Lecture #3 - Mitochondria and Peroxisomes Flashcards
Use of Organelles/cell compartments
Organelles/cell compartments provide :
1. Create specialization (Ex. Energy production)
- Example – Mitocondria is specialized for making ATP
2. Concentration of Activities in a cell (Ex. TCA cycle)
- Example - Mitochondria = concentrates TCA and Oxidative Phosphorylation
3. Sequestering of toxic metabolites (EX. ROS h2o2)
4. Make Microenvirnments (Ex. Membrane potential across membrane ; Ion or pH gradients across membrane)
Issues with organelles
Organelles pose probelms for the cell :
1. How to control organelle number and shape
2. How to transport small molecules in and out
- Need to transport small molecules in and out of organelles because they have membranes (need transporters)
3. How to assmble organelles with proteins and lipids
4. How to control location + movement + inheritance of organelles during cell division
Mitocondria membranes
Mitocondria = have 2 memebranes
- Outer membrane (Smooth)
- Inner membrane
- Inner membrane = folds into Cristae –> Cristae = increases the surface area to accommodate the many protein complexes (Ex. Oxidaive phosphorylation machinery + transporters)
Between the membranes = have inter membrane space
Insider the inner membrane = matrix (has mtDNA)
EM section of mitocondria
Image – EM image of mitocondria
- Shows inner and outter memebrane
- Small dots = ribosomes (Ribosomes = make proteins in the matrix of the mitocondria)
3D reconstruction of serial EM images (tomoagraphy) of mitocondria
Image – 3D view of mitocondria using EM tomography
- EM tomography = cuts serial sections of mitocondria and reconstitutes sections into 3D image
- Blue = Outer membrane ; Yellow = inner membrane
- See 3D of inner membrane –> shows the inner membrane is sheet structures NOT tubules
Number of mitocondria per cell
Each cell has hundreds of mitocondria
- Have 2 copies of nuclear genome in 1 cell BUT have >100 copies of mtDNA in 1 cell
Image:
- Red = Mitocondira ; Green = Nuclear DNA ; Yellow = mtDNA
- See many mitocondria in cell + see nuclear DNA + see many copies of mtDNA in cell cell
Functions of mitochondria
- Energy production (synthesize ATP)
- Major function of mitocondria = synthesize energy in the form of ATP
- Metabolsim
- Heat generation (Control body temperatureby generating heat)
- Involved in Signaling
- Intracellular Ca+ signaling (suing Ca) and ROS (ROS can be a signlaing molecule)
- Apoptosis (programmed cell death)
OVERALL – means mitocondria are essential organelles
Mitocondria metabolsism
- Some lipid syntehsis (made in mitochondria)
- Heme and Fe-S cluster synthesis
- Heme and Fe-S cluster = part of enzymes in cells
- Fatty acid metabolsim (making energy)
- Some Amino Acid metabolism
- Urea degredtion
How do you make ATP using mitochondria?
Answer – Mitocondira make energy by burning what you eat
- Get energy from burning (oxidizing) the substrates used for ATP synthesis –> make ATP
Mitocondria burns Sugars + proteins + fats AND using oxygen to extract energy from these molecules –> then make ATP
- In process of making ATP turn O2 –> CO2
Mitocondria ATP production (process)
- Sugars or fats or proteins undergo TCA cycle in the matrix
- TCA cycle produces high energy compounds (NADH and FADH2)
- NADH and FADH2 = made in the matrix with TCA cycle - NADH and FADH2 are used in ETC (proton pumps)
- ETC will make an electrochemical gradient across the inner mitochondrial memebrane
- F1/Fo ATPase (ATP synthase ; aka complex 5) will use the gradeint to make ATP
Use of NADH and FADH2
NADH and FADH2 = used to make membrane potential – creates an electrochemical gradient across the inner membrane using proton pumps
- Proton pumps - pump protons from the matrix to the intermembrane space
- When pumping the H+ - pumping H+ against their natural concetration of protons (pumping from low to high)
- Creating form of energy by mitocodnira
F1/Fo ATPase
F1/Fo ATPase (ATP synthase ; aka complex 5) will use the gradeint to make ATP
- H+ gradient = energy created by the mitocondria
After the gradient is made – H+ will flow down the gradient back into the matrix using ATP synthase
- When the proton goes into the matrix –> ATP synthase uses the energy to generate ATP
H+ potential across the inner membrane us used for many other things
Byproduct of electron transport
ROS is a bypoduct of electron transport
- Because using Oxygen to make ATP = make ROS as a byproduct
- ROS = toxic
ROS needs to be taken care of with enzymes that will detoxify ROS
Mitochondria and disease
Since mitocondria are essnetial – if have defects in mitocondrial function -> get many types of human disease
Genrally mitochondrial diseases often first/primarily affect tissues with high energy (ATP) demands:
1. Skelatal and msucle disorders
2. Cardiomyopathies (affcets heart)
3. Metabolic Disorders (Ex. Diabetes)
- Liver and adipocutes are affceted in metabolism disorders
4. Neurodegernative disorders (Ex. Parkinsones + many types of blindness + ataxia and dystonia)
- Nuerons = high energy demand = get neurological disorders
Mitocondria + Cancer
Mitochondria play a role in tumorgenisis
Some types of cancer are associated with defects in mitochondrial activity
Example – Mutations in complex 2 cause pheochromocytoma (neuroendocrine tumor)
Mitocondria + Aging
Mitochondria may be the primary cause of aging
Decline in mitochondrial function may contribute to the aging process in the body
Use of the proton gradient
Product gradinet can be used to make ATP BUT it can also be used to trasnport moecules into the matrix
Examples:
1. Can import ADP and phosphate into matrix
2. Once make ATP –> ATP can be transported out
Mitocondria have many transporters to control metabolism –> THE TRANSPORT IS DRIVEN BY THE H+ GRADIENT
Carriers in Inner membrane
Since the mitocondria Inner membrane is imperbale (even to H+) –> many special carriers are needed to transport small molecules in and out of the matrix
Many carriers use the inner membrane potential:
1. Voltage gradient drives ADP-ATP exchange
2. pH gradient drives pyruvate import
3. pH gradient drives phosphate import
H+ gradient
H+ gradients = form of energy the mitocondria makes using the ETC
Answer – ALL OF THE ABOVE (mitocondria like most organelles do many things for the cell and are thus essential)
Compartments of the mitochondria
Compartments of the mitochondria – Have 4 compartments and 2 membranes
- Outer membrane
- Inner membrane
- Intermembrane Space
- Matrix
General method for isolating mitocondira and other organelles
General method for isolating mitochondria and other organelles = subcellular fractionation
- Break up cells or tissue mechanically (homogenize) –> now have the cytosol + organelles
- Use differential centrifugation –> spin down organelles based on size + density
- Low speed centrifuging = get big structure (ex. Nucleus)
- Increase the speed = get pellet with mitocondria + lysosomes + peroxisomes (intermeduate size density structures
- Spin at higher speed = get pellete with smaller structures (Ex. ER)
- If use ultra centrifugation = get pellete with protein complexes (Ex. Get ribosomes)
Using this people have isolated the mitocondria to study structure and function
Subceullar Fractionation on Mitocondria
Mitochondria = can be isolated by subcellular fractionation (aka differential centrifugation)
Mitochondria can be further fraction into outer membrane or inner membrane or inter membrane space or matrix
- Can study the compartments by separating them from isolated mitochondria
Mitocondrial Outer membrane
Outer membrane = has big pores = makes membrane permeable to small molecules and ions
- Phosphates + ATP + ADP = can go through the outer membrane BUT need to be transported across the inner membrane with transporters because the inner membrane is impermeable to these molecules