue.
>
>We are doing experiments involving assessing the viability of cells 
>in whole mount live organs (liver, in this case), and we are using 
>Mitotracker in order to see whether the cells are alive.  Lately we 
>have been doubting the integrity of our Mitotracker staining, and we 
>would like a negative control to work with.  Does anybody have any 
>experience with stopping the mitochondrial activity in live tissues, 
>like anything that we could inject into the organ?  We need these 
>negative controls to be on tissue, not on cells.  Any advice you can 
>give will be greatly appreciated.
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>Yevgeniy Romin
>
>Digital Microscopist
>Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
>Molecular Cytology Core Facility
>1275 York Ave. Box 333
>New York, NY 10065
>Tel.646-888-2186
>Fax. 646-422-0640
>---------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>      =====================================================================
>     
>      Please note that this e-mail and any files transmitted with it may be
>      privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure under
>      applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended
>      recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this
>      message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any
>      reading, dissemination, distribution, copying, or other use of this
>      communication or any of its attachments is strictly prohibited.  If
>      you have received this communication in error, please notify the
>      sender immediately by replying to this message and deleting this
>      message, any attachments, and all copies and backups from your
>      computer.