Mitochondria - 9781441924186

MitochondriaThe Dynamic Organelle\nAuthor(s): Stephen W. Schaffer, M. Saadeh Suleiman\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc., United States\nImprint: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.\nISBN-13: 9781441924186, 978-1441924186\nSynopsis\nThe term mitochondrion is derived from Latin, with mitos meaning thread and chondrion meaning granules. Indeed, under the light microscope, mitochondria often appear as rods or granules within the cytoplasm. For decades after initial visualization of mitochondria by light microscopy, mitochondrial function remained clouded. However, with the development of differential centri- gation and electron microscopy, it was discovered that a chief function of the mitochondria was the generation of ATP for the remainder of the cell. For many years, the energy generating function of the mitochondria was considered the primary, if not the sole function of the mitochondria. During that period, inves- gators attempted to obtain information on the me.