Mitochondrion

The mitochondrion (plural mitochondria) is a membrane boond organelle foond in maist eukaryotic cells (the cells that mak up plants, ainimals, fungi, an mony ither forms o life).^[1] Some cells in some multicellular organisms mey houiver lack them (for emsaumple, matur mammalian reid bluid cells). A nummer o unicellular organisms, sic as microsporidia, parabasalids, an diplomonads, hae an aa reduced or transformed thair mitochondria intae ither structurs.^[1] Tae date, anerly ane eukaryote, Monocercomonoides, is kent tae hae completely lost its mitochondria.^[2] The wird mitochondrion comes frae the Greek [μίτος] error: {{lang}}: text has italic markup (help), mitos, "threid", an [χονδρίον] error: {{lang}}: text has italic markup (help), chondrion, "granule"^[3] or "grain-lik". Mitochondria generate maist o the cell's supplee o adenosine triphosphate (ATP), uised as a soorce o chemical energy.^[4]

Mitochondria are commonly atween 0.75 an 3 μm in diameter^[5] but vairy conseederably in size an structur. Unless speceefically steened, thay are nae veesible. In addeetion tae suppleein cellular energy, mitochondria are involved in ither tasks, sic as signalin, cellular differentiation, an cell daith, as weel as mainteenin control o the cell cycle an cell growthe.^[6] Mitochondrial biogenesis is turn aboot temporally coordinatit wi thir cellular processes.^[7][8] Mitochondria hae been implicatit in several human diseases, includin mitochondrial disorders,^[9] cardiac dysfunction,^[10] hert failyie^[11] an autism.^[12]

The nummer o mitochondria in a cell can vairy widely bi organism, tishie, an cell teep. For instance, reid bluid cells hae na mitochondria, whauras liver cells can hae mair nor 2000.^[13][14] The organelle is componed o compartments that cairy oot specialised functions. Thir compairtments or regions include the ooter membrane, the intermembrane space, the inner membrane, an the cristae an matrix.

Awtho maist o a cell's DNA is conteened in the cell nucleus, the mitochondrion haes its awn independent genome that shaws substantial seemilarity tae bacterial genomes.^[15] Mitochondrial proteins (proteins transcrived frae mitochondrial DNA) vairy dependin on the tishie an the species. In humans, 615 distinct teeps o protein hae been identifee'd frae cardiac mitochondria,^[16] whauras in rats, 940 proteins hae been reportit.^[17] The mitochondrial proteome is thocht tae be dynamically regulatit.^[18]