Hello there! We continue this note series on this review paper written by Iñigo San-Millán.
The cell nucleus contains genes encoding for about 1200 proteins involved in:
⦁ Mitochondrial structure
⦁ Membrane
⦁ Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) repair
Nuclear DNA – The DNA found in the cell’s nucleus.
Mitochondrial DNA – The DNA found in the mitochondria.
“Nuclear DNA (nuDNA) is the key to a mitochondrion as its genome only contains 37 genes
that encode 13 proteins, all of them involved in OXPHOS”
Dr. Lynn Margulis in 1967 proposed the hypothesis that mitochondria come from a prokaryotic origin linked to archaebacterium (ancient bacteria). This hypothesis purports that an endosymbiosis began when an eukaryotic species engulfed prokaryotic microbes (mitochondria). The mitochondria provided aerobic energy to eukaryotic cells in exchange for protection by the eukaryotic species.
Nuclear DNA (nuDNA) is the key to a mitochondrion as its genome only contains 37 genes
that encode 13 proteins, all of them involved in OXPHOS; hence, the symbiotic relationship with nuDNA. NuDNA encodes all genes necessary for mitochondrial maintenance, repair, and replication. The cell supports mitochondria with building code to help support their survival; and the mitochondria supports the cell survive by providing ATP. The cell and the mitochondria exist in a symbiotic pact. This symbiosis dates back ~1.5 billion years.
Interesting note: Mitochondria are found in all cells in the body except for red blood cells, which rely on aerobic glycolysis and lactate for proliferation and survival.
cells in the body except for red blood cells, which rely on aerobic glycolysis and lactate
for proliferation and survival.
Interesting note: Although it is commonly thought that mitochondria are individual organelles, in skeletal muscle they probably evolved to become interconnected
in a reticulum or a network, most likely penetrating deep into skeletal muscles for
increased bioenergetic efficiency
San-Millán I. The Key Role of Mitochondrial Function in Health and Disease. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023;12(4):782. Published 2023 Mar 23. doi:10.3390/antiox12040782