Mitochondria [Hardcover]

Mitochondria are intracellular organelles that power the cell by metabolizing glucose and other energy sources to generate ATP. They are also critical in programmed cell death, and dysfunction of mitochondrial components is implicated in numerous muscle and neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinsons disease. This volume contains contributions examining the evolution and normal function of mitochondria in cells, as well as their roles in various pathologies.Mitochondria are subcellular organelles that function as ?power plants? for the cell, generating energy in the form of ATP from glucose, oxygen, and other molecules. Thought to have arisen about 2 billion years ago when an aerobic bacterium invaded the primitive eukaryotic cell, they have their own DNA, undergo fission and fusion independently, and play an important role in programmed cell death.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology discusses the evolution of mitochondria, their functions in cells, and the numerous diseases in which mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated. The contributors also examine mitochondrial biogenesis, the molecular mechanisms underlying fission and fusion, how proteins are imported from the cytoplasm, and the organization of the mitochondrial DNA.

This book includes chapters covering the involvement of mitochondria in Parkinson's disease, encephalopathies, tumorigenesis, muscular dystrophy, and other diseases, as well as aging. It is thus a vital reference for all cell and molecular biologists, as well as researchers working on muscle and neurodegenerative diseases, the role of metabolism in aging, and cancer.Preface

Mitochondrial Evolution
Michael W. Gray

Mitochondrial DNA Genetics and the Heteroplasmy Conundrum in Evolution and Disease
Douglas C. Wallace and Dimitra Chalkia

Mechanisms of Protein Sorting in Mitochondria
Diana Stojanovski, Maria Bohnert, Nikolaus Pfals$