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A mitochondrion (pl. mitochondria) is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi.Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used throughout the cell as a source of chemical energy. [2]
It was thought that compartmentalization is not found in prokaryotic cells., [1] but the discovery of carboxysomes and many other metabolosomes revealed that prokaryotic cells are capable of making compartmentalized structures, albeit these are in most cases not surrounded by a lipid bilayer, but of pure proteinaceous built. [2] [3] [4]
Eukaryotic cells are some 10,000 times larger than prokaryotic cells by volume, have their DNA organised in a nucleus, and contain membrane-bound organelles. The division between prokaryotes and eukaryotes has been considered the most important distinction or difference among organisms.
Mitochondrion – A membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. [7] Often called "cellular power plants", mitochondria generate most of cells' supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's main source of energy. Chloroplast – An organelles found in plant cells and eukaryotic algae that conduct photosynthesis.
The post-glycolytic reactions take place in the mitochondria in eukaryotic cells, and in the cytoplasm in prokaryotic cells. [citation needed] Although plants are net consumers of carbon dioxide and producers of oxygen via photosynthesis, plant respiration accounts for about half of the CO 2 generated annually by terrestrial ecosystems. [6] [7]: 87
Compartmentalization is a feature of prokaryotic photosynthetic structures. [2] Purple bacteria have "chromatophores", which are reaction centers found in invaginations of the cell membrane. [2] Green sulfur bacteria have chlorosomes, which are photosynthetic antenna complexes found bonded to cell membranes. [2]
The DNA of a prokaryotic cell consists of a single circular chromosome that is in direct contact with the cytoplasm. The nuclear region in the cytoplasm is called the nucleoid. Most prokaryotes are the smallest of all organisms, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 μm in diameter. [1] [page needed] A prokaryotic cell has three regions:
Mitochondria are regarded as organelles rather than endosymbionts because mitochondria and the host cells share some parts of their genome, undergo division simultaneously, and provide each other with means to produce energy. [40] The endomembrane system and nuclear membrane were hypothesized to have derived from the protomitochondria. [41] [42 ...