Biochemistry 2288A Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Mitochondrial Matrix, Extrachromosomal Dna, Oxidative Phosphorylation
17 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm, producing pyruvate. We have already seen that, under anaerobic conditions, pyruvate can be fermented to lactate or ethanol. Pyruvate can also be used to make glucose when necessary. In this topic we will see a third metabolic fate of pyruvate. Under aerobic conditions, pyruvate produced by glycolysis is transported into mitochondria, where it is oxidized to form co2. The mitochondrion is an organelle with two membranes. The outer membrane has many pores embedded in it (fig 11-24, p. 372), and is freely permeable to most solutes of low molecular weight (up to about 5000 da). The inner membrane is impermeable to ions and charged molecules, which can only cross it if a special path is made. The inner membrane is folded to form cristae, greatly increasing its surface area. The space enclosed by the inner membrane is called the matrix. The mitochondrial matrix contains many soluble proteins, as well as extrachromosomal dna and ribosomes.
