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. 1961 Jan 1;9(1):19–28. doi: 10.1083/jcb.9.1.19

STUDIES ON THE CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE RESPIRATORY ENZYMES OF MITOCHONDRIA

Ronald W Estabrook 1, Andrew Holowinsky 1
PMCID: PMC2224976  PMID: 13697429

Abstract

(1) The mathematical calculations relating spectrophotometric data with the data of Allard et al. (4, 5) on mitochondrial counts, is presented. Such a calculation indicates that an "average mitochondrion" from rat liver would contain about 17,000 molecules of each cytochrome pigment. (2) Hematocrit determinations relating respiratory pigment content for mitochondria isolated from a variety of tissues have been presented, showing a fivefold variability depending upon the source of the mitochondria. (3) Speculations on the organization of the respiratory enzymes associated with the membrane structure of the mitochondria are discussed.

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Selected References

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