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The inner mitochondrial membrane is both an electrical insulator and chemical barrier. Sophisticated ion transporters exist to allow specific molecules to cross this barrier. There are several antiport systems embedded in the inner membrane, allowing exchange of anions between the cytosol and the mitochondrial matrix.
Then they are transported across the inner mitochondrial membrane into the matrix and converted into the acetyl CoA to enter the citric acid cycle. [7] [8] Apoptotic components released from the intermembrane space of a mitochondrion. The respiratory chain in the inner mitochondrial membrane carries out oxidative phosphorylation.
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]
A crista (/ ˈ k r ɪ s t ə /; pl.: cristae) is a fold in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion.The name is from the Latin for crest or plume, and it gives the inner membrane its characteristic wrinkled shape, providing a large amount of surface area for chemical reactions to occur on.
The membrane only allows nonpolar molecules such as CO 2 and O 2 and small non charged polar molecules such as H 2 O to enter the matrix. Molecules enter and exit the mitochondrial matrix through transport proteins and ion transporters. Molecules are then able to leave the mitochondria through porin. [9]
This membrane potential is ultimately what allows for the mitochondria to generate large quantities of ATP. [17] Protons being pumped from the mitochondrial matrix into the intermembrane space as the electron transport chain runs, lowering the pH of the intermembrane space.
In mitochondria, energy released by the electron transport chain is used to move protons from the mitochondrial matrix (N side) to the intermembrane space (P side). Moving the protons out of the mitochondrion creates a lower concentration of positively charged protons inside it, resulting in excess negative charge on the inside of the membrane.
The outer membrane is porous, whereas the inner membrane restricts the movement of all molecules. The two membranes also vary in membrane potential and pH. [3] These factors play a role in the function of mitochondrial membrane transport proteins. There are 53 discovered human mitochondrial membrane transporters, [4] with many others that are ...