Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Typical mitochondrial network (green) in two human cells . Mitochondria (or related structures) are found in all eukaryotes (except the Oxymonad Monocercomonoides). [5] Although commonly depicted as bean-like structures they form a highly dynamic network in the majority of cells where they constantly undergo fission and fusion.
The human mitochondrial genome is the entirety of hereditary information contained in human mitochondria. Mitochondria are small structures in cells that generate energy for the cell to use, and are hence referred to as the "powerhouses" of the cell.
Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria. These organelles, found in all eukaryotic cells, are the powerhouse of the cell. [1] The mitochondria, and thus mitochondrial DNA, are passed exclusively from mother to offspring through the egg cell.
A human cell has genetic material contained in the cell nucleus (the nuclear genome) and in the mitochondria (the mitochondrial genome). In humans, the nuclear genome is divided into 46 linear DNA molecules called chromosomes , including 22 homologous chromosome pairs and a pair of sex chromosomes .
Mitochondrial disease is a group of disorders caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are the organelles that generate energy for the cell and are found in every cell of the human body except red blood cells. They convert the energy of food molecules into the ATP that powers most cell functions.
In practice the efficiency may be even lower because the inner membrane of the mitochondria is slightly leaky to protons. [16] Other factors may also dissipate the proton gradient creating an apparently leaky mitochondria. An uncoupling protein known as thermogenin is expressed in some cell types and is a channel that can transport protons.
Mitochondrial biogenesis is the process by which cells increase mitochondrial numbers. [1] [2] It was first described by John Holloszy in the 1960s, when it was discovered that physical endurance training induced higher mitochondrial content levels, leading to greater glucose uptake by muscles. [3]
Through fusion, mitochondria can overcome the dangerous consequences of genetic malfunction. [2] The process of mitochondrial fusion involves a variety of proteins that assist the cell throughout the series of events that form this process. Mitochondrial network (green) in two human cells Mitochondria, mammalian lung - TEM (2)