The Structure and Reactions that take place inside the Mitochondrion
During the December 20 2019 session we studied the structure and reactions that take place inside the mitochondrion. We studied oxidation reactions, reduction reactions and when they are coupled together redox reaction (reduction-oxidation) occurs.
Inside the mitochondrion several important activities take place:
Beta oxidation of fatty acids
citric acid cycle
electron transport chain
heme biosynthese porpherene.
Description Transmission electron micrograph of swollen mitochondria in a cell in the late stages of apoptotis. The mitochondria have less electron dense matrices than normal ones.
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Credit TEM swollen mitochondria in apoptotic cell. Credit: Dr Jeremy Skepper. CC BY
When there is mitochondrial disfunction, mitochondrial diseases will develop.
We studied mitochondrial diseases that can manifest themselves through symptoms of poor growth, loss of muscle coordination, muscle weakness, visual problems, hearing problems, learning disabilities, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory disorders, neurological disorders, autonomic dysfunction, dementia. Mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in diabetes, Huntington's disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia and chronic fatigue syndrome. As a rule, mitochondrial diseases are worse when the defective mitochondria are present in the muscles, cerebrum or nerves because these cells use more energy than most other cells in the body.