Table of Contents
What is the significance of the inner mitochondrial membrane?
The mitochondrial inner membrane is the site of the electron transport chain, an important step in aerobic respiration. Between the inner membrane and outer membrane is the inter-membrane space. There, H+ ions build up to create a proton potential that helps power the ATP energy formation.
Why are there more convolutions in the inner mitochondrial membrane?
Answer 2: They increase the surface area of the inner membrane, allowing there to be more proteins and more exchange of ions across the membrane, allowing the mitochondrion to do its job more quickly.
How is the inner membrane of the mitochondria unique?
The inner membrane is freely permeable to oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water only. It is much less permeable to ions and small molecules than the outer membrane, creating compartments by separating the matrix from the cytosolic environment. This compartmentalization is a necessary feature for metabolism.
What is the inner membrane of mitochondria called?
The inner membrane forms invaginations, called cristae, that extend deeply into the matrix. The cristae define the third mitochondrial compartment, the crista lumen. The crista membranes contain most, if not all, of the fully assembled complexes of the electron transport chain and the ATP synthase (Fig.
Which side of the inner mitochondrial membrane has a higher pH?
Which side of the inner mitochondrial membrane would have a higher pH? The side of the inner mitochondrial membrane that would have a higher pH would be the inner membrane because it has a low number of hydrogen ions.
Is an important component of the inner mitochondrial membrane?
The inner mitochondrial membrane contains many copies of a protein called the F0F1ATPase. This is also called ATP synthase. It consists of two parts: the F0 component spans the membrane and provides a channel for protons to move into the matrix from the intermembrane space.
Which side of the inner mitochondrial membrane would have a lower pH?
This means that the protons need to be pumped across the inner mitochondrial membrane into the intermembrane space. This results in the intermembrane space having the lowest pH in the mitochondria, due to the high proton concentration.