Mitochondria

The Mitochondria

• Is the site where cellular respiration occurs
• Cellular respiration- Is the process that uses oxygen to generate ATP by extracting energy from sugars, fats, and other fuels

Porins

• Mitochondrial porins conduct small molecules and constitute one component of the permeability transition pore that opens in response to apoptotic signals.
• They have significant roles in diverse cellular processes including regulation of mitochondrial ATP and calcium flux

ATP Synthase

• Synthesizes ATP from ADP in the mitochondrial matrix using the energy provided by the proton electrochemical gradient
• Proton electrochemical gradient- Process that uses electron energy to push hydrogen through the inner membrane of the mitochondria

Mitochondrial Matrix

• Similar to the cytoplasm of the cell by more viscous(thicker) because it contains less water
• Essentially the cytoplasm of the cell that went through endosymbiosis that is a widely accepted theory
• Endosymbiosis- one cell is engulfed by another and they symbiotically work together

Granules

• Storage space for the RNA that is needed in the making of the proteins required by the mitochondria
• Also is the place of the biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosomes

Intermembrane space

• The region between the inner membrane and the outer membrane of a mitochondrion or a chloroplast.
• The main function of mitochondrial intermembrane space is oxidative phosphorylation
• Oxidative phosphorylation-Is the pathway that transfers oxygen to nutrients, which leads to ATP

Mitochondrial DNA

• Mitochondrial DNA contains 37 genes, all of which are essential for normal mitochondrial function.
• 13 of these provide instructions for making enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation
• The remaining genes provide instructions for making transfer RNAs and ribosomal RNAs. These types of RNA help assemble protein building blocks (amino acids) into functioning proteins

Ribosomes

• More similar to bacterial ribosomes than human ones because of the origin of mitochondrions
• But they have become highly functionally specialized, synthesizing exlusively membrane proteins that form parts of the protein complexes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

Inner Membrane

• The mitochondrial inner membrane is the site of the electron transport chain, an important step in aerobic respiration
• Made primarily of a phospholipid bilayer, just like the cell membrane

Outer Membrane

• A double phospholipid membrane that separates the inside of the organelle from the rest of the cell. Made up of the same fats as the cell membrane.
• Like the cell membrane, it regulates what goes into and out of the mitochondrion

Importance

• Is the organelle that uses simple sugars in the presence of oxygen(oxidative phosphorylation) to create ATP, which is the molecule that is used to power the higher life, such as humans because anaerobic means do not produce enough energy
• The more energy needed in the different parts of organismsthe more mitochondria will be needed, such as muscle cells, which have a high demand for energy

Works Cited

Porins- http://www.jbc.org/content/277/21/18891.full

ATP Synthase- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278611/

Matrix- http://study.com/academy/lesson/mitochondrial-matrix-definition-function-quiz.html

Endosymbiosis- http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-endosymbiosis-theory-evolution-of-cells.html

Granules- http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(15)00055-8

Intermembrane Space- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermembrane_space

Mitochondrial DNA- https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/mtdna

Ribosomes- http://www.bangroup.ethz.ch/research/mitochondrial_ribosome.html

Inner membrane- http://study.com/academy/lesson/mitochondrial-inner-membrane-definition-lesson-quiz.html

Outer membrane- http://study.com/academy/lesson/mitochondrial-outer-membrane-definition-lesson-quiz.html

Importance- https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-power-and-importance-of-mitochondria/

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/05/first-eukaryotes-found-without-normal-cellular-power-supply