In Journey into the Cell, we looked at the structure of the two
major types of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Now we
turn our attention to the "power houses" of a eukaryotic cell,
the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the cell's power producers.
They convert energy into forms that are usable by the cell.
Located in the cytoplasm, they are the sites of cellular
respiration which ultimately generates fuel for the cell's
activities. Mitochondria are also involved in other cell
processes such as cell division and growth, as well as cell
death. Mitochondria: Distinguishing Characteristics Mitochondria
are bounded by a double membrane. Each of these membranes is a
phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins. The outermost
membrane is smooth while the inner membrane has many folds.
These folds are called cristae. The folds enhance the
"productivity" of cellular respiration by increasing the
available surface area. The double membranes divide the
mitochondrion into two distinct parts: the intermembrane space a