What keeps a cell's energy source going
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - 19:00
in Biology & Nature
Ca2+ flux across the inner mitochondrial membrane regulates cell bioenergetics, cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals and activation of cell death pathways. Ca2+ uptake from the cytoplasm is driven by the electrochemical gradient... Most healthy cells rely on a complicated process to produce the fuel ATP. Knowing how ATP is produced by the cell's energy storehouse – the mitochondria -- is important for understanding a cell's normal state, as well as what happens when things go wrong, for example in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and many rare disorders of the mitochondria.