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Electron Tomography of Rat-Liver Mitochondria: Structure of Cristae and Interactions With Endoplasmic Reticulum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

CA. Mannella
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
K. Buttle
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
K. Tessitore
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
S. Pixley
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
B. Rath
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
D. D’Arcangelis
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
M. Marko
Affiliation:
Biological Microscopy and Image Reconstruction Resource, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Box 509, Albany, NY12201-0509, and Department of Biomédical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany (SUNY)
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Extract

We are using electron tomography to investigate the internal organization of mitochondria and the interactions of these organelles with other cellular components. Two-axis tilt-series are recorded from 0.2-1.0-μm sections using either an AEI EM7 high-voltage or JEOL 4000 intermediate-voltage electron microscope. Reconstructions are computed using programs in SPIDER and visualized with the Sterecon system.

Three-dimensional reconstructions of conventionally fixed and plastic-embedded rat-liver mitochondria (isolated and in situ) indicate that the cristae, the infoldings of the inner membrane, are pleiomorphic, defining compartments that are connected to each other and to the surface of the inner membrane by narrow (30-40-nm diameter) tubular regions (Fig. 1). This is contrary to the “baffle” model commonly shown in textbooks and has important implications for the diffusion of ions, metabolites, and macromolecules inside the organelle. The same basic organization is also observed in reconstructions of mitochondria in rat-liver sections prepared by the cryo-fixation method of Tokuyasu(Fig. 2).

Type
Innovative Approaches to 3-D Structure/Function Determination for Cells and Organelles
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 1997

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References

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