Mitochondria

Dr. Raheela Jabeen

Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, WUM
Mitochondria?

 These are the power generator of the cell

 Mito=thread, chondrion =granule , these are filamentous
or granular cytoplasmic organelles
 It is found in all aerobic cells of higher animals and plants
and in certain micro-organisms.
 These are absent in bacterial cells.
 The mitochondria have many enzymes and coenzymes
required for energy metabolism.
 They also contain a specific DNA
HISTORY

 The mitochondria were first observed by

Kolliker in 1850 as granular structures in
the striated muscles
Mitochondria in muscle cell
DISTRIBUTION

 The distribution and number of mitochondria are often correlated with

type of function the cell performs.
 Myocardial muscle cells have large mitochondria called sarcosomes, that
reflect the great amount of work done by these cells.
 Human ear pinnae has very less number of mitochondria
Many sarcosomes in muscle
tissue
ORIENTATION

 The mitochondria have definite orientation in different

cells
 In cylindrical cells the mitochondria usually remain
orientated in basal apical direction
 In leucocytes, the mitochondria remain arranged
radially
 In some cell they form long moving filaments while in
others they remain fixed in one position
MORPHOLOGY

 In morphology there is discussion about following points

 Shape
 Size
 Structure
Shape

 Mitochondria are filamentous or granular in shape and

they change their shape according to physiological
conditions of the cells.
 Thus, they may be of club, racket, vesicular and round-
shape.
o Granular in rat
o club-shaped in liver cells
 They constantly change their shape and sometimes fuse
with one another and then separate again
Different shapes of
mitochondria
Size

Normally Sometimes their

mitochondria length may
vary in size from reach up to 7
0.5 µm to 2.0 µm µm.
Different sizes of mitochondria
Structure

 Each mitochondrion is bound by two membranes

 Outer membrane : is smooth and has many copies of a
transport protein called porin which forms an aqueous
channels through lipid bilayer
 Inner membrane : The inner membrane is not smooth
and is impermeable, forming a series of infoldings called
cristae, in the matrix space.
 Inner membrane divides the mitochondrial space into
two distinct chambers :
 Outer compartment : It is between outer membrane and
inner membrane. This space is continuous into the core
of the crests or cristae
 Inner compartment : It is filled with a dense,
homogeneous, gel-like proteinaceous material, called
mitochondrial matrix. The mitochondrial matrix contains
lipids, proteins, circular DNA molecules, 55S ribosomes
and granules. Granules help in transport of ions and
water
 Cristae : In plant mitochondria these are tubular and in
animal mitochondria these are plate-like.
 The cristae greatly increase the area of inner
membrane 3–4 times greater than the outer membrane
area
 Elementary particles : Attached to inner mitochondrial
membrane are repeated units of stalked particles,
called elementary particles also known as F1 particles .
These are for ATP synthesis
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

 Although chemical composition of the mitochondria varies in different

animal and plant cells but the common compounds are following
• protein
• Lipids
• RNA
• Small amount of the DNA
• Enzymes
Enzymes

 Enzymes of outer membrane : Involve in lipid synthesis

 Enzymes of intermembrane space : Involve in ATP
transfer out of the matrix
 Enzymes of inner membrane : Involve in carrying out
oxidation reactions of respiratory chain , in ATP synthesis
and synthesis of transport proteins
 Enzymes of mitochondrial matrix : involve in oxidation of
pyruvate and fatty acids and in Krebs cycle.
 FUNCTIONS

 They are the respiratory organs of the cells where the foodstuffs,
i.e., carbohydrates and fats are completely oxidized into CO2 and
H2O and energy is released in the form of ATP
1) OXIDATION OF CARBOHYDRATES : following steps are involved in it
(i) Glycolysis
(ii) Oxidative decarboxylation
(iii) Krebs cycle
(iv) Respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation
Net gain is 38ATP in which 2ATP are used so 36ATP are obtained
Glycolysis
Oxidative Decarboxylation
Krebs cycle
Respiratory chain
2) β-OXIDATION OF FATTY ACIDS : In the mitochondria of all
cells, enzymes in the outer and inner membrane mediate the
movement of free fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix.
Net gain of 129ATP
3) OXIDATION OF PROTEINS : Before proteins can be
introduced into the mainstream of metabolism they split into
amino acids by two processes with the help of enzyme
 Oxidative deamination
 Transamination
Then the 1st product form from protein is Acetyl-coA which is
further oxidized in Krebs Cycle
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF MITOCHONDRIA

 Heat production or thermogenesis : 45 per cent of the energy released

during the oxidation of glucose is captured in the form of ATP, the rest 55
per cent is either lost as heat or used to regulate body temperature of
warm-blooded animals
 Biosynthetic or anabolic activities : Mitochondria contain DNA and the
machinery needed for protein synthesis. Therefore, they can make less than
a dozen different proteins
 Accumulation of Ca2+ and phosphate : In the mitochondria of osteoblasts
present in tissues undergoing calcification large amount of Ca2+ and
phosphate (PO4¯) tend to accumulate
References

 CELL BIOLOGY, GENETICS, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND

ECOLOGY by P.S. VERMA , V.K. AGARWAL , Multicolour Edition 2005,chapter
6th page 154-165.
 Zoology 4th edition by Stephen A. Miller and John B. Harley. Chapter 3rd
page 32-56.
Thankyou