Mitochondria+and+Chloroplast


 * Mitochondria **

__**Function**:__ ATP synthesis occurs in the Mitochondria. A mitochondrion is an energy tranformer. The main function of the mitochondria is to create energy for cellular activity, this is done through the process called cellular respiration. First glucose is broken down in the cell's cytoplasm to form pyruvic acid, which is transported into the mitochondrion. In the inner membrane, known as the Matrix, enzymes break down fuel molecules in a process called the Krebs Cycle. This cycle produces energy carrier molecules from the pyruvic acid. Mitochondrion transform the glucose into a rich energy substance called ATP. In a typical cell mitochondria can produce hundreds of thousands of ATP molecules in a single minute. The ATP is then transported to the cytoplasm of the cell where it is used, the ATP converts back into ADP. Then the ADP returns to the mitochondrion where the process starts all over again and is converted to ATP.

To further understand the __function of the mitochondria__ watch this video: media type="youtube" key="TgJt4KgKQJI" width="425" height="350" __** Structure: **__ A mitochondrion is a long and slender organelle, under a microscope it can appear to be bean or oval shaped. A mitochondrion has an outer membrane and an inner membrane which forms a sac within a sac. The outer membrane holds many transport proteins, which shuttle materials in and out of the mitochondrion. The inner membrane has many folds called cristae//,// which are the sites of ATP synthesis. Transport proteins, molecules called electron transport chains, and enzymes that synthesize ATP are embedded in the cristae. The cristae forms an inner compartment, called the matrix, which contains many enzymes. These enzymes break down pyruvic acid starting the Krebs Cycle. Mitochondria have their own genetic information(DNA) which allows them to replicate on their own without having to rely on the DNA in the nucleus of the cell.   

To further look at the __structure of the mitochondria__, watch this video: media type="youtube" key="ornB9_UG65A" width="425" height="350"

A mitochondrion provides energy (in the form of ATP) for the cell so that the cell can have energy for cellular activity. Mtiochondria are usually referred to as the powerhouse of the cell. Mitochondria provide the energy a cell needs to move, divide, produce secretory products, and contract. Mitochondria are very important in the functioning of a cell.
 * __Contributions to the Whole Cell:__**

Mitochondria: - Second largest organelle with unique genetic structure. - Energy-producing chemical reactions take place on cristae. - Controls level of water and other materials in cell. - Recycles and decomposes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and forms urea.

__Function:__ ** The chloroplast's major function is photosynthesis. Chloroplasts convert CO2 to carbohydrates, which are used as stored energy for the plants. Also, chloroplasts synthesize "amino acids, fatty acids, and the lipid components of their own membranes." These busy little organelles also reduce nitrite (NO2-) to ammonia (NH3), which is a key step when nitrogen gets incorporated back into organic compounds. Chloroplasts are extra special because they are only one of several types of organelles that play a variety of roles in plant cells.
 *   Chloroplasts

__**Structure:**__ Chloroplasts are large organelles (specifically, a plastid) bound by double membranes, called the chloroplast envelope, and an additional third internal membrane system, called the thylakoid membrane. Chloroplasts, like the mitochondria, also has its own genetic information.The thylakoid membrane forms a network of flattened discs called thylakoids, which are often stacked in forms called the grana. Because of this three-membrane structure, the internal organization of chloroplasts is more complex than the mitochondria, which is also why it is often times bigger in size. The three membranes divide chloroplasts into three different internal sections: To further understand the structure of a chloroplast, see the following image:
 * 1)   The intermembrane space between the two membranes of the chloroplast envelope
 * 2)   The stroma, which lies inside the envelope but outside the thylakoid membrane; and
 * 3)   The thylakoid lumen

__**Contribution to the Whole Cell:**__ Chloroplasts are vital to plant cells because its purpose is to make sugars and starches, which are the plants' sources of energy, from sunlight through the process of photosynthesis. When the energy from the sunlight hits a chloroplast, the chlorophyll inside the chloroplast uses that energy to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The molecular combination of CO2 and H2O create sugar and oxygen (O2). Chloroplasts not only sustains the cell with life, but also the organism as a whole. Plants benefit from chloroplasts because it lets the plant to live (with its steady source of energy) and animals benefit from chloroplasts because of the byproduct (oxygen) that it produces in the process of making glucose.

To get a closer look at what happens inside a chloroplast, check out the following movie:


 * <span style="COLOR: #063d18; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">  Comparing Mitochondria and Chloroplasts    **
 * Similarities:**


 * Both mitochondria and chloroplasts generate ATP.
 * Both organelles have pores on its membrane, making it permeable to other smaller molecules.
 * Both organelles are bound by double membrane.
 * Bot organelles have inner membrane that restricts the passage of molecules between the cytosol (outside of the organelle)and the interior of the organelle.

Differences:
 * Chloroplasts are bigger in size compared to the mitochondria.
 * Mitochondria's sole purpose is to produce ATP; Chloroplasts' sole purpose isn't to produce ATP.
 * Chloroplasts are involved in the process of photosynthesis.
 * Chloroplasts do not exist in animal cells; mitochondria exist in both animal and plant cells.
 * Chloroplasts have thylakoid membranes, while mitochondria does not. The functions of a mitochondria's inner membrane and a chloroplast's thylakoid membrane, however, are similar because they are both involved in electron transport and the generation of ATP.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Works Cited <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Davidson, Michael W. "Chloroplasts." Molecular Expressions__. Florida State University. 27 Oct. 2008 <__ http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/chloroplasts/chloroplasts.html >. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> "Photosynthesis Internet Tutorial." 27 Oct. 2008 <       http://www.cix.co.uk/~argus/dreambio/photosynthesis/photosynthsis%20animation.htm   <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">    >. Cooper, Geoffrey M., comp. "Chloroplasts and Other Placids." The Cell: A Molecular Approach__. 27 Oct. 2008 <__ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=cooper.section.1655 >.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Encarta Encyclopedia. 25 Oct. 2008 <   <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582165/mitochondria.htm  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">   >.

Davidson <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">   ,  Michael W. "Mitochondria." Molecular Expressions__. Florida State University. 27 Oct. 2008 [|<http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/mitochondria/mitochondria.html].> Bailey, Regina. "Journey Into the Cell: Mitochondria." About.com: Biology. 27 Oct. 2008. []

NullNetwork. "Mitochondria_01." 27 Oct. 2008. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ornB9_UG65A&feature=related>.

BiologyR120. "Mitochondria ATP." 27 Oct. 2008. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgJt4KgKQJI>.