Cells' powerhouses were once energy parasites

Amanda Carotenuto

Cells' powerhouses were once energy parasites: Study upends current theories of how mitochondria began

Source: University of Virginia
Date of Publication: October 16, 2014
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141016165955.htm

Summary
This article describes mitochondria's origin in cells. Mitochondria is an organelle in eukaryotic cells that provides it with energy. Originally mitochondria is thought to have been separate from eukaryotic cells, as it has its own DNA, and eventually became a part of the cell. It is unknown, however, how this exactly happened.. This article talks about a study that shows that the original theories supporting that the initial relationship between cells and mitochondria was entirely beneficial may not be true, and that instead the mitochondria was a parasitic bacteria that only became beneficial after switching the direction it transported ATP. By sequencing DNA of ancestors of mitochondria, and realizing how similar they were to each other, researchers concluded that mitochondria was originally a parasitic bacteria that stole ATP from the cell. This process is actually the exact opposite of what its role is now.

Connections
We have recently been discussing cells and cell structure. Mitochondria is an important organelle in any eukaryotic cell. This is also interesting because we were just recently discussing endosymbiotic theory, which is the theory that eukaryotic cells are formed by communities of prokaryotic cells. This is evidenced because mitochondria and chloroplasts were most likely initially separate prokaryotic cells. This article directly connects to this idea, creating new ideas for how all of this might have started. It also describes how mitochondria works, which we have also been talking about recently. Overall, it connects to endosymbiotic theory, cell struture, and how cells work.