Lecture 8
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Cell Biology ١
Mitochondria Function
The most prominent roles of mitochondria are to produce ATP (i.e., phosphorylation of ADP) through respiration
And to regulate cellular metabolism.
The central set of reactions involved in ATP production are collectively known as the citric acid cycle, or the Krebs Cycle.
However, the mitochondrion has many other functions in addition to the production of ATP.
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Cell Biology ٢
Energy conversion
A dominant role for the mitochondria is the production of ATP, as reflected by the large number of proteins in the inner membrane for this task.
This is done by oxidizing the major products of glucose, pyruvate, and NADH, which are produced in the cytosol.
This process of cellular respiration, also known as aerobic respiration, is dependent on the presence of oxygen.
When oxygen is limited, the glycolytic products will be metabolized by anaerobic respiration, a process that is independent of the
mitochondria.
The production of ATP from glucose has an approximately 13-fold higher yield during aerobic respiration compared to anaerobic
respiration
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Cell Biology ٣
Cellular respiration
Cellular respiration, also known as 'oxidative metabolism', is one of the key ways a cell gains useful energy.
It is the set of the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in organisms' cells
To convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and then release waste products.
The reactions involved in respiration are catabolic reactions that involve the oxidation of one molecule and the reduction of another.
Nutrients commonly used by animal and plant cells in respiration
include glucose, amino acids and fatty acids, and a common oxidizing agent (electron acceptor) is molecular oxygen (O2
Organisms that use oxygen as a final electron acceptor in respiration are described as aerobic, while those that do not are referred to as anaerobic
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Cell Biology ٤
eukaryotic cell Cellular respiration in a typical
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Cell Biology ٥
Aerobic respiration
Aerobic respiration requires oxygen in order to generate energy (ATP).
It is the preferred method of pyruvate breakdown from glycolysis and requires that pyruvate enter the
mitochondrion in order to be fully oxidized by the Krebs cycle.
The product of this process is energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), by substrate-level
phosphorylation, NADH and FADH2.
Simplified reaction: C6H12O6 (aq) + 6 O2 (g) → 6 CO2 (g) + 6 H2O
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Cell Biology ٦
Anaerobic respiration
In biology, anaerobic respiration is a way for an organism to produce usable energy without the
involvement of oxygen; it is respiration without oxygen.
Respiration is a redox reaction that processes energy in a form usable by an organism, chiefly the process of
producing ATP.
It employs an electron transport chain, with inorganic molecules other than oxygen used as a final electron acceptor.
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Cell Biology ٧
Pyruvate: the citric acid cycle
Each pyruvate molecule produced by glycolysis is actively
transported across the inner mitochondrial membrane, and into the matrix where it is oxidized and combined with coenzyme A to form CO2, acetyl-CoA, and NADH
The acetyl-CoA is the primary substrate to enter the citric acid cycle, also known as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or Krebs cycle.
The enzymes of the citric acid cycle are located in the mitochondrial matrix, with the exception of succinate dehydrogenase, which is
bound to the inner mitochondrial membrane as part of Complex II.
The citric acid cycle oxidizes the acetyl-CoA to carbon dioxide, and, in the process, produces reduced cofactors (three molecules of
NADH and one molecule of FADH2) that are a source of electrons for the electron transport chain, and a molecule of GTP (that is readily converted to an ATP
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Cell Biology ٨
Electron transport chain
An electron transport chain couples a chemical
reaction between an electron donor (such as NADH) and an electron acceptor (such as O2) to the transfer of H+
ions across a membrane, through a set of mediating biochemical reactions.
These H+ ions are used to produce adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), the main energy intermediate in living organisms.
Electron transport chains are used for extracting energy from sunlight (photosynthesis) and from redox reactions such as the oxidation of sugars (respiration).
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Cell Biology ٩
oxidative The electron transport chain in the mitochondrion is the site of
citric . The NADH and succinate generated in the
eukaryotes in
phosphorylation
ATP synthase is oxidized, providing energy to power
acid cycle
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Cell Biology ١٠
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is localized to the matrix, which also contains a host of enzymes, as well as ribosomes for protein synthesis.
Many of the critical metabolic steps of cellular respiration are catalyzed by enzymes that are able to diffuse
through the mitochondrial matrix.
The other proteins involved in respiration, including the enzyme that generates ATP, are embedded within the mitochondrial inner membrane.
Infolding of the cristae dramatically increases the surface area available for hosting the enzymes responsible for cellular respiration.
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Cell Biology ١١
Heat production
Under certain conditions, protons can re-enter the mitochondrial matrix without contributing to ATP synthesis.
This process is known as proton leak or mitochondrial uncoupling and is due to the facilitated diffusion of
protons into the matrix.
The process results in the unharnessed potential energy of the proton electrochemical gradient being released as heat.
The process is mediated by a proton channel called thermogenin, or UCP1.
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Heat production
Thermogenin is primarily found in brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, and is responsible for non-shivering
thermogenesis
Brown adipose tissue is found in mammals, and is at its highest levels in early life and in hibernating animals.
In humans, brown adipose tissue is present at birth and decreases with age.
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Cell Biology ١٣
Storage of calcium ions
The concentrations of free calcium in the cell can
regulate an array of reactions and is important for signal transduction in the cell.
Mitochondria can store calcium, a contributing process for the cell's homeostasis of calcium.
Their ability to rapidly take in calcium for later release makes them very good
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the most significant storage site of calcium
There is a significant interplay between the mitochondrion and ER with regard to calcium
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Cell Biology ١٤
Storage of calcium ions
The calcium is taken up into the matrix by a calcium uniporter on the inner mitochondrial membrane.
It is primarily driven by the mitochondrial membrane potential.
Release of this calcium back into the cell's interior can occur via a sodium-calcium exchange protein or via "calcium-induced-calcium- release" pathways.
This can initiate calcium spikes or calcium waves with large changes in the membrane potential.
These can activate a series of second messenger system proteins that can coordinate processes such as neurotransmitter release in nerve cells and release of hormones in endocrine cells.
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Cell Biology ١٥
Additional functions
Mitochondria play a central role in many other metabolic tasks, such as:
Regulation of the membrane potential
Apoptosis-programmed cell death
Calcium signaling (including calcium-evoked apoptosis)
Cellular proliferation regulation
Regulation of cellular metabolism
Certain heme synthesis reactions
Steroid synthesis
.
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Cell Biology ١٦
