We have determined the relationship between rate of respiration and protonmotive force in oligomycininhibited liver mitochondria isolated from euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid rats. Respiration ratc was titrated with the respiratory-chain inhibitor malonate. At any given respiration rate mitochondria isolated from hypothyroid rats had a protonmotive force greater than mitochondria isolated from euthyroid controls, and mitochondria isolated from hyperthyroid rats had a protonmotive force less than mitochondria isolated from euthyroid controls, In the absence of malonate mitochondrial respiration rate increased in the order hypothyroid < euthyroid < hyperthyroid, while protonmotive force increased in the order hyperthyroid < euthyroid < hypothyroid. These findings are consistent with a thyroid-hormone-induced increase in the proton conductance of the inner mitochondrial membrane or a decrease in the H+/O ratio of the respiratory chain at any given protonmotive force. Thus the altered proton conductance or H+/O ratio of mitochondria isolated from rats of different thyroid hormone status controls the respiration rate required to balance the backflow of protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. We discuss the possible relevance of these findings to the control of state 3 and state 4 respiration by thyroid hormone.Mitochondria isolated from hypothyroid rats chardcteristically show decreased state 4 and state 3 (nomenclature of Chance and Williams [I]) respiration rates relative to control rat mitochondria, while mitochondria from hyperthyroid rats show elevated statc 4 and state 3 respiration rates (see [2] for a review). The stimulation of state 4 respiration rate following administration of tri-iodo-L-thyronine to hypothyroid rats is not a consequence of increased ATP turnover as the respiration rates of these mitochondria remains faster (relative to mitochondria from hypothyroid rats) in the presence of oligomycin to inhibit the ATP synthase [3].The control of non-phosphorylating respiration (i. e. in the presence of oligomycin) is relatively simple. As Ap rises the permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane to protons increases rapidly above about 130 mV Ahhrcviatians. Albumin, bovine serum albumin; FCCP, carbonyl cyanidc p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone; Me4N+, tetramethylammonium; Ph3MeP*, mcthyltriphenylphosphonium cation; SEM, standard error of the mean; H+/O, number of protons rclcased to the external bulk phase/oxygen atom reduced; Ap, difference in electrical potential across the mitochondrial inner membrane; A p , protonmotive force across the mitochondrial inner membrane, ApH, pH gradient across the mitochondrial inner membrane.istics of the mitochondrial inner membrane to protons (leak), the kinetic behaviour of the proton-pumping respiratory chain and the H+/O ratio of the respiratory chain. In the present analysis we do not discriminate between a decrease in stoichiometry and an increase in the proton permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane. The effect of either of these ...