Anatomy 25 organelles mitochondria

Mitochondria are shaped like rods or filaments though often depicted as kind of bean-shaped because of cross section view.

They move about the inside of the cell and change shape.

Their main job is to produce energy for the cell.

Mitochondria are fairly self sufficient. They are capable of replicating themselves, can grow, maintain themselves, repair themselves, produce their own proteins, and have their own DNA - ( mtDNA ).

Mitochondria are kind of thread, or filament shaped.

They are made of an outer unit membrane surrounding an inner unit membrane. In between the unit membranes is a chemical solution called the matrix.

The inner membrane folds into the "matrix" wich is deep to the inner membrane. The folds form pockets called "cristae" which are deep to the outer membrane and superficial to the matrix.

On the deep side of the inner membrane are attached enzymes ( ATP synthase? ) that enable Oxidative phosphorylation. Inner membrane also has something to do with electron transport chains?

The matrix itself, at the center of the mitochondria.

Mitochondria make energy for cells. They do this by way of oxidative phosphorylization. ( Oxidation is the loss of Hydrogen atoms, phosphorylation is the attachment of phosphate group to something else. )

Proteins imbedded in the inner membrane of the mitochondria move H+ from the matrix to inner membrane space and back again. This allows there to be more electrons in the inner membrane space than in the matrix. This difference allows electrons to flow back through the membrane via the ATP synthase enzyme.

ATP synthase moves electrons into the matrix . Somehow ( sorry, don't quite understand this step ) this allows for the creation of ATP.

ATP leaves the mitochondria, encounters the cell membrane where ATPases grap hold of one of the phosphate groups and snap it off releasing heat and energy, thus creating energy for the cell.