MITOCHONDRIA

MITOCHONDRIA
DESCRIPTION : Mitochondria are granular or filamentous light microscopic cytoplasmic

organelles characterized by specific organisation, lipoproteinous composition with large battery
of enzymes and co-enzymes, sites of cellular respiration, semi-autonomous in nature and
capable of transforming potential energy of the food stuffs into high energy ATP molecules with
chemical energy and are also called “power houses” of the cell. They are also called
plasmosome, plastochondria or vermicules.
CHRONOLOGY OF MITOCHONDRIA :
Kolliker (1880) : First discovered the mitochondria as granular bodies in striated muscle fibers
of flight muscles of insects.
Flemming (1882) : Reported filamentous mitochondria and named them “fila” .
C. Bend (1898) : Term “Mitochondria” from two Greek words : mito = thread ; chondrian=
granule.
OCCURRENCE: These are absent from the prokaryotes like bacteria,PPLO etc.but are present
in all the eukaryotic cells except mature and old mammalian RBCs and certain anaerobic
protozoans.
BODY OF THE ARTICLE :
● Shape,size and number
Shape : Mitochondria are generally granular or filamentous but there are also show
pleomorphism and may be vesicular or spherical ( e.g.yeast cells) or discoidal or club -
shaped and racket -like. Trypanosoma have a loop like mitochondrion having DNA - rich
fibrillar bodies called kinetoplasts.
Size : Mitochondria show great diversity in their size which ranges from 0.2 - 2 um in
diameter and from 0.3 - 40 um in length though their general size. These are the second
largest sized cellular structures. These are the largest cell organelle in animal cells,
second largest organelle in plant cells, while it is third largest structure in the plant
cell after nucleus and chloroplast.
Number : The number of mitochondria varies not only in different organisms but also in
different cells of the same organism but the number is nearly constant for a particular cell
type. The number of mitochondria. Minimum number of mitochondria is one in
Micromonas. There are 25 in the middle piece of a human sperm. Maximum number of
mitochondria are found in flight muscle cell of insects and are collectively called
sacrosomes. These are less in plant cells and since ATP is also produced by their
chloroplasts and are also less metabolically active than the animal cells. These form
about 25 % of the volume of cytoplasm.
● ULTRASTRUCTURE:
Under the electron microscope, a mitochondrion is formed of two limiting membranes

and two chambers :
(1) Mitochondrial membranes :
(a) Outer mitochondrial membrane: It is outer, about 60-70 Å thick,
lipoproteinous. It is freely permeable to most of small sized biomolecules
due to line by porin protein. It is smooth so two mitochondrial membranes
are assymetrical in nature.
(b) Inner mitochondrial membrane: It is inner, also about 60 - 70Å thick,
lipoproteinous and trilaminar. It is with more proteins (about 80%) most of
which act as a carriers or permeases so it is a semipermeable membrane.
It is produced inward into a number of folds called cristae
mitochondriales.
(2) Cristae : There are two types:
(a) Septate cristae. These are parallel -sided and usually single and straight but form
angulations in gastric muscle cells of frog and pancreatic cells of bats.
(b) Tubular cristae. These appear villi-like partitions e.g.in the mitochondria of protozoan,
liver cells and neurons. Their terminal end may become swollen and are called saccular
or vesicular cristae.
These cristae increase the surface area of enzyme activity for the cell respiration. Their
membrane depends upon the size of mitochondria and metabolic rate of cell e.g.mitochondria of
liver cells. The cavity of each cristae is called intercristal space which is continuous with the
outer chamber.
(3) Oxysomes : Outer surface of inner mitochondrial membrane is called cytosol or C- face
while its inner surface is called Matrix or M-face.On its M-face there is a series of regularly
placed knob-like F1 particles or inner membrane spheres or oxysomes of elementary
particles . These were first reported by H .Fernandez Moran so are also called Fernandez
-moran subunits. These are evenly spaced at an interval of about 100 Å.Each Oxysome is
formed of three parts :
(a) Base piece (F0 subunit) : It is a rectangular shaped about 115 X 45 Å in size and
embedded in mitochondrial membrane.It contains a proton channel.
(b) Stalk : It is about 33 Å in height and contains F5 and F6 or FC2 which binds F1 to inner
mitochondrial membrane.
(c) Head piece (F1 subunit) : It is a spherical ,about 75 - 100 Å in diameter and contain
ATPas enzyme or ATP synthetase which controls the synthesis of ATP by the
phosphorylation of ADP , so these are also called ATP particles and the functional units
of mitochondrion.
(4) Mitochondrial DNA : Mitochondrial DNA differs from nuclear DNA in a number of characters
.
1. GC pairs are more in mitochondrial DNA so it is higher buoyant density
2. Mitochondrial DNA has high denaturation temperature.
3. It has a less genetic information than those of nuclear DNA.
FUNCTIONS OF MITOCHONDRIA :
(I) Cell Respiration : Mitochondria are the sites of cell respiration involving stepped and
enzymatic oxidation of glucose to produce energy-rich ATP molecule by oxidative
phosphorylation so these are also commonly called as power houses or Storage batteries or
ATP mills of the cell.
(II) Mitochondria are also the sites of biosynthesis of some amino acids.
(III) These are also the sites of thermogenesis.
(IV) These are the sites of vitellogenesis during the growth face of oogenesis which is controlled
by a yolk nucleus formed of mitochondrial cloud and golgi bodies.
(V) Intermediate products of cell respiration in the mitochondria used in the formation of
steroids, cytochrome ,chlorophyll ,etc.
CHARACTERS OUTER MEMBRANE INNER MEMBRANE
1. Cristae Absent Present
2. Permeability Freely permeable Semi-permeable
3. Proteins 50% of outer membrane and 80% of inner membrane.

10% of total mt.proteins.
4. Sialic acid More Less
FAQ ( FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
Question: Comment on its role in spermiogenesis.

Answer: During spermiospermioGenesigenesis mitochondria of spermatid form a mitochondrial
spiral , called nebenkern, which form the middle piece of sperm.
Question: Which organelle is known as powerhouse of the cell and why?
Answer : Mitochondria is the organelle that is known as the powerhouse of the cell because it
helps glucose to produce energy-rich ATP molecules by oxidative phosphorylation.
Question: Describe the view regarding biogenesis of mitochondrion.
Answer :The mitochondria originate from simple building blocks originating in a cytoplasm are
called pre mitochondria. Mitochondria may also originate by budding from pre- existing
mitochondria.In this a double membranous bud originates from the existing mitochondria which
separates to form a pro mitochondria which subsequently develops into a mitochondrion.
Question :Mention some mitochondrial enzymes.
Answer: Monoamine oxidase, hexokinase -2, Acetyl -Coa synthetase, choline dehydrogenase,
cytochrome oxidases.
Question: What do you mean by mitochondrial chambers?
Answer: The space between two membranes is called the outer chamber and the space lies
inside the mitochondrial membrane is filled with more denser, gel- like and homogenous called
mitochondrial matrix.
Mitochondria
Mitochondria is in filamentous and rod shaped structure containing mitochondrial membrane,
intermembrane space, matrix , DNA, Cristae and all other parts.
Oxysome
It contains three parts: base piece, stalk, and head piece. In this region oxidative
phosphorylation will occur.

MITOCHONDRIA

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MITOCHONDRIA

DESCRIPTION : Mitochondria are granular or filamentous light microscopic cytoplasmic

BODY OF THE ARTICLE :

● Shape,size and number

Under the electron microscope, a mitochondrion is formed of two limiting membranes

CHARACTERS OUTER MEMBRANE INNER MEMBRANE

1. Cristae Absent Present

2. Permeability Freely permeable Semi-permeable

3. Proteins 50% of outer membrane and 80% of inner membrane.

4. Sialic acid More Less

FAQ ( FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Question: Comment on its role in spermiogenesis.

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