Genome Complexity; how mitochondria work (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, May 05, 2015, 18:21 (3491 days ago) @ David Turell

A complex article describing some of the intricacies of mitochondrial function with complex diagrams:-"Perhaps the more difficult question here is which geometries correspond to which mitochondrial behaviors. The possible behaviors obviously include not just making ATP, but also everything from fatty acid oxidation, to synthesizing steroids, pigments, and other eclectic essentials for the host cell and organism. The possible membrane geometries, much like the various creatively-named models for the generation complex lipid membranes of myelinated nerves, come with descriptive brands like the original 'infolding baffle model' and the more modern 'crista junction' models. Crista junctions are the proteinaceous contacts made a specific critical points between the inner and outer membranes. These various folds transition in various contexts between tubular, lamellar, and helically wound sheets ( particularly common in certain protists).-"A couple of papers from the past week have reported on the roles of some of the more important proteins in shaping membranes. Of note, one published by Polish and German researchers in The Journal of Biological Chemistry found a critical new protein that controls formation of the so-called MICOS system (mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system). This protein, Cox17, was already known for its role as a chaperone in the assembly of respiratory complex IV on the inner membrane of mitochondria. Known as cytochrome c oxidase (COX), this is the terminal respiratory complex in the whole chain—the one that hands off the electrons to oxygen. Among other amenities, Cox17 has a series of critical cysteines which appear to involved in recruiting copper to the business end of the mitochondrially encoded COX subunits." -
 Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-05-internal-mitochondria.html#jCp