Elsevier

Methods in Enzymology

Volume 264, 1996, Pages 509-521
Methods in Enzymology

[43]Cytochemistry and immunocytochemistry of mitochondria in tissue sections

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(96)64045-2Get rights and content

Publisher Summary

This chapter presents the cytochemical and immunohistochemical methods that, in the experience, appear to be the most reliable for the correct identification of mitochondria on frozen tissue sections, to illustrate their potential using specific examples, and to provide an updated version of the methods. Although the described protocols refer to muscle mitochondria, the methods described can be applied to any cell type. The mitochondria are the primary adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-generating organelles in all mammalian cells and they contain their own DNA (mtDNA), which is maternally inherited. The human mitochondrial genome contains genes encoding for thirteen subunits of different respiratory complexes. These include seven subunits of complex I (NADH dehydrogenase–ubiquinone oxidoreductase), one subunit of complex III (ubiquinone–cytochrome-c oxidoreductase), three subunits of complex IV (cytochrome-c oxidase (COX)), and two subunits of complex V (ATP synthase). Although mitochondria have their transcriptional and translational machinery, most of the proteins located within mitochondria are encoded by the nuclear DNA (nDNA). These nuclear gene products are synthesized on cytoplasmic ribosomes and are subsequently imported into the mitochondria.

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