📝Mitochondrion

tags

Microbiology

plural

Mitochondria

Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Two membranes:

• outer membrane
  • porous
• inner membrane
  • completely sealed (except for pumps)
  • folded → large surface area (so you can have more pumps)

Proteins:

• 99% are generated outside the mitochondrion
• 1% by mitochondria itself
• 13 proteins are encoded in mtDNA out of ~44 proteins needed by mitochondrion
  • how do they find one another and connect

Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA, mtDNA)

• encodes 13 proteins
• (usually) circular
• usually inherited from the mother
  • egg has 200,000 mtDNA molecules
  • sperm has 5
    • those 5 are in the tail (which usually fall off) and are marked for destruction
  • but there are documented cases of inheritance from the father
  • mtDNA experiences little mutation and that’s why mtDNA is good for tracking animal lineage

Metabolism:

• catabolic → ATP synthase
• anabolic → biosynthesis (helps build molecules)
• redox homeostasis