features of mitochondria?

can anyone help with the following:

State two different ways in which mitochondria have similar features to certain species of bacteria (such as some of those commonly found within dental plaque).

cheers.

Reply 1

moojoo

They contain smaller (70S) ribosomes.
They contain circular plasmids of DNA.

Reply 2

bachelor

moojoo

They contain smaller (70S) ribosomes.
They contain circular plasmids of DNA.

do you know much about oxidative phosphorylation and the effects of inhibitors and uncouplers?

thanks

Reply 3

moojoo

Erm I know some, probably not much :smile:

Inhibitors: Cyanide is a well known one, I think it binds to one of the cytochrome electron acceptors, cytochrome a3 perhaps
CCCP (dont ask me what it's full name is! lol) somehow disrupts the proton gradient which you need for ATP synthase to work, so stops ATP production.
I think there's another substance that does something similar, an antibiotic i think.

I think they are classed as uncouplers? they disrupt the H+ gradient, by letting the pumped protons come back. They uncouple the oxidation and phosphorylation of ADP.

Reply 4

Comp_Genius

dinitrophenol acts as an uncoupler.

Reply 5

bachelor

thanks for that guys. I needed some help with how to design an experiment to determine whether an unknown substance X was an uncoupler or inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation. I would need to use the normal stuff e.g mitochondria, oxygen electrode etc.

Any ideas on how to go about doing this?

Reply 6

Comp_Genius

well think of what the two groups of compounds would do to oxygen consumption?

Reply 7

Evolin

darkenergy

well think of what the two groups of compounds would do to oxygen consumption?

uncouplers increase oxygen uptake, but inhibitors inhibit oxygen uptake.

But do you know any good sites, or other resourses (including yourself :smile:

) that would tell me a good experiment to carry out to find this out. Thanks.