Mitochondria — Structure, Function, and Replication

Clinicians are now generally aware that mitochondria have a crucial role in the energy transformations of aerobic cells — a role that has been vividly captured in the designation "powerhouse of the cell." In this issue of the Journal, Egger and Wilson1 provide compelling evidence that the inheritance of a mitochondrial disease in human beings is exclusively maternal — the hallmark of a non-mendelian pattern. It will help us to visualize mitochondrial disease in its appropriate setting if we begin by taking stock of our present knowledge of the structure and function of this organelle.Mitochondria are structures of . . .