 http://www.mindquest.net/biology/cell-biology/cell-biology.html accessed 2/13/00 |
http://treebiol.forest.wisc.edu/forestry415/lecture5/mitochon.htm accessed 2/13/00 |
| Function The mitochondrion, present in plant and animal cells, is essentially the power of the cell. Structurally, the mitochondrion has a double-layered, smooth outer membrane with inner folds called cristae, the inner membrane in which energy collecting chemical reactions takes place. The membrane-bound organelle is about the size of bacteria and varies in shape depending on cell type. There can exist up to 1,000 mitochondria in a cell. The cristae, the convoluted inner membrane of mitochondria, greatly increase the inner membrane’s surface area. Through a series of complex electron transport chains, which are embedded in the cristae membrane, energy is provided for the synthesis of ATP. The cell’s ability to derive ATP from metabolic oxidation is a result of a complex chain of events and reactions.
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| Working Together The mitochondrion, the second largest organelle with unique genetic structure, performs many functions, including the recycling of product of the cell’s metabolism, the formation of urea, transportation of proteins, and the synthesis of ATP. Mitochondria are mostly individual organelles that operate on their own without much interaction with other organelles in the cytoplasm. The “powerhouses of the cell” have their own genetic code and are basically their own unique cell. It is extremely important in a cell that energy be extracted by the mitochondria, but the organelle doesn’t have to cooperate with others to do so.
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| Cool Links http://treebiol.forest.wisc.edu/forestry415/lecture5/mitochon.htm http://www-lmmb.ncifcrf.gov/mitoDat/ http://www.cbc.umn.edu/~mwd/cell_www/chapter2/mitochondria.html
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